Women's bellies often get bigger with age due to hormonal shifts (especially menopause) causing fat redistribution to the midsection, decreased muscle mass slowing metabolism, and lifestyle factors like diet, stress, and activity levels, shifting fat storage from hips/thighs to the abdomen. This change is a natural shift from a "pear" to an "apple" body shape as estrogen drops and fat accumulates centrally, a process called "menopausal belly".
Get active.
Strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more. There is some evidence that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help reduce belly fat, as can strength training.
Getting rid of belly fat during menopause can be challenging, requiring changes to diet, exercise, and lifestyle. While it can be harder to lose belly fat during menopause due to hormonal changes and metabolic shifts, it is not impossible.
Bloat could also be a sign of greater, underlying conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Lactose intolerance, or even a wheat allergy. Stomach bloat can also be a result of consuming too much salt on a daily basis, causing your stomach to keep excess water.
As estrogen levels decline, women lose muscle mass while gaining fat mass, and that fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen rather than the hips and thighs. This is a biological shift from a “pear” to an “apple” shape, driven by changes in reproductive hormones.
To attack belly fat and any other menopausal weight gain, you'll need to burn between 400 and 500 calories most days of the week from cardiovascular exercise, such as walking briskly, jogging, bicycling, dancing, or swimming, Peeke says.
Females tend to gain the most weight during two key periods: emerging adulthood (late teens to mid-20s) when life changes often disrupt habits, and midlife (around ages 45-55) during menopause due to hormonal shifts that decrease muscle and increase abdominal fat, although the rate of gain slows in later decades. While the 20s see significant overall gain, menopause brings distinct body composition changes and fat redistribution, not just scale weight.
The only way to lose fat around your middle is to lose overall fat from your body. You can do this by being more active and eating healthy foods. The reason you lose fat when you move more and eat less energy (calories) is because your body uses up more calories than it has creating what's called a 'calorie deficit'.
Cortisol belly simply looks like abdominal fat, and there is no way to identify it by appearance. More important than its appearance is what cortisol belly can do to your health.
Body Shapes with the Highest Risk of Health Problems
Apple and pear body shapes tend to have the highest risk. Apples tend to be at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and strokes because they hold a larger amount of tummy fat.
Processed Foods and Meats
Processed foods typically contain elevated levels of sodium and unhealthy fats, contributing to water retention and bloating. Such effects can exacerbate the issue of abdominal bloating commonly experienced during menopause, popularly referred to as the 'menopause belly'.
“Eating a healthy diet and working out are great companions.” The good news is that you can lose belly fat if you make changes to your diet and exercise regularly. Here's how to revamp both for a flatter belly after 50.
Here are some practical strength training exercises that can specifically target menopausal belly bloat:
Here are 10 common foods that may be contributing to chronic inflammation and belly fat.
Healthy eating is always a smart strategy, but consistent activity is also crucial to get rid of it. The best exercises to help you shed your belly fat also build strength and muscle mass in your core that can give you a big assist in the activities of daily living. Stay active, have fun, get fit — with SilverSneakers!
Try lean proteins, such as fish, low-fat dairy products, beans and eggs. Avoid sugary foods and simple carbohydrates. Too much sugar leads to heart disease and excess belly fat. Our bodies store unused sugar as fat, so extra sugar leads to extra fat.
To get rid of excess cortisol, focus on stress management through deep breathing, exercise, and mindfulness; prioritize 7-9 hours of quality sleep; and adopt an anti-inflammatory diet rich in whole foods, omega-3s, and magnesium, while reducing sugar, processed foods, and caffeine. Connecting with loved ones, spending time in nature, and making time for fun activities also help balance cortisol levels.
Supplements that may help reduce cortisol — and cortisol-related belly fat — include magnesium, vitamin B5, vitamin C, ashwagandha, rhodiola, and L-theanine.
A 21-day cortisol detox is a holistic reset program focusing on nutrition, sleep, digital boundaries, and mindful movement to lower chronic stress (cortisol) levels, addressing issues like fatigue, belly fat, and poor sleep by nourishing adrenal glands and calming the nervous system. These plans often involve anti-inflammatory foods (leafy greens, fatty fish, berries), limiting digital distractions, practicing breathing exercises (4-7-8), improving sleep hygiene, and incorporating gentle exercise like yoga to restore hormonal balance and energy.
An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck procedure will often be the best method for removing a hanging belly. This is a surgical procedure performed under general anaesthetic. The procedure will remove both excess fat and skin from the abdomen creating a flatter stomach.
The best bodyweight exercises for belly fat
People naturally lose muscle after 40, especially women after menopause. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, this can slow down your metabolism and make it harder to shake those stubborn pounds.
The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning after you've gone to the restroom but before you eat or drink anything. The reason for this is that your body has had enough time to digest all the food and drinks you've consumed from the day before all while you were getting your beauty sleep.
You're losing fat and gaining muscle
Simply put, fat takes up more space than muscle but doesn't necessarily weigh less. That net positive change shows up in the way your clothes fit.