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[dulciana]

Hello ladies -

Has anyone got any advice on how to get back to my normal clothes size quickly?  I'm not eating any more I ever have done, but over the course of this year my clothes have been getting a bit too small for me.  A couple of years ago I had two skirts made for me which are elegant, smart and were a really comfortable fit.  Now they're not - they're just a tiny bit tight, which is tough because they're my wardrobe staples, as is a "take-you-anywhere" dress I depend on.  How can I lose weight round my middle, quickly?  I''m doing a couple of yoga midriff-firming exercises and walking whenever I remember to.   I am quite stressed just now and have been losing sleep. I've heard these can have a bad effect on weight.   But I love classic clothes and want to look stylish!!  I have never had weight problems before and I'm really not sure what to do.  I can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe. Help!

[LilFeather]

    I feel for you!  Just one of the downfalls to this time of our lives...

As far as bellyfat-burning exercises, I always found situps, leg-lifts (lie flat on floor and hold legs just up off floor), and twists to be the best muscle toners. 

[honeybun]

Hate to say this but it's just what happens at this time of life. Weight goes on round your middle. I have lost weight over the past few years and am still a size 8/10 but I no longer have a slim waist. The flabby bits have rkedistributed themselves around my middle.


The joys of middle age.


Honeyb
X

[Winterose]

5: 2 diet will do the trick, it burns fat up around the middle , book is in Tesco or online , or google one of their forums, there really is no excuse not to lose it and you feel so much better.  The joy of this diet is that once you have lost the weight you only have to do 1 day a week maintenance . Have a look,

[dulciana]

Thanks, Lilfeather, Honeybun and Winterose,

I will look into all these!

D.

[Hurdity]

Hi dulciana

To my knowledge no diet will target weight loss from a specific area although I am happy to be proved wrong!

As honeybun says once you get to menopause and the time leading up to it - the pattern of fat distribution changes. This is what it says on this site:

 Weight distribution

When women gain weight after the Menopause the distribution of where it settles alters. An extra pound before the pre-menopause will settle evenly over hips, bottom, thighs and arms. After the menopause it ALL goes round the middle! Hence the term "middle age spread" or " midriff". A fairly modest weight gain can thus result in a change of dress size.

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/weightgain.php

Even very skinny women find that their waist size increases despite having almost no extra fat. If you lose weight you will lose it overall. However you can help your appearance by targetting exercises on this area so that you can hold yourself upright and keep your stomach pulled in , firm up the buttocks etc. I go to a body conditioning class and Pilates which has strengthened my muscles in this area enormously and has the added benefit of increasing basal metabolism so you don't put on weight so easily (muscle burns more calories at rest than fat).

As far as clothes are concerned - well say goodbye to anything with a wasitband! I'm not sure what classic clothes are but dropped waistlines are the way to go for jeans/trousers and skirts - M&S seem to cater for this type of figure but go too far the other way - I always find their jeans far too baggy - they think I've totally lost my shape  .

Maybe HRT helps a little - the added oestrogen perhaps helps to maintain a bit of a waist-line.

As for the 5:2 diet. My verdict is it is yet another of these gimmicky diets that have companies etc jumping on the bandwagon to flog their products - sorry Winterose!!

Here is what the NHS has to say about it:
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Does-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet-work.aspx

My view is that it doesn't suit women very well because of the low blood sugar - but by all means try it for a bit! I did try the alternate day fasting one ( for a fortnight) and I was in pain from hunger, couldn't sleep and didn't have the energy to do anything else much, and thought about food all the time!

Hurdity x

[honeybun]

I could not do any kind of fasting. IBS does not react well and neither does most digestive systems.
I am very careful in what I eat. It's reasonably easy for me as my hubby is diabetic so his diet has to be spot on. Slow release, high fiber, and low fat.
Although I have not put on any weight my shape has changed. I don't go to any classes but I do walk a lot which helps.

Honeyb
X

[dulciana]

 Hmm.......I can feel my resolve strengthening with all this very welcome and helpful advice - thanks very much, everybody! 

I honestly think I'd rather increase my problem-area-targeting exercises than say goodbye to anything with a waistband, Hurdity.   I don't go for the hourglass look, but some gentle waist-skimming is quite flattering and it's always been my preferred look.

I know, I'm probably aiming for the impossible!

[Rose]

Since bleeding recently, my tummy always looks bloated as it used to look before period. Gynaecologist said that progesterone affects bowels and bloats you, nothing to do with womb. Didn't realize that. Hope it goes away after op  I had to laugh yesterday when I went to see him before going into hospital tomorrow. He asked me if there was a chance I might be pregnant. my reply was; " I hate to break this to you but to become pregnant, you need to have sex with a man and I've been meno now for 10 yrs". I had already told him No chance of intercourse (VA, vulvodynia and selfish husband) and no periods either! At least he laughed and said oh so that's how babies are conceived. I also said there was no artificial insemination either.

[Gypsy]

Dulciana - take a look at the Fast Diet website and have a read of the forums. I found enough to convince me to give it a go. There's even a thread for 'women of a certain age' which was very encouraging. Quite a few of my friends have said: oh, I couldn't starve myself - but this is without finding out how to follow the strategy. Starving yourself doesn't come into it and it's not that hard to restrict your calories twice a week! In the end, it depends how much you want to lose weight.

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/