Pre-menstrual or menopausal? Flat abs?

aimeelynnn

Hi Ladies,
I am 46 and I am losing inches most everywhere except my stomach. My periods are irregular now. Is it still possible for me to achieve a smoother flatter stomach. I am 5'9" and I now weigh 196. I am down from 220. I took some before pictures tonight for when I reach my goal weight, and I got a little nervous and depressed. My stomach is scaring me. I won't use the pre-menopausal stuff as an excuse but if anyone has some words of encouragement I would be very grateful.
thank you so much

californiagirl2012

Hi Ladies,
I am 46 and I am losing inches most everywhere except my stomach. My periods are irregular now. Is it still possible for me to achieve a smoother flatter stomach. I am 5'9" and I now weigh 196. I am down from 220. I took some before pictures tonight for when I reach my goal weight, and I got a little nervous and depressed. My stomach is scaring me. I won't use the pre-menopausal stuff as an excuse but if anyone has some words of encouragement I would be very grateful.
thank you so much

I felt the same way! I'm much shorter than you (5'1") but the same problem exists.

The stomach fat does finally go, and usually the last to go is the upper legs and around the glutes. What makes it go is a calorie deficit. For me (being short) ab exercises just makes my waist thicker (not with fat, according to my DXA scan when I'm a total body fat of 11.5% my torso and visceral fat was 0%). People mistakenly think that ab exercises will "give them abs" but actually my profile pictures were from lifting all body workouts and EXCLUDING ab work (because I was trying to make my waist smaller for a specific transformation contest). Since then I've added ab work along with everything else and it's making my waist thicker again, but I don't care because it's not fat. Anyway the key to building muscle is a balanced all body weight lifting workout, and the key to losing fat (even stomach fat) is a calorie deficit. It really is that simple. Adding Ab work to an all body workout once you get lean will help you see more definition and you can experiment with what the various exercises do for you and see it once the fat is gone.

Anyone can do this at any age. There really is no mystery. I used to think my metabolism was broken, low thyroid, adrenal fatigue, menopause, stress (well stress is certainly a factor in managing hunger hormones). I did the frustrating diet yo-yo for 15 years and finally achieved my dream at age 50 and have been maintaining for over a hear now (I'm almost 52). I finally realize thyroid medicine and everything else to address my myriad of age related health issues was not a magic pill. It all comes down to calories for weight loss and exercise for building your lean body mass (especially weight lifting). You cannot out exercise too many calories.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

When I was under stress or TOM I ate closer to maintenance (when I was still trying to lose). When dealing with hunger hormones you can't do this on willpower alone. You must set up your environment for success, get trigger foods out of the house, maybe say no to a few social events, have a strategy for adjusting your calorie budget sometimes, setting up a team of people around you in real life (not just online), etc.


Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

All I can do is share what worked for me. I achieved my goal at age 50 after beating my head against the wall for 15 years. Yeah anyone can do it, but I can tell you that you are up against a lot when you are older and I believe females have some unique issue to face with hormones and such. The sooner you can get a handle on it the better. DO NOT GIVE UP. As I got older and the weight piled on (and I didn't feel I was eating too much!) everyone kept telling me to give up, this is what happens when you get older. I'm small, and I didn't realize how small I was until I lost the weight. Everyone said I had big bones. I looked hefty because I worked out. Once I lost the weight I realized how small I really was and that small people don't need to eat as much as big people. HINT: If you are short you are probably small.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

BroiledNotFried

I am there with you on the belly fat problem.

I am searching for answers. Start with the doctor. That's where I am at. I get blood tests done for thyroid, hormones, etc. done in 2 weeks.

What I read is that our female hormones start to drop. Our progesterone lowers the most, and we become estrogen dominent. This condition makes us lose our waist and gain belly fat. This is why old women look like old women. Balancing the hormones is key.

Read up on progesterone. What's going on is that body fat also stores/makes hormones. So, our body puts on/keeps ahold of fat to aid our otherwise dropping hormone levels. Why? Hormones keep the bones hard.

Some say progesterone cream and/or natural human identical progesterone. I bought a bottle of cream for about $40 off Amazon. It is bioidentical, but started with yams. I just started it. I did lose about a pound or so about a day on it. I'll let you know if it works.

Bioidentical estrogen may also be needed, but estrogen levels don't seem to drop off as much, unless you've stopped having your period or had a hysterectomy. The wrong estrogen type can be very bad medicine. So, the new thinking is in bioidentical.

Some say soy milk and soy products becuase it can help compensate lost female hormones. Calcium, and the best type is from plants like broccoli or dark green vegetables.

Plenty of good food. One doctor on the Internet swears by Total cereal. Whole grains and every vitamin in a box. Vitamin problems can cause mid-life to be much worse.

Weight lifting is key. Exercise every day is also key.

So, this is what I read on the Internet.

Personally, I am the heaviest I've ever been. I am 44. I forget things I never would have before. Appointments, what to buy at store. I had a very sharp mind. Now, it's "fuzzy." I eat 1200-1300 calories a day plus my exercise calories, and can not lose a pound. I have to drop down to 900-1000 calories a day to lose weight. I can only keep that leve up for a week or so, then I crash off the diet. But, if I was to eat 1600-1800 and not exercise, I'd gain 5 pounds.

pkw58

Post menopusal at age 54 , just lost 44 pounds this year, no hormone therapy, no weight lifting my activity is walking and Barre 3 and yoga. Flat stomache, at about an estimated bmi of19%...

Read the book "The Menopause Makeover"..you can do this..

pamcuster

bumping this...thanks for all the info!

midnight333

Very interesting read, thank you.....Bump.

babybs

Post menopusal at age 54 , just lost 44 pounds this year, no hormone therapy, no weight lifting my activity is walking and Barre 3 and yoga. Flat stomach, at about an estimated bmi of19%...

Read the book "The Menopause Makeover"..you can do this..

I'm going to have to read this book because I'm in the same boat the other ladies are in.

I'm actually below my goal weight, I am 53 years old, post menopausal, 5' 8" and 123 pounds. I should look and feel like a twig but my belly is still an issue. I have a taunt belly but its large and I'm at my wits end. I walk vigorously (uphill and down on gravel roads) 4-5 times a week or do the elliptical machine if I can't spend the time to walk. I'm very mindful of what I eat and eat healthy 85% of the time. I drink only water and green tea and I think I do what all the experts say in order to shed belly fat but yet it hasn't worked.

I'll be following this thread to hear suggestions.

aimeelynnn

Thanks everyone for your well taken information. I used to eat Total Cereal every morning for years when I was a kid I'll buy some! And I know I can eat more green food. I'm also going to buy The Menopuase Makeover" You all inspire me! I am not giving up!
Thank you!

aimeelynnn

Bloodwork next week too!

Aviva92

I really think everyone is different. My mother is 5'9" and even at 135 pounds she still had a huge stomach. For some people it's just not possible to get rid of it.

alimac92

Interesting, will read again later.



My belly has reduced but has changed shape and seems to be two tyres. Maybe it has to evolve and looks weird as its changing.
I came across this post while searching to see if other people had weird belly shapes too.

mockchoc

Bump!

quietcoral

You will lose the belly fat, but it can be stubborn. I feel like it is the last to go, but it will come off eventually. Jut be patient and keep at it!

basenjisbm

Hello,

My husband and I both noticed a bid difference in our stomachs after moving to the Paleo lifestyle. Grains and Dairy can cause the stomach to react with bloating . You don't have to adopt it 100% to notice a difference. Hope this helps.

newmelady

Bump...........

Ta2dchic20

Hi Ladies,
I am 46 and I am losing inches most everywhere except my stomach. My periods are irregular now. Is it still possible for me to achieve a smoother flatter stomach. I am 5'9" and I now weigh 196. I am down from 220. I took some before pictures tonight for when I reach my goal weight, and I got a little nervous and depressed. My stomach is scaring me. I won't use the pre-menopausal stuff as an excuse but if anyone has some words of encouragement I would be very grateful.
thank you so much

I felt the same way! I'm much shorter than you (5'1") but the same problem exists.

The stomach fat does finally go, and usually the last to go is the upper legs and around the glutes. What makes it go is a calorie deficit. For me (being short) ab exercises just makes my waist thicker (not with fat, according to my DXA scan when I'm a total body fat of 11.5% my torso and visceral fat was 0%). People mistakenly think that ab exercises will "give them abs" but actually my profile pictures were from lifting all body workouts and EXCLUDING ab work (because I was trying to make my waist smaller for a specific transformation contest). Since then I've added ab work along with everything else and it's making my waist thicker again, but I don't care because it's not fat. Anyway the key to building muscle is a balanced all body weight lifting workout, and the key to losing fat (even stomach fat) is a calorie deficit. It really is that simple. Adding Ab work to an all body workout once you get lean will help you see more definition and you can experiment with what the various exercises do for you and see it once the fat is gone.

Anyone can do this at any age. There really is no mystery. I used to think my metabolism was broken, low thyroid, adrenal fatigue, menopause, stress (well stress is certainly a factor in managing hunger hormones). I did the frustrating diet yo-yo for 15 years and finally achieved my dream at age 50 and have been maintaining for over a hear now (I'm almost 52). I finally realize thyroid medicine and everything else to address my myriad of age related health issues was not a magic pill. It all comes down to calories for weight loss and exercise for building your lean body mass (especially weight lifting). You cannot out exercise too many calories.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

When I was under stress or TOM I ate closer to maintenance (when I was still trying to lose). When dealing with hunger hormones you can't do this on willpower alone. You must set up your environment for success, get trigger foods out of the house, maybe say no to a few social events, have a strategy for adjusting your calorie budget sometimes, setting up a team of people around you in real life (not just online), etc.


Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

All I can do is share what worked for me. I achieved my goal at age 50 after beating my head against the wall for 15 years. Yeah anyone can do it, but I can tell you that you are up against a lot when you are older and I believe females have some unique issue to face with hormones and such. The sooner you can get a handle on it the better. DO NOT GIVE UP. As I got older and the weight piled on (and I didn't feel I was eating too much!) everyone kept telling me to give up, this is what happens when you get older. I'm small, and I didn't realize how small I was until I lost the weight. Everyone said I had big bones. I looked hefty because I worked out. Once I lost the weight I realized how small I really was and that small people don't need to eat as much as big people. HINT: If you are short you are probably small.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

You are amazing and inspiring. Thanks for sharing. I'm 41, menopause is right around the corner for me.

MrsbakerBifamous

I've had the same problem. Since 5 Months I take 1 DHEA capsule per day. It's to balance out your own hormones... when women get older .. you get the belly fat issues. Calcium is a great supplement to loose the weight there! I did not change my diet but I'm much happier and gone is the belly fat ! Research it !!! Goodluck !

Here's another great article !
http://voices.yahoo.com/dhea-perimenopause-why-you-8486325.html

bachoat

I am so glad I read this post!!! I will be 45 next month and have had my horomones tested my levels are very low. The NP offered me hormone cream and I declined. Now I am am wondering if I should start them???? Belly fat is not moving!