Losing Weight During Perimenopause

The 2 things you can start to do to lose fat around your waist

If you are in your 40's (or even late 30's) you may be experiencing a slight weight gain, maybe it is gathering around your waist. That is where it arrived on me. I have small hips and my waist is not really defined to begin with so when the weight started coming on around my waist, it was really noticeable.

My pants were tighter and uncomfortable and I felt bloated and puffy. I was getting "back fat" and love handles which I never really had before. This was happening even though I had not changed my exercise routine or what I was eating.

The fat around my waist came on gradually, but at the same time seemed to accumulate quite fast. It was there and I did not like it. When I sat down I could pinch a big chunk in my fingers and I have never been able to do that before. My friends thought it was funny because I had always been so slim. Believe me, I did not find it funny!

In the past, whenever I gained about 5 lbs, I would insist that I lose that 5 lbs. I would not wait until more sneaked up on me. It would take me only about 2 weeks of watching what I ate and stepping up my cardio and exercise and the 5 extra pounds would be gone. It worked for me. But this time....it was not working! I had to change something.

What did I start with?...

I stopped eating wheat and dairy

As I was doing my research and reading, I read that many women going through perimenopause tend to develop sensitivities to wheat and dairy. I knew I was feeling bloated and sluggish so I gave it a try.

I gave up my healthy muffins made with whole-wheat flour, I stopped eating the cereal with milk and used soy milk for my coffee and tea. (I make my own hemp and almond milk and will share the recipe in a future post. Healthier than soy milk)

I even stopped eating yogurt and frozen yogurt. By doing this I realized that I did have a sensitivity to the wheat and to dairy. I felt so much better and the bloating I was experiencing went away.

Because I stopped eating wheat, I had to make my own snacks without wheat and dairy. I made my own healthy muffins and cookies with wheat-free flours and with lots of healthy ingredients and containing less sugar and oil than anything you can buy. I also made them small and not large like they tend to be at coffee shops.

Along with one or two of my healthy smaller muffins or cookies I would bring a piece fruit. Having the fruit with my muffin or cookie filled me up so I wouldn't consume as many muffins/cookies and I was getting my fruit.

In my next post I will share my almond and hemp milk recipes along with a recipe for the small healthy wheat-free muffins I used to make. You will love them!

Until then - have a fantastic day and think healthy thoughts! I would love to hear your comments on what works or does not work for you. Let's share and help each other!