Perimenopause

I am 53 perimeno and I am losing weight and belly fat. With that said, my waist is the 1st place I lose. Arms and legs last... You can not target your specific place for fat loss. It is going to come off where it wants to. Move more and eat less and eventually you will get there.

It really depends on your genetics/your body shape. For me personally, perimeno and age isnt making much of a difference.

EDIT: just read about belly bloat. That is different then belly fat. That could be attributed to hormones and/or certain foods, maybe even to a new exercise regiment. At certain times of the month, will definitely have more bloat then others, but just temporarily and changes.

lawmaria wrote: »

Hi I am 49 and going through perimenopause too! Frustrating at times dealing with it.

I admit, I only went through peri for maybe 15 minutes, because chemotherapy for breast cancer put me in menopause almost immediately, and I was a little distracted by the side effects, so didn't really notice peri.

But back on topic: There's some limited evidence that full-body strength training is a helpful intervention among peri- or fully menopausal women for reduction of central fat, in conjunction with weight loss. (Nonetheless, abdominal fat is among the last areas to be depleted during fat loss for many of us, and some women don't like the overall level of leanness it takes for them to get the midsection fat to that point.) Alongside the strength training, and a small calorie deficit (if you're close to a healthy weight), be sure to get enough protein. That's about all a person can do, I think.

For some women (probably including me) posture issues contribute to making abdominal fat look more prominent than it needs to. Some common things are some anterior pelvic tilt (or a tendency to lock the knees when standing that leads to a similar look even when pelvis is aligned properly), or a bit of head-forward rounded-shoulders (sometimes rudely called "nerd neck" because it can happen from leaning over phones or keyboards). There are YouTube videos of exercises to help with those things - check out the "Bob & Brad" channel: They're physical therapy professionals with many videos about self-help for issues like this. (No, I'm not affiliated with them, other than having found some of their videos helpful.)

Best wishes for getting through peri- and on into menopause. It's not doom. I'm 67 now, been in menopause for over 20 years, and things are pretty good, TBH.

This thread is a year old, BTW.

You need a balanced diet with a good protein fat and carb amount more protein but all is good for peri and menopause women move less, eat more. You need good quality food. Weight training at 3 to 4 days a week with 1 to 2 days of walking easy pace. Working too hard aerobically can harm us and hinder us. Lifting weights is the key to burning fat. More muscle more fat we burn. It takes time. So be patient.

diannstover wrote: »

You need a balanced diet with a good protein fat and carb amount more protein but all is good for peri and menopause women move less, eat more. You need good quality food. Weight training at 3 to 4 days a week with 1 to 2 days of walking easy pace. Working too hard aerobically can harm us and hinder us. Lifting weights is the key to burning fat. More muscle more fat we burn. It takes time. So be patient.

No, working hard aerobically doesn't necessarily harm us - quite the contrary - though of course it can be overdone. Overdone would be "too hard", but "easy pace" is not the only good thing, or enough if reasonable health and fitness is the goal.

I get that you're very committed to strength training - yay, you - and I agree it's a very good thing.

But if we're talking about good overall fitness for health, what's generically best** is to couple strength training with a mix of cardiovascular exercise intensities. Low-intensity endurance activity is the main meal, moderate intensity is a side dish to consume pretty freely, and high-intensity should be more like a condiment (some of it to get best results, but not all high-intensity all the time: the modern all-HIIT trendy thing is not ideal).

One to two days of easy walking is a good thing, but doesn't accomplish the base exercise recommendation for average adults.****

** for people without significant heart disease risk factors, and after some base fitness is in place via an all-moderate schedule - common sense applies, of course.

**** Cite, for mainstream recommendations: https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf

• For substantial health benefts, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to
300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150
minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an
equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic
activity should be spread throughout the week.
• Additional health benefts are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond the equivalent of
300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity a week

Strength exercise recommendations are also in that link, plus recommendations about phasing in exercise gradually, and recommendations for various life stages and conditions, including older adults who've been inactive, and people with certain health conditions.

I'm 43 and am in perimenopause. I'm trying to work at re-teaching myself what I know what do, but at the same time trying to learn what can help me with not just weight loss, but also maybe ways to better regulate everything I am feeling.