Secrets for Busting Thru Post Menopausal Belly Fat?

[lorajc]

Originally Posted by cecififi

I am the same - increased belly fat during menopause. This is what has worked for me to lose about 6 or 7 pounds and really help flatten my abs more:

push off breakfast - intermittent fasting really does work wonders. eat within an eight hour window each day e.g. 10-6ish. have a double lunch if you must but try to stay within this period. BJ Gaddour swears by it. I never do low calorie days.

I've added in Suzanne Bowen Streaming lately ($9.99/mth love it) and have been doing a lot of upper body/core workouts - major game changer for me. Doing body weight workouts always tightens my core/abs and makes my arms look great. I still do mostly cathe but i've been adding in SBF, Leah Sarago and Hoco. I've noticed real changes with SBF.

Also, look up insulin resistance. It's very common. Those darn carbs!!!!!

I am 48 (49 this month) and have been in menopause since I was 45.

I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch for 6-7 months....just 2 snacks and still haven't lost it....so that wasn't working for me but that's what I tried at first. Protein drink for lunch.....and 15 almonds for breakfast. For me menopause started at about 48 - had a blood test due to some female problems that showed it starting - perimenopause and I had my last period at about 53 or 54 and I was going thru SEVERE hot flashes and mood swings at the time (closer to the latter part ...earlier part was just night sweats and intermittent ones).....well, not really mood swings but like I constantly wanted to rip someone's face off ....worse than any PMS I ever had....and I'd be soaking wet at work, hair soaked and all from hot flashes, it was very embarrasing! I bought Estroven from the Grocery Store which helped with the edginess.....remember that...in case you need it!! Seriously!

[momof10]

Originally Posted by lorajc

I'm at a touchy point with my diet right now also....went over it with a close friend that is in her early 60s and looks like a fitness model, seriously, and she said I wasn't eating enough to support my injuries and not enough protein, as I'm only eating one meal a day and a few snacks to severely cut my calories......been doing it for about 6 or 7 months but I'm not losing weight, so she told me to add in some more protein and good fat so i just did that and I'm nervous about ADDING calories, but i trust her. So far, I've lost 5 or 6 pounds but I've been doing a Kettlebell Kickbox Challenge and its a lot more cardio oriented than what I was doing so I'm not really sure what the weight loss is from.

As mentioned earlier...need to ad in Pilates moves/core work.

What about power yoga....was thinking about adding more of that in.....do you think that would be helpful.

Mom of 10 --- you work out at an extremely advanced level for your age IMO....with all of that Tonique and chasing after your children and taking care of them, I don't think fat stands a chance! I don't think I could have done 90 mins of tonique in my 30s let alone your age....you are at a level of your own!

Lora I see you have a rebounder and you mentioned kickboxing. If you want to do some rebounding workouts that I have made check out my YouTube channel
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCJpvpFeEaI0LVTvcwmMTBng

I am currently uploading Cardio Boxing to YouTube and it should be up and running in the morning. I will be uploading Cardio Kickboxing tomorrow night, also. If you like Tonique, I have some of my workouts that incorporate Tonique like moves on the rebounder. I have come up with lots of moves for body weight strengthening. I just started putting my own music to them. You could also try Leg Combos & Core 2.

That way you can see how I look for a woman with 10 kids and 59 😊

Thanks for the compliment. I have been working out consistently for 41+ years to achieve the fitness level I am at.

Cheryl

[cherimac]

Originally Posted by JackieB

I think some of it has to do with how short waisted a person is, also. I am very short and have less than 2 inches between my lowest rib and pelvic bone. If I had loads of space, my abs would be flatter.

This is me. We are twins. My daughter is only an inch or so taller than I am but has a VERY long waist and her abs are flatter than mine ever were, even when I was too thin.

[PhyllisG]

A few years back I was in bed for a month with a back injury. I literally couldn't move not even sit up. Thankfully my appetite disappeared. So did my belly fat. I had a totally flat mid section. Obviously I was not doing ANY workouts including Abs.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Originally Posted by PhyllisG

A few years back I was in bed for a month with a back injury. I literally couldn't move not even sit up. Thankfully my appetite disappeared. So did my belly fat. I had a totally flat mid section. Obviously I was not doing ANY workouts including Abs.

Must have been gravity! ha!

I think so much of it is genetic. My waist has thickened a bit since I've gotten into my 40's, but it's still flat. It's always been flat. Skin is looser after pregnancies, but I still store my fat in my hips/bum (and I'm also very short-waisted.) I'm curious to see what menopause might do...

[susan p]

Originally Posted by cherimac

This is me. We are twins. My daughter is only an inch or so taller than I am but has a VERY long waist and her abs are flatter than mine ever were, even when I was too thin.

Me too!! Very short-waisted. Rib-to-hip space is almost nonexistent.

If my body was proportional to my legs I'd be 6 feet tall.

Theresa Tapp talks about this in her book, about how someone who is short-waisted will see different results from someone who is longer-waisted.

[Demeris]

Originally Posted by JackieB

I think some of it has to do with how short waisted a person is, also. I am very short and have less than 2 inches between my lowest rib and pelvic bone. If I had loads of space, my abs would be flatter.

This is a huge factor. As for height--I have a friend who's 5'10". She has gorgeous legs going all the way to the sky, but she carries all of her weight in her stomach. She, too, has less than 2 inches between her lowest rib and pelvic bone.

[Demeris]

Originally Posted by susan p

Me too!! Very short-waisted. Rib-to-hip space is almost nonexistent.

If my body was proportional to my legs I'd be 6 feet tall.

Theresa Tapp talks about this in her book, about how someone who is short-waisted will see different results from someone who is longer-waisted.

I have, somewhere, a seminar Teresa did in 2000 or 2001 where she demonstrated that connection between rib-to-hip and femur bone length, and how these determine our waist size, whether or not we have issues with saddlebags, etc.

Until then, I couldn't figure why, if I was 5'8", tall pants were so long on me. I might be taller than average, but I don't have longer than average legs.

The trade off is a smaller waist, for me. I have a little more poochy-outie in my abs than I'd like, but that will come off only when I give up nuts.

[leigh1673]

I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch for 6-7 months....just 2 snacks and still haven't lost it....so that wasn't working for me but that's what I tried at first.

I know diet is a verboten subject here, but I'll just say that I think we're getting to the root of why you haven't lost much weight! Starving yourself is most certainly counterproductive to weight loss especially when you are working out! Glad to read that you've given up that ill-advised plan and are starting to eat regular meals again.

I'm kinda curious why you kept the "no eating breakfast/lunch" plan up for 6 months though when you weren't getting the desired results.

[Vintage VFer]

Originally Posted by leigh1673

I know diet is a verboten subject here, but I'll just say that I think we're getting to the root of why you haven't lost much weight! Starving yourself is most certainly counterproductive to weight loss especially when you are working out! Glad to read that you've given up that ill-advised plan and are starting to eat regular meals again.

I'm kinda curious why you kept the "no eating breakfast/lunch" plan up for 6 months though when you weren't getting the desired results.

Skipping meals, especially in the morning, alarms the body and puts it into starvation mode. It will hang on to body fat with a vengeance.

We also need a morning meal to raise blood sugar for energy and a good start to the day.