gals over 50? page 10

[Digby]

I'm my sixties, retired last summer, and have done low carb for several years, then primal since December. I'm very bad with the journal I started here, but keep a private one which is more important to me. I feel better than ever, but noticed that any non-primal carbs seem to cause me more problems now like heart palpitations, etc; I rarely have regular carbs now which may mean my body feels a kind of shock when I do. I've lost about 36# since last summer, but kept stalling because I was eating too much protein and fat. I have to cut my calories, no matter how primal, until my body lets go of the stored fat. Despite an active life, I have a slow metabolism, and have had to get very low calorie along with very low carb.Most people on primal don't have to work this hard, but I do. I am working on losing the last 30# of the weight I put on going through the perimenopause years, and getting there little by little. (Paleobird had a great thread the last few days on this issue of calorie counting.) I know my spouse and I will continue on this primal path, for besides weight, it seems to help with lots of other issues related to aging; e.g., my husband's skin began to look much better after we started using coconut oil and milk. I'm regularly told I don't look my years, and I certainly don't seem to be as "old" as many of my friends of the same age. I row crew, walk several miles a week, do weight training, and balance exercises. This is the only blog/forum I've ever gotten interested in, though I'm clearly one of the elders here. I find this generally a sharp group of people (a few notable exceptions), and there is a steady stream of information of all kinds, and lots of great recipes. Search just about any topic and you will find lots of responses. Hope to see you around.

[Barb]

After I went primal, my menopause symptoms worsened dramatically. I have some ideas as to why - my body fat dropped a little bit immediately - I lost about 4-5 lbs - and secondly, I stopped eating estrogenic foods such as soy products. My hot flashes became unbearable, making it impossible for me to sleep through the night. Things did NOT get better with any kind of adjustment period and I went on an estradiol patch with good relief. So for me, I experienced a sudden and dramatic drop in estrogen level after going primal with all the attendant symptoms - hot flashes, brain fog, depression/anxiety, muscle aches and cramps. All were relieved with the estrogen patch.

It has been 14 months now that I have been primal and I really like how I feel. I think it is really helping me get through meopause, which has not been easy for me. My energy level is still not what it used to be, but I love not being hungry all the time. I love eating delicious, fatty foods that are highly satiating. I love taking a more laid back approach to exercise, with a focus on enjoyment and short bursts of intensity when I am up for it. This is a very sustainable way to live! But it was not a solution to menopause symptoms for me, but actually accelerated them.

[tumbleweed]

Hi. I'm 54 and new to primal just this week. I've been eating PB (as best as I can figure it out from reading the book) for about five days, and I've lost a couple of pounds but I'm assuming that's just bloat disappearing. I have between 40 and 50 I need to lose. I have pain in my hip joints when I walk or run, so I'm doing the best I can to incorporate the fitness concepts into my new lifestyle. So far that means a slow walk around the block two or three times a day and a feeble attempt at situps and pushups. It's going to be a long road.

I went through menopause at 47, so I've been over the symptoms for awhile but some minor hot flashes have returned this week. Hopefully that will subside as my body adjusts to the new foods and activities.

It's great to see some over 50s here....it sometimes seems like this forum is mostly younger folks, so I am happy to have found this thread.

[Digby]

After I went primal, my menopause symptoms worsened dramatically. I have some ideas as to why - my body fat dropped a little bit immediately - I lost about 4-5 lbs - and secondly, I stopped eating estrogenic foods such as soy products. My hot flashes became unbearable, making it impossible for me to sleep through the night. Things did NOT get better with any kind of adjustment period and I went on an estradiol patch with good relief. So for me, I experienced a sudden and dramatic drop in estrogen level after going primal with all the attendant symptoms - hot flashes, brain fog, depression/anxiety, muscle aches and cramps. All were relieved with the estrogen patch.

It has been 14 months now that I have been primal and I really like how I feel. I think it is really helping me get through meopause, which has not been easy for me. My energy level is still not what it used to be, but I love not being hungry all the time. I love eating delicious, fatty foods that are highly satiating. I love taking a more laid back approach to exercise, with a focus on enjoyment and short bursts of intensity when I am up for it. This is a very sustainable way to live! But it was not a solution to menopause symptoms for me, but actually accelerated them.

I finally went on very low dose HRT after resisting a long time; used for about 6 years and weaned myself off this winter. I think any change, even change in stress, can affect women in "the change" as my mother called it. I had nearly fifteen years from start of perimenopause: started getting hot flashes in my mid-40s, then the symptoms faded, then came back with a vengance in my mid-50s mainly in the form of getting little sleep and mood swings. My periods were never heavy and just got lighter then more sporadic, then hurrah, no more! I was 14 before my periods started which I had read meant milder perimenopause; though I never had the terrible hot flashes many talk about. I think HRT is helpful, but I wouldn't use the mare's urine derived forms; was very happy with Injuvia and Prometium. I am hoping to stay off The HRT. Nature did mean a stopping point. But my sleep is still not great, and may never be.

[HillsideGina]

I had two short periods and sporadic hot flashes last year, along with vaginal dryness. This year the hot flashes became an every night and morning thing - I would break into a sweat as I lay down to go to sleep, and again upon waking. I started PB about February. My hot flashes disappeared. I had a period a couple weeks ago and the dryness has gotten better too. I'm not taking any drugs or supplements except calcium and Vitamin D.

I had plantars fasciitis, then hip bursitis, then bunions within a couple of years. They are all inflammatory in nature. After the hip bursitis finally subsided, I would get hip stiffness and pain upon standing or getting out of bed. That stopped after I went Primal. No more aches and pains at all.

The bunions I control through wearing all kinds of supportive thong sandals. I dunno what I'm going to do with all the cute high heels I purchased last year!

A couple of years ago when my periods became irregular, I had some lengthy periods too. I got some progesterone from the doc to stop them - I didn't want to bleed every day for weeks! I could just feel the energy draining from my body.

[bobkat]

Too bad we can't get this entire thread moved somewhere more relevant. PrimalCon's cool, but what's it got to do with us "old ladies"?

I'm 63, feel better, almost no muscle or joint pain (quite a change from a few years ago), was able (with Doc's blessing) to stop taking 4 of 6 Rx drugs and cut dose of another in half. Almost never have any health complaints and frankly I'm just a happier person.

I'm off to make some salmon & boiled egg salad - that's about as complicated as my food prep gets.

[Digby]

Too bad we can't get this entire thread moved somewhere more relevant. PrimalCon's cool, but what's it got to do with us "old ladies"?

I'm 63, feel better, almost no muscle or joint pain (quite a change from a few years ago), was able (with Doc's blessing) to stop taking 4 of 6 Rx drugs and cut dose of another in half. Almost never have any health complaints and frankly I'm just a happier person.

I'm off to make some salmon & boiled egg salad - that's about as complicated as my food prep gets.

Lol! I never notice where they start since I usually just go to old/new posts.

[Metta]

Maybe we can get it moved?

Or just keep this our little secret?

I would love to hear tips on how PB will make me look younger.

Although, to tell the truth while I'm always pleased to hear that "natural" things like topical Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Niacinamide improve you skin, if someone told me that friggin' gasoline improved skin elasticity - I'd take a damn bath in the stuff.

[Digby]

Maybe we can get it moved?

Or just keep this our little secret?

I would love to hear tips on how PB will make me look younger.

Although, to tell the truth although I'm always pleased to hear that "natural" things like topical Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Niacinamide improve you skin, if someone told me that friggin' gasoline improved skin elasticity - I'd take a damn bath in the stuff.

I've mentioned several times in various posts that my spouse is the big testament to skin improvement. He is Irish-American with the pale skin that easily gets crepey with age (we are in our 60s), and three months ago I started putting coconut milk in his morning protein shake, and giving him a 2T coconut butter treat after dinner. His skin has seriously improved. Wish I had pictures. I've always been careful with moisturizing, not too much sun, etc, and have the benefit, but this is your golfs-too-much, what-i- moisturized kind of guy. He has had those white patches on his forearms the dermatologists say are pre-cancerous go away. Needless to say, we are believers in coconut and primal for maintaining a youthful inside and out.

[HillsideGina]

When it comes to skin I am a believer in garbage-in-garbage-out. What and how you eat and exercise will show on your face. I am still at the point that I can maintain the illusion of youth with help from cosmetics. But I have been looking at those "parentheses" folds starting around the mouth, and the hint of the gravitation-pulled jowls, and I'm seriously considering going to a plastic surgeon later this year to talk about fillers like Juvederm.

Last year I had some dental work done and was given numbing agents. I told my dentist, "I look younger!" because the area around the mouth was puffed up.

I do some facial exercising and am religious about moisturizing. I do believe that eating fats helps as well.