Okay, let’s talk about belly fat even though you might not want to!
I get it, I really do. It’s not nice when it rears its head, but once we’re over 40 years of age, diminishing oestrogen levels shift our body fat from the butt and thighs to the abdomen – that’s just evolution. Add in things like stress, over-exercising, and insulin resistance, and you’ve got a perfect storm for belly fat, especially during perimenopause/menopause. And it’s adipose tissue (the term scientific term for fat) that’s hard to shift.
Eek, I’ve got a muffin top!
It can be a rude awakening, but the good news is you can beat belly fat. You won’t change your new body shape, but you can get rid of the pudge. It’s not just about how we look or even about the fat that sits just under our skin (subcutaneous fat), it’s also about visceral fat which can be downright dangerous because it surrounds your organs and sits much deeper, amplifying issues like insulin resistance, elevated cortisol, and high blood sugar.
Visceral fat is also implicated in cardiovascular disease, dementia, breast and bowel cancer, type 2 diabetes, and strokes. Scary stuff, but hopefully a good enough wake-up call to take stock.
How much (belly fat) is too much?
There’s a pretty good equation to figure out if you should be worried about your belly fat. Generally, for women, anything over 90cm (35in) is a worry, however, MD Anderson Cancer Centre say we should aim for less than 80cm (31.5in). For men, they say less than 94cm (37in).
What can you do to reduce belly fat?
Food is a major player, accounting for 80-90% of weight gain. What to eat and how much can throw some people. An easy guideline is to load up half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and an eighth each for healthy fat and carbohydrate.
7 TIPS TO NIX BELLY FAT
1. Green leafy up
If you want to nix that belly fat the key is to eat more, not less. But there’s a caveat: more of the right type of food. And you can’t go past green leafy veg. Seriously, they’re your BFF, loaded with fibre which your digestive system adores as well. Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts contain a compound known as diindolylmethane (DIM) which helps to balance oestrogen, decrease inflammation, and protect against breast cancer.
2. Ditch sugar
You’ve probably got the memo by now – ditching refined and added sugars is crucial. They not only contribute to hot flushes and mood swings but are a prime contributor to insulin resistance (see above). As a result, it’s a case of hello, belly fat!
3. Learn your PPFFs and ERFs
These are very simple mantras to remember. If you live your life by them, you’ll be way ahead in the belly fat game. PPFF means phytoestrogens, protein, fat and fibre, while ERF stands for ‘eat real food’.
To explain:
· Phytoestrogens are in certain (real) foods like flax and sesame seeds, edamame beans, tofu, tempeh, and cruciferous vegetables (see number 1). They weakly mimic oestrogen which is on the decline during menopause. Experts differ on their efficacy, but many believe they’re helpful.
· Protein is, of course, protein. The lean kind needed for satiety and energy, to keep blood sugar stable, help make hormones, and to build and repair healthy, strong bones and muscle.
· Fat refers to healthy fats like avocado, nuts and seeds, and extra virgin olive oil. It helps keep us full, gives us energy, keeps our cellular membranes healthy, and serves up essential fatty acids (EFAs) which are, um, essential (for making hormones too), and keep our skin nice and plump.
· Fibre (dietary) is the roughage our bodies and gut thrive on. It helps keep blood sugar stable and bowels healthy (we’ll talk about poop in coming instalments!). We get what we need through eating real food.
Can you see how these mantras are symbiotic? Everything relies on real food that’s untampered with by man and science.
4. Get good guts
Even though our knowledge is fairly recent, and we’re still learning, the gut is everything to our health, our weight, our hormones, and even our brain, home to trillions of bacteria commonly known as microbiome. One way to manage belly fat is to keep our microbiome in a nice balance of good and bad bacteria. Eating foods rich in fibre such as fresh whole food, vegetables, and grains, with a bit of fermented food like sauerkraut or miso, can help up the ante. (Avoid fermented foods if you have histamine intolerance.)
5. Carbs are not your enemy
Read that again. CARBS. ARE. NOT. YOUR. ENEMY.
There are three essential macronutrients. They are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Where the carb fear comes from (it used to be ‘fat fear’ back in the day) is refined carbs. Carbohydrates like potato chips, white bread, and pasta are your enemy, especially regarding belly fat. The body burns them very quickly because they’re stripped of fibre and nutrients in the manufacturing process. As a result, they spike blood sugar which can lead to, yep, belly fat… as well as mood swings, energy dips, and risk of chronic disease.
But that’s not all. Have you noticed that when you get into the routine of eating these carbs you want more and more? It’s a bit of a vicious cycle.
The carbs that are your friend because they offer fuel and keep you full include beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and whole grains.
6. Out damn stress, out, I say
A big part of our work here is mindpower, mood, and self-love because learning to chill can make all the difference to not just nixing belly fat, but your life. That’s why we say happy hormones, happy weight, happy skin, happy life, because they all work together.
One of the hallmarks of life after 40 is lower oestrogen and higher cortisol. At times during peri, oestrogen can go sky high because it fluctuates as it’s on its way to leaving the building (ovaries). So, it’s vital that you keep the stress hormone cortisol in check because if it’s not you’ll have trouble sleeping, plus, things like anxiety, headaches, mood swings, brain fog and belly fat will come knocking.
Want to de-stress quickly right now? Breathe in for four, hold for seven, and breathe out for eight. Do that again. And again. Feel calmer? It’s the 4-7-8 technique and it’s magic!
Indeed, meditation, mindfulness and yoga reduce stress during menopause. Science has shown this time and time again. Try the Clarity app, Headspace and Calm or nature bathing outdoors.
7. Try intermittent fasting
This is one of my favourite things to do, but it’s not for everyone. For example, if you are highly symptomatic do check in with us so we can guide you.
In conclusion
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, midlife weight gain and belly fat is a complicated soup. There are many moving parts including hormones, gut health, thyroid, adrenals, insulin and more. I always advocate taking baby steps, so take one or two of these points and see if implementing them makes a difference. And remember, 80-90% of weight gain is to do with what happens in the kitchen but exercising helps mitigate belly fat too. Your belly fat (and insulin resistance) will run a mile if you add simple walking or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to your day.
I’m Jenna, an accredited holistic health coach with a passion for helping women aged over 40 with weight gain and bullying peri/menopause hormones. If you would like some step-by-step help to getting rid of belly fat, increase insulin sensitivity, love your liver and gut, and create space for happy hormones, happy weight, happy skin and a happy life, do get in touch with me.
