Getting rid of Abdominal Fat when post menapausal

My major problem is that I'm starting to look like a peach. My life is stressful and my thyroid is slow and has been for the last 20 years; but I've never seen the weight gain especially in my abdomine that I'm seeing now. In the last 8 years I've gained 50 pounds and feel like an apple.

Has anyone outthere ever gotten abdominal fat off after age 50? I mean without liposuction? I can't seem to get one pound off.

I would LOVE some input and encouragement that it's possible without surgery
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Replies

  • lois4468
    lois4468 Posts: 166 Member
    My husband and I are over 60 and we have both lost 50 pounds since January 1st this year. Weight comes off all over. Hard to get it off in just one place. We have lost most of ours by changing our eating habits and walking. Only lately have we started doing a little more extercise. We each have about 25 pounds yet to lose. The first 40 went quickly and now it has slowed down. Most of the weight we have left to lose is around the middle ut it is going. Best of luck to you!
  • AngelikaLumiere
    AngelikaLumiere Posts: 862 Member
    me too
  • dwn2erth
    dwn2erth Posts: 144 Member
    thanks Louis and That's terrific..(your weight loss) I hope at some point to be where you are!!
  • invictus8
    invictus8 Posts: 258 Member
    So most guys tend to accumulate abdominal fat first -- so I can tell you what has been working for me:

    1. Avoiding white carbs/sugars: there's some evidence that people with abdominal fat accumulation are more sensitive to these kinds of foods. I'd experiment to see if this works for you.

    2. Drinking coffee (2-4 cups): this curbs my hunger, and there's a lot of evidence that caffeine has numerous positive effects. The only downside is that if you have high blood pressure caffeine might exacerbate that.

    3. Supplements: chelated magnesium (which is bioavailable) and chromium polynicotinate (NOT piconicotinate) *might* help increase insulin sensitivity... I've taken these before, and I can't really say if they've made any difference. But something to consider.
  • CnocNaCu
    CnocNaCu Posts: 536 Member
    I'm 53 and have lost over 50 pounds since I changed my diet in September 2011. I also started exercising and quit smoking. I lost A LOT OF BELLY FAT and even though I'm over 50 and had 3 children my belly is quite ok now. Change of life style ( eating and exercising) did the trick for me. Most of all: consistency.
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    Sadly, you can not spot reduce and belly fat is the haaardest thing to move! All you can do is watch what you eat ie cals and exercise!

    You can try some abdominal exercises but most likely these will strengthen you core (which is a good thing) but not do much to shift tummy fat.

    Posture is a good thing to try to improve as we get older, we tend to put shoulders and heads forward, which doesn`t help us look slim. So, maybe try to walk taller and this will improve the general outline.
  • Lazygal53
    Lazygal53 Posts: 294 Member
    I started off with the same problem. So far i've dropped 35lbs. Along with changing my diet to exclude White flour/starches and walking a treadmill (in the fat burning zone which is 65%) I am seeing my whole body shape change which is including my belly and thigh fat slowly disappear. I just got myself some Kettle Bell weights and started strength exercise to hold onto and build muscle going forward.

    It's possible with perseverance (not matter what just do the exercise). Just hang in there! Can't emphasize that enough!
  • Lazygal53
    Lazygal53 Posts: 294 Member
    Meant to include my age LOL which is 62. So if I can do it anyone can :wink:
  • Not yet 50, a lil shy of that and have been menapausal for just about 10 yrs. I have been diagnosed early on and my weight has been like a yo-yo for most of that time. I am 5ft 0" 129lbs - 133.6 lbs. I have toped out at 136....:brokenheart: My ideal weight is 120lbs. I have been jogging 2-3miles 3x a week or eliptical 45mins., Power Step Aerobics, Lunges, Squats, etc. I haven't lost a pound in months. I see the difference in my legs, but my stomach not so much. I will be 40 this fall and desperate to loose just a mere 10lbs :cry: Any suggestions, please help.
  • My profile weight is incorrect. :blushing:
  • NotThePest
    NotThePest Posts: 164
    Meant to include my age LOL which is 62. So if I can do it anyone can :wink:

    cmae you look fabulous, you have two years on me :happy:


    Started fitness program, fast walking, Feb of 2006, past two years it's circuit training, step aerobics and zumba, belly fat is gone. It took a while to go, it was the last thing that went. Perseverence wins the day and remember, this is a journey not an event.
  • Thank you. There is hope after all. :flowerforyou:
  • JamCubeChi
    JamCubeChi Posts: 378 Member
    Good luck to all- Cmae-you look fantastic!!!
  • Lazygal53
    Lazygal53 Posts: 294 Member
    Thank you for that boost NotThePest!
    You look pretty awesome yourself and such a cutie on your lap too! More than enough to keep on going for!!!
  • Lazygal53
    Lazygal53 Posts: 294 Member
    Wow two boosts in one day ... must be my lucky day!!
    I'm sure you'll reach your goals JamCubeChi! Good luck to you also!
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    a low carb lifestyle is a really easy way to get rid of fat.
    look into a ketogenic diet!
  • HMM163
    HMM163 Posts: 24
    I am 63 and have lost 57 lbs and most of it is from my stomach which is where I needed to lose it.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,514 Member
    It is harder to get the fat off around the middle, but it can be done. Eat healthy and work out sensibly.

    After I lost most of the weight, I really starting working the abs. It turns out that I have them. :happy:

    Do not buy into the myth that you can't lose weight over 50 -- it's just not true! :noway:

    Good luck! You can do it.:flowerforyou:
  • I have found this article by Dr. Oz VERY helpful:

    http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/get-rid-belly-fat

    I avoid the scale at all costs. It just doesn't match the way I look and feel. I started dieting and kettle bells at the same time because I know that building lean muscle burns the most fat. That was a year ago. I am now in my second month of the Insanity program and see a profound difference in the way my body looks. I take my measurements once a month and that is what I go by now. The scale has not moved for me in 3 months BUT i am down another pants size and my legs and arms are stronger than they were a year ago :)

    It is a much different, much harder journey for me now than it was 25 years ago but it IS possible! Keep the faith!
  • dwn2erth
    dwn2erth Posts: 144 Member
    Thanks Invictus I'll try some of your suggestions and let you know how it goes!!! Appreciate the imput!!
  • dwn2erth
    dwn2erth Posts: 144 Member
    WOW Cma You go girl!!! It seems like sugar and carbs are big!! Caffiene and lots and lots of excercise.
  • dwn2erth
    dwn2erth Posts: 144 Member
    I checked out the Dr Oz sight I've heard the MUFA idea before.. Has anybody ever tried coconut oil?? I've heard that works..
  • dwn2erth
    dwn2erth Posts: 144 Member
    Not the Pest If I could ever get to the fitness level you're at now I'd be very happy...
  • hs1956
    hs1956 Posts: 16
    I'm 56 and postmenopausal with an initial goal of loosing 16 lbs. I've only been at this program a little over a month but the belly is receding and I have lost a few pounds. Loosing weight is slower this time (I lost weight eight years ago and it came back after menopause three years ago-sigh). I never had issues with weight until my 40's (and that was due to lack of exercise and eating big meals with my swimmer children-way too many calories). Eating better, exercising and strength training are helping to reclaim parts of my body. Using a tape measure and has been rewarding more than the scales. One thing I had not considered in learning more about this is how my calorie intake has changed as a result of age.

    In general, keeping track of what I eat seems to be helping. The tape measure is rewarding even if visibly things are, at this stage, disappointing.
  • dwn2erth
    dwn2erth Posts: 144 Member
    Thanks hs1956 I like the tape measure idea. I don't keep track of that like I should Thanks for the input!!
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    I'm 59 and have been maintaining at 123 pounds, 5'6", size 4, since September of last year. My original goal weight was 135 pounds, which had been a good weight for me in my 30s and early 40s. It didn't look so good on a reforming couch potato in her late 50s, though. My belly and midsection were still very flabby at that weight. At 123 pounds my belly still isn't flat by the standards of the average 20-year-old who has never had any kids, but it's flat enough. I'm not at all unhappy with the way I look in most clothes, I just don't wear bikinis anymore.

    In my case, at least, I think the difference had a lot more to do with age and menopause related loss of muscle mass than with any real change in the way my body stores or utilizes fat. As an apple, my abdomen was the first place I packed on the fat and probably would have been the last place I lost it, regardless of my age. I just had more of it to lose, relative to my BMI, because my lean body mass was lower. In other words I was skinny-fat at 135 pounds and now I'm just skinny.
  • crislane1
    crislane1 Posts: 4 Member
    hello group. i am 40 years old and been post menapausal since i was 27 years old. i am pretty active with cycling, swimming and walking. trying to get more active. i currently work 3rd shift as a 911 dispatcher and sleep most of the day away. i am trying to get my bad eating habits under control. any advise to exercise programs or foods i should try that might help me to lose weight. when i moved to tenn 18 years ago i was 155 pounds. i have put on 80 pounds. my weight has yo yo'd since i was 13 and i was laid off 2 years ago and went thru depression and unmotivation and have gained 30 pounds since sept 2011 :( any advice is welcomed.
  • amiscci
    amiscci Posts: 64 Member
    I'm 59 and have been maintaining at 123 pounds, 5'6", size 4, since September of last year. My original goal weight was 135 pounds, which had been a good weight for me in my 30s and early 40s. It didn't look so good on a reforming couch potato in her late 50s, though. My belly and midsection were still very flabby at that weight. At 123 pounds my belly still isn't flat by the standards of the average 20-year-old who has never had any kids, but it's flat enough. I'm not at all unhappy with the way I look in most clothes, I just don't wear bikinis anymore.

    In my case, at least, I think the difference had a lot more to do with age and menopause related loss of muscle mass than with any real change in the way my body stores or utilizes fat. As an apple, my abdomen was the first place I packed on the fat and probably would have been the last place I lost it, regardless of my age. I just had more of it to lose, relative to my BMI, because my lean body mass was lower. In other words I was skinny-fat at 135 pounds and now I'm just skinny.

    ^^^this. I'm 50, post menopausal and 5'6"
    I started one year ago at 153ish, and have been maintaining for the last month or so at 115ish. I work out 3x per week (my only exercise) and lost the weight pretty linearly :-) at a rate of about .5 to .75 lbs a week. It took nearly a year of hard work. My tummy is flat, finally, even after a pooch from my c-section (twins) 21 years ago. I'll never wear a bikini (gads the stretch marks and lose skin!) but it's certainly possible. Ate around 1400 cal a day and greatly reduced carbs ( usually under 120 a day) and dairy, although I have no idea if that really made a Hugh difference in itself...
  • crislane1
    crislane1 Posts: 4 Member
    ^^^^thanks. i am trying to modify my eating...i think thats going to be the hardest thing. i am working out a lot more and getting back to being very active and burning calories. just need to eat less...and thats hard. thanks for your insight.
  • suz155
    suz155 Posts: 326 Member
    Hi,,,,Im 58, post menopausal,,,,,been on MFP for 2.5 monthes and have lost 20 lbs,,,,,,4 inches in the abdominal area. Yes,,,,,it can be done. Still have another 55 lbs to go, but, Im really startingt to believe, I will be able to have that flat belly again....feels good.