(no subject)

[cupcake_goth]

 This is more of a Note To Self sort of entry, but if anyone has info or search suggestions please comment.

So like damn near everyone, I put on Pandemic Weight. But all of it is in my abdomen/belly, as in if there was some sort of magic Photoshop for real life, removing the weight in the front would immediately drop me 3 clothing sizes. My arms/legs/thighs/face don't show the weight AT ALL but my abdomen looks almost inflated.

I'm starting to wonder if this is ... not normal. Every other time I've gained weight, it's been pretty evenly across my body, and my face rounds out, but not this time. So I need to do some research before I decide to contact my doctor, and hope that researching this sort of thing doesn't cause every social media algorithm to start spamming "How to reduce belly fat NOW" ads across everything.

(And oh yes, the Body Image Demons have started singing their greatest hit "Quuuuueeeeeeen of the Walrus People". Ugh.

Comments

[meara]

Well, if it’s not normal you’re not alone. I was under the impression that this is…what happens when women get older? (Granted, mine went 99% to my belly and a chunk to give me a third chin, but otherwise, same)

[sistawendy]

I'm still down about five pounds from the start of the pandemic because I'm not that good a cook, and of course there was no eating out for a while. About six months in I was down ten pounds.

I'm trying to imagine the tune of "Queen of the Walrus People". Is it metal? It should be metal. But seriously, you're the queen of the Goths. I hereby exorcise your Body Image Demons.

[dark_phoenix54]

I've got that same problem- my gut has gotten HUGE and I do not drink beer, so it's not a beer belly. I look like an apple on a stick, and it's driving me nuts.

[madgastronomer]

A shift to weight gain around the middle from weight gain in other places in a symptom of menopause. Brought to you by: doing research on symptoms of menopause.

There are other things that can cause it, and you might want to get a metabolic panel done just to be sure, but that's a likely candidate.

[solstice_lilac]

I was going to say this, too. It's a symptom of the Change of Life. I am post-menopause and also gained around twenty Pandemic Pounds. While I'm plumper everywhere, I gained more in the middle than in my bum and legs, which is where I used to put on weight first. Absolutely nothing fits or looks the same on my body anymore!

[oldhalloween]

According to my OBGYN stubborn tummy fat that is hard to budge at a certain age. She said estrogen is what helps with even fat distribution. Lower amounts of estrogen and it starts settling in the middle. Fighting the same fight and having a complicated relationship now with fitted pants.

[sara]

Yeah, admittedly I started perimenopause in my late 30s but in recent years it's stepped up a bit and I'm having the same thing. And you know how physically active I am.

[staxxy]

Yup, same except my WEIGHT is steady but my abdomen is up 2 sizes. :|

metabolic panel came back normal

[danabren]

Same, my pandemic ass went up one size and my gut looks like I am due next month. I gained 6" across my abdomen.

It has taken a LOT of work to even *begin* to accept this new version of the meatsack shell.

[minim_calibre]

Probably menopausal hormone changes, still probably worth talking to your doctor about just as a general thing (AKA, supplements or suggestions from said doctor), but unless you're my mother, apparently, this is what happens as we age. :(