to be fucked off that I can't get rid of my belly! Is this it now I'm 46???

[soupdragon321]

So,, I'm a fairly fit individual. Have done yoga and pilates four times a week for nearly ten years. Have been running 5k 3-4 times a week for over eight months. And yet, I have not lost a single lb or inch from my waistline. I am getting seriously pissed off and I can only think that this is simply down to the fact that at 46, my body is just not going to do what I want it to because it's in early menopause and the 'thickening' of the waist is a real thing! Don't we women have enough shit to deal with! My weight has gradually increased over the past year to over 7lbs more it previously was. It seems so bloody unfair that despite all the exercise and healthy eating, I'm never going to have the body I'd like. Yes, maybe all the exercise is preventing me from being even BIGGER at my current age then i would be if I did nothing, (yeah, great, work your ass off just to stay the same which is more than you were originally! How depressing!!) but it feels that once you're over 40, unless you are genetically blessed, or choose to literally starve yourself (and life is far too short for that), then you just have to suck it up. ARGH!!! Rant over, just wanting to see if anyone else feels the same.

can you run 10k instead of 5? that would be an easy way of upping your calorie expenditure without too much effort.

I am younger than you, eat around same amount of calories per day as you (sometimes less, around 1200 but I am short so think I need less) and have the same problem- belly wont flatten and in fact keeps growing. I have recently started upping weights sessions in the gym (more reps, diff machines/exercises) and am slowly noticing the difference.

Where to start with weights - I sort of looked up weights workouts online and started small with hand weights and kept increasing. Later moved on to the machines which I asked the gym staff to show me how to use, they were happy to.

I find that coming to terms with it is easier than doing anything about it when what you are doing is having zero effect anyway. As long as you feel better, who cares

@trancepants what is your incredible hobby that ticks all the boxes?!?

Rollerskating. I took DS to a rollerdisco party a while back, decided to join him on the rink and fell in love with it. I now rink skate 2-3 times a week, 1 adult session mid-week and 1 or 2 family skate sessions which, now that DS can skate without my help, is just as good. And I inline skate outdoors 1 or 2 times a week if it's not too wet. I use an average of 900 calories a session, it's fab cardio but also an amazing muscle workout for your legs, hips, glutes, core and arms.

I love every aspect of it. There is a lovely group of adults that use the rink and it's a great friendly, social activity. It's fabulous family time for me, DS and my mum who has gotten nearly as into it as I have. And outdoor skating is great for either solo time with my skate music or sometimes I go with a friend. It feels like flying and dancing rolled into one and I get super fit and healthy. It generally feels too good to be true.

Wow, that sounds amazing trancepants. I wanna try that! I loved rollerskating as an 80s kid. Did it take you long to (re)learn? I’d be a bit worried about falling over these days.

I used to rollerblade loads in my 20's, I've always been fit (running, swimming, weights, kickboxing have all featured) but my legs were AMAZING then, the only time in my life I could ever have said that.

I've skated on and off since I was a kid, roller skates in the 80, inlines as a 90s teen and maybe a Christmas ice skate every couple of years as an adult. So I could skate ok first time back but, no joke, I couldn't remember how to use a toe stop at all. I had to look it up on youtube after my first couple of sessions. My mum came along with DS and I about a month after I took it up and she hadn't skated since 1986 and she was absolutely fine on the skates after a couple of minutes.

Number one rule though, if you are 40+, get protective gear. You absolutely want to be wearing wrist guards and ideally knee and elbow pads. As I've gotten more ambitious I've fallen once or twice and the pads take all the impact. If you skate outdoors a helmet is a good idea too, it's very easy to hit speeds of 20mph and you want head protection at that speed.

It's honestly a fab hobby though. Really versatile and I just absolutely love it. Especially on themed nights when you are just zipping about dancing to cheesey 70s/80s pop.

To anyone who's tempted by it, I say just go for it. Especially if you have a rink near you. I had been meaning to go for about 2 years and constantly failing to actually bother. I'm so glad that I finally managed to get around to it.

I'd add to trancepants posts - if you're brave enough and have rinks near you then ice skating will do the same.

Also - not tried for years but apparently hula hooping (of course!) gives you a more defined weight - as you're concentrating round that area to exercise it.

I also would say, on the back of the previous comments - yes, cut down certain food groups, yes find out of a certain food makes you 'swell' in stomach area etc but I certainly wouldn't cut out carbs, fat etc completely - it's not stickable to in the long term and you will normally end up giving in to your cravings completely.

If you add the odd 'treat' food I think it really doesn't do a lot of harm.

Intermittent fasting is the only thing that worked for me after DC2. The 5:2 diet. Not as hard as I thought it would be because no matter how much you want to eat something you only have to deprive yourself for one day and you can tell yourself you’ll have it tomorrow.

It’s been great!

Another 46yo in the same boat
And I eat bloody nothing.

And I can't do weights because of all the surgeries have had post childbirth.

If it's any consolation my doctor said it's nature's way of making sure you've got some reserves as you head towards old age as you don't want to be a scrawny old lady and then get sick

trancepants thank you so much, sounds amazing!

Can anyone recommend a good weights or high intensity workout on YouTube that you can do at home eg with free weights or tins of beans?

I don't think you're old enough to be able to say it's your age. When I was 50 I was still prancing around in little white shorts. Now, mid 60s, no chance! Certainly not if you're only 46 - you're still a spring chicken! And only eating 1500 calories a day ... I don't know what the answer is though.

Not many 50 year olds still prancing about in little white shorts.

Sounds amazing! But literally my closest rink is an hour's drive away. V disappointing. Hm....

1500 calories a day is not going to drop weight no matter what anyone says. Not when you are over 40. Try a 21 day weight loss plan like the grapefruit diet but stick to it (no carbs, about 800 calories) not easy but it works off the stomach first. Then unfortunately weights are the next step, not Pilates, yoga etc. but on the other side you sound quite fit and healthy, don't obsess over a bit of a tummy I bet you are glowing with health, is that not what we all want.

As a lot of others have said, low Carb, Inc protein and some fat. If you're feeling flush, do the wildfit diet for. 90 days. Completely transformed by post menopausal shape back to what it used.to be

you know what at least you are trying and its a shame it isnt working
my work colleague goes on and on everyday how she has to lose weight whilst eating crisp and chocolate its getting so boring, i hate people who moan but do nothing to try help themselves

1500 calories a day is not going to drop weight no matter what anyone says.

I can lose weight on 1500 calories per day, but I have to walk 4-5 miles per day to do it. It's net calories above your BMR after including exercise that matters.

Get the app and log your intake and outgoing calories.

www.loseit.com/

Yeah, as others have pointed out:

1. You need to be in calorie deficit to lose weight. A 5k run is 300-400 calories for most people, and personally I'd much rather run 5k than forego that many calories. Just watch you don't make up for it by eating a little more after. Either way, you'd be a lot less healthy without the exercise you are doing, so good on you.
2. A slight shift in meals towards a bit more protein can help too. You've done the hard work exercising, so you may as well reap double benefits by eating well too. Ignore all this 'keto' stuff. Wild dramatic shifts in habits aren't going to stick. A slight shift you can stick to logn term is better. Short term stuff is nonsense. It's long term habits that shape your body.
3. Some weights will help. Combined with a bit more protein, that will build up your muscle mass. More muscles means you burn more calories both when you exercise and just doing day-to-day stuff.

I'd recommend crossfit. They do a mix of cardio and weight-type-stuff. I don't do it myself, but I hear good things. You can probably do a free taster session.

I can't shift it either, even with a personal trainer and cutting alcohol. I'm getting to the stage of giving up!

It’s 80% what you eat & 20% exercise.

Just to warn people that you have to be careful about how you cut back. Refined carbs, beige food, biscuits, fair enough - but you need to ensure you're getting enough calcium, Vit D (which is a fat-soluble vitamin) and a host of other micronutrients, which can get very difficult under 1000 cals.

Quite a lot of women over 60 lose height and bone mass as they age. One of the signs of this is a thicker middle, because the spine isn't holding the muscles in place as it should. Please don't diet drastically without checking up with a GP who knows what they're doing.

Are there any websites you could suggest?
There are 1000's of YouTube tutorials that are good for showing the correct techniques ( vital!!!) and different workouts from using your own body weight, weights at home or gym based exercises. Have a look and see which ones you like best