The dreaded menopause belly: What happened to my waist?
For years, I lived in a bit of a fantasy, one where I truly believed that weight gain with age wouldn’t happen to me. I ate well, moved regularly, and figured I'd be one of the lucky ones.
I remember hearing older women say, “Just wait until you hit your late 40s or early 50s.” I smiled politely and brushed it off.
Then one day, I looked in the mirror… and my waist was gone.
When nothing works anymore
Despite sticking to my usual diet and exercise routine, the weight slowly crept on. I felt betrayed by my body.
I tried:
Eating less
Cutting carbs
Increasing the intensity of my workouts, but this was challenging due to lower energy levels
All it did was leave me feeling fatigued and frustrated. The more I pushed, the more my body pushed back.
Why menopause belly happens
What I didn’t realise at the time is that during perimenopause and menopause, hormonal shifts can change how our bodies store fat. Declining estrogen, rising cortisol (hello, stress), and even insulin resistance play a major role in:
Stubborn belly fat
Bloating and inflammation
Muscle loss, even with exercise
Your old strategies might stop working, not because you’re doing something wrong, but because your body is operating differently now.
What finally helped me
Once I stopped fighting my body and started listening to it, everything changed. I began to:
Detox my diet
I focused on real, whole foods that support liver health, hormone balance, and blood sugar stability. This meant reducing:
Alcohol
Refined sugar
Ultra-processed snacks
And increasing:
Cruciferous vegetables
Healthy fats
Clean protein
I now teach these changes step-by-step in my Lifestyle Course.
Change my workouts
I swapped intense cardio for:
Daily walks
Yoga and resistance training
Gentle movement that lowered stress rather than increased it
Overexercising was driving up my cortisol, making fat loss harder, not easier.
Prioritise rest and recovery
This was huge. I focused on:
Better sleep habits
Nervous system support
Creating space to calm the mind and body
It wasn’t just about diet and movement; it was about giving my body safety and space to recalibrate.
You're not alone, and you're not doing it wrong
If you’ve been doing everything “right” and still gaining weight around your middle, you are not failing, your body is just calling for a new approach.
That’s why I created tools to help women like you figure out what’s really going on:
Symptom Tracker – Understand if hormones, stress, or lifestyle are the drivers.
Estrogen Rollercoaster Guide – Learn how high and low estrogen phases impact fat storage and metabolism.
Lifestyle Course – A holistic program to rebalance your body during perimenopause and beyond.
Final thoughts
Yes, the dreaded menopause belly is real, but it doesn’t mean giving up or accepting defeat. When you understand the why, you can make informed choices that actually work for your changing body.
This phase isn’t about fighting your hormones, it’s about working with them.