I'm having an interesting issue, and I'd like opinions.
I'm very much a pear shape, but in the last 6 months i've put on weight in the belly. I actually have not gained any weight, the scale remains the same, but it's like one day I noticed my jeans were tight around the waist and I had a belly there that wasn't there before. Maybe fat shifted?
Late winter and on into spring (which is February to June here) I was super stressed out and not eating well or exercising. I had previous skiied the entire winter and did ok with my diet. But it's like as soon as I stopped skiing, and started stressing over life issues and therefore eating not as healthy, here's this belly. And I've never gained weight in my belly really, and the few times I remember gaining (it was overall, and a little in the belly) going back to my strict low carb diet took care of it. It was gone that quick. But it's being stubborn this time! I've been on a low carb, sugar free, low gluten diet for two weeks with no results -- well, that's not true. I've lost 6lbs but the belly is still there! It has always been the first to go. I'm 29, so we can rule out menopause and aging. I feel like I don't tolerate alot of foods anymore -- I bloat with gas easily and I've started taking a probiotic and digestive enzymes to help but I also read that can sometimes make things worse before it gets better. I'm just totally over having a belly (I'll take my big hips and a flat stomach, thankyouverymuch!!!) and HATE how it feels.
Like I said, I'm back to eating very well and I'm slowly incorporating a wide variety of fun exercise back into my daily routine so that it'll stick without injuring me (I already have chronic ankle pain from a bad spain) -- yoga, treadmill, strength training, trampoline, water exercise, and others 2-3 times a week. Ski season will be here in 2.5 months and I'm working to get maximum strength for that too. But this belly fat is kinda discouraging.