#operationskinnyjeans or sometimes exercise is not enough

It started on Facebook when a fellow writer and friend Michelle Douglas was bemoaning not fitting into her jeans.
Then when I returned from my Spanish holiday, having eaten too much, and my daughter returned from finishing her Masters and decided she too need to lose her dissertation podge, I knew I had to join in.
So we have been healthy  in the morning, at lunch and for the snack. Supper is whatever my husband makes (this is in the interests of marital harmony) and there is no alcohol. At supper we are not eating (as a general rule) gluten. Special Occasions are by their very nature exempt from this,
I started this method of eating. at the end of September.
The things I have discovered:
1. Yes even if you are exercising, it does make a difference what you put in  your mouth, particularly as you hit menopause.Healthy choices have you feeling better and the excess weight going off.
2. Not having refined sugar or gluten has really helped my lymph oedema. (This is annoying in the extreme. I do like bread, cakes etc)
3. Eating this way is fun and I am not getting as hungry.
4. Spiralizers are fun.
5. Menopause does thicken your waist. Irritating in the extreme. It does become harder to shift from that region.

I have continued with the tomato juice in the morning. It does help with menopausal symptoms, including anxiety. I notice if I decrease it/skip it. And sometimes (like yesterday) I needed to up the dosage to include a glass at night.

I am now fitting into my size 8's again, having given them up as a lost cause when the weight piled as menopause really started to bite.

I have continued on my Tracy Anderson re-do for my exercise but have lowered it to a half hour of the muscular structure and a half hour of the dance cardio 5 x plus a longer session of the dance cardio on the 6th day. It remains challenging but is more do-able than the first go round. Exercising is part of my life now.

So now in the menopausal time, making the right choices with my food does make a huge difference. Prior to the menopause hitting, I was able to be far more liberal with my food consumption as my exercise kept everything in check.

Anxiety and menopause

It is one of those things that creeps up on you on cat's paws, softly and without warning. Some of it I am sure is down to most women's situation during the change of life.  For me, my children are grown and are busy flying the nest. Like all fledglings, they do return and demand feeding, care and attention. One day, every soon though, I know they won't come back or only for brief little visits.
It is why I tried to cherish all the moments when they were growing up. Sometimes I did it better than others. My daughter takes  delight in reminding me of occasions when either I was a good mother or a very bad one. She also reminds me of various rants I have had and why I have to keep on my present course.

Then there is the situation with my in laws. Although my mother in law is in a care home as her dementia progressively worsens, my father in law has moved in with us. Some days it works better than others. The Social Services phoned this morning to say that we do qualify for respite care so he will go away to a home for a week while I am on holiday. I have become his principal carer. And the emotional upheaval of all this really knocked me.

And with the change of life added in, I found myself becoming less and less sure. When I was angry, I would want to curl up in a little ball and do nothing. In years past, when I was angry, I would write. The curling up in a ball came on gradually and I just thought it was something that was gone. However, once I start drinking the tomato juice, I found when I was angry, I wanted to write and the words flowed. I could put my anger to a productive use.

One of the reasons I have avoided writing single title is the necessity of finding an agent. It is just easier to have one. Yes, I know publishing has changed in many ways but it is still good to have someone in your corner. And it is hard to find the right agent. The Crows of Doubt really sound loudly every single time I try.  I tried before I was published. I tried a few years ago but then got busy fulfilling my contract. But now that I have written my Anglo Saxon queen story, there is nowhere to hide.  It has to be done. So I have started to send out queries. This time, I am taking my time -- one per week. And I an not curling up in a ball or feeling like I should be scurrying back and writing another HMB. (Yes I know people like my HMBs but my daughter thinks my Anglo Saxon queen is far better than my Vikings -- it is good to have her in my corner.)

I looked back a few years on the blog and was surprised at how much I used to write. Somewhere I forgot about it and so I plan on trying to update the blog a bit more.
It is getting that can do attitude back. I am amazed that drinking the tomato juice has helped in this way.

Tomato juice smoothie to help with menopause

Sometimes it gets boring drinking tomato juice in the morning. I am continuing with my tomato juice to keep the hot flushes at bay. And thus far, I haven't had another. My anxiety has really decreased which is good.
The other day I decided to jazz the tomato juice up a bit. I combined --  8 oz tomato juice with half a cucumber, an apple (cored and sliced)  and half a lemon (pips removed, skin washed).  Blitz in a blender. It is quite thick but then I like it being thick. If too thick, you can add water. It tastes very fresh.  It is basically a meal in itself. I felt very full afterwards.
The apple does make a difference and adds the sweetness to counter balance the lemon. The second time I made it, I forgot the apple and it wasn't nearly as pleasant. You could add a stick of celery and/or a handful of spinach to the mix and really get your nutrients up for the day, but I like it as it is.

Tomato juice, menopause and me

I have reached that time of life. Menopause or at least peri-menopause is upon me at 51. There are a number of annoying factors like my metabolism going south and feeling lethargic. Hot flushes. Difficulty focusing. Wanting to curl up into a small ball and tell the world -- stop I want to get off.
I have a Mirena coil which is supposed to help alleviate the symptoms in any case (except for hot flushes and boy when they come, they really do come)
I am looking forward to being through this whole thing and getting on with the rest of my life.
So when I read about  tomato juice helping symptoms of menopause. (Yes I know it is a Daily Fail article)  I thought it worth a go. This was  on about 10 June 2015 so I have now done  8 weeks. And you know what? It does work.It took about a week and then things became much better.
My hot flushes are practically gone. I find when I am annoyed or upset, instead of curling up into a small ball, I can actually write. Life is suddenly easier again. My anxiety has decreased.
Is it a placebo effect? I am not sure. All I know it is working. Tomatoes are rich in lypocene and it has a bunch of antioxidents.
There is another article about here: 
The fact is that the research was only released in early June.
It is working for me and I figure that it is better than a lot of things.

I am still keeping up with my exercise (redoing TAM and now rebounding -- good for the lymph system)

So if you are feeling overwhelmed and are in menopause or peri-menopause, you might want to try tomato juice  twice a day. It is simple and effective (or at least for me)