Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 08:02     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
I have this too. The only thing I found to help was to wait until I was hungry to eat. And yes limit refined sugar.
Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 07:52     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:You really should speak with you PCP. I'm in my 50s and meno, and I still have a waistline. No tummy bulge. I workout 2-3hrs a day 6x a week doing cardio, weights, yoga, and eat a varied, most vegetarian (beans, tofu, lots of veg) diet with some animal products as needed.


Do you not have a job? Or a family? How do you manage 3 hours a day working on yourself?
Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 07:47     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
You really should speak with you PCP. I'm in my 50s and meno, and I still have a waistline. No tummy bulge. I workout 2-3hrs a day 6x a week doing cardio, weights, yoga, and eat a varied, most vegetarian (beans, tofu, lots of veg) diet with some animal products as needed.
Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 07:46     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
I'm 44 with a 25 inch waist.

Never eat closer than 4 hours to your bedtime. Ie if you sleep at 11, stop eating by 7. When I don't do this, I wake up with a tummy.

Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 07:43     Subject: Re:what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to perimenopause/menopause. It sucks!! I’m very similar. 52 size 4 work out 6-7 days a week fairly intensely. My waist has recently gone up an inch and I’ve had to buy new pants (not all but some cuts no longer fit). Just embrace it-I know harder than it sounds but buy some new pants and move on. One strange thing I’ve noticed is my arms and shoulders are slightly bigger as well. Some of my shirt sleeves are slightly tight. Very bizarre and annoying. My arms are exactly the same, mayvbe slightly less musculaI’ve been slacking but shirts are tight.

Yes..the weight shift makes me look matron. I needed new bras with larger band size. I exercise a lot, eat ridiculously healthy and it still happened. Can't escape the fat shift.


Yup. I looked amazing. No change in diet but I fluffed out as I'm in the end of my menstruating years (I'm 54, not quite there, but my waist seems to think bigger is better)
Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 02:02     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Stop consuming ultra processed foods (think cereals, bread, chips, frozen entrees etc); especially anything with seed oils. Focus on meat (80-20 fat to protein ratio) and sparingly consume veggies, fruits and dairy. Your mid section will shrink in a week - 50 year old who reversed T2D and lost 60 pounds and kept it off following this way of eating.


You really shouldn’t be giving advice when you allowed yourself to gain 60 lbs


Yeah and also tells people to eat 80/20 meat and not eat veggies. Don’t listen to this person.
Anonymous
Post 02/27/2025 00:24     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:I'm 42, 5'3, size 6, lift weights 5 days a week (Peloton classes), my arms and legs look pretty toned. "Normal" diet cook my own meals mostly, probably similar to a Mediterranean diet, I don't go out of my way to avoid fat or sugar. Office job, pretty sedentary, getting about 5k steps a day.

Just in the last 6 months I'm noticing this ballooning out of my midsection. My waist went from 29 to 31 and I'm having a hard time fitting into my pants. I guess it's a combination of holiday-related overeating and middle age body changes?? But it's really throwing me for a loop and I'm feeling really powerless to arrest it.

Is there something I can do 1) immediately feel better, reduce bloat, like you know a juice cleanse type thing (not THAT I know...), 2) forever changes that are sustainable? I appreciate good food and I don't think I can cut sugar entirely or sustain anything drastic like that. Help!!


Stress and Cortisol.
Change in hormones (thyroid, estrogen, insulin, etc.)
Change in lifestyle.
Overexposure to LED lighting.
Change in diet.
Slowing metabolism.
Any or all of the above.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2025 18:59     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did you start a new medication? Don't want to scare you, but that is how my massive weight gain began when I went on antidepressants.


Zyrtec did it for me. Not massive weight gain, but some, and I particularly noticed changes in my midsection when I was taking it every day. Apparently, this is a known potential side effect. I stopped taking it, and I stopped gaining weight without changing anything else.


If you delve a little deeper you’ll find that the reason it causes weight gain is increased appetite. I have been on Zyrtec since my early 20s, I’m now 39. I’m 5 ft 2 115 pounds. I was surprised when I heard “Zyrtec makes you gain weight” so I did a bit of digging.


Man it stinks to hear that just as it warms up enough that I'm already feeling the seasonal allergy symptoms! (Itchy/heavy eyes since Sunday.) I'm the same height and trying to get from 135 to 115, only halfway so far. Are other seasonal allergy meds similar?
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2025 11:45     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Recommend Parsley Health to help you get to the bottom of things - they take a really holistic view of medicine, diet, exercise... the whole picture. I've had a great experience with them.
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2025 22:22     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:Stop consuming ultra processed foods (think cereals, bread, chips, frozen entrees etc); especially anything with seed oils. Focus on meat (80-20 fat to protein ratio) and sparingly consume veggies, fruits and dairy. Your mid section will shrink in a week - 50 year old who reversed T2D and lost 60 pounds and kept it off following this way of eating.


You really shouldn’t be giving advice when you allowed yourself to gain 60 lbs
Anonymous
Post 02/23/2025 22:15     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did you start a new medication? Don't want to scare you, but that is how my massive weight gain began when I went on antidepressants.


Zyrtec did it for me. Not massive weight gain, but some, and I particularly noticed changes in my midsection when I was taking it every day. Apparently, this is a known potential side effect. I stopped taking it, and I stopped gaining weight without changing anything else.


If you delve a little deeper you’ll find that the reason it causes weight gain is increased appetite. I have been on Zyrtec since my early 20s, I’m now 39. I’m 5 ft 2 115 pounds. I was surprised when I heard “Zyrtec makes you gain weight” so I did a bit of digging.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2025 21:05     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
HBD diet. Two months and you’re a different body type. Cut the sugar. Five hours between meals. That kills the insulin resistance and bang you’re back to a size 4.
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2025 13:36     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Same thing happened to me at age 44, OP. Overnight, it was like someone injected jello around my belly button - I’ve carried most of my body fat on my hips and thighs my entire life. It was a rude awakening. And it wasn’t bloating.

I also work out intensely, prioritize sleep, eat well, etc. I have found that cutting back on sugar in particular reduces any water retention/bloating. Not zero sugar, but I mostly need to avoid the baked goods I love so dearly - at least if I want my clothes to fit.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2025 21:04     Subject: Re:what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to perimenopause/menopause. It sucks!! I’m very similar. 52 size 4 work out 6-7 days a week fairly intensely. My waist has recently gone up an inch and I’ve had to buy new pants (not all but some cuts no longer fit). Just embrace it-I know harder than it sounds but buy some new pants and move on. One strange thing I’ve noticed is my arms and shoulders are slightly bigger as well. Some of my shirt sleeves are slightly tight. Very bizarre and annoying. My arms are exactly the same, mayvbe slightly less musculaI’ve been slacking but shirts are tight.

Yes..the weight shift makes me look matron. I needed new bras with larger band size. I exercise a lot, eat ridiculously healthy and it still happened. Can't escape the fat shift.
Anonymous
Post 02/17/2025 10:14     Subject: what is happening to my midsection ?!
Anonymous wrote:Did you start a new medication? Don't want to scare you, but that is how my massive weight gain began when I went on antidepressants.


Zyrtec did it for me. Not massive weight gain, but some, and I particularly noticed changes in my midsection when I was taking it every day. Apparently, this is a known potential side effect. I stopped taking it, and I stopped gaining weight without changing anything else.