7 Ways To Beat Belly Fat 😬

OK, let’s talk about belly fat even though you might not want to!

I get it, I really do.

It’s kind of not nice when it rears its head (so to speak).

But the thing is, once we’re over 40, diminishing estrogen 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

Photo by Monika Kozub @unsplash

It can be a rude awakening if this comes to town 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.

But the thing is it’s not just about how we look or even about the fat that sits just under our skin (known as subcutaneous fat). It’s also about visceral fat which can be downright dangerous. because it surrounds your organs and sits much deeper than the subcutaneous stuff.

Belly fat is different from other types of fat as it can be made up of two varieties:

1. Subcutaneous fat: the visible kind that sits just under the skin.

2. Visceral fat: this sits around the internal organs. It can amplify 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 stroke.

The danger comes in because it can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease, type-2 diabetes and stroke. Scary stuff indeed, right? But hopefully, a good enough wake-up call that you’ll want to take stock.

How Much (Belly Fat) Is Too Much?

Because there’s quite a focus on this these days there’s a pretty good equation to figure out if you should be worried about your belly fat. Check out the video below.

As a general guide, for women, anything over 90 cm or 35 inches is a worry, however, MD Anderson Cancer Centre say we should aim for less than 80 cms or 31.5 inches. For men, they say less than 94 cm or 37 inches.

What Can You Do To Reduce Belly Fat

Do you want the good news or the good news? 😂😂😂 A lot.

First up, weight gain is 80-90% what you do in the kitchen so food is a major player.

What you eat and how much you eat though portion sizes can throw some people. An easy guideline is to load up half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and an eighth each healthy fat and carbohydrate.

Here are 7 hard to beat tips to nixing 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 here. More of the right type of food and you can’t go past green leafy veg. Seriously, they are your BFF after 40 and they’re loaded with fibre which your digestive system adores as well. Indeed, cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts contain a compound known as DIM which helps to balance estrogen, decrease inflammation and protect against breast cancer.

2. Ditch sugar

You’ve probably got this memo by now, but ditching the refined and added sugars is crucial. It not only contributes to hot flashes and mood swings it’s also a prime contributor to insulin resistance (see above). As a result, it’s a case of hello, belly fat!

3. Learn your PPFF’s & ERFs

These are very simple mantras to remember and if you live your life by them you’ll be way ahead in the belly fat game.

PPFF means phytoestrogens, protein, fat and fibre and ERF stands for eat real food.

Easy peasy right?

To explain:

phytoestrogens are in certain (real) foods like flax/sesame seeds, edamame beans, tofu, tempeh and cruciferous vegetables (see number 1) – they weakly mimic estrogen which is on the decline for us during menopause
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 and helps keep us full, gives us energy, keeps our cellular membranes healthy, and serves up essential fatty acids (EFA’s) which are…um…essential (for making hormones too) and keeps our skin nice and plump.
Fibre (dietary) is the ‘roughage’ that our bodies and gut thrive on, helps keep blood sugar stable and bowels healthy (we’ll talk about poop in coming instalments!). And we get what we need through eating real food such as.

Can you see how those 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 them in a nice balance of good and bad bacteria. Eating foods rich in fibre such as fresh whole food vegetables and grain with a bit of fermented food like sauerkraut or miso can help up the anti. (Don’t eat fermented foods if you have a histamine intolerance though.)

Learn More: Good Gut

5. Carbs are not your enemy

Read that again. CARBS. ARE. NOT. YOUR. ENEMY.

There are three essential macronutrients OK? They are protein, fat and carbohydrates. So you need them but where the carb fear has come 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 when it comes to belly fat. (Sorry not sorry!) 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 give you 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 estrogen and higher cortisol. At times during peri, estrogen can go sky high because it fluctuates but it’s on its way to essentially leaving the building (ovaries). So it’s vital that you the stress hormone cortisol in check because if it’s not you’ll have trouble sleeping, and things like anxiety, headaches, mood swings, brain fog and belly fat will come knocking at the door.

Want to de-stress quickly right now? Breathe in for 4, hold for 7, and breathe out for 8. 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. And try the Clarity app, Headspace and Calm or nature bathing outdoors.

7. Try intermittent fasting

Personally, 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.

Read a more in-depth overview of IF here

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 etc. etc.

And if you would like some step-by-step help to getting rid of belly fat, increasing insulin sensitivity, loving your liver and gut and creating space for happy hormones, happy weight, happy skin and a happy life, do get in touch with me.