Hi everyone!

[SparkleFadeHowever]

I’m here to learn. I’ve never been overweight, but have a disproportionately big stomach that perimenopause has made dramatically worse. I know this means high visceral fat, which is clinically bad to have as well as looking (on me) awful. I’m lucky enough to not suffer from what I’ve seen people refer to as “food noise”, and I eat healthily and quite moderately (most days), but that is clearly no longer enough to make a dent in this abdomen pillow I’m carting around. It’s really affected my confidence to the point where I’m embarrassed to leave the house or run into people I know, ridiculous as that probably sounds. HRT, which I’ve been on for about two years now, has shifted a small amount of it but that’s all. I exercise sporadically (mostly calisthenics) but am bad at sticking to it consistently, and it no longer seems to do what it did when I was younger. I haven’t tried peptides yet, and didn’t think I would as some of the side effects sound daunting, but I’ve reached the stage where I am now keen to explore the idea and learn from people’s experiences. It’s nice to meet you all, thank you for having me!

 

[zanny-kanny]

Sorry for the delay in welcoming you, been off forum for a bit. So welcome!

I know exactly where you are coming from. Same problem here. It is embarrassing and totally frustrating. I lost 90 lbs on a glp1 (retatrutide) but the visceral fat didn't budge.

You're right that it is due to menopause. Women of a certain age (but also men) deposit visceral fat lower in the abdomen (documented by several studies). As you've discovered it is hard to get rid of with conventional methods.

That's why tesamorelin was developed. It's a growth hormone analog (which sounds bad) but it was tailored to prevent most of the side effects you might experience with growth hormone use. Its brand name is Egrifta. It was targeted at HIV patients with abdominal visceral fat, but it works on all visceral fat no matter who carries it. I added it to my routine along with the reta in May and have lost 22 lbs so far. It doesn't target subcutaneous fat only visceral. So far I've seen the fat start melting off my upper abdomen and some off the lower abdomen (the pouch is finally deflating a bit). You might consider trying it for your problem weight.

My dosage protocol is daily 1.5 mg taken nightly while fasting (study protocol is 2mg nightly fasting 5 days on/2 days off but it is not strictly necessary). It can and does mess with blood glucose levels and may interfere with sleep (it did for me at 2 mg, hence the 1.5mg dosage). It may also cause water retention and increased aches and pains (only at 2mg for me). Taking at night enhances its effectiveness ( I tested and have seen the results). Also taking with reta has enhanced its effectiveness ( tested and seen the results).

Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!