perimenopause - starting healthier regime - tips please!

Hi - me and Mooma28 have been on the peri & anxiety post and got onto weight & health, we are both trying to eat more healthily and lose weight. Inspired by Moo, I dug out my Calorie King Food & Exercise Journal and have started logging my food intake (5 biscuits and 2 coffees for breakfast) and planning what I'm having for the rest of the day to make up for it! I'm aiming for 1200-1500 cals per day and 3hrs aerobic activity pw. I am 5ft 3" and weigh 13st 10 (last time I looked). I've had trouble with my weight since I hit 40 - I had my 5th child then, he's lost his chub but I haven't, I just kept getting bigger and still look pregnant. I've had night sweats, anxiety, palpitations etc for 5yrs or so and think I'm building up to the menopause, my periods are closer together (26 days cycle now), heavier & painful; I have a dodgy ankle and pain in my shoulders; I want to be healthier and have an easier life. I have a gym membership, I have been 2-3 times since Xmas so am heading back there tomorrow. I comfort eat - I don't have an easy life. I am open to medication for the menopause - whatever it takes! All tips and sharing would be appreciated.

Hi Gilly. It seems from what you are saying that you have problems with blood sugar levels. When you eat a lot of sugar, your body produces insulin to bring the blood sugar levels down. The insulin production can go a bit crazy when you eat too much and make the blood sugar level drop too low for a bit. This makes you crave sugar and the vicious cycle starts again. The trick is to eat little and often (to keep the blood sugar level from dropping) but to avoid foods where sugar is absorbed quickly - hence the low GI diet that tries to keep a low glycaemic index. During the low blood sugar times, the lack of glucose to the brain can cause headaches and the mood can also be affected - depression, anxiety, etc.

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

Thanks so much Sue. Fabulous advice. I get shakes if I go too long without food as well - is that just blood sugar levels as well? I did not know about the link to inflammatory pain, I have a lot of intermittent trouble with my shoulders.

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.

Hi

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.

Thanks Sandra & Sue! I'll get the book from the library and let you know what I think. This is all very interesting.

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.

Hi Ladies, my name is Chris I've also been on the anxiety thread but had to join you on here, I think it's excellent you want to start healthier living and hope I can help on this. Before entering peri I managed to lose 2 1/2 stone and keep this off for 5 years though the last few months have been a bit tough and I've slightly fallen off the wagon I intend to get back on it straight away . What worked for me was cutting the bad habits one at a time I first stopped taking sugar in tea and coffee and cut the chocolate to 1 treat on a Saturday and one Sunday, I exercised for half hour 3 or 4 times a week, mostly fast walking it was tough but the steady improvements in weight and general health make it worthwhile. I also made sure that I didn't keep chocolate and naughty stuff in the house. Good luck with the changes you make hope you get on great you certainly sound determined

I think you and Dbagal are quite right - it's little steps and small changes you can keep going, as well as the obvious, like don't have 5 bix and 2 large coffees for brekkie. Best of luck to you - life happens and we all lose our way sometimes but it sounds like you know exactly what works for you and are back on the case - fabulous! Keep us posted.

Hi Gilly, thanks for starting this thread. I have had all tests done and it's driving me mad not getting to the bottom of the pain. I agree that sugar is culprit in all this so hope that by following a healthy diet I can normalise blood sugars and hormone balance. I have a lot of weight to lose and until the juicing I had not been able to shift it so diet has a lot to do with it I think. You say you have difficulty sleeping, I was advised to try a magnesium supplement at tea time and it certainly helps me. A friend of mine has done it too and found this helpful. Google magnesium and you will find loads of info. Good luck. We'll get there in the end. Xx

Hi Mooma

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

Thanks Sue. Yes I do take magnesium citrate as I have had lots of really tense muscles. The one I take is of good quality so I guess that is why it helps. Not sorted the head pain yet but I continue to search for the answer to that one! Thanks for your support. All suggestions are gratefully received.x

It maybe not related but a friend of mine had bad headaches for years and years, lots of tests, scans etc. Tried different meds, to no avail, doc eventually said maybe all in her head ( ! ) anyway she had the York blood test. Turns out she is sensitive/allergic to absolutely loads of stuff. Omitted those things and what a difference! changed her life and saved her marriage. Just an idea, Its £250 I think but worth a try I think if its taking over your life.

Started back at the gym today, I was woken up early and felt ratty. I had so much trouble getting my sports bra on, I can't tell you! FYI - over the head ones get even worse to put on when you gain a bit of weight and are worse again when you get sweaty - get a fastening one.

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.....

Thanks Sandra I'll do some googling on that. Gilly you really have got motivated. Good for you. Keep up the good work. I've had a really good few days with diet and hope it will make a difference long term. Still a bit dizzy though and head tight and uncomfortable . I've seen loads of people, different docs, ENT, neuro, you name it! Xx

Gosh Mooma, fingers crossed someone can help you at some point. Are you walking again now as well as dieting?

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.

Hi Gilly. Spoke too soon. Dizziness and vertigo back again today so that's the walking out the window for a bit. Doc thinks its BPPV (a type of positional vertigo) combined with other stuff. Very frustrating as I feel like I'm back where i started nearly 3 yrs ago. I'm still going to keep up the healthy eating though to give my body the best chance of fighting this. Had flaxseed on my porridge last few days and used almond milk instead of cows milk. A little change each week and I'm hoping I will see a difference.xx