'I'm 57 and I love my starches - but one dietary change has helped me keep the belly fat off'

In postmenopausal women, belly fat accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of total body weight compared with five to eight per cent in pre-menopausal women.

Angie, the face of the YouTube channel Hot and Flashy, claims a few dietary modifications can help tackle the middle-aged spread, particularly opting for whole-grain carbohydrates.

“There are a lot of changes that happen in our bodies as we approach menopause and go through menopause and it all creates this perfect storm of conditions where your body just packs on weight, especially in the middle," she explained.

“You can have younger-looking, healthier, more toned, fit [...] body, than maybe you think you can, by making some changes to your diet."

Angie, who celebrated her 50th birthday seven years ago, recommends starting small and picking "one little thing that is going to make a change to your health and your diet".

Drinking water instead of diet drinks and cutting out saturated fats are two changes Angie adopted early on.

“You can decide what you want to give up and what you want to keep, and what your priorities are health-wise," she said.

“I like my starches but I try to get them in a whole-grain version, so I’m getting more fibre in my diet.

“I don’t do white rice anymore, I’ve swapped it for wholegrain brown rice. I don’t do white bread anymore, I’ve swapped it for wheat bread, which has many different nuts and seeds in it.

“It’s full of fibre and keeps me fuller longer, so I’m not as hungry and I eat less."

The high-fibre component of whole-grain food supports weight loss in various ways.

It is slower to digest and thus reduces the blood sugar spike after a meal, which is conducive to weight loss.

Secondly, it has a satiating effect that helps curb cravings, enabling slimmers to stay on track.

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Angie continued: “Another thing that you can do is cut outcome saturated fats, like swapping olive oil for butter, or bringing ground turkey any place that you would usually use ground beef.”

Swapping out mayonnaise for hummus also gave her diet an extra boost from fibre.

For guaranteed weight loss results, however, Angie stresses the importance of consistency.

“The thing is, you need to start small but be consistent, it’s really important to be consistent with whatever you’re doing," she explained. "The longer you stick with it over time, the more you’ll see results. Once you see results, that will be the moment you stick with it.”