As someone navigating the hormonal rollercoaster that is perimenopause, I’ve tried just about everything to tackle the stubborn belly fat that seemed to appear overnight and refused to budge.
I’ve adjusted my diet, ramped up my workouts to six times a week, and even did regular intermittent fasting. Still, that soft middle remained. So, when I heard about Emsculpt from a friend who swore it gave her abs she hadn’t seen since university, I decided to give it a try.
I booked my appointment at Core Restore, a wellness clinic tucked into a chic little corner of Sydney, and was introduced to the owner Heather Foord, a seasoned technician who immediately put me at ease.
What is Emsculpt?
She explained that Emsculpt is not your average fat-burning treatment. "Emsculpt is clinically proven to decrease fat by 19 per cent on the tummy," she told me. “But the most important stat is that 11 per cent of that fat reduction comes from visceral fat, the dangerous kind that sits around your organs.
"This means for our perimenopausal women that they’re finally able to safely target the tummy fat that tends to increase during the menopausal stage while strengthening their core and reducing risk of muscle wastage over the coming years."
That was enough to get me hooked.
The procedure itself is quick and painless. I lay down on a comfortable treatment bed, and Heather strapped what looked like a large paddle to my abdomen. The machine began pulsing, not unpleasant, but definitely intense.
Heather described it as "supramaximal contractions," which essentially means your muscles are contracting far more intensely than they ever could during a workout. One 30-minute session is the equivalent of doing 20,000 crunches. Yes, 20,000.
What does Emscupt feel like?
At first, the sensation was strange, like a deep buzz that rippled through my core. But after a few minutes, I found myself relaxing into it. The machine cycled through different intensities and rhythms, and Heather stayed by my side the entire time, checking in and adjusting as needed.
By the end of my first session, I felt like I’d done a serious ab workout, minus the sweat. Heather recommended a course of four sessions, spaced over two weeks, to see optimal results. I was in.
What were the results?
Over the following sessions, I began to notice subtle changes. My core felt tighter, and my posture improved. But it was around the third session that I looked in the mirror and saw it, the outline of my waist was reappearing, and that menopausal pooch was noticeably less pronounced.
Of course, I kept up with my workouts and healthy food choices, but I wasn’t doing anything drastic. The Emsculpt was doing the heavy lifting, literally.
By the end of my fourth session, my jeans fit better, my bloating had reduced, and most importantly, I felt stronger. That might be the most underrated benefit of Emsculpt, the sheer empowerment of feeling your body get stronger without punishing it.
Heather explained that the results continue to improve over the following weeks as your body processes the targeted fat and builds new muscle tissue. She was right. Four weeks later, I was still seeing improvement in my shape and strength and my Dexa scan showed that I had really low visceral fat for someone my age.
As someone who had started to feel a bit defeated by my changing body, Emsculpt gave me back a sense of control. It’s not a miracle fix, and it doesn’t replace movement or mindful eating, but it is an incredible tool for those of us in midlife who are dealing with the dual challenges of hormonal shifts and stubborn fat deposits.
My verdict
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. In fact, Heather tells me many women return every six months or so for maintenance. “Think of it as investing in your strength for the future,” she said.
Granted, it's not cheap at $1,299 for four sessions, but as I edge closer to my 50s, that feels like the kind of investment I can fully get behind.
So here’s to embracing the changes, getting stronger, and yes, finally seeing those abs again, no crunches required.
