perimenopause - starting healthier regime - tips please!
Posted , 6 users are following.
Managing the menoapuse in as healthy a way as possible, doing your best to gain and keep a healthy body and mind
0 likes, 31 replies
Posted , 6 users are following.
Managing the menoapuse in as healthy a way as possible, doing your best to gain and keep a healthy body and mind
0 likes, 31 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
gilly48
Posted
Guest
Posted
Sugar can also contribute to inflammatory conditions such as your shoulder pain. If you can make this very small change (starting with the 5 biscuits in the morning!!) then you should find your weight comes down and you start feeling happier and healthier. You really need to avoid sugary food altogether.
As for what to eat instead, try making some vegetable soups - really easy to make and they are so good for you and keep hunger at bay.
Don't try to do too much at once - the trick is to change your diet into something that you can keep up with - it should be a life-style thing not a few weeks. The good news is that once you cut down on the sugar, you will crave it less and less and it will become a lot easier.
Good luck
Sue
gilly48
Posted
I am going to cut sugar right down (if not out), as well as caffeine - that was not a typical breakfast for me, I've just fallen by the wayside as I'm very fed up this weekend. Just last Oct-Nov, I was fabulous for 6wks with regular gym visits and a good diet then reverted right back to old ways and the stone I had lost came right back. I am that sort of personality that wants results asap and gets frustrated and loses heart. To be fair to myself, I'm a carer and that can interfere with my regular preferred routine a lot but I need to face up to hidden anger/avoidance/blame issues tied up in all of that and get a bit more imaginative & flexible so I can adapt more easily when my regular routine comes unstuck.
Today, I'm watching what I eat - portion control, sensible diet, more water, no more caffeine/sugar/salt, and I was going to go with a can of soup (portion and calorie control but Sue is right - it's so easy to make your own and it's more nutritious. I'll be sweating lentils with onions then adding broccoli, spuds, carrot, swede with a little passata, and some herbs and pepper. It's pork roast for tea but I'll have no fat and no roasties but there may be a little gravy.... For exercise today, I'll be digging over my veg patch and plan to do small bouts of exercise, like a few minutes stepping on the bottom step of the stairs - it's the weekend, it's raining, the kids & husband want their attention, but if I can get 30mins of sweating in, that's my goal for today. I am also watching stress levels and my personal space, without being a stroppy diva!
Thank you Sue, I appreciate you taking the time to help and I will bear what you say in mind.
sandra63
Posted
Can I suggest a book, called 'I wish I hadnt eaten that'. I have lent it out atm so cant tell you the author but it explains how foods affect hormones and blood sugar levels. Also has a table of foods which are better for blood sugar levels, which I also have issues with-some link to milk with me- I also get shakes sometimes. Its a metabolism thing apparently. I gave up wheat after reading this book and felt so much better after just 3 days ive never gone back on it 2 1/2 years later. Didnt affect my weight tho if thats what you are looking for ( but I am only size 8/10 so wasnt looking for that ) Black cohosh will stop the night sweats. Borrow a neighbours dog and go for a swift walk, great for mind and body imo.
Good luck.
gilly48
Posted
I think my metabolism is shot to hell as I'm up so much in the night - lots of issues, many nothing to do with me but the caring side of things, not to mention night sweats (like a bath but you wake up in bed!), what I think is sleep apnoea (I wake up in complete terror within an hour of dropping off, heart pounding, totally and wrongly convinced I haven't taken pills - I'm not on any - my daughter is and she could die if she doesn't have them so it could be stress related to that, anyhoo, I wake up, heart pounding and tear round the house, my husband usually calms me down but it can take half an hour to be convinced that no one needs their pills. I have asthma and have always been a snorer, plus I need to lose weight so it could be anything. I also have regular bouts of waking up at 3 and not being able to get back to sleep - all in all, I have slept through the night less than 20 times in the past 10yrs.
I blamed the lack of sleep for my metabolism - I had my thyroid tested as there are those probs in my family but that's fine - I read the hormones generated by lack of sleep and stress give you the apple shape and I have a tum but the fat is everywhere really.
I love the tip re Dalfour jam.
The target for me now then is to lose weight through a sustainable lifestyle change involving daily exercise, and improving and changing my diet and continued stress management. And this should have a knock on effect for my sleep, mental health and menopause symptoms. Then I'll see what I'm left with
I have heard of those herbal helpers for menopause, I haven't tried any yet. I'm going to do every other thing before I start on meds of any kind so I can judge the effects better.
I have a dog, I should walk him more often; I have been walking the kids to school twice every day, and now the weather's picking up I plan to cycle to the jam - it's a mile the "back way" but if you take the car and go the "front door" way, it's 3 miles! I find being outside deffo helps mood, I'm out every day seeing to my chickens and I do like gardening.
chris78556
Posted
gilly48
Posted
Sandy07
Posted
Guest
Posted
Magnesium and calcium work together - magnesium is used to relax muscles and calcium to tense them. I imagine you were told to take magnesium at night to relax your muscles. Most people are more deficient in magnesium than calcium so it is ok to take a supplement for a short while that only contains magnesium unless you have kidney problems. Magnesium is an element and must combine with something in order to exist. What it combines with is very important and makes the difference as to whether it is effective. Unfortunately, a lot of supplements are not the best combinations as you usually get what you pay for. The best sellers are the cheapest supplements as the consumer does not usually know the difference. It is definitely worth spending a bit more on something like magnesium citrate rather than the usual magnesium oxide. I can point you in the direction of a good supplement if you need one.
It sound like you have done a lot of research anyway and I am glad it is working for you.
Sue
Sandy07
Posted
sandra63
Posted
gilly48
Posted
The gym was packed, which I hate, but I trotted around the machines, even managed a gentle jog on the treadmill, and I worked off my breakfast (I had honey in my porridge instead of golden syrup and milk instead of coffee - I'm working on substituting the "bad" with "better" - my gym routine is to always try and increase the length of time or calories burned by 10% each session, and it's that sort of attitude I'm trying to apply to my diet rather than the gung ho.
I take a water bottle in the gym with me and drink throughout otherwise I get awful headaches, I also watch my BP on the machines - I like watching it all change as you get fitter. The school holidays are coming up so I'm going to ask my husband if he can have the kids the odd day so I can keep the gym ticking over whilst I'm on a roll.
Sorry about your head, Mooma - have you gone for a 2nd opinion?
Sue - could you tell us what magnesium supplement it is you recommend? I get to sleep fine - I do Sudoku, apparently, that sort of puzzle shuts off the "worry" part of your brain, the Daily Mail has an insert in the middle with loads of different types of puzzles, I'll do a few and I'm nodding. I've got kids with various problems and I have a very disturbed night because of that, but on the 3a.m. & wide awake nights, a gentle something could help - I'll have to try the sudoku then as well, I don't think I've tried that.
I was thinking of sugar substitutes and there was a recommendation to use same weight of apple sauce (Golden Delic etc) rather than sugar in cake mixes so am going to try various fruit purees. Google is a wonderful thing.....
Sandy07
Posted
gilly48
Posted
For anyone looking for motivation re exercise & weight, I'd recommend watching America's Biggest Loser - the last few series are being shown on demand on Sky and the main trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels have excellent DVDs plus free routines on Youtube. There are some inspirational people on there and many many top tips for every age group.
Sandy07
Posted