How to deal with belly fat

Brief summary of episode: 

Belly fat, middle-aged spread, apple-shape, central adiposity.... 

Call it what you will, as we age it seems to creep up on us. Over 43% of menopausal women have obesity and in today’s show I discuss with nutritionist, researcher and inventor of the Shape Chart Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE about why having fat around your middle has different consequences to having it elsewhere.  

Margaret has spent several years researching weight gain and fat and she will tell us about apple and pear shapes, and which is a better predictor of health risk. 

We also have a range of questions from social media followers to put to her......     Bullet points of key topics + chapter markers    

Topic #1 What is belly fat and what are the implications of having it in excess  Topic #2   Identifying belly fat – the string test, who is most at risk?  

Topic #3 Why is it so hard to shift especially at menopause and what are the options?  

Listener questions:  

What can I do to realistically reduce belly fat? 

I’m always craving sweet foods – is it hormonal?   

Three things to measure and keep monitoring as you age 

• Blood pressure 
• HbA1c (average blood glucose levels for the last 3 months)
• Cholesterol 

  List of resources:

Margaret's website: www.ashwell.uk.com

NICE Guidelines: Keep the size of your waist to less than half of your height, updated NICE draft guideline recommends | News and features | News | NICE