to ask if you have managed to get rid of perimenopausal belly fat and bloat and how you have done it?

[SoManyQuestions219]

Am 46 and am noticing bloating and a thickening waist .

Just wondering what you have done to combat these symptoms!! Is it possible to be this age and have a youthful figure? Have about half a stone of general weight to lose but my belly has freaked me out!

Thank you!

Certainly watching the calories and exercising regularly are very important. But I did notice that what made the biggest difference to my tummy was when I started the 5:2 intermittent fasting. It may be a coincidence, but it did seem to flatten things out quite nicely.

Since January I have been doing my "Belly Fat Buster" DVD only a fiver off Amazon and only requires ten minutes each night. I've seen a difference in my belly shape, not exactly a six pack but a damn site better than it was. I'd scoffed myself silly during the Winter, as I do every year, but I find it so much harder to shift weight now I'm in my forties.

I started HRT in January (I'm 48 and was getting severe hot flushes) and piled on nearly a stone in flab. It took me a while to link my sudden lack of motivation to exercise and the unrelenting desire to sit on the sofa and eat carbs every evening and all weekend with what the GP eventually said was a low-grade HRT induced depression. I've been off the drugs for four weeks now and some of my motivation is coming back but I'm finding it much harder than it was before. I know I need to cut right down on carbs, and booze, but I'm still so cross with myself for having piled so much weight on it's a bit difficult.

From what I read, the change in hormones post-menopause is why women get more weight on their waist (becoming more like blokes). Our distribution of body fat changes to be more like guys (so off the bottom/boobs & onto the tum). It's near impossible to stop but obviously the fitter and less overweight you are overall, the less noticeable it will be.

As for perimenopausal weight gain, I wonder if a lot of that is down to lack of exercise.

I wish people wouldn't go on about slowing metabolism, a 70 needs only like 300 fewer daily calories than a 20yo. Slowing activity rather than metabolism is what really drives weight gain as we get older.

My tum is much smaller now at 47 than it was at 20, but I've much more of a muffin top now because the stupid clothes styles now are so against high waists (stupid fashion trends).

Theories around the menopause always confuse me. Here's why - I was told that going on the Pill meant a risk of weight gain due to the oestrogen. My cousin was told that weight gain was due to being menopausal but there was a weight gain risk with HRT due to the oestrogen.

So I'm confused because the message seems to be -
lower oestrogen leads to weight gain
higher oestrogen leads to weight gain

meanwhile, my mum never took the contraceptive pill or HRT and lost weight after the menopause. She didn't need to lose weight - she went from being a medically healthy weight, bang in the middle of the range, to very very slim. To this day - she's now 78 - she troughs cake because she can do that and still stay very very slim. And her blood sugar is lower than dad's and he doesn't touch sweet stuff.

I'm 39 and I'm okay but looking at my mother and my cousin I have no idea what to expect. Sis and I both exercise a lot though - for fun - so that will have an impact too I guess.

This explains how low oestrogen is thought to lead to fat gain in the belly (man style).

Also says that overall weight gain with age is mostly down to lifestyle rather than biological factors.

Blank gaze and butterfly

This is my main diet

Breakfast...onion omelette
Lunch..home made soup
Dinner...protein veg ansd rice or sweet potato

However we do travel around a bit froma week to two weeks at a time and stay in hotels so have to eat out a fair bit

I had the menopause 23 years ago when I was 40. I'm on no meds. I maybe eat one piece a fruit a day.

Yesterday for eg I ate 3 slices of bacon with fat trimmed, some baked beans and half a tomato. Some cherries and in the evening had a Toby carvery . Sweet potato, meat, some ordinary potato, peas. I only ate a half plate because my dress was digging in....should wear it all the time. It acted like a gastric band. One gin and tonic.

I've been no sugar for four weeks now. Apart from 1 alcoholic drink occasionally. By that I mean, no chocolate, no gluten free cake when out for a hot drink, nomints. I only drink fruit teas. No fizzy. No sweeteners.
no gluten free bread.
Normally the weight would have fallen off me. I'd like to think I'm not eating enough, but my cousin who flies around like a paper kite on a small breakfast and often nothing till evening lost a stone and a half easily looks fabulous.

Snot fair!

I'm getting married soon and wanted to be svelte and fabulous. I'm considering joining SW (although I vowed I would never pay to lose weight again ) to see if I'm not eating enough.

Oh thinks I don't drink enough water. When we are travelling that probably is correct.

It's never been this hard.

I had a hysterectomy a couple of years ago because of very large fibroids that were making me look pregnant. My stomach still doesn't look a whole lot flatter . I've reduced my HRT to one every 5 days which hasn't made the slightest difference.
I'm now trying to eat much more healthily,(lots of protein and fibre, not too much fat or sugar) have cut out weekday wine and am swimming and walking to try and tone up.
Fingers crossed. I was always one of those people who had to try to put on weight. I just can't get used to this

joining in for hope of some tips. even after gaining 4st whilst pregnant at 30, it all just 'went' and my stomach remained flat for 12 years afterwards. this last 3 years i have gained a ridiculous amount of weight and have a horrible bloaty, bulgy tum. periods went wonky for about 18 months but appeared to have decided to arrive every 4 weeks or so again. i feel like this is not my body.

Thanks for all your contributions. I guess this is a universal problem which makes me feel a bit better.

Really don't want a "man body" so am going to fight it with all my might! Thanks for all the tips - keep them coming!

First thing I am going to do is cut sugar down to one teaspoon a day (can't do without my morning cuppa!) and a bit of jam on my toast - then healthy all the way . Am going to up my walking and also try some yoga / pilates.

My periods have also gone haywire so I permanently feel like I have the pre period bloat but with no period to relieve it . Am hoping they haven't gone for good - last one was about 3 months ago I think.

to all.

Googled and read this

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2026441/Bloating-eating-Reasons-stomachs-swell-suddenly.html

Feel more depressed than ever as it sounds it's like my healthy diet thats doing it.

Especially after reading the personal experiences of the two women. I've had a glass of water and my belly bloated. I think there might be something in the relaxed abdomen muscles. Although I do hold it in!

I started HRT in December and instantly put on weight despite all the claims that it shouldn't do this. The fat has settled around my middle.

Nothing had changed with my diet and I am a regular at the gym. I may not have the perfect diet but I really do try to eat healthily - muesli for brekkie, sandwich and fruit for lunch, nomal family tea. I limit sweet stuff and rarely drink. The weight gain didn't make sense

Since the new year I have been trying not to eat carbs on a lunchtime. I've also upped my exercise from 3 gym classes a week to doing extra walking/jogging in between sessions.

I have been feeling less bloated and a friend who I don't see very often did say that she had noticed a difference. So, I'm guessing that menopause = working harder at keeping weight off

Are you on HRT with progesterone in it? That can cause bloating. Not that I would suggest HRT without it unless you are without a uterus, but there are alternatives which may be less bloating

Took the pill for 6 months 40 years ago and never taken hrt. Can't blame either of them.

I also start to burp about 1 minute after food hits my stomach. I have started to take colpermin regularly.

45 here

I don't drink (well say two glasses of wine once a month). I don't eat meat, dairy or wheat. Only drink green or herbal tea. Run 4 x per week, swim 2- 3 x per week, yoga etc, usually clock up at lest 10 -14 hours of exercise on top of school run and shopping fetching on foot.

Cannot shift the weight or the belly flab. At All.

I have had my bloods tested and am not even yet perimenopausal, so god help me when it does hit.

I think I am going to have to do 5:2 or similar or some other way of having a VLC diet or nothing will shift it.

It is very depressing.

High Intensity interval training - I still occasionally get bloating if I eat too much late in the evening but it lasts about 3 days only.

HiiT has really trimmed my lower body.
I also do bodyweight exercises with emphasis on lower body.

The fat gain is due to the hormone changes giving you a more male pattern of body fat. Also, in menopause the storage of fat in your upper arm (unique to women) stops - and the fat migrates and generally to the tummy.
This is why you get flabby upper arms and a thicker waist in middle age.
I found that fascinating fact in a book about strength training for women. It recommends doing a shed load of upper arm work to build the triceps and the lower body workouts as well. That way you get rid of the upper arm fat before the menopause kindly dumps it onto your belly.

Worked for me. I'm 50.

Oh - if you do sumo squats and bulgarian split squats regularly it improves your orgasm.
That's not in a book - a personal discovery there.

Marymillington ( strange name) your diet is similar to mine except I do eat meat and I don't exercise..

This is such a good thread but I'm finding it really depressing.

I also eat Lowcarb. Anyone been to SW to get them to sort it out.

Seemed to happen to me as well.

I'm not a sedentary person, although I wouldn't say I'm particularly active either.

I walk the dog three times a day & am out on my bike once a day.

But not pushing myself & I think that that is the thing tbh.

I think I also need to cut portions down.

There's a 30 day squat challenge to tone up your bum.

Anyone seen anything similar for a jelly belly?

THE amount of calories you need drops by around 5% per decade.
If you do not cut your intake you will get fatter.
Also, many middle aged people are a lot more sedentary than they realise.

I keep my weight down and muscle density up with strict meal self discipline and a LOT of swimming and yoga.

Snacking is incredibly bad for you and desensitises the insulin system : which is even more critical as you get to 50 and above

This is such a good thread but I'm finding it really depressing.

Me too. In fact it's made me want to cry. I know I am not doing anything different in terms of diet and exercise but my weight has soared in the last 6 months since I've been on HRT. I was struggling to keep it below 12 stone in the previous year, when my normal weight was around 11 stone. I had foolishly hoped that HRT might help, but within three months I'd ballooned to 12 and a half stone. I am only short - I really cannot carry off this look. It is really starting to affect my self esteem. I am so bloody fed up. I try so hard to hard to low carb but I don't seem to be able to maintain it for more than a about a week at a time and the second I take my eye off the ball I am back where I started.

It's the massive rubber tyre that has suddenly appeared around my middle, out of nowhere, that is hardest to live with. I just look shit.

I put on a lot of weight at first signs of perimenopause. HRT helped me once I found the right one. The initial HRT made me quite depressed and I comfort ate and couldn't find the energy to move off the sofa.

Once I got an HRT I was comfortable with that has given me back my mojo and I'm exercising more and generally feeling happier with myself.

But I am definitely finding it harder to shift weight and easier to put it on. I'm trying to just eat sensibly at the moment, not snacking, avoiding processed foods (not eliminating) just being sensible.

5 years ago that would have done it and I would have lost weight - now I think it is just maintaining and I have to start properly cutting down and accepting that I need to think about portion size and actually cutting stuff out properly.

This is me! 52. Very sad about it. From size 10 to 14 almost overnight, at around age 50. No period now for around 2 years. I can still fit some size 12 dresses but only if I go for a completely waistless (tent, basically) style. Have very few clothes now, mainly because I hate seeing myself in the changing room mirror. Not just the tummy - the arms - my god.
It is NOT universal. I sing in a choir and have taken to noticing who, of my age +, can still wear trousers and who can't - about 50/50 I would say.

I had wondered whether hrt makes you thinner so I'm interested to see it could have opposite effect. I don't take hrt.

My problem is hiding my self loathing from my teenage daughters as I am apt to vocalise how hideous I find myself when I think nobody is listening.

Anyone tried this?

Lots of water. Running three times a week. And the most revelatory of revelations! Cutting out wheat. Bloating stopped, regular doses of thrush cleared up, stomach cramps and having to rush for the loo stopped.

And I follow a low carb diet for a few months at the beginning of every year to get rid of the winter padding and set me up to feel more energetic.