40 and up Ladies- clue me in!!

Anyone 40 & fighting the oh my gosh what's up with my midsection!?

ahh.. another of the joys of peri- and menopause....    Yep.. never had a belly before but I got one now...   As I lose weight it goes away tho...   and crunches, etc are giving me very strong abs..   so you can deal with it...

Im looking at it as my own personal weight/loss needle  :-}

I can't seem to lose the weight either and can't figure it out...

I eat mostly whole foods, veggies, fruit, very little meat (chicken, turkey or occassionally steak 1 or twice a week), whole grains, drink green tea, water, the occassional glass of red wine.

Run and or power walk 5-6 days per week

The only thing missing is weigh training (couldn't afford the gym any more)

The biggest change has been, "my monthly cycle" and lot's of seemingly hormonal stuff.

Any suggestions from the 40 and up crowd?  I just turned 40 in nov '06 and have been having trouble losing the weight for a little over a year now.

I'm 46 and perimenopausal.    I started noticing a "muffin top" developing at my waist around my 45th birthday last June, then  the beginning of 10 lbs slowly creeping on.  I cycle 2x week, run 2x week, and swim 1-2x week as well as weight train.   I'm also very diet concious (Sonoma type).  Still no weight loss (just a steady slow gain) , tho my heart rate is better, stamina increased,  and my muscle tone has improved (underneath this layer of fat). I've researched and found that Black Cohosh is highly touted to reduce symptoms, so have just begun taking that plus a soy supplement, plus logging food intake and workout info, heart rate, etc.  The web said 30-45 days to start noticing reduced meno.p.symptoms.  

I'm not looking for a "magic pill", tho one would be nice, and don't mind working hard, but THIS is REDICULOUS!!

I notice that many of my baby boomers friends are looking like or starting to look like wrinkled toddlers (except toddlers do not suck in their bellies). Allegedly toddlers have bellies because their abdominal muscles aren?t developed enough and middle-agers have spare tires because of dwindling sex hormone levels. But I believe, TXGirlyGirl, that with patience and perseverance, you will be able to do something about your midsection. Just try to do it before you turn fifty. For whatever reason, it gets much harder to do anything about it after that. Or you could just wear long shirts from now on and never tuck them in again. Just remember yourself as a baby; every part of you is precious. :) And remember that your health is more precious than your looks. Flat bellies and killer abs are a just a culturally-imposed standard right now.

For reference: My last period was in August 2005. I remember having a little bit of a belly just a few days before my period would start. Then it would magically leave once my period started and I would get an incredible burst of energy. Now, the precious little tummy is there all the time. Bloating? Hormones? Maybe no link whatsoever to middle-aged midsections? Hmm? I don?t know. Anyway, Good luck, Sweetie Pie!

Thanks for the insight ladies! Very encouraging.  I'm just out of my comfort zone with all of this but that's ok, that's when we learn   the most right? :)

I'm on that boat.. though I do say very quickly I'm 29!!! FOREVER! Even though my body says otherwise!  I think that I have the perfect 'life preserver' stuck right around the middle of my tummy and for the most part have lost about all I can everywhere else.. or it looks that way. That'll be my last ten or 15 pounds!!!! But then even in my thirties I still had that problem and in my twenties too. Some say it's due to a genetic makeup where people gain weight. I really don't know.. but it's gotta go somehow!

You might consider a hormone balancing suppliment such as Estro Balance. I'm not sure yet about the belly, as mine is still full of that yucky stuff called FAT. But I have been taking it for about four weeks and I see a raised metabolism, clearer skin and incredibly shiney hair.

Give any wieght/fat loss plan atleast 6 weeks before considering it ineffective.

43 on Sunday! HB 2 m3

I seriously, seriously could NOT lose weight for yeeears.....

I kept seeing the scale go up, up and away............

I got more and more tired........because of the weight and age,  I assumed.

Then, after really LOOKING MY DOCTOR IN THE EYE & BEGGING, "Help me, something's gotta be wrong."  They discovered the problem,  which is very, very common.

HYPOTHYROIDISM.  Why was I the last to know?  How come I couldn't have found this out years ago?   It doesn't matter....the mystery is solved.   The weight is coming off as a very nice pace.

PLEASE GET YOUR THYROID CHECKED IF YOU ARE HAVING SERIOUS DIFFICULTY LOSING WEIGHT.  It makes all of the difference in the world!!!

To TXGITLYGIRL...Howdy, I am also in Texas!

Two quick things:  One,  work on building more muscle in your thighs and booty area.  One pound of muscle burns 45 calories a day, one pound of fat only burns 2 calories a day.  According the experts, BUILDING MUSCLE is the MOST EFFECTIVE WAY to lose and maintain a lower weight.  You don't need a gym, squats and lunges at home...even with out additional weight can help carve the muscles!  Try it for a month & see the difference!

Two,  if you are having mints, tic tacs, gum, cough drops or "harmless" things like that, it can kick in the insulin response, which basically tells your body to stop burning fat and start storing it.  Sugars and starches dramatically release insulin, which keeps fat from being released.  Sugar is not our friend, although I would have thought it from being at every special occasion and celebration in my lifetime!  LOL!   Bottom line:   Really watch the sugar.....every granule, even the artificial kind. 

I also have hypothyroidsm.  I was diagosed when I was 30.  I've been on synthroid ever since.  A few years ago, I had the bright idea of getting off my meds for a couple of months.  I didn't like the thought of having to be on medication for the rest of my life.  Anyway, I gained 20 lbs almost instantaneously.  I'll never do that again.  A low thyroid can really mess you up.

Hi Ladies,

Sorry I'm just now checking back into this post.  I didn't get much of a response at first so I blew it off.  Great advice though!  Meowianne, Hi, where in TX? I have started trying to build some muscle (do more running than strength trainig ).  I

 had a pituitary tumor (non cancerous) a few years ago that gave my thyroid some trouble, took meds to shrink it but haven't had it checked in a while.  I'll probably start there.  All great suggestions!

M3lody - happy belated birthday! Is Estro Balance an over the counter med?

Well here is another from that Only State that matters  Texas,  Houston Texas