Greetings from Kasey - Great Lake Erie 53 yrs. old - 165lbs - 30lbs To Many!!

Hi, Kasey, and welcome!

I'm sorry you've been through so much - I can understand how that could derail some other things. Good show, getting back on track again: That's what really counts.

I joined MFP just a little lighter than you are now (I was mid-150s pounds, already down from 183 when I got here). I was 59. Now, I'm 66, and have been at a healthy weight for over 6 years, after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity. I believe you, too, can succeed with your weight management and health goals.

IMO, it's a matter of finding some sustainable new habits that are sturdy enough to survive complicated periods in our lives.

I have to admit, I have a hard time thinking of a body shape as a curse (and I say that as a 66 y/o woman who's built more like a 14 y/o boy, narrow hips, not much waist, broad shoulders, no breasts (post mastectomies). Personally, I just want to be a reasonably good me, within my genetics.

Generally, if we have some areas where fat tends to add when we get some, that's usually the last place it wants to leave. If the problem is fatty areas, then sticking with weight loss until reaching a healthy weight is the most effective strategy.

There are some non-definitive hints in research that strength training may help older/postmenopausal women lose central fat (alongside proper calories), but the effect is pretty modest at most. We can also work on other areas, to create more visual balance. For example, if pelvic bones are widely spaced, exercise can't make them closer together, but working on shoulders and upper chest can add some balance to overall body shape. Muffin top specifically tends to be a bit extra body fat plus - frankly - too tight a waistband pressing into a certain spot, so there's spillover. Higher-waist and well-fitted clothes can help.

So, I don't think there are foods that target specific areas, nor make weight disappear faster from some areas than others. The best strategy IMO is a overall nutritious way, at proper calories for one's goals. For losing fat, that would be eating moderately fewer calories than one burns. You don't say how tall you are so I won't speculate, but at 165 pounds 1 pound a week would be about the maximum loss rate I'd suggest, and maybe slower than that if you have less than around 25 pounds to lose.

I think you can do just great here, and I wish you much success!

58 years old - 299 to 190 but now back to 215. The struggle is real but I want to see those 190s again...you can do it! We both can!