Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 52 with a 26 inch waist. I'm nearly thru meno. Not on hrt yet but open to it soon. I've always eaten three meals of whole home-cooked basic food and maybe a snack once a week. I have always been slender but as I got into my early 50s I felt that three meals a day was too much food. A few months ago I started skipping breakfast and having daily brunch instead and then dinner. Bc I only have 2 meals a day, my brunch is bigger than when I had standard breakfast. And then lunch I eat around 10 or 1030am and then have a cup of afternoon coffee with cream. Unsweetened. Then dinner at 6. In the early morning I have one cup.of coffee at 7am and then food at 1030am. Works out well for me. I do a daily 30 min brisk walk and after work I do a daily 30 min home mat pilates. I do this 7 days a week.

This, we need to be very careful and listen to hunger cues. The women I know who remained thin post 50 (like my mother) eat way less than at 45 yo. She is not hungry but she doesn’t eat at all meals like she used to or out of habit. It is not an easy change to make because it is so ingrained in us that we should eat 3 meals a day and that we need as much food as we used to. But we don’t.

2 meals a day max and one of the 2 is light… (and of course Whole Foods, balanced meals etc…). Or you accept to become thicker which is perfectly fine too.

Im the 52 yo who recently switched to 2 meals a day and have maintained 26 inch waist. (Althoigh stretch marks from old pregnancies neber disappear). Yes to the 2 meals a day and zero snacks except on rare.occassion or weekend. There is no secret. It is simple. Not easy but simple. Most people can't deal with the hunger cues. If you drink water or tea.and wait they usually go away after 5 or 10 minutes
Eventually your body stops sending out hunger cues three or four times a day. Your body will become used to.and satiated with 2 meals.a day. Now when I eat brunch at 10 or 1030 I am very full. And dinner doesn't seem far off
The afternoon cup of coffee helps. Since going from 3 meals a day to two, my typical brunch is:

6oz plain whole milk yogurt, 1/2c homemade granola, berries, one slice Ezekiel with a little butter and a poached egg . Or I'll substitute the egg for avocado and a bit of olive oil and salt, red pepper flakes. Or I'll do the yogurt, granola, berries, an apple and a handful of nuts or an ounce of cheddar or brie. Nice combo with apple.

Dinner is standard. Grilled fish, rice, veg, salad (homemade dressing).

I’ll take the belly fat over living like this.

Right? The only other post-menopause woman I know who eats like that is my MIL and she has a severe disorder. Several broken ankles, and now a femur later, she still won't come to terms with the severe osteoporosis that her lifelong disorder has caused. It is not healthy. I gained about 15 lbs. over the last 5 years and chalked it up to menopause and told myself that food is an enjoyable part of life and I would just have to live with it. Then I got on the scale at the doctor's office 6 weeks ago and broke down. I was kidding myself. As a lifelong athlete and fit person, this was not good. I started really counting calories and keep it to 1500 a day, while adding a little to my daily exercising--I was already running 7 days a week and lifting 2 a week. Now I add little walks throughout the day as a break from work and a longer walk when I get home, before dinner. This ensures I'm burning 2,000 or more and always have at least a 500-calorie deficit. I lost 6-7 lbs. in the first 5 weeks. This week has been a little less, as I had a work event and wanted a glass of wine and a delicious dinner, and hadn't scaled back during the day to accommodate that. But it's fine. Some days I still have a surplus, but I am eating like a normal person. Not like the PP above. She is getting about 750 calories a day, and that is insane. Just do the deficit and eat real food to feel better. Works for me--at 57.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking about intermittent fasting. Does anyone think it would help?

Yes. Build up to 3 fasts of 36 hours per week and you will see your waist again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long morning walk with weighted vest, shorter evening walk when schedule and weather allow. Walk as much as you can.

Lift heavy 3x/week (see Stacey Sims or Vonda Wright)

100 grams of protein/day (including non-animal). First meal should be protein heavy. For me, it’s a shake with whey protein isolate.

Healthy fats - chia, flax, hemp seeds, nuts, avocado, etc.

Fermented food - yogurt (full fat), kimchi, tempeh

No processed food. Period. This will cut out a lot of sugar. Besides berries, not too much fruit. When you do have fruit, pair it with a protein or fat. No dried fruit.

Not hard-core IF, but keep 10 or 11 hour eating window.

Protect sleep.

Consider HRT

See, this is weird, too. Except taking walks (no vest) and protecting sleep. I will not use powder's or fill my stomach on odd seeds and the like. Eat the foods you enjoy and which have nutritional value.