I just cannot lose my peri stomach ( and boobs)

[Gladiator552]

Hi all, honestly how does one get rid of that barrel shape look?! I’ve always been slim without effort until I was about 40. Now im a tight size 14. Im 44 now
im on HRT, active, I do something every day 10000 steps a day
I haven’t had a drink in 3 months
healthy meals- protein rich
today was Greek yoghurt with flaxseed, raspberries and chia seeds at 10am after fasting for 13 hours
then lunch was two scrambled eggs with spinach, smokerel mackerel, kale, cucumber and mixed beans salad- just a plate full no dressing
banana
hsndful of nuts
then 45 mins weights in gym, resistance machines
also had a three mile walk
dinner one plate of pasta with olives and pesto as need to food shop soon
I did have 3 small biscuits
I also swam an hour this week, a 3 mile run and walking the dog. Will have another swim and weights this week. I also do 5-10 mins core here and there
I have always been fairly active but upped my strength training as want to change my “doughy middle”
my arms and legs are fairly slim and toned, it’s just my matronly boobs and huge bloated belly I hate. I just cannot seem to lose any weight and it’s really getting me down I cannot seem to get any results or wear what I want without looking frumpy.I hate myself when I see me in the gym mirrors
anyone still reading has any advise please?

If you were reading about metabolism in older age, you should have seen the latest research that came out about 6 months ago.

It busted the myth that metabolism slows at 50.
It showed it slows down at 60+.

Women post menopause accumulate fat around their middle (if they put weight on) rather than their hips and bums. This is a biological fact. HRT obviously helps as it goes some way to restoring estrogen levels.

That makes perfect sense. I didn't get my flabby belly and 2 sizes bigger boobs until I hit 61 years old.

I’m aware of that though the magnitude of change is quite small. Part of metabolism is NEAT and this often declines as our lifestyles change.

My personal view of Tim Spector is that he’s just another grifter flogging something. I can’t believe ppl actually pay to take part in “research” for so-called personalised nutrition. I find it all a bit elitist.

Yes though I found a nice pair of bootcut Next jeans on Vinted that are really comfy. They fit around my natural (what's left of it!!) waist and don't rest on my hips which I find painful.
All my knickers have to fit on my waist too - not glam but who cares!

Bloody hell that's depressing. It's not anywhere close to a healthy balanced diet. Plus enjoying good food is one of the pleasures in life.

I spread around my middle earlier this year, I'm 50, menopausal and started HRT. I hate it but I'm coming to accept it. I'm very active, do lots of strength training and am probably the strongest I've ever been. I highly doubt I'll ever be back to how I was two years ago. But we change as we get older, our bodies change. I think it ok to be ok with that.

My comment was about (not) counting calories, not the Zoe program.

No one has to pay to read research that's free online.

The other side of it is the research being done all around the world on food and health, which is freely available in the Zoe 'library' with links to papers, as are the podcasts with experts across the globe.

How you can dismiss a professor who works at King's College and has done for decades, working with other experts, is rather unfair. His research on the gut (along with other experts in universities in other countries) is about more than the Zoe program. I didn't mention him to 'praise Zoe' which is only a tiny part of his career.

I’m not dismissing him, just my opinion that Zoe and his personalised nutrition is grifting when he’s flogging something. There has been much widespread criticism of it and his role in fronting it. It’s not very personalised either given how many factors influence blood sugar like sleep, exercise and so on.

My view is that the only ppl who should be using CGMs are T1 diabetics.

My post wasn't about Zoe.
It was about calorie counting sometimes being counterproductive (because calories aren't equal in terms of nutritional content, it's notoriously hard to count them accurately and no one really knows how many they need. I disagree with calories on menus for the same reasons.)

I can discuss Zoe with you on another thread/part of MN if it's something you feel strongly about. I've done it and found it helpful. It's not just about blood glucose and I agree in the main with your point there.

This is so little!! Do you take multivitamins etc? I've just entered this into my food app and it adds up to no more than 150 calories. At best, it provides up to 20% of your vitamin, mineral and protein requirements and only 3% calcium. Even with HRT, exercise and strength training, I'd be worried about bone loss and osteoporosis ....

Same thing here Im 51. Came off my patches as was adding to bulk around my middle. Heavy hips and mid area. Prob menopause related as was quite slim a few years ago! I walk alot too

This has been an interesting read. I'm on a beach holiday and it's 30c+. I've seen loads of round bellies this week as most women are over 50.

It's not a body shape that gets shown much in the media so I guess that doesn't help people's confidence. I'm planning to buy a bikini after seeing loads of people just getting on with it. "Wear the damn bikini." 😁

After reading all your posts I'm going to concentrate on health and strength and maintaining weight. I know I can lose very slowly if I basically eat breakfast for lunch and have proper dinner, so two meals a day I guess with lots of veg and protein and smaller, more complex carbs like quinoa or sweet potato.

I also do better having an apple or satsuma for a snack instead of lots of chocolate and nuts.

I'm going back to gentle fitness/weights at the gym. My mission has been complicated by long covid and failing to find HRT progesterone that I can stand.

I walked over 21 k steps yesterday and have eaten a lot of protein today.
I wish there was a clothing line devoted specially to menopausal women; so many fashions don;t work for me, including the huge baggy floral dresses with puff sleeves.

Also anyone have a salt instead of a sugar craving? I almost never eat sugar- maybe a cake once a month if out with friends- but I eat nuts like a squirrel and crave them constantly. better than sugar I guess, but calorific!

@Lentilweaver me !
I barely eat sugar. Maybe a small piece of dark chocolate once a year. No interest in cake / biscuits ect but .......cheese / more cheese / olives / hams / tapas / more cheese / hummous/ crisps are my downfall .
I find the miso sachets are satisfying. Sometimes add a handful of prawns and some greens. Also a cup or three of bovril. It can't be good for me though and def not good for blood pressure .

40 here, size 10 but my tummy is so big and bloated all the time. I think a lot of it’s endometriosis related but reading this I’m thinking it’s probably age related too.

I have a big appetite, I eat quickly and can easily put away big portions. I think if I want to stay a healthy weight and shift this massive belly I’m going to have to find a way to reduce portion size!

I have been trying intermittent fasting this month and if that shows decent results I’ll keep that up. 16:8 rather than 5:2

Yes I’m a salt fiend!

😂😂😂 exactly what I thought!

Gosh this thread is depressing!

Does this happen to everyone?

I was wondering yesterday whether to throw out my size 10 jeans or keep them in the hope I can get back down to that size. Pah!

@Lentilweaver - I have succumbed to Not Your Daughters Jeans (eBay) . They are the only jeans I can tolerate and the vanity sizing is awesome!

I agree that normal post-menopause women are never shown. I hate the “This is what 50-60 looks like!” with a picture of Davina McCall or Liz Hurley. No it bloody doesn’t - not unless you devote your entire waking hours to fitness, calorie-counting and beautifying.

I know, @Lentilweaver , I want to sort out my wardrobe and I know that certain items need to go as they cling in all the wrong places nowadays. 😂

My old jeans aren’t really comfortable anymore, I’ve gone up a size for sure.

No! It’s not inevitable. It’s quite common but not universal at all.

I am coming up to 51 and have lost 1 1/2 stone over the past few years as I attempted to get healthy after a long period of illness. I broadly follow a wholefood Mediterranean diet, very little added sugar or UPF and try to fast 13-14 hours overnight.

What I have found is that my body just won't tolerate white carbs anymore. If I eat pasta, rice, pizza, cake etc it goes straight on to my stomach and bloats me. I ate an amazing pizza with dessert on Thursday and can still feel it today. So if I want to look and feel the way I do those things have to be treats.

I do eat loads of healthy stuff and never feel hard done by. For carbs I have steel cut oats and sourdough bread, and potatoes seem fine. Lots of protein and good quality fats.

it constantly pisses me off that men don't seem to have to make the same adjustments!!!

I'm in peri and have been on HRT for 18 months. I found that when I was taking utrogestan my weight ballooned. Now I have the mirena I'm back to normal.

I have put weight on the last few months, too much avocado, mindless snacking on nuts, crisps with my weekend gin and tonic.

I've been doing 1200 cals for the last fortnight ahead of some surgery I have coming up and although I haven't weighed myself my stomach feels much smaller.

1200 cals is pretty much my success point. Or if I'm being especially active I can lose at 1500.

I have been lifting weights for the last 10yrs so so hopefully I have a good solid metabolism to support me burning my cals effectively.

Hi all
just an update, I have been tracking my calories this week and been eating 1400 cals bar one day I went I over. It made me realise I’m overeating all the time. I’ve really focused on cutting out snacks and picking at food whilst I’m cooking. Upped the protein slightly too.
combined with weight training etc I feel it’s made a slight difference. Hoping to keep this up for a while.
I struggle with the progesterone part of HRT and I balloon and it’s making me more hungry. Due to take the tablets next week so will have to be strong not to give into my cravings

I’m glad you are back on track OP. I’m struggling with the general girth gain too and bloat and also eat crap carbs on the progesterone part of my HRT cycle too when my appetite increases.

Your diet sounds great and nutritious but I think it’s easy to just eat too many calories to loss weight from our 40s on. I think we all want to lose weight healthily so read up on what is healthy, but lots of it is pretty calorie dense. For example by the time I count up the calories in a healthy salad of smoked mackerel, avocado, olives etc it can be more than in my old style normal lunch. No deficit = no fat loss. I am
using MFP now to track all calories now instead of just giving up. Best of luck!