Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: honeybun on May 31, 2014, 02:02:35 PM
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This is the first really warm day we have had that I have had time to enjoy. Went into town this morning wearing cotton trousers and a nice blouse and thought I looked quite good.
Came home and changed into shorts and a strappy top that I would only wear in the garden.
OMG .....what has happened to me over the winter. Ok legs are milk bottle white but the skin is so dry. My toenails have gone all horny and look terrible when I painted them. I have thread veins around my ankles and chicken skin on my thighs.
All in all I feel a right mess. It's really the first time I have looked properly at myself for a while and I don't like what I see very much.
I took my body so much for granted when I was young but now I just feel as if my head is on an old woman's body.
Anyone else had a shock this summer.
Honeyb
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I remember that sort of shock honeybun. Mine happened around three years ago when I caught sight of my arms in a shop mirror. I was wearing an ordinary t-shirt and couldn't believe how the top of my inner arms looked - all wrinkled and old. I'm more used to it now - no strappy tops for me I'm afraid.
As for toenails I have the same problem but I'm a few years older than you. As you say when you're young you just take things like supple skin and lovely toes for granted!
Taz x
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I can't get down to my toe nails ::)
When I see an old lady in a shop window looking back, it takes a while before I realise it's me :-\
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A few years ago, a young woman told her son to move out of the way to let the old lady pass, I stepped back to let her pass too........then I realised she was talking about ME!! I have never been the same since ::)
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Oh dear ladies this topic sounds gloomy, not looking forward to stripping off my winter layers either.
For the toes nails, opi does a good ridge filler that is a base coat, gives smooth finish. I am useless at painting toe nails. I get a file and paint at beauty salon and it lasts at least 3 weeks, well worth it.
Need to have a look at my tummy, going on hol soon and after 4 gynae surgeries i have to accept its never going to look great in a bikini.
Do you think men age better than women or do they just care less?
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I took my body so much for granted when I was young but now I just feel as if my head is on an old woman's body.
Anyone else had a shock this summer.
Yep
Not so much this summer, it's dire but now I expect it, shorts hah. ;D
Things were ok till I was 50, not so good at 52, horrible from 54 onwards (now 56).
I exercise as 4 to 5 times a week and mostly eat sensibly, but take Gabapentin which does increase the podge (noted side effect). So the question is, smaller figure or pain........
Sadly the summer body is the same as the winter one BUT it is discretely shielded ::)
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I've always had white dry skin, but I am enjoying the new slim me!
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I have decided I like the winter layers.
I am 54 in a couple of months. Trouble is I am 21 in my head on a good day. I don't like the saggy baggy veiny bits. I accepted stretch marks because they had a cause and a purpose but this lot sucks.
Guess I just have to work with what I have got. Bikini days went for me 25years ago but now I need a wet suit . Neck to toe cover ::)
Honeyb
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It's not so much a meno thing, but I wave goodbye to my opaque tights each summer, sad in the knowledge that I'm going to have to de-fuzz much more regularly if I want to go bare-legged or wear clear tights! (Which I do!) Hmmph......! :(
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Burka then?
I haven't worn tights/stockings for 10 years or more apart from at a Funeral in 2006. Since then :-\
I will if it's very very very hot wear a long skirt. I love my light tops though :-*
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Only if it was knee-length! ;D
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They are - I think …….. but usually in dark colours but no-one knows what one is wearing underneath ;)
My toes need more than a pedicure ……..
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I used to like my feet, oh and my legs and my arms and my boobs ;D
Kaftans all round then.
Honeyb
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Seriously, though, if I am going to enjoy wearing my summer clothes, I must not buy dark chocolate mint thins too often!! I limited myself to 2 just now, then put the box back in the fridge. (Result of reading this thread!) As for violet and rose creams (my absolute favourites), bad news for my summer body! I will be good and eat oranges instead.........until the autumn.............maybe......
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Oranges take too much peeling and are messy …….. at least one is able to lick messy chocolate from the fingers ;)
I can't be bothered de-fuzzing often which is why I stay in trousers and tops …….. I also have hairy toes :o
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Topic turned from gloomy to funny now everyone is revealing their worst bits. Tend to share view with honeybun that we don't seem to age in our heads. Maybe thats why we get bit fed up when we see our older bodies in the mirror.
My husband is always saying you arent going to have the body of a 20something but you look fine, then goes and spoils it by adding with your clothes on. First time he said that i could have throttled him.
Honestly men sometimes.
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I don't look good in summer clothes. I like to be hidden under leggings and tunics but they are too hot in summer. I've got the crinkly inner upper arm skin too plus the back fat that shows above your bra strap so strappy tops are out.
I have developed a lot of thread veins on my right thigh so shorts will make me feel self conscious ( would only wear them on holiday anyway)
And then there's my fat stomach that ruins every outfit and really gets me down. Doesn't make any difference if I lose a few pounds - the fat won't shift from my middle.
Ariadne xx
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I feel like a beached whale. I have always been overweight but I'm tall at 5 ft 10 so I've sort of got away with it. Until now. In the last 2 years I've put on 2 stone and all around my middle and I hate it. Yet I don't do anything about it.
My sister is lovely and slim and my daughter is quite slim altho has put on a bit. But me - omg - horrible.
Got to do something about it :(
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Yep Kaftans and socks for CLKD for her hairy toes.
To be honest if you don't laugh you would cry.
It's the image in my head that does not match what I see in the mirror.
Guess we just have to go with what we have got and make the most of it.
My hubby says I look fine and no different to him. Bless he really needs to wear his glasses more....on the other hand I may hide them. ;D
Honeyb
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My husband always says ' you look fine for the age you are'. Mmmm - now I don't quite take that as a compliment. I HATE being fat but I feel so trapped in my comfort zone I do NOTHING to change things. I don't eat loads of rubbish - probably just eat too much of healthy stuff plus have a sweet tooth. Plus my mother since her brain haem has a very very sweet tooth so her house is full of biscuits and cakes :(
But I will never give up trying. I try to make the best of what I've got but then the pictures hit and I see an overweight middle aged woman. :(
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Ha .....summer body ?? I am lying in bed smelling awful - covered my legs in fake tan and now wished I hadn't ? The bed will need changing tomorrow because it will stain the sheets, and I KNOW it will be streaky...but hey oh I never learn
A streaky, whiffy wombat x
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OK with my body, the only part I am annoyed with is my pod under my belly button, though its slowly deflating I think due to easing off the estrogen patch, also have to admit having a breast reduction worked wonders, I do have scars but they are fading and no one sees them, my topless days are over I think, though I do love my breasts I think I would be self conscious.
No cellulite , thank you body brushing :) Thread veins etc. can be caused by too much estrogen and smoking ( not being bossy ::)) I have always taken care of my body just like cleaning my teeth twice daily just routine and it helps that I have always been interested in skin care and health.
My OH hardly ever compliments me, when I have mentioned it he says " I would tell you if you didn't" and can't understand when I say that upsets me :o it would be so nice if he did once in a while. I have always complimented him when I pointed this out he said I was more generous then him, what ever that means! he is generous when he checks out other women though :o :o I do get compliments from other people so it sort of balances it out, but from OH would mean more.
Oh dear HB you have bought out some deep feelings with us.
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Has anyone got any tips, apart from joining a gym, to tone up the inside upper arms. The skin has a deflated look although I suppose at 60 it is to be expected. I do miss my toned younger arms though! It's really difficult to come to terms with the fact that even that sort of thing has to be worked at instead of just "happening" through ordinary living.
Taz x
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Eat protein at every meal Taz , drinking plenty of water and make sure you take in omega 3s, walnuts, almonds, oily fish or supplements. Don't forget eggs too they are the perfect food. You really are what you eat, the right carbs are important too, too low a carb diet causes muscle wastage.
Wine is a bit of a no no as it dehydrates (sorry)
http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/workouts/tone-upper-arms-00000000002195/
Hope this link works http://gb.pinterest.com/honeyrae33/sexy-arms/
If the skin is stretched too much then surgery is the only way to correct it.
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It's not stretched but sort of crepey. Will have a look at the links - thank you!
As for diet - I don't eat any of those things or take any supplements. I guess I might have to start! Eggs make me sick (didn't used to) I hate nuts. Will have a proper look at my diet. It's not helped by me not liking food very much. I eat it because I have to but hate the time it takes to shop for, prepare, eat and clear up after! Time for a change I think.
I've had blood tests at the docs a month ago which was full blood count etc. plus vitamin D and bone profile. I have to make a non-urgent appointment so obviously something has flagged up. Hope it's something I can put right and then feel better!
Taz x
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Bingo wings Taz.
Think once you have got them then that's it. I have them. I think it's down to a bit of muscle shrinkage for me. I used to be quite muscley as I played tennis and badminton and a job I had years ago required a lot of heavy lifting. Now I don't do any of those things the tone has gone.
I do take supplements and my diet is generally good. Lots of fish and chicken and veg. Could do better with fruit though. Like my glass of wine but try to drink a lot of water. I used to be a social smoker but it's rare these days.
I only wear shorts in the garden. I have strange skin on my thighs....sort of chicken skin...Not nice.
My skin is very dry and a bit sun damaged as I have spent too much time outside over the years. I always feel better with a tan.
Guess I am just getting older and not accepting it very well.
My hubby is not great on compliments. I ask and he is always brutally honest :o. I honestly think I could walk around naked and he would not even notice. Kids might be shocked though ;D
My daughter keeps me right though. She is good at knowing what suits and has pointed me towards things I would otherwise ignore.
I don't want to be mutton dressed as lamb but I'm not ready for a twinset yet ;D
Honeyb
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Aren't bingo wings when your arm is sort of flabby underneath?
Taz x
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It's when you stick your arm up in the air when you win at bingo and start to wave. The bit of skin under your arm keeps on waving long after you have stopped
;D
Honeyb
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That's what I thought - haven't got that - phew!
Taz x
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Me neither. (Got everything else though).
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In my opinion there's not a lot can be done about some of these changes that we so despair of. Its all part of aging and down to the luck of the draw in most cases. Not everything that happens to our skin, hair and body is down to something we have or havent done.
I've never smoked, dont much like alcohol, have taken care of my skin since early teens (thanks Mum) have always tried to eat healthily and I am reasonably slim. But it hasn't helped me avoid a flabby belly, thread veins and crepey skin here and there.
I guess I just want my skin and body to look like they used to which is just not realistic :(
I'll be looking for summer clothes to camouflage the problem areas - so much easier in winter though ::)
Ariadne xx
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I bought a skirt yesterday :o …………… it's pale tan, a soft material and deeply embroidered. Now girls, where can I buy a nice petti to go underneath to puff it out a bit ……… it's mid-calf so will need something underneath: leggings?
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Well my summer body is soft & saggy. ;D Gone are my firm tum, butt, arms. So instead of bikini & shorts which didn't leave a lot to the imagination. In comes swimsuits which have tummy holding abilities & shorts which come to my knees. But hey ho, nowt I can do now to stop aging process.
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Or gravity....Well in my case anyway ;D
Honeyb
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The tankini tops and bikini bottoms are good, they look like costumes but you can lift the top up when nobody is looking. :)
CLKD, I don't think leggings would look like with a mid calf skirt. Do you have to wear anything on your legs?
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I agree, leggings would look a bit odd. Tights or hold up stockings or bare legs would be better. If your legs are too white you could get a summer body lotion with a little fake tan in it.
Honeyb
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If the skirt is sufficiently long, how about pop socks?
Tights might be a bit too warm / restrictive.
Agree with HB about stockings.You could get a suspender belt and go the whole hog and wear non hold up stockings!
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.. and that would finally fulfil Himself's fantasy!!!!
Taz x ;D
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Go commando, and wear some pretty sandals or espadrilles wedges.
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I would be scared I would fall over and flash my bits to the world. Would not inflict that on the young, they would be scarred for life ;D
Honeyb
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I couldn't go commando, for so many reasons, far too numerous to list......... ;D
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Oh heck me too. Makes me shudder to just think about it ;D.
Me and my comfy knickers will never be parted.
Honeyb
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HB, naughty me didn't read your post correctly first time, I thought you may be worried about flashing your erm :boobs:
I don't feel comfy in a tankini. I tried one year, bought two which I could interchange tops & bottoms. They got binned when I got home as my bottoms were way to baggy when wet. No use having a soggy bottom. ;D
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I have theses
(http://resources.shopstyle.com/sim/f1/40/f140e4a18f1f7c8cb880c30f708710b5/lands-end-white-espadrilles-with-ankle-tie.jpg)
I changed the look with different coloured ribbons to match what I am wearing ( get them off the market)
They are flat and comfortable but do give some height and are stylish with ribbons wrapped around the ankle, or more casual without.
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They are lovely SL.
I have been looking for a dress that I could wear out to dinner. I don't do skirts. I am not overweight but I hate the thickening around my middle that a skirt just emphasises. Being quite short does anyone have any suggestions of a shape that might flatter. I don't like maxi dresses and I don't do frills ;D
Don't want to spend a fortune either.
Honeyb
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I bought a classic shaped dress last year HB, shift style. Simple shape. It's coral in colour, which is very me. Keep it simple, colour that flatters. You can't go wrong. Heels don't have to be skyscrapers either, so long as they are comfortable. Nude works well with most colours.
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Here are some nice ideas for ladies over fifty
http://gb.pinterest.com/mamabyrd00/fashion-for-women-over-50/
Have just gone through the pics, there are some stunning ladies and lovely clothes.
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Got it in 1 Taz ;D
So back to the petty - where to buy one?
Pop socks - have drawers full of those ………. very rarely do I go bare legged because they R so hairy ………
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Best place is amazon CLKD, I got a long one in cream lace edged, to wear under just above an ankle dress.
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:thankyou: been to a retro fair today but although lots of lovely clothes no pettis ::)
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Here are some nice ideas for ladies over fifty
http://gb.pinterest.com/mamabyrd00/fashion-for-women-over-50/
Have just gone through the pics, there are some stunning ladies and lovely clothes.
Ooh I do like that grey lace sheath dress. I'd like one like that. And yes, some lovely clothes and nicely turned out ladies.
Ariadne xx
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So back to the petty - where to buy one?
M&S perhaps?
I got one online recently.
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Shave you legs CLKD and buy some fake tan?
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Don't you shave your legs CLKD ? Can't imagine ignoring mine for any length of time. I would be like a gorilla ;D
I don't like pop socks, they leave a horrible mark on your leg.
I do fancy a shift dress...Now where to do to look for one.
Honeyb
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Occasionaly but I was made by Nature to have hairy legs, genetics >:( …. of course, the sun comes out suddenly and I have to do a hurried defuzz ………. and my legs are always pale ……...
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That's what fake tan is for. You don't have to use much but it takes that milk bottle look away. You can wear pop socks with unshaven legs. The hair will peep through.
Take the skirt back and buy some trousers ;D
Honeyb
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Now, this fake tan thing, does it stain the sheets?.......
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I seem to live in trousers these days so much more forgiving than skirts and dresses and so many pretty tops around this summer.
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Wallis maybe HB, M&S. Mine believe it or not, was Monsoon. Perfect knee length & I'm only 5' 3". Debenhams have lots to choose from too.
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I think it depends on the length of your legs CG rather than your overall height ;D
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Well they're pretty short too. Dress was probably meant to be a mini. ;D
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:rofl:
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:lol:
Honeyb
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Limpy - I use the one that builds up over 2 or 3 days and it never stains the bedding. (Obviously you wouldn't do it 2 minutes before bedtime). I love it.
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I use Johnson Holiday Skin fair to medium, haven't started it yet this year, but will have to soon or summer will be over, one tip is to exfoliate like
mad before you do, to prepare skin.
I also put a tiny bit down the front of my nose and across my upper cheeks to look as if I have caught the sun.
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I've already caught the sun on all the bits that are on show, having been out at various events or in our garden :-*
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Last weekend I put factor 50 on my face and forgot my body.....whoops !
Now peeling despite a week of slathering on the cream.... 8)