Late 40s, menopausal and fading

[Swedes2]

I haven't as yet submitted to the full beard and elasticated waistband trousers. But heck, it's hard isn't it? I absolutely love clothes, make-up, and all that shit.... but I am becoming more and more interested in my garden (not a euph). Last night I went to the garage to buy milk in my gardening clothes.

Anyone else going through the same thing? Have you any tips you can share?

I walked past a shop window today and was pleased to see that my boobs stuck out more than my stomach. I wasn't breathing in or nuffink.

I avoid looking in shop windows after a hideous incident last year. I was wearing white linen trousers (I know...) and a stripey t-shirt, thinking I looked a little bit Bardot, a little bit Saint Tropez. Then I caught a glimpse of myself and it was more like a little bit Cat Bin Lady, a little bit Leyton Asda.

Maybe it was a magic window . I've put a mirror at the top of my stairs, there has to be something wrong with it, I look like a weeble in it. Even I'm not that bad!

Oh dear. Just caught myself peering round my curtain at young tanned carpenter in neighbour's garden in lascivious manner. He'd be horrified.

Another lurker here... Only 41 but recognise a lot of the things you are talking about.... Such as horrendous mood swings, really heavy periods, complete memory aberrations (in fact I thought I was getting early on set dementia and even did a few of those on line diagnostic tests). Had blood tests at docs and they are normal but there ain't nothing normal about my cycles....
Weight creeping up... Still look OK dressed but things jiggle when I walk which has never happened to me before.
Inspired by you lot I have ordered the Shred thing and then last night dusted off my Hannah Waterman DVD and struggled through did 2 sections of it. I nearly died and then Sainsburys on line shopping arrived just as I hit the cool down section... I can't imagine I was a pretty site for the delivery guy.... See memory gone.... Didn't remember they were coming.... In retrospect the Shred purchase may be a little optimistic..
Oh and I have taken up knitting .... Am I doomed?.

Anyone struggling with knees - exercise which I've posted on the Shred threads a couple of times:

Balance on the edge of a step or the bottom stair, your heels hanging over the edge. Keeping your knees straight, slowly raise onto your toes, then slowly back down again so your heels drop below the step level again. First do both legs together, then repeat with each leg individually, building up to 15 reps at each stage. You must keep the knees straight as you go up and down.

Got it from a leg,arse and thigh-shaping DVD, so don't know why it works but it does for me - got through a week's ski-ing this year with no knee pain, first time ever!

I think this peri-thing has been going on for years in my case - was still feeding DS2 at 39 so it didn't occur to me any changes might be put down to - well - the change. I really hope I get 'me' back when it's all over as the worst thing I'm finding is the loss of mental capacity. Been trying to learn something new lately and am finding it such a struggle to retain information - feel such a tit at times.

On a positive note, my boobs do stick out further than my gut (disclaimer: they are G-cups). I weigh myself twice a day , but have lost a couple of pounds since giving up the evils of sugar in all its forms apart from wine at the weekend.

Exactly WWWY...when I read a novel now I have to recap each time I pick it up again... And that might just be from 2 hours ago.... It's awful...
Oh and I bought a pair of draw string linen trousers for the summer from M&S yesterday.....

Cripes, (peri)menopause doesn't seem to be affecting the posting ability of anyone on this thread. I can't keep up!
Insomnia is also a symptom?? Ah. That explains it. I have found that some of the herbal teas, especially those with valerian, are good for insomnia. Only trouble is that I end up waking up for a pee instead. But a small cup, earlyish in the evening. Alternatively, if your bones will take it, try shoulderstands. They do marvels and are really good just before bed.
Our diet has taken another bad turn. DP was knocked off his bike this morning and I returned from the school run to find him being deposited by a police van, all bandaged up. Which naturally requires biscuits. For the shock.

Yikes! Shred DVD has been scraped over the floor one too many times by DS and now won't play. I've got a Davina one, but frankly it takes too long. I need my exercise short and sharp, and with Jillian's lesbian boot camp atmosphere.

Youthful carpenter now standing next to a sprinkler (not on). Fantasy into overdrive.

smallstuff - you are my TWIN!!!!

(even down to the drawstring linen from M&S. Black though, for work...)

Herbaceous go and lie down in a darkened room woman. Or at least take photos for us.

Poor Dh midnight , see? being healthy is bad for you.

Don't start me on peeing in the night, I lie awake wondering if I should get up and go, just in case , never mind all the times I really need to go.

I've been good and taken my baby dog for a walk, twice as long as usual have lovely sweat patches under my arms now and rewarded myself a jaffa cake

I wear linen trousers from m&s, they have a jersey/elastic bit at the back, they're sporty

Oh goodness, hope DH is OK, midnight.

I feel a great kinship with you lot - I have the thickening middle (and I was fat even before that, but I used to at least have a middle) the sprouty facial hair, that creeps up on you and one day isn't there, and the next is enormous - how does that happen? I've only had one floody period, but it wasn't fun .

I remember when I was in my late teens, I always used to forget to drink water during the day, so I used to drink 5 glasses of it before bed. My dad was always amazed. And now so am I - no way could I do that now - I'd be constantly up and down to the toilet.

I have to confess that I did c25k (or a version of it) 2 years ago, and was running for half an hour fairly comfortably. Then it got to Christmas, and I never re-started. Tried to start again this March, but it was so joylessly hideous that I gave up . Not sure what to try now, exercise-wise. I want something that I'll enjoy. Happy to work hard, but want to have fun doing it. Might have to dig out DD's 'Dance Central' Kinect game.

He's fine thanks. Well, not fine exactly, but nothing broken apart from the bike, thank goodness.

at coco's sporty elastic waistband.

Why, oh wise ones, is the odd facial/throat hair so thick and black? Or is that just me?

throat hair ??

On the outside not inside , Yep a big black bugger grows out of my neck. Justunder my jaw line.

I feel freakish now

ah, I still class that as chin

relax, you are only a bit of a not a freak

I have a nipple hair, just one, that I have ceased plucking as a feminism experiment

it is currently trying to reach the other side to see if there is life out there on the other boob

now that is freaky

only one of my nipples has hair. It's the right one, do we make a pair?

yes, we have a pair

it's very strange, the nipple with the hair is the only one that really works wrt breastfeeding and erm, other stuff

Ohhh mine too. How odd.

I also have a long hair that grows out of my chest, between boobs.

But I don't like to talk about that.

perhaps it is growing out of a hitherto-unknown third nipple

one that works