Menopause belly / bloating help

[Culturecustoms]

NC for this.
posting here for traffic as really just want to hear what others have done.

coming up to 49 years. No kids. Had an injury 4 years ago which has only just healed. Can workout with care for 20 mins or 30 mins 2 times a week.

prior to this, I was a regular gym goer.

i take Spirullina, b12, d, iron.

i went through a stressful time last year and did not eat for 4 days and all weight came off.

last 6 months I visited family so eat reasonably more than I normally do. Been trying to eat more protein etc last 2 months. Have seen reasonable weight loss but still see extra weight on arms and the tummy. The more I lose everywhere the more protruding the tummy gets which demoralises me.

I am probably holding 6 to 10 kg stubborn fat. I would say 5 kg of that is in the tummy. My preference is gentle exercise and 80% healthy eating. My weakness is crisps. I manage not to eat them for a week and then have a few. My eating is reasonably healthy and have upped the volume as I wondered if that’s what drive me to crisps to fill up.

i am not asking for weigh loss jabs. What I want to learn is how I can reduce bloating in my tummy? Or do I just need to focus on weight loss? I could perhaps try healthy eating for 2 months straight but that might be hard. I fast 18:4.

Questions:
1.Anyone willing to share their personal experience of menopause change and what supplements they have introduced? You can DM.

i hesitate to give this info, as I don’t want to offend anyone, but it’s relevant. I am not slim, I am also not that huge. I amin the middle and many people say I am in good shape- I however know the tummy is expanding and I need to stop it.

thank you for reading this far.
pS: I recalled a post by a very slim lady who had a protruding tummy - she shared the photo. I am not that slim, but not far off.

I'm a 52 year old perimenopausal woman.

Low carbing/keto works really well for reducing bloating and belly fat because, done properly, it balances hormones.

I would suggest adding pilates and some weight training so you're doing some core based exercise.

I also think concentrating on fibre alongside protein (and drinking enough water) is important.

I really like this nutritionist for ideas
https://www.instagram.com/emma.bardwell/?hl=en

Strength training is all I can recommend because it burns fat all over. I know you don't want to hear it, but I had got so depressed with it, I started wegovy 6 weeks ago.

Thank you. I mostly do weight training as injury is on the leg. I also do Pilates - adjusted but for 10-15 mins.

i have started to add fibre and chia seeds.

keto- I think I need to give this another try. My issue is sugar- if I cut out all sugars, I should be fine. Sugar is everywhere including crisis. DH bought me a popcorn maker, but I still eat more than I think I should.

my diet has always been protein, fibre focussed. Have introduced limited carbs, but I might need to relook at that.

basically, it looks like I need to ‘diet’. I have always relied on heathy eating and exercise. Now exercise is very very limited! Even fasting started only when I was injured and couldn’t move! But have got the hang of fasting now!

The only way to reduce belly fat is to reduce all fat, so basically diet and excercise.
Then you have the sagging to deal with which is a combination of improving posture, holding in your core ALL the time and core strengthening excercise.
If you can reduce salt to cut water retention that helps. Otherwise loads of green tea to flush it out.
HRT helps to avoid belly fat too.

My issue with jabs is that, I really don’t need them; even I know I don’t. Between a strict 2 month (even 3) healthy eating plan and jabs, I can do the healthy eating plan without needing help - bar getting miserable for the first 3 weeks. So main worry are side effects (when I don’t really need them).

maybe give me 2 more years and if the middle keeks getting thicker, I might give in.

when I fast for extended periods - 3/4 days- i don’t see much improvement except the bloating remains and it looks like cortisol caused by stress of no food.

it’s why I would like to hear from as many different people as possible. Thanks

It sucks doesn't it. The only reason I chose the jabs is that I knew I'd get the stomach down with them in line with the protein and fibre diet and mild strength training so I tone up. I was sick of looking pregnant every month.

Thanks. There is a lot of sense in this and how I go about it. Thank you for advice on when to cut salt. I am eating tinned tuna daily, which I always find to be salty but it’s great for protein.

i am going it slowly to avoid sagging skin. Basically, naturally, i have had no visible tummy. My 2 hands ( large hands) could go around my waist. As I age, that means I have a hidding place for 2/3 kilos in the tummy area. Which makes anything protruding to be excess fat.

right now since strength training since 2 months ago, if I hold the tummy in, the bloating disappears and I can see my tummy muscles. I was unable to do this for the past four months so. Some improvement.

question of HRT- I have managed to deal with menopause symptoms naturally. So do you think I should take this just for bloating reduction? Any side effects?

I have always done weight loss naturally, because when you stop taking certain things, the weight came back even more than previously. This is the main reason I am worried about introducing things like mammoth supplements which keep appearing on my screen. But I was tempted to look into this if it helps with reduce bloating.

Can I just say, this is exactly the sort of conversations and contributions I was after. So thank you all for sharing new experiences.

Did you only get the jabs to reduce the tummy? Or are you saying the jabs helped with portion control of your healthy protein and fibre?

Yes. I was 12 St 11 with water weight. I've lost 9 lbs in 5 weeks and I'm hardly holding my stomach in now. I am eating a lot more protein with Wegovy because you've got the motivation knowing you're going to lose weight. I was having days when I was starving myself and had no energy. The weight wasn't shifting because my metabolism was shot. Even with exercise my stomach wasn't shifting. No side effects except the odd bit of nausea and constipation but I've got meds for that.

I think there's a difference between bloating and tummy fat.
I get bloating due to a digestive problem but it comes and goes and my tummy is normally flat. Menopause didn't have any effect on my weight but I have lost weight due to illness and it always seems to go from the thinnest place first! So off my face but never my thighs.
I think Pilates is very good for toning the stomach muscles and that will help.

Hi OP, I do not have a weight problem as such and although I have a short term injury right now I am generally fit.

So a little different.

But, based on experience:

Can you firstly work with a physio to safely increase your actvity, esp weight training and bodyweight exercises?

If you cannot, have you considered using AI as a personal trainer? Might sound wacky if you haven't, but you can input really specific prompts: I am 52, I have a historic torn ligament [or whatever], I have this time each week, etc. IME it will give you a really specific plan and be responsive to feedback.

Also there is evidence that fasting does not work for active middle aged women as it basically slows your metabolism. There is an American sports scientist called Stacey Sims who is very good on this and I'd recommend her book Next Level.

Finally have you considered weight i.e. fat versus bloat? I eat a lot of plants/ legumes but I have recently started looking at nutrition from a point of view of easing digestion to support training. This involves things like steaming brassicas not having them raw in things like kale smoothies, pivoting more towars protein, having peppermint/ fennel tea regularly.

The mantra has been, to keep the gut "flat" and I have to say, I find it really beneficial.

I use Mounjaro but for bloating I’ve found that Wild dose-a dose for bloating really helps. I’ve also used the dose for blocked bellies as well and together they work well.

I had no menopause symptoms to speak of, but went on HRT largely to protect my bones (I'm vegan and fairly light so it felt important).
I have noticed that my hair has thickened and my waist hasn't! I've since read that one reason for middle age belly fat is that the fat cells produce estrogen as the ovaries stop and if you supplement estrogen then there's less need to hold on to belly fat.

Is it fat (wobbly squishy) or actual bloating (IE hard, round, uncomfortable, goes up and down a lot)?

You should be takinh HRT anyway for bone and heart protection plus so many other benefits anyway

Low carb and working out sort it out too. Belly in menopause isn’t a given, only if someone eats what they want and doesn’t exercise

Research visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. There is a difference and it will give you some idea how the body shift fat when on IF or cal v protein deficit.
Also have a look a psyillium powder. Plant based fibre. Make sure you read about it correctly because you have yo load up your system with water.