Menopausal apple shaped = big belly HELP!

Evie64, be comfortable, get rid of that shame and live your life. We are all different shapes and sizes, after all. My friend says 'I'm in shape. Round is a shape, isn't it?'

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

I think you might be wise to see your GP in case there is some other concern beside the menopause.

I'm another Apple and find that high rise jeans helps. They come up past the waistline and don't leave a muffin top.

For smarter trousers I buy Robell or sometimes come across a cheaper version of their style. They just pull up but don't look elastic waisted. I buy the ankle grazer length.

Anything with a rigid waistband makes a muffin top.
Also buy knickers a size up so they're not pulling in and making a fat roll.

My husband is slim and does get weighed often. He also keeps himself looking nice but not over the top. I don't feel good about myself anymore and this extra weight is just another thing to get me down.

Sexy does not always equal slim in fact, it rarely does and you don't have to be 8 stone to be attractive and healthy.
Men aren't hung up on their weight, hair and figures in their 50s and older, not like women who agonize over every wrinkle and pound.
Be kind to yourselves and do the best you can with what you have. Eat well, have occasional treats, get fresh air and try to walk more.
More than anything, don't allow stress to make you ill or other people to make you unhappy.
Have a great weekend. ?

I was so slim until I went through the menopause and now I just cannot stand to see myself in the mirror. I eat healthy, walk as much as possible (I am laid up at the moment with Achilles tendinitis) and yet the scales are my enemy! I've gone through most of my life being 8st and now the scales tell lies and say something like 12st! What the hell is going on? I cannot remember my mam going through this so I must be eating fat laden food or something is lying to me. Hubby says I look ok but that is not what I want to hear. I want him to say I look great and sexy and stuff and I know that will never happen because it would be a lie. Help?

Bleedin right love!

With a garnish of crisps, I hope?

MissAdventure, I know, and me. I loathe looking in the mirror now. I used to be so slim and gorgeous. Oh bugger it! Need a cheese and pickle sandwich......

I'm another fat bellied woman.

I'd much rather have hefty thighs and a wobbly bum; they're quite sexy, I think.

My stomach is the (well, one of them) bane of my life.

Same here Evie ?

Thanks so much GabrielleG54. I'll definitely check those out. I'm size 16 everywhere but my belly is a size 20! Shocking

There are lots of YouTube videos made by and for women who find it hard to shift belly fat.
These ladies are up to size 24-26 and model the clothes they find work best to disguise a thickening waistline and show off their best bits.

I saw an ad today by a guy who was explaining to pre, post and peri meno women, on the reasons why they accumulate belly fat.
It's because the cessation of periods means loss of oestrogen and progesterone which in turn reduces insulin production and the ability to absorb fats in our food and expel unwanted fats through our waste.
Instead, it's hoarded around our midriff and belly as a layer if visceral fat around our organs, not the 'under the skin' fat you can feel when you pinch yourself.
This can lead to diabetes and heart trouble.
It can be partly genetic but eating plenty of roughage, cutting down on alcohol and all sugars and taking plenty of walks or other regular exercise can help.to control it.
Unfortunately, it's more or less an inevitability as we age and after retirement, many people get illnesses which limit their ability to exercise.
White foods such as white bread, cake, biscuits, rice, crisps pasta etc are all known to put on weight and certain fruits are loaded with sugar.
Greens and root veggies are better and in the Autumn and Winter months, tasty soups and hearty fat free meals can be conjoured up at little cost.
I found that eating just 2 meals a day at 10 and 6 keeps my weight steady. It's more about fat than your overall weight.

I cut it off that that point as it was interfering with a programme I was watching.
It had a lot to do, as you'd expect, with diet.

I find that short boxy jumpers are best for flattering the meno-belly.

Dear Minmoon and Scentia, thank you so much for your replies. I'm trying to "embrace my fat" but I'm worried someone will ask me when the bloody baby is due! There just doesn't seem to be clothes out there for women my shape? Why the hell not, there is obviously more than one of us!

Welcome to the post menopausal world!! I have recently started to embrace my fat tummy and stop trying to hide it, that just makes it look worse, with rolls of fat over the top of skirts and trousers. I wear dresses a lot and they tend to be what I think my daughter calls a ‘bodycon’ that shows the fat tummy but it isn’t all rolls of fat it is just how I am and I feel more comfortable now I am accepting of it.

Join the club Evie. These days I buy jeggings and tunics. I have been wearing swing dresses during the summer.

I too am active, and don't overeat. Recently I started doing the Active 10 daily. Two or three ten minute brisk walks a day. I don't know if it will help me lose weight, as it's too early to tell yet.

If it's any consolation, my Granny used to say that when a woman reaches a certain age, she needs a bit of weight about her.?