I am going through the menopause and was given HRT which i reacted to very badly after 4 days. I now wear a magnet which has stopped my hot flushes but I still can't accept the weight gain around my middle area. I am 47 years old and have also had a hysteroctomy when I was 40 due to unusual heavy bleeding fibroids etc.

Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Or a very busy, pressurised schedule?
Stress is a factor with weight gain around the middle. The body thinks there’s danger threatening when adrenalin is being produced regularly, so it stores plenty of spare ‘energy’ on the abdomen as a kind of larder for potential famine ahead. It’s doing its best to save your life, which is lovely, but obviously the types of stress we face nowadays rarely involve famine! So calming your nervous system and reducing stress triggers can be very helpful. Check out Stress Relief Daytime, which you may find helpful.

Falling oestrogen levels can cause a problem with carbohydrate metabolism in some women, making it very easy to put on weight regardless of how little you eat or how much you exercise. You may find cutting carbs right down and increasing protein and veg intake helps. Have a look at the Low GL Diet – there are books on this available on Amazon. You may also find that a course of Molkosan Vitality helps, as it reduces bloating and improves carb metabolism.

Eileen Durward