Tummy flab

[Brightandbubly]

I’m menopausal , v active, careful with diet, size 10 but my tummy has its own agenda. What can I do to help it firm up?

I'd love to know! I'm pretty much the same size as you but have never had a flat stomach. I think it's stretched beyond repair 😂

Sit ups ain’t cutting it 😂

Pilates. Though obviously that helps muscles and posture rather than fat.

The only things that work for me are - cutting down on bread (well, gluten in total really), working on posture so standing up straight with tummy tucked in, and micro-crunches (squeezing and contracting stomach muscles regularly throughout the day, a bit like pelvic floor only round the front). I've always had a pot-belly however skinny I am, but these things help. Oh, and Spanx...

Pilates fine properly makes an enormous difference quickly. It needs to be dune really accurately- it's one of those things where you can look like you're doing it right but not actually be, so a really good teacher makes the biggest difference of all. If you can try a small classical pilates studio, not one of these places with 10 reformers in a row. It will be safer, more accurate and much more effective.

I'd agree with pilates...its one thing that's really helped me post 50.
Also acceptance! My tummy will never be what it was when I was younger, thickening of your middle is just one of those things.

dr. mary claire haver (american gyne who lectures on menopausal nutrition) discusses visceral fat in menopausal women and it does have it's own agenda. check out her youtube page.
she advocates for low UPF, fresh fruits and veggies, high quality fish, small amounts of high quality red meat, and daily nuts and seeds.

You can't do anything to tone up body fat that sits on your belly. Doing Pilates or whatever will give you a stronger core but it won't make any difference to your body fat. You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose fat and if you train at the same time your waist will look smaller and will be stronger.

I would say the 2 key things that make a difference to tummy fat (not bloating) are:
A) making sure your hormones are balanced. Too much or too little oestrogen leads to tummy fat
B) blood sugar control. Tummy fat accumulation is linked to poor blood sugar control. Cutting down of high carb foods especially bread will help
In my experience exercise has limited direct impact although weight training will help a bit by increasing muscle in general which acts as a glucose store so will support better blood sugar control.

Cutting out alcohol defo trims up the belly fat

As the saying goes "abs are made in the kitchen". If you're already quite fit, you probably have good abs underneath the layer of fat. So all you have to do is uncover that fat to see it. Eat healthy, reduce sugar, drink lots of water. I notice that even when I do this for a few days, my stomach is so much flatter.