Sail through menopause WITHOUT WEIGHT GAIN!

Middle-aged spread may seem inevitable - but it really doesn't have to be

As if the hot flushes and brain fog weren't enough, just when you're feeling your least desirable - thank you, menopause! - now is one of the times when you're most likely to pile on the pounds.

And the particularly annoying thing is that you're probably eating no differently, and you're still taking just the same amount of exercise as you were before your periods began to dwindle.

So why does your body seem to be conspiring against you and why are your usual weightloss tricks slower to take effect? 'Your body is trying to make up for the drop in hormones you're experiencing right now,' explains Dr Marilyn Glenville, a leading expert in nutritional health for women, and author of books including Fat Around the Middle and Natural Solutions to Menopause.

'Fat cells, especially the ones around your tummy, are a manufacturing plant for oestrogen. They are where your body is trying to compensate now your ovaries are producing less of it.'