I'm 38 and have had rapid weight gain in peri but most of it is going to my belly. It's disgusting...I look pregnant or like I'm carrying around a beach ball under my clothes and no amount of any exercise or dieting is making it budge. I've read this could be due to a decrease in estrogen with the body storing extra estrone in the belly trying to compensate and other places I've read is that it's due to high estrogen fluctuating in peri. Anyone else have this experience and what it is more likely contributed to? I know it's due to insulin resistance as well but don't know the hormonal relationship with E and P on that either. Any suggestions as to what helped others would be appreciated too. I know this is hormonal related!

I have problems with weight on my middle and also on my arms and upper body generally. I gave up alcohol for Lent and since then my middle has deflated. I read that alcohol makes you put on weight in this pattern so I'm hoping it will do the trick. I think I drink more now due to meno fatigue and maybe we are more sensitive to it as well?


Otherwise I'd say get testosterone and estrogen in balance and take as little progesterone as possible. Too little estrogen will give you an androgenic figure (beer belly like a man) too little testosterone also gives you a gut and causes loss of muscle and energy to burn that fat. Fat is a vicious circle, especially belly fat. The more you have the more insulin resisitance you have and the more likely you will be to get belly fat. You need to break the cycle.

Hmm I've heard it's high levels of cortisol that causes the belly bulge... ?? I don't have the belly bulge but I am gaining in my hips & thighs.

I personally don't believe it's low levels of any particular hormone as much as it is out of balance hormones. Once we can achieve a balance I think we level out and weight becomes a non-issue, moods aren't erratic, sex is pleasurable and life is fun .. Of course I have yet to reach this utopia for myself but I have my hopes..

YES I have it...GAH. I don't know how to get rid of it either. I started walking so I hope that helps plus I try not to eat junk food.
good luck!!

I have it as well. It is hideous! I don't drink, so I know that is not it. My diet is primarily vegetarian, although since this peri thng I do eat more junk food snacks. But not enough to be this big.I do know that my estrogen is low and since have high blood pressure I have opted not to use estrogen. I do however use a lot of soy products.And I do use progesterone birth control, which contributes a lot probably. I have upped my workouts and look ok everywhere else. But I still have this gut! I don't know what else to do.

Try lowering carbs and cutting out processed sugars. I'm in the midst of Schwarzbein's book and finding it most interesting. I lost about 10 lbs a few months back by cutting down on sugar, but did not give up the carbs. This time I'm going to cut down on carbs and go up on protein and see what that does. If that does nothing, then I surrender to fat

I am struggling with the "big belly" thing also. I'm walking on my treadmill and cutting back on junk food but with my luck, it's probably something I REALLY LOVE like COFFEE!!

Atkins/low carbs works for me. I just need the motivation. Also beware of heavy weights in the gym. My arms got really big doing that.

Shar, over the past couple of years I have watched my belly grow too......and I was doing crunches daily and they did NO good, I joined Curves and I still had my belly -- I am forever trying to find big enough shirts to hide it as I find it disgusting too. I would cut it off if I could but I would probably bleed to death so I guess that isn't an option either!

Great article Oddette...thanks for posting it! I'm getting my Estrogen levels checked next month before I mess around with hormones anymore...hopefully it will give a clue as to what's going on....maybe I've been needing a boost of estrogen all this time when thinking before I had estrogen dominance I think the P cream might have just added more to my already big belly!

OHHHH 2sonsmom I was laughing hysterically about you saying you would cut off your belly if you could...I have stood in front of the mirror puffing it out even more and telling my friends just give me sword so I can slice this thing off and watch it bounce to the ground as I kick it to the curb!! That's so funny you've thought the same thing

Me too!!!!!!

Due to diet and exercise my baby belly (hehe) is shrinking, shrinking...

Yesterday, I stood in the mirror and scooped it up to see what my profile would look like without the bulge...

Very encouraging, I must say....

Guess, I'll have to pay even MORE attention to my diet...as I do have insulin issues...

Yes, I have a decent figure except for the Budda Belly below the waist. I've often thought that it would be so easy to take a ham slicer and just carve downwards and be rid of it!

I am having the same problem. Went to the store to buy jeans, went in the dressing room with the big mirrors, took a look at the roll in my middle and walked back out without even trying on the jeans! When I was younger I couldn't gain weight if I tried, always below 120 lbs except when I was pregnant. Now around 160 lbs and it annoys the hell out of me, I can't get use to it.

Depends on what all you put in the coffee! ;-)

I find, also, that when I give up the sugar and heavy carbs my belly goes down. Now, getting to the point where i stop craving the sugar and salt is the tricky part. Sigh.

Kelly

Mine was disgusting...looked like I was about 7 months pregnant all the time. I lost 15 lbs, but the belly stayed. Then I took a job that was much more active than I had in the past, and about 6 weeks later -- POOF! It went away. Not completely, because I'm still significantly overweight. But it seemed to happen almost overnight. And it's not my imagination. People have asked me if I've lost weight. Don't know if the job did it, or that a lot of stress in my life going away (the cortisol connection) is the answer, but I'm not complaining. Except for... now that it has gone down, I can see a couple of stretch marks from how big I got. I've never had children so I never thought I'd have belly stretch marks! But there they are, pretty as you please.

I have grown a belly too, over the past year. I think part of it is the AD weight I have gained, but man a lot of it is plastered right to the gut. I do look pregnant, none of my clothes fit anymore. I also got the giant double chin, I hat that even MORE than the belly. I try to diet and exercise, and I fail. It is getting really depressing. I think about going off the ADs just to dump the weight. But then I think do I really want to go thru the horrors of anxiety and depression again??? It this a fair trade off? I thought it was for awhile, now I am not so sure.

**sigh**

Life can be so hard sometimes.

ME TOO!!! WTH happened to my belly and why do I have back fat? I just WANNA SCREAM !!!!

I'm with you! Try to be positive today so humor might help.

Yes, the "menopot" is probably the result of lowering levels of estradiol which results in the androgenic figure with fat deposits in the belly, the upper arms, etc. This is also compounded by high or fluctuating insulin levels, or a tendency to insulin resistance. The presence of insulin prevents us from burning fat.

I got my figure back by doing two things:

1) supplementing with estradiol. (Btw, if you take the bioidentical kind, it improves blood pressure and does not lead to blood clots as the synthetic kind does)

2) Instead of eating breakfast cereal in the a.m., I drink a shake put out by my doctor. It is specially formulated with stuff to steady blood sugar levels. I know that Invite Health puts out a pill/supplement called C-betics that does this. Might be something to check out.

HA HA THAT IS HILARIOUS!!!!

"Menopot!" That's good; I never thought of that!

Texasgirl, don't worry about coffee. They are finding that it's actually an antioxidant! After years of telling us it's bad, now it's good. So drink up; I do!

Shar, I used to want to cut off my tummy when I was a kid. I actually tried it with some scissors but could not get past the first prick (ouch!) I used to think it was like bread dough or mushroom soup, and if I cut it off it would *SPLAT* on the ground like a big BLOB and then I'd stomp all over it, LOL!

I used to wish I could invent some stuff that you poured into your bath water and then you'd lie down and all the fat would just magically come off everywhere into the water and then you'd watch it wash down the drain as you dried your new skinny body off. But I have no idea how to make this imaginary product, and I'm sure that all the fat in the water would eventually cause problems.

I'm postmeno and my belly fat is gone for the most part because I do race walking every day for an hour and try not to eat the wrong stuff. I have one "cheat" day per week when I can indulge my craving for the wrong stuff, but just ONE day and that's all. If you can try race walking, it takes a long time (I've been doing it for over two years on a treadmill). I do some incline work as well, and I can feel the muscles in my abdomen and thighs working. It got rid of the belly, though, so I try to stick with it.

Oh I'm so glad I came back to this post...I really needed this laugh SugarGrove! I wish you had invented this magical Buddah Belly Potion too...I just might have been your number one fan with it...and the cutting with the scissors???? Much too funny! I would try to rationalize it's just a bunch of skin and fat...surely I could get away with just slicing it right off and the added bonus would be eliminating stretch marks but alas the scissors never made it past the first bulge either. Even when I was thinner in general this big belly would start emerging and I'd even find myself holding onto it like I was carrying child and catch myself in the mirror thinking WTF is going on here...this is just WRONG! I know it's an imbalance in hormones now if I can just find out how to balance them which we all know is such a joy and so easy to figure out....

BTW Oddette...what happened to the article you posted? Is the link not allowed? Could you please repost or send to me in email? I wanted to save it and use for reference!

When I stood at the counter in my kitchen, I'd prop my belly up. Then I'd think that this is how I should look. Say, that Magic Buddah Belly potion in the bath water could work for the whole body; arms, legs. All my fat would probably clog up the drain.

Sometimes I imagine that if I could be tall and skinny like a fashion model for one day, what would I do? Get some new clothes and walk down the street and go everywhere? Then the fat would all come back that night and my new clothes wouldn't fit.

Hello I am new and never did the shakes in the morning. Wondering how do you make yours to balance the sugar?

sydcris,

Hello I am new and never did the shakes in the morning. Wondering how do you make yours to balance the sugar? I think you meant to ask wordsmith that question.

I wonder if any of you have heard of sport hula hooping to help with the big belly blues. I have read some success stories of real women, several post menopause, that have had great success with these. I got one about a month ago, and I can see a difference, although unfortunately I have not been using it as regularly as I should. Their success stories have really motivated me to try to do it everyday. It's not your average kid hula hoop. I got a three pound weighted one called Accu-hoop. It's a lot easier to do than a kid's version, but still a lot of fun. The time really flies when you are watching TV and hula -hooping. I'm sure if you google it, you'll find all sorts of information. It is especially good for your core muscles and stomach. I thought some of you might be interested in giving it a try. It's a lot more fun than sit-ups! And fun exercise is always a good thing!

Thanks for info on the Accu-hoop! I never heard of a weighted hula hoop, I was going to buy a regular one. I'm going to get the Accu-hoop instead.
Robin

I can't spin a Hula-Hoop to save my life -- never could. Ya gotta have hips to do it, and I don't. My figure is as follows -- wide shoulders, big boobs, and then straight down from there. No waistline, poochy belly, no hips, no much of a butt. Not the best shape to hang a hula-hoop on.

Yep i have the big belly blues too i look 5 months pregnant. In 2007 i lost 35 pounds due to anxiety and dpresssion do i want to go tha road again? NO!!!! I'm am thinking of some way to lose it but like a few ladies say crunches don't help. Maybe i need to quad ride more frequently. And lots of green tea. who knows anymore i am disgusted at myslelf.

my stomach blew up to looking 3 months pregnant last fall - I was horrified - I went on a cleanse and it came down and I lost 7 pounds (but not the other 20 lbs I put on in peri) - then I went on BHRT for other smptoms and I put on a few pounds - but the giant stomach seemed to be gone - then I started to go off the BHRT and all hell broke lose and the giant stomach returned. Now I am using a tiny bit of the BHRT (want to ease off later as I have a big trip coming up) but still have the giant belly - to me this is the worse symptom of all. Had a flat stomach most of my life. I feel so uncomfortable -- can't even sit at a desk comfortably - nothing fits and my body looks like **** with this huge jutting out stomach (which makes me feel like ****)

has anyone heard of the Paleo diet? no processed food - only fruits, vegetable, fish, chicken, etc. I heard this works (but it would be tough for me since I am vegetarian - still I am willing to try anything at this point)

also my dr tested me for food allergies - (havent' got results yet) but I heard that menopause can bring on food allergies you never had before - and that can definately cause bloating - I have heard stories of a woman who couldn't figure out the wt gain and lots of other sym;ptoms then found out she had food allergies, cut out those foods and she lost the stomaach and 20 lbs and got her energy back, etc.

I'm so glad I found this forum. I'm 46 and I look like I'm 6 months pregnant. I just had a breast reduction two weeks agao and thought it was from the surgery, but the nurse says no. I had a belly before, but I guess my boobs were bigger than my belly, so I never noticed it before or maybe it wasn't as bad. I feel so bloated and uncomfortable.

It sounds like many of you are saying it's diet and I should limit my carbs and beef up the exercise. Anything else?

I have the "menopot" belly blues too.

Its horrible! I've always been very thin and when menopause hit me about 1 1/2 years ago I started packing on weight around my middle, my breasts, thighs and arms. I HATE how I look and feel.

I'm so confused on the hormones. I've read that estrogen dominance causes the weight gain and I've read that too much progesterone causes it. So does any one really know???

My doctor tells me I don't need the estrogen and I need the progesterone and testosterone. The pharmacist says I need estrogen and less progesterone. I'm caught in the middle looking like a baby blimp.
Nothing I've tried to lose the weight has worked. I cut out soda and other sugar. I rarely eat any sweets. I try to get a good mix of protein, carbs etc. in my meals and I really watch portions.
I walk and I use a Total Gym. I've lost NOTHING!! The fat just will not go away.
I hate the way I look. Clothes don't fit.
I work part time as a firefighter/EMT for a small department. I'm having problems doing this job because of the weight gain. I had to go to my captain a couple of weeks ago and tell him I had to
have a different pair of bunker pants because I could no longer fasten mine at the waist. He told me to lose the weight. I told him I'm trying but its menopause weight.

I HATE THE WEIGHT GAIN!!!!

I feel just like you!!! As for your captain he needs a good smack upside the head!!

Believe me - I teach hula hooping: ANYONE can hoop - it's just a matter of getting the motion in your own body. You don't need hips, a butt, or any of that. If you don't believe me, take a large keyring and spin it around your finger. If you can do that, you can hoop.

I too have noticed the increase in belly fat from the bottom of my ribs to the top of pubic line. Quite a jigglie of fat. I lift three times a week and do cardio, but weight still came on. I know a part of this is because I was plagued with the migraine headaches for all the winter months. Didn't feel well, didn't eat well. But I know there is more behind this then just the eating getting out of whack. Some of you give hope that possibly adding estrogen will help balance this all out, but that is what I thought started this mess in the first place. My head is swimming just trying to understand all of this. It causes me more stress that I don't need.

Fat bath release, take me away!