The MIddle Age bloody Spread! What can we do?

[soupdragon321]

Just been looking through a thread about flat stomachs (ah, how I long for mine - from when I was a about 14!). Anyhoo. I'm coming up the the big 50 next year and have been on HRT for about 18 months. Never had much of a waist (typical apple), but now it's thickened even more and it's depressing me. Have tried lots of things but nothing shifting it, to the point I'm in half a mind just to give up and let nature take its course! I guess I'm asking if anyone else has this? I'm not prepared to spend 80% of my life trying to get rid of 10% of my weight - just seems like a ridiculous amount of effort for very little gain! Rant over!

@Oddbutnotodd

I have lost 8kg by following the high fat low carb threads on Mumsnet. I have always been a pear shape and had a well defined waist until my mid 50s; now over 60. I realise that to maintain I mostly need to eat lower carb with IF apart from socialising. Avoiding processed food as well. I also run/ exercise maybe 5 times a week. Feel much better without the extra spare tyre.

Do you still have a waist? Its looking from these posts that losing it is inevitable. I'm 52 and post menopause and its still here, but now thinking I could wake up one day with it gone.

Thanks MoltonSilver

I'm doing IF and low carb but as I'm not prepared to give up alcohol too, I'm still fat. Meh. Gotta live life. My best friend was almost teetotal, super healthy diet, lots of exercise. She died last month at the age of 57.

I am 50, typical Apple compounded by 2 c-sections and a hernia. I looked permanently 5 months pregnant. So, 2 months ago I bit the bullet and invested in an extended tummy tuck, with liposuction and hernia repair. It's the best money I have ever spent, worth every single penny and more.

For the first time in nearly 19 years I have a completely flat tum and a nipped in waist and have gone from a generous size 14 in jeans to a size 10 (I carried all my flubber on my stomach). Everything looks so much better on me. Just everything. Every. Thing.

Wish I'd had it done years ago 😊

I am nearly 59 and I don't really think my body shape has changed . I'm the same weight as I was when I married . I run a lot and eat about the same as I always did . I have gone through the menopause but don't have any middle age spread . I wish I could say I still look 29 but I suppose it could be worse

That’s great peaceandove.
I’m tempted to try freezing fat cells on my stomach.

Yep, unfortunately the best thing you can do is all but cut out carbs, sugar and alcohol. I'm 43 and have lost over 20lbs since January doing this and have a pretty flat stomach now (my abdominal muscles are shot to pieces from having 4 dc's though!) i also walk every day.
It stinks but it's the only way - either that or just say "sod it" and enjoy yourself!

I'm a 46 year old Apple on HRT- running is the only thing that works for me

IME weightlifting or strength training is amazing for my physique. With weights you can build glutes and upper back/shoulders to give an illusion of an hourglass shape. This combined with overall weightloss will help. Stomach vacuums and other ab exercise can give you a strong flat core.

I’d go against the grain (pun intended) regarding carbs. I’d would cut out sugar, but not more complex carbs sweet potato, grains, cous cous etc are great. And if you have rice have it in a smaller portion with protein and fats in a meal so it hits your bloodstream slower. A higher protein diet is also good, but I wouldn’t go too low carb.

Also sleep (regulates hunger hormones), inulin (fibre supplements that is meant to help reduce belly fat), throw in some cardio for heart health.

Also if you build a bit of muscle you can eat more!

I'm 46 this month , always been hourglass but have started to get a prominent tummy that starts under my bra !
Managed to reduce this , I'm 3 weeks in less carbs , no snacks , no wine and Joe Wicks 10 min abs every day . I walk 2 miles a day and I've started doing some gardening when the evenings are nice so that I'm not just sitting around after dinner .
My tummy is shrinking but those pounds just won't shift on the scales!

I've just accepted that to have a flat stomach I need to:

1. do yoga 5 times a week
2. low carb
3. low alcohol
4. walk an average of 5 miles a day
5. keep weight down and BMI around 19

I don’t get / or agree with low carb either!
Shitty carbs yes, but whole grain foods are still essential for keeping a healthy body!
I couldn’t train on protein alone / and those that ( l know) that do - look haggard in the face!
It’s a balance and it’s mainly weights / lifting that will work after about 40+ to keep in shape & good health.
I make sure l do exercises that will allow me to get about at 80.

Carbs. I'm 55 and on HRT. My spare tyre was really getting me down. I went low carb about 5 weeks ago, I've lost almost 9lbs and my middle looks loads better already. I'd tried calorie counting but it didn't work at all well for me.

I'm early 40s and have lost two stone this year. But I cannot lose my stomach. I do a short workout in the morning and follow an IF low carb diet through the week. Ive cut back on alcohol, will have some over the weekend but nothing major. And I'm still a 14. It's so odd. I have a small frame everywhere but then this stomach protruding from my clothes!! I I don't want to lose much more weight as it comes off my face and I end up looking ill 😂. Do you think this is a hormone thing? I'm the oddest shape I've ever been in!!!

@PeacheyPeach what kind of workout do u do? :)

Just a bit of cardio sometimes little weights x

@annacondom

#Blossomtoes - that's jut not true. Diet plays a huge part. Don't give up! Also, hula hoop helps waist too - I do it in front of the telly.

Pickled onion Monster Munch? :hopeful:

Thing is diet’s only relevant if you’re overweight. I’m not, I weigh exactly the same as I did when I was an hourglass. My shape’s changed and I’m not prepared to wreck my face and have visible upper ribs in a vain attempt to regain my waist.

I used to be slim with a hourglass shape but since the childbirth (I was 38 when the youngest was born) I progressively got more and more apple shaped. Obesity and T2 diabetes is rife in my family and as I had always been slim I thought I'd dodge it but last year discovered I was insulin resistant and possibly already T2 diabetic too (no formal diagnosis though). I'm 48 now.

I promptly went moderately low carb by following Fast800 12-week programme. Now eight months on I have stopped counting the calories but I'm still following the principles and absolutely love it. I do TRE 14:10, eat 3 meals a day, strictly no snacking. I use moderate amount of fat to prepare the meals and enjoy a chunk of cheddar with my coffee without any guilt. It's marvellous. I get my carbs from leafy greens, greek yog, berries, falafels, hummus etc. I can now also include some sauteed potatoes for instance but bread and sugar still plunges me into a hypo.

I've lost nearly 3 stone and over 10 inches of my waist. I love my newly found waist line more than any crappy sandwich or bag of crisps etc.

I have also started to lift weights which I alternate with a yoga throughout the week and starting to see muscle tone now (because of all the fat and inflammation has disappeared).