Tummy fat (new): dairy or age or something else?

[LittleMissEngineer]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but it is vanity rather than anything else...

I have recently (past few months) developed some tummy fat. This is unusual for me: I normally put it on my bottom or thighs

I am 45, 5’4”, 9st 2lbs. Normally fairly happy with my figure/weight. I have always been happy in a bikini because my toned stomach was one of my good features... Not feeling that at the moment

I work out 4/5 times a week including challenging abs: it isn’t just “loose muscle tone”. My diet is good; Hugh in fruit and veg and lean protein, relatively low carb, very low in processed food, low sugar, no sweet drinks, low alcohol, low bad fats.

The only change recently (past few months) is going back to dairy. I used to be very little (mostly unsweetened oat/almond milk). However I wear fixed braces with clear brackets and worked out that non-dairy in my coffee was more “staining” than dairy: so swapped back to dairy...

Could it be the increase in dairy? Age/hormones? Something else?

Any suggestions/tips? I am going to try going back to non-dairy for a start.

Thanks

[Lumene]

Looking good!

[LittleMissEngineer]

I am petite and “sturdy” (thanks husband for that description) and will never be long and lean.... but I have more waist again (and at 45, it is not bad)

[LittleMissEngineer]

Someone on this thread asked me to post an update at some point, so I thought that I would.

Mostly positive! Although hard to know exactly what is working because I have been trying everything simultaneously.

I am sure that starting to take a regular (daily) probiotic (Solgar) has definitely made the most difference. I didn’t feel bloated, but a lot of it must have been bloat.

I also think restarting exercise that works the obliques also helps. We have a skiers edge at home and I have substituted that in place of a couple of gym sessions a week (still do 3 gym sessions).

Gone back to mostly oat/almond milk instead of dairy - don’t know how that helps.

Also cut out cashew nuts: read, on here, that they are “the junk food but”.

Will see if I can post some photos...

[ZazieTheCat]

How are your stress levels? Putting on weight round your middle can be a sign of high cortisol.

This could be a case of general life events causing stress, like work or family issues.

It could also be from working out too much or too strenuously. Do you monitor your heart rate when you work out? That could be a good indicator of whether you are pushing yourself too hard at times. It doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising, just maybe find something that has a more balancing effect. Obvious suggestions are yoga/Pilates, but it could also just mean something that’s more fun or that you enjoy more.

[KaliforniaDreamz]

Little i totally understand.
(I am not sure why i triggered liverpool so much, but there it is!)

i go through periods where i try hard then give up because i know realistically i cannot restrict myself FOREVER it is too dull.

[LittleMissEngineer]

Just to add, no artificial sweeteners in my diet: I don’t have diet drinks (or any sweet drinks), no sugar free sweets/gum, no “diet” anything. I even checked my beloved “Fever Tree Refreshingly Light Tonic” and that doesn’t have artificial sweeteners in either

You know, I can understand the “rather eat kitkats” thing: if you eat mostly healthy abc still have a tummy, why bother eating healthy...

Still, not ready to give up yet. I don’t want to be skinny, just would like to maintain a shape that I like. For me.

[teta]

[Inliverpool1]

Er good for you love

[KaliforniaDreamz]

i thought about it and decided i prefer to eat kitkats than be thin

[LovelyinTheAfternoon]

It's age.

Fat re distributes itself around the tummy so women become apple shaped in peri meno and post meno.

Only way round it is to eat less. Exercise doesn't really help weight loss on its own if you eat the same or more.

[LittleMissEngineer]

Thanks everybody.

Have stopped taking to DIM and the hives have retreated. So that may not be a way forward...

I did start taking a probiotic on Sunday. I realised that my tummy had seemed worse since taking antibiotics (for UTI). I will continue with this.

I have been upping the exercise.

I think that I have a nice balance of fat already (just over 22.5 BMI). Definitely don’t want to be too skinny, but want clothes to fit well and putting on fat around the middle is not ideal (around the heart).

Am cutting dairy, but will watch calcium intake.

Period right now (usually more bloated by that): so see how I feel/look in another week.

[KaliforniaDreamz]

Thanks teta

i def think age is a thing. i am 48 and doing the same thing diet exercise wise and have gained half a stone.

[teta]

From what I can gather Dim supplements are meant to correct oestrogen dominance . But Hrt balances out your hormones so you shouldn't need a Dim supplement. Dim supplements can be bad in certain oestrogen dependent cancers but beneficial in others. I think there's a lot more research into the safety of Hrt than Dim supplements so I would rather take the Hrt.

[Whosorrynow]

Some body fat is good but intra-abdominal belly fat is always bad

[KaliforniaDreamz]

Can you take a DIM supplement if on HRT?

[SolitudeAtAltitude]

Personally I stick with dairy to avoid calcium deficiency/osteoporosis

A bit of body fat is actually good

[SolitudeAtAltitude]

How much belly fat are we talking OP?

I am 47 and eat relatively healthy (not low carb though, as low blood sugar triggers migraines, and need the carbs for my cardio ) I do cardio/exercise 5 times a week, always had flat belly but now have a sort of girdle of fat around my belly/waist

Not a lot, but maybe an inch to pinch when previously there was none

Think it's age! Have a 23 bmi, maybe could lose weight but unlike you I lack the determination as I think I am actually ok looking "for my age"

[TheCatThatDanced]

also - what I found helped was ensuring I had calcium (e.g. yogurt) but taking a good multi vitamin (Well Woman for me), plus Vit D, sea kelp (for thinning hair) and I have to take iron tablets anyway as I'm on levothyroxine.

Exercise 3 x a week is great too. Oh and stay active. I was forever running around ferrying DC to school and then off to work but also had interviews and other activities after work (friends, DC activities etc) to keep me busy. I tried to ensure I took stairs rather than lifts too.

[TheCatThatDanced]

Perimenopause definitely. I'm 47 and have noticed that area getting worse.

However. Last year and tail end of 2017, I made a concerted effort to go low carb - not cut it out completely but to cut in half pasta/rice/potatoes etc in meals. Combined with 10-15 minute spurts of fast walking, streamlining my diet to include lots of fruit and vegetables etc (including covering Christmas period) and full fat yogurts etc and I lost just over half a stone quite easily.

The fast walking needs to be done so you feel slightly out of breath and sweat slightly (if you can bear that).

Don't touch stuff with sweeteners in it - Muller Light yogurts make me heave now - far too many sweeteners in them! And if you want the odd chocolate bar, cake etc then have it but don't pig out on it.

[Whosorrynow]

The ability to store body fat subcutaneously decreases as we age so any that we do have tends to be in the abdominal area, this applies to men and women

[teta]

No,Xylitol is a no no if you are sensitive to Fodmaps .
Garlic,onion and peas/pulses are all high in Fodmaps.

[BloomedAgain]

Xylitol makes me bloat horribly. What DIM supplement do people recommend?

[KaliforniaDreamz]

Teta (Hi) is Total sweet ok?
i am very bloaty!! and i have this in my tea.
It's Xylitol. I am v sensitive to foods like garlic onions peas pulses etc

[teta]

Just another thought. Do you have a lot of sweeteners in your food?.sugar free drinks etc? Sweetners have been shown to wipe out the healthy bacteria in your stomach . I'm very sensitive to them as I follow the Fodmap diet and sweetners cause major bloating in my cade.. Stevia is apparently ok to use. You can recolonise your stomach with healthy bacteria with fermented foods like Kefir, kombucha and saeurkraut and eating a ' rainbow' of vegetables

[PollyPelargonium52]

I am 55 and since my periods stopped in January my already protruding stomach seems worse to me now.

Going to start a Slimfast diet in a week's time to shed some excess flab I hope!