Menopause tummy weight loss

[CrazyBatLady66]

Hi everyone, I’ve got to lose weight from my waist and tummy because I’m in my 50s and according to NHS website and British Heart Foundation am at high risk from stroke heart disease, diabetes etc because of my waist measurement which is 36 inches . My BMI is normal 24, I’m just under 5ft 7 and 10stone 10, but my tummy is huge compared to rest of me. I’ve had a lot of bloating with menopause and had this investigated in case it was ovarian cancer but it was fine just couple of small cysts which were monitored and went away. Although the bloating doesn’t help it’s not just bloating it’s fat as well. My legs are skinny and I’ve got no bum to speak of so I feel awful like I look pregnant. I’m usually careful with my diet and for example eat about 3 reduced sugar biscuits a day if that, as a treat, I don’t even drink alcohol, have a very small bar of dairy free chocolate some nights. Have salad every lunch time with chicken but looks like I’m going to have to really cut down as added to all these issues I can’t exercise due to illness( I’m registered disabled due to this)
Is anyone else in the same situation with just abdominal fat to lose ? I used to put weight on fairly evenly and be an hour glass shape but obviously meno affects how you store fat. Christmas hasn’t helped of course but I’ve got to the stage now where I’m really worried and need to do something about it. Everything I read about how to get rid of menopause belly says exercise and cut down on caffeine and alcohol. Feel so despondent.

Post menopausal Apple shape here. I can’t exercise due to health conditions and my BMI was just over 24. I got so sick of looking pregnant I decided to diet.
I worked out my TDEE (how many calories to eat to stay the same) then subtracted 20% to get a total daily calorie target.

tdeecalculator.net/

I started logging everything I consume on My Fitness Pal and lost 2 stone, my tummy only really went once I got down to the lower end of my BMI.
MFP was an education, the realisation that some sandwiches can have more calories than a well portioned roast dinner was an eye opener!

Thank you for that will take a look. Yes things like avocados are sadly fattening and I have half a one most days. Im on HRT patches and this is supposed to help prevent menopause tummy weight gain but I also felt very bloated when I started them. I managed to lose weight before with weight watchers not going to meeting just doing myself, but in my early 40s before meno hit! I’ve looked at points I would need to stick to now and it’s so low due to age and inactivity, how do you cope with the feeling of being deprived?

Honestly I don’t feel deprived at all.

I have a sandwich and a packet of crisps most days for lunch but I have small bread and weigh out the cheese so it’s 50 calories worth, not 150.
It’s all about portion sizes. I still eat anything I want but I find I make better choices because I know how many calories I have left to eat after logging each meal. We cook meals from scratch anyway but, for example, I will have a small jacket potato with a meal or a couple of small roasties on Sunday rather than a large jacket/4 roasties. If I fancy something sweet after dinner I have a 97 calories curly wurly, a 95 calorie freddo frog or a 90 calorie high protein kvarg yogurt.

I wish I had MFP & this info when I was younger, I’d have dressed a whole lot differently if I’d been a size 10 back then!

Hi @CrazyBatLady66
Post-meno here @ 50 yo. I find the fat is definitely stickier than it used to be... and it goes on me badly, if that makes sense. I look like a packet of sausages that have been stood on, on legs. I wouldn’t even grace it with “apple” shape.
Like you I have a small bum, slim legs (and face) so somehow it all looks even worse than if it was spread around a bit more.
Anyhoo.
I’m tackling it with at least a litre of water per day plus about 3 herbal teas. Black coffee in the morning. I’m doing IF which seems to be fairly ok with my system, I don’t get hungry. Weird.
1200kc per day, with light exercise. Alcohol free for now and probably til summer.
Down 11lbs since 02 Jan.

Oh and like @Heybeendyingtomeetyou everything goes on MFP. I do eat chocolate 🍫 but not too much.... I eat a little bit of Belgian chocolate every night before I start fasting. Most “fasting” happens when I’m asleep!

For bloating try taking probiotics, bio kult are good, they can also help you to lose weight. Drinking more water can help with bloating as it balances the effects of salt in your diet - also, reduce salt intake!
Reduce or eliminate sugar and processed foods including ready meals.
Reduce or eliminate alcohol
Reduce or eliminate caffeine
Reduce dairy products
Eat a diet with good lean protein and healthy fats, curb the carbs, especially high glycemic index carbs which cause spikes in insulin. Look into fodmap diet also for bloating - it's pretty difficult to follow but good to have a look at what sort of foods may cause bloating.
Intermittent fasting is also a great way to help lose weight and reduce bloating. So perhaps don't eat for around 12 hours each day, say after 7pm. Obviously for diabetics this may differ.
Very very important is to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Stress is a major cause of weight gain and the start of many chronic diseases. Particularly during menopause when your hormones are already out of balance.
Excess amounts of cortisol in your body reduce the amount of female sex hormones that are produced in the body.
Magnolia Rhodiola is great to reduce levels of cortisol in your body which can help to balance female hormones and reduce weight gain and risks of chronic disease.
Another Very important area is sleep. Very important and lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain, particularly in the belly area. Quality Sleep is absolutely vital to repair body and help with weight reduction. Cherry night is a good supplement to help those suffering with sleep problems.
Getting some natural light outdoors in the morning is a great way to reset your circadian rhythm as is getting up and going to sleep same time each day.
Look into mediation.
Appropriate levels of exercise should be taken
Overall, respect yourself and your body, treat yourself with love and respect and consider any excessive impacts on yourself may cause stress and stress reactions in your body.

Thank you @lovelywhitesnow that's a ton of useful information.
I'm finding the weight distribution and peri Meno really hard to get under control.
Any benefits in asking my GP for higher dose of HRT?

IME it took me quite a long time to find the right HRT and level but I feel so much better for it now. I'm taking the gel.
Weight loss doesn't happen overnight - you need to be consistent and patient. I would really try to cut down on the sugar - sugar and processed foods really affect the micro biome / gut bacteria which can affect everything in your body including weight loss, immune system and mood.
Have you been tested by H pylori? That can cause weight gain and bloating.
Can you do any exercise at all? Cardio exercise is usually recommended for weight loss.

@lovelywhitesnow thank you for the info. I can’t do any cardio exercise at all. I use a wheelchair a lot of the time as I can only walk very short distances, about 5 mins. I get pain out of all proportion to the exercise I’ve done, it’s part of my illness, plus severe fatigue. I’ve got a sitting down exercise bike thing for old people that I use for 5 minutes if I’m having a good day. I don’t drink alcohol at all, it makes me ill , I don’t eat dairy or gluten and don’t have many ready meals only occasionally. I take a probiotic twice a day and don’t drink caffeine. I’ve just cut avocado out of my daily salad today to try and save calories😟 I meditate every day as I do find I have been more stressed and anxious with menopause. I drink lots of water and herbal tea anyway as this generally helps me feel better. The doctor has told me that it’s gas not water retention. I agree that sleep is very important and know it can cause belly fat not getting quality sleep, but not always easy to get a good night with everything going on. Has anyone else also found their bowels have slowed right down with meno ? I haven’t had investigation for Heliobacter for a few years I might mention this to my doctor thank you, as I do have gastric symptoms as well and am on a PPI to suppress stomach acid. I don’t think this is healthy though as you need it for the gut to function properly. However I was in pain without it. I’m a size 10 to 12 in knickers but need a 16 for my tummy for skirts etc! I don’t think I could cope with fasting as if I don’t have a snack at 9pm oatcakes etc I wake up hungry at 2am or just can’t get to sleep. I feel faint if I don’t eat, I had a cholesterol test done last year and had to fast and I couldn’t stand up without feeling faint. I’ve downloaded MFP app and logging everything now.

Oh forgot to say I’m on 75mcg HRT patches. I started them very low about 4 years ago but I do feel that as soon as I started them I got bloated which I hadn’t done before. Since then the bloating has come and gone but usually gets worse with increase in dosage. However I was nearly suicidal without HRT and very unwell. It’s difficult to know if it’s HRT or menopause symptoms causing bloat as bloating is side effect of HRT and meno symptoms! I suspect I should have had higher dose of HRT sooner but couldn’t cope with side effects and had to take it very slowly, also I had a test last February that showed I wasn’t absorbing HRT at all and my doctor didn’t even contact me, I only found out in November when I had another blood test done after menopause specialist appointment. By that time I was absorbing it ok and I definitely had been when I started it as felt so much better for a couple of years but I guess hormone levels change as we go through peri/menopause

Right I'm on it, hope you are feeling inspired @CrazyBatLady66.
I getting plan together for this lockdownoing to emerge a butterfly!
Last week I put in place daily exercise - starting with a walk with an audio book, going to work up to a run. For now, a walk, no excuses, every day, is good enough.
I've already cut down my window of eating, IF, cleaning the kitchen in the evening, no snacking.
Am working my way through all the vitamin pills, gradually, in the house and have ordered your anxiety & gut biome suggestion @lovelywhitesnow.

Now is my time to get some good habits in place.

I empathize with the struggle to get the correct HRT, the research put into it is pathetic. Like you I was almost suicidal, with everything to live for, the uncontrollable crying !
Best wishes, my dear, have a good, positive week.

@TheFaithfulBorderBinliner thank you , yes it was awful I thought I was going mad. They don’t tell you that menopause affects so much,mental health mood swings etc, you only hear about hot flushes, I was offered anti depressants when it was clear I was in peri menopause as loads of other symptoms. Have a good week 🌷thank you x

@SunscreenCentral meant to say wow I’m impressed 11lbs since 1st January well done ! I’ve also been given 1200 calories as daily allowance. I weigh same as I did 18 years ago but it’s not distributed in same places ! Some of that I think is muscle wasting due to my condition. If it was my bum that was fat and I had a slim waist I wouldn’t be bothering. My husband is amazing really supportive throughout menopause etc he does tell me I look great but it’s about how I feel and about my health which he does understand.

I don’t think any nutritionist/dietician would advise cutting out half an avocado to save on calories, OP.
I’m also menopausal and massively put on weight on my tummy. I lost 3 stone last year using MFP and dietdoctor.com which has lots of research-backed info on low carb eating. You can take our a free trial, but lots of info is available for free. Could you do chair based exercise? There’s a boom called Strong Women Stay Slim, it’s quite old but very sensible: www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Miriam-Nelson-Wernick-Raichlen/dp/0553379453?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I might be barking up the wrong tree but could the change in body shape /bloating have something to do with sitting down in your wheelchair?

Not for me, hijacking thread, @Oblahdeeoblahdoe I have honestly had a terrible, unforseen, few years. I was in a really good position but my mental health slide sideways. My body shape just changed. Suddenly I became a stout matron from 1960s wedding photos, leaving my wardrobe with its fitted to the waist stuff redundant. The hormone crash was crazy.

I'm off for my walk OP, the dog doesn't look too chuffed but we are going. Have you got plans today?

@Oblahdeeoblahdoe I’ve been using a wheelchair for 26 years. So I know it’s not that, it’s definitely menopause related as @TheFaithfulBorderBinliner said. I’m not wheelchair bound all the time only if I have to walk more than about 5 minutes, or queue as standing is very difficult. So I go for a very short walk with my husband and our dog and I sit and wait in car or in summer sit in deckchair and wait for him to come back. @SparklingLime I have a chair based cycling machine which I use when I am able but can’t do this every day due to pain and fatigue. @TheFaithfulBorderBinliner I’ve been for short walk today in frost this morning was lovely. I’m always very grateful to get out of the house and see nature, I find it so good for my mental health, I’m generally a positive person I find pleasure everyday in small things like feeding the birds in my garden. I’m just a bit downhearted about dieting but this has helped knowing others have managed it. I’ve been ill for a very long time and I’m at peace with it, shit just happens to people, you just have to get on with it. I’ve been very lucky in other ways.