I beat the menopause muffin top

micheLLe Green, 52, lives in high Wycombe with her husband michael, 54, a businessman. They have two grown-up children and she has her own blog, fiftyandfab.co.uk. My whole family are petite, but we all enjoy our food. I’ve always been effortlessly slim, so it was very annoying when I reached my late 40s and noticed weight creeping on around my middle. That’s where I’ve always gained it — even in my 20s — but there was something far more persistent about this little roll of flab. I gained a stone. It was really annoying because, apart from during pregnancy, I’d never got that close to 10 stone before. I felt uncomfortable in my clothes. when you’re small, people think you’re moaning, but my argument is that it’s relative. At my height, even a few pounds shows, and to me it’s a lot. At the same time, I noticed that I was having mood swings, brain fog, night sweats and hot flushes — all signs that the menopause had come knocking. In retrospect, I think I ought to have seen a doctor more quickly. In the event, it was two years before I headed to the GP for some blood tests, and in 2017 I went on hRT. It took a bit of time to get the dose right, but in the past few months I’ve finally got back to feeling myself again. In the meantime, it took about four to six months of extra exercise and considered eating to get my weight down again. Now, I make sure I keep a careful eye on my portion sizes. I eat healthily and cook everything from scratch. I’m by no means obsessed, though, and if I want a chocolate brownie, I’ll have one — I just won’t have four! As a result, I feel — and look — fantastic. I’m happy with my weight, and see no reason to gain any more.