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Original poster

Menopause weight gain

57 replies

wherestheweightlosspill · 20/01/2025 17:10

Hi, I'm sure this has probably been asked hundreds of times but I'm really feeling down. I've gained about a stone in the last year, and I think 90% of it is on my tummy. I've been doing 5:2 for nearly 10 years but it just wasn't working. I do a youtube workout (20-30 mins) 6-7 times a week, eat pretty well and yet I look 5 months pregnant. I joined Team RH after Christmas and it literally isn't working at all, (and tbh I find their version of 'tough love' just rude and unhelpful, it's a bit like a cult, you're only allowed to say how great Team RH is and how shit everything else (My Fitness Pal, Slimming World etc) is. Given that most diets (Weightwatchers etc, Team RH etc) are all calorie counting, which appears not to be working for me, are there any other (maybe menopause specific) options?

OP posts:
Semiramide · 23/01/2025 10:03

3-minute plank, two dozen push-ups, 50 squats, 30 crunches and a 45-second hollow hold - and a few Russian twists and leg circles.

Warm-up 3 minutes
Plank 3 minutes
2 x 12 push-ups 2 minutes
50 squats 2 minutes
30 crunches 2 minutes
45 second hollow hold 1 minute
Russian twists 2 minutes
Leg circles 2 minutes
Cool down 2 minutes

Total 19 minutes, give or take. A short but effective workout, @wherestheweightlosspill 😀

Uta100 · 23/01/2025 10:13

I’ve found 16:8 has worked for me. I have two meals a day and eat a fairly low carb diet. It’s worked brilliantly & I have more energy.

PigsInSpaceBlankets · 23/01/2025 10:54

Semiramide · 21/01/2025 09:54

I attribute my lack of a tummy to two things:

  • intermittent fasting, low carb diet with lots of protein and vegetables, very little alcohol,
  • Bowflex 3-minute plank plus 10 minutes abs work every single day.
Plus keeping an eye on calories and working out (weights and HIIT) most days.

What does a typical day, foodwise, look like for you @Semiramide?

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Menopause Weight management Women's health
Semiramide · 23/01/2025 14:21

Cup of tea when I wake up
2 egg omelet with salad or vegetables after my workout - around 10.30 - 11 am
Apple or melon +/- a boiled egg in the afternoon
Chicken or salmon plus vegetables for dinner.

I'm not a saint. I avoid UPF and try to stay clear of booze and sugar, but I'm not religious about it. I'll have the odd ice cream and glass of wine. Or champagne.

Original poster
wherestheweightlosspill · 23/01/2025 14:53

HelenHywater · 23/01/2025 09:42

What's team RH?

I put on half a stone last year and couldn't shift it - also had my last period (so far) last Feb. I have started the Human Being Diet and have lost 3kg with that so far. I'm also just doing pilates and Caroline Girvan plus 15000 steps a day (dog walk, so not intentional).

I can't work out whether it is what it says it is - an ideal way of eating for a (peri) menopausal woman that balances out insulin peaks, cortisol and hormonal stuff as well as dealing with IBS (which it has for me) or is just a drastic diet. In any case, it's worked for me whereas none of my self-designed diets last year did. The first stages are very low calorie, lots of water, sleep and no cardio exercise, no snacks and 3 meals a day. Lots of mid-life women seem evangelical about it.

Team RH is a guy called Richie Howe (personal trainer type) and the diet is based on hitting a certain number of calories, grams of protein and fibre. It's a 'tough love' type of thing, but I actually found it just aggressive and rude, and it also didn't work for me. I must google The Human Being diet. I do about 15k steps a day as well, that bit isn't hard for me, I just need to figure how what I should be eating to lose the belly

OP posts:
NigelHarmansNewWife · 23/01/2025 16:02

You cannot eat in a way that specifically spot reduces your belly. You can do things in combination to reduce body fat and build muscle which should improve the appearance of your whole body.

VanillaImpulse · 24/01/2025 00:51

When you hit menopause due to the drop in oestrogen your body doesn't put the fat on the hips and boobs like it does when you're younger. It goes on the tummy, same as men.
Not sure if having oestrogen in HRT reduces that or not

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