 [ Symptoms ] when is a muffin top  extra belly fat dangerous [ Disease ] any woman can get a muffin top but women are more likely to gain excess belly weight    especially deep inside the belly    as they go through perimenopause and into menopause when their menstrual cycle ends that is because as estrogen levels drop body fat is redistributed from the hips thighs and buttocks where it used to be stored as a fuel reserve for breastfeeding to the abdomen developing a pooch of subcutaneous below the skin fat    what i call the menopot    is perfectly normal but if you gain more than 2 to 5 pounds it is likely to go deeper into the abdomen creating too much visceral fat you need some fat in your belly but when it becomes excessive i call it toxic fat  that is because excessive amounts of visceral fat increase inflammation in the body and ultimately contribute to several conditions including heart disease diabetes and cancer