Please help me work out what to do with my tummy !

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I have gained over a stone since menopause and HRT.

My tummy looks like I am 6 months pregnant. I posted on here a while ago about shape wear, which doesn’t hold me in at all and a poster suggested this may be due to poor core muscles.

enough is enough, I want to loose to weight and get control over my tummy again. I feel so frumpy and I know it can’t be good health wise.

so my question is what exercise is specifically good at developing your core again? I have read Pilates could be good…but any other thoughts gratefully received

Swimming. As you hold yourself straight in the water, and twist from side to side for crawl, it engages your core.
It's hard work so it might also help shift some of that stone which will help.

Yoga for the core and a combination of weight training and hiit type cardio for weight loss works wonders op

Power yoga rather than stretching yoga 😁

Swimming!

A half balance ball has enabled me to do effective planks. And improving my balance and stability generally. Easy to use. Also called a bosu ball.

Work on glutes as well as core - if you have weak glutes, it affects your posture and pushes your tummy out. Squats with weights, deadlifts and lunges are all good for building strength in the lower body. You need to work on activating your glutes and core throughout the exercise to make sure they're working - glute bridges are really good for 'waking up' the muscles in a warm-up. Planks, bird dogs and windmills are all good for the core too.

Drink plenty of water or squash to prevent water retention, which can cause bloating. Try decafe drinks and herbal teas, instead of caffeine tea and coffee. Exercise.

Classic, mat based Pilates will sort your core, posture and balance. It gives your brain a workout too. Look for a Body Control Pilates instructor and give it another go. www.bodycontrolpilates.com/find-your-local-teacher/the-register-of-body-control-pilates-teachers-2/

Absolutely Pilates. I have abs of steel now and am far smaller that it was previously at the same weight

Reformer Pilates has transformed my core and sorted my lower back pain.

I almost wrote this post last week. I already do Pilates, and lift weights at the gym. I do the 16:8 diet. Nothing is making any difference. I'm looking into liposuction to be honest, it won't fix the entire issue but it will take the edge off literally.

If it’s fat then doing exercise won’t help you get rid of it

dieting would

if that doesn’t work then lipo. But be aware it hurts after. I had some elsewhere and ouch

Oh really, where did you have it? How long did it take to heal?

You need to get your nutrition right to lose belly fat. Our bodies and metabolism change during menopause. Look into low carb diets.

I lost over 3 stone post menopause doing low carb, nothing worked before I did this. Our bodies can no longer process sugars and carbs in the same way.

Think of pasta, potatoes, bread, rice as sugar and avoid.

Liposuction is only for small fat pockets, anything more and you need a tummy tuck otherwise you will have empty hanging skin.

Thank you all for the responses.
This is where I often feel so overwhelmed and not fully sure where I can start.
I know that I need a combination of diet and exercise here. I find the diet thing so difficult, I am time poor due to work and also need to feed 2 DCs and DH. I struggle to meal plan, often doing it 2 mins before the shop.
I leave the house at 7am, mostly home after 7.30pm and on calls at least one weekend a month.
it all feels so difficult!

Look up
mommymangorae on instgram /youtube, she has amazing exercises that are easy to squeeze in.

Could you plan a 4 week menu and do an online shop so that you avoid putting treats in the trolley? I find having a list of the week's meals helps me feel in control and so I don't need to graze.

sorry to hear things are so difficult, and not to make them harder, but do check that you don’t have other symptoms that you are ignoring as a swollen stomach can be a sign of other health problems.

Plank - normal and side. You can do this in a few minutes, in your own home, and you don't even need to get changed or get a shower afterwards. Do a bit most days and it should help.

Ive found pilates best for core strength, you can really feel the difference.
But it works best alongside cardio and weights (and dieting/healthy eating if you want to lose weight).

If you are finding it difficult timewise then try breaking the exercise up into 15-20 min blocks. You dont need to go to a gym for an hour....just 15 mins in front of a Youtube video every day will help (I only do 20mins YT pilates twice a week but it really counts!).😃

Also Im a big fan of meal prepping. Its something that is really a skill and def helps you eat better! I prep a bunch of meals, work lunches and bake healthy cakes or flapjacks which all go in the freezer. It only takes a couple of hours. Plus shop for plenty of fruit and low cal options for nibbles.

And not to be a downer but Im also trying to come to terms with the fact Im never getting my figure back! Ive lost over 100Ibs during peri, work out 10 times a week, eat healthy and do everything right but my hourglass middle is not coming back!
Im not too mad though as I dont hate the athletic figure I have now!

Thank you, I know that a bloated abdomen can be the sign of something more serious. I think I’m just overweight though!

Can you recommend some YT Pilates videos, please? I’d like to give this a try

Do abs work every day.

• Bowflex 3 minute plank
• Rebecca Louise Best Abs
• Caroline Girvan Braced Core & Abs

Free on YouTube.

I second this. Low carb works.