Hi; I am 47, and have had a smooth transition through menopause (knock on wood) so far.......My period one day just stopped, and then I just got one every 6 months for 2 years, and now, none for 15 months.  My doctor doesn't see the need for any HRT's, I have had no symptoms except a couple of hot flashes, and they were no big deal.  My big problem is that I have this beer belly thing going on.  I do aerobics every day, for at least 1-1/2 hours total, and weights and toning exercises every day.  My arms, legs, thighs and butt are thin.  I stay away from potatoes, breads, rices and stick to low carbs and proteins.  My doctor, and even a couple of fitness instructors I talked to kind of act as if this is just a fact of life and I probably will not lose the belly.  This is not acceptable to me....I can't believe that I can't get my waistline somewhat back to normal.  Has anyone out there conquered this problem?

I have heard that a lot of women gain weight at this time of their life and especially in their mid section.  Having been a former competitive bodybuilder,  I know what diet it takes to get lean.  I still bodybuild, and the wealth of supplements that aid in fat loss have increased greatly.  I would also like to add I am a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer.

CLA or Conjugated Linoleic Acid has been proven to target unwanted abdominal fat in dose of 4 grams or more per day as tested in Sweden.  The benefits are even greater if anaerobic activity is done.  

As with anything new, consult your physician before starting an exercise program or new supplement.

Val

Thanks Val,By anaerobic exercise, do you mean working out with weights? I guess I don't understand what anaerobic exercies is.

Anaerobic exercise is weightlifting, which also benefits bone density and improves your metabolic rate.  When you have more lean tissue, your metabolism is higher, hence you burn more calories.

Val

Hi! Anaerobic exercise can also be something else. You could actually workout too hard during your cardio workout and workout anaerobically if your heart rate is too high. That is something we have to be aware of when teaching aerobic classes, step, etc.

I firmly agree that you should do some weight training. There are alot of benefits of it as Val has mentioned. Glad you brought that up. So many women are afraid of bulking up when lifting weights and that is not necessarily so. I love the way muscle takes up less room and you can actually weigh more but be smaller.

Just remember, the definition of anaerobic is "without oxygen". Hope that helps.

Grace