<p>The dreaded “expanding middle” - I remember looking in the mirror one day a couple of years ago and thinking “WHERE did you come from?!” The middle thickness seemed to really creep up on me!</p>
<p>So what are your best methods to either rid/lessen thick middle or camoflage with clothes? I myself, refuse anytype of knit pants/stretchy waistband unless it’s my evening pj/lounging pants. I will do jeans with a bit of lycra. Also prefer my jeans/pants be kind of low waisted - won’t buy anything sitting up on my waist.</p>
<p>prj…I have nagging injuries that also prevent some forms of exercise. A cranky knee won’t let me run anymore (it’s fine until I try). Tennis elbow (from golf!) has prevented me from weight lifting (3 months now…time to get it checked out).
Approaching menopause doesn’t help!
But I am DONE with making excuses. I’m just eating less and differently…cutting out junky white carbs. The weight is coming off finally…slowly…but I think that’s good. I don’t have a big amount to lose but 10 -15 pounds makes a HUGE difference in how my clothes fit (or don’t fit!).
So, I resigned to the fact that I MUST change my eating…but I’m also encouraged. I still keep fit…biking, walking, yoga. But I do miss running and weight lifting and need to just get over it! Weight lifting will come back…but running… I don’t think so…</p>
<p>toneranger, you’re right about the eating. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself (the surgery came on the heels of D1 leaving for college) so I haven’t been eating as well as I know I should. But with the exercise I was able to eat… not anything I wanted… but not a severely restricted diet. I think the bulky waist is due equally to diet and lack of exercise - I was lifting weights and doing cardio 3X a week, plus occasional tennis. It’s amazing how quickly my almost-flat tummy disappeared :eek:</p>
<p>PRJ…I wouldn’t say my diet is severely restricted. Just different. I eat whole foods, grains, veggies, low fat poultry and fish. I stay away from eating processed foods and avoid eating out. No sweet drinks…just water and tea. I still indulge in a glass or two of wine over the weekend and some dark chocolate here and there. I’m NOT hungry. I think some of us eat a lot of junk that we’re not even aware of…boredom and anxiety can make it worse.
Back to clothes, my jeans are fitting much better. Once that stuff happens, it makes you motivated to keep things up! Just think how slim you’ll be when you begin lifting and tennis again on top of better eating habits!</p>
<p>The only way I can get rid of the “extra” right below my waist is to starve myself. Seriously. When I was training every day for the Grand Canyon hike, the fat stayed in place. If I eat next to nothing for a few months it will disappear, but I can’t live like that. My body is storing up fat for when I can no longer hunt or gather, I guess.</p>
<p>Abasket, i’m with you…what’s with that poochy stomach I’ve got? I’m quite thin, except for there! I just suck it in and hope for the best. The same pants that fit fine when I’m standing up are SO tight when I sit down, with that dratted “muffin top” popping out over my belt. Oh well…trials and tribulations!</p>
<p>Right…I’m a 2/4 (you know, “grown up lady” 2s and 4s which used to be 6s and 8s, I’m sure). Anyway, I truly have to get down to a 0 before the fat around my middle goes away. I really think it’s an evolutionary survival thing…if I was a serf somewhere 700 years ago, I’d be thrilled to have this belly fat so maybe I wouldn’t starve to death.</p>
<p>Bromfield is right, lululemons are awesome. They also have outlet stores so you can save some money as the prices are high. MY kids have some they still use which they bought in HS and they are now college grads, so they do last a long long time. All the dancer & yoga people in BC have been wearing them for years.</p>
<p>The luon ones have a nice lift for the rear end ;)</p>
<p>Thanks for the link, toneranger! Packmom–good luck w/the Dansko’s! Hope you like them! I’ve been living in them since had daughter 7 years ago (walking w/baby carriage in Keds did a number on my arches). </p>
<p>congrats, mafool & BB on the wtloss! In the past 3 weeks I’ve gained 5 lbs (sitting at computer wking & CC!). It creeps ups SO easily and takes a while to lose. Each lb down is a victory!</p>
<p>Just got back from a visit to DD at school (Parents weekend, but she was recovering from H1N1 flu) and a business trip to help out with my mom who was admitted to hospital with severe kidney infection.</p>
<p>I have to tell you that the dressing young thread is such a stress buster. I am so happy to just decompress and complain about my tummy (or and my neck, hey Missypie, what function do you suppose that serves???) I too am slim, but if I gain an extra pound that is where it goes. This is an unwelcome phenomenon that has followed menopause. All I know is that I am exercising far more regularly and vigorously than when I was in my 30’s and eating a lot less, but have a much harder time staying at a target weight. </p>
<p>So, back to shoe shopping and browsing for youthful clothing.</p>
<p>I have read, and I think it’s true, that the reason we gain weight around the middle as we age, even if we’re still thin elsewhere, has to do with hormonal changes. That’s why it happens simultaneously with menopause. Hormones dictate where you put on weight — so women start to put on weight like men during menopause and after. You know, right smack in the belly. </p>
<p>However, the one thing that I’ve found that can make a huge difference is to cut out as many carbohydrates as you reasonably can. This is really hard to do. Definitely cut out the refined stuff (white flour and sugar and def. anything with corn syrup), and also cut down on bread and whole grains. Which leaves… veg, fruit, and meat/chicken/fish. I manage to do this for maybe a week at a time. The good thing about this though is that you can pretty much eat as much as you want. I was eating copious amounts of meat and still lost weight. </p>
<p>Anyway, back to clothes. So glad to see this thread has legs (extra long ones, apparently)! And hair. I’m of the opinion that hair has a LOT to do with how old you look. Anything that even hints of that helmet head look (think Nancy Reagan) will instantly make you look like your own mother.</p>
<p>I too have the expanding middle, thanks to menopause. I’ve been slender for years, and exercise a lot, but I’ve never had much of a waist and there has always been a tire there. It’s only gotten worse. I’ve had to throw out practically my entire wardrobe of pants, shorts and skirts and replace them with lower-rise items.</p>
<p>I like some of the jeans and pants sold by Victoria Secret. I always wait for them to go on sale and offer free shipping before I buy anything.</p>
<p>I like skinny leg pants, but find that many of the jeans for us older women are boot leg, not skinny. And all the skinny leg pants for juniors are much too low cut in the rear (can someone explain that look to me, please? low rise in the front I get but not in the back).</p>
<p>The perfect style for those of us who gain around the middle is this new/old leggings or skinny jeans with long shirts, but I sure don’t want to look like I am trying to look like my DD.</p>
<p>One of my DDs called from her town this week and has just noticed that leggings are in, “hey, MA, remember you used to dress us in these as kids?! They are comfy!” I have now read this thread and heard from kids in 3 different countries, I guess leggings are officially in.</p>
<p>Hair: I agree with the helmet head advice, but my hair does not cooperate! My hair is fine; it used to be very thick, but now it is just average. Result: longer hair just looks droopy, and there is not enough “product” on this earth to keep a short, layered cut from going flat and, well…“butch” looking. I can manage the chin-length slightly layered bob thing, but it is not particularly youthful. Any ideas?</p>
<p>You can still the bob thing. Shorter in the back and longer at the sides; long or no bangs. Very clean, very precise cutting. Very cool and young. Think Victoria Beckham but classy!</p>
<p>Great thread, BTW. Just actually read it. very pertinent.</p>
<p>So I would like to purchase a pair of boots this weekend - likely black - that I can wear with jeans - my requirements are reasonable price (under say $75), lower heel (say 1-2 inches) and not too high (won’t be tucking pants into them). Seems everything I see is high, as in high boots or high heels!!!</p>