I'm going on 46 years old, and I have way too many wrinkles for my age. I went into menopause early almost two years ago. I went through a tremendous amount of aging when it hit, as well as gaining a "spare tire" around my mid-section despite exercising daily. For most of the last two years (in fact the last 5 years), I've been eating an excellent raw food diet. It was doing me tremendous good, but then menopause hit and the aging hit. The last few months I've started emotional eating, eating terrible SAD foods and not exercising and spending as much time in bed as possible. I've gained a whole lot of weight, and the only good thing about it is that it plumped out my wrinkles. I couldn't stand looking at those wrinkles in the mirror, and now I don't have to. But I don't want to be overweight either!! I feel like menopause has been such a curse. I ask myself why this has happened to me, and I envy the women who are in their 50's and still haven't had it. They look younger than me. Eating badly has also made my hot flashes and night sweats worse. I hardly have them at all when I'm eating raw.

Hi Rawsome,

What kind of raw food diet were you eating before the recent emotional eating?

The aging you saw can be reversed. Wrinkles often have to do with stress, and having a spiritual practice can help reduce or eliminate stress in your life. Also, a yoga practice with its deep breathing also helps to reduce stress.

Perhaps this recent aging is a sign for you to look at things in your life that aren't working for you, and for you to address and resolve them.

Rawsome,
Trust me, it's not permanent, and nothing is set in stone. I've been there, and you can reverse it, as Bryan says. There could be any number of reasons; the bottom line is that the body is incredibly adaptable and can rejuvenate and heal itself. When I start to see too many wrinkles or I put on more than 5 pounds I do a juice or water fast and repair any negative changes I've made in my eating habits. It's amazing how quickly the body will respond.

With the advent of fall I've suddenly put on a little weight, myself, during the past couple of weeks. In the past I would have catastrophized ("Oh no, not this fall weight gain again!!",lol. But today I started a juice fast and I'm feeling really happy about getting back on track so fast and not freaking out. And stress itself can cause weight gain. I had some things goin' on this week that were a little stressful, and sure enough: bloat. Today I was able to let go of the stress and take definitive steps on a situation that was causing it, and the bloating is going away.

Do you have access to a gym? Or just walking every day and doing yoga? One of the best things I've found (and I'm post-menopause too) is doing a steam and sauna at the gym at least a couple times a week.

Sharrhan:


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Thanks Bryan and Kwan,
Both of your posts have made me feel better and more hopeful.
Bryan, to answer one of your questions, my raw diet has been excellent. It's been full of dark, leafy greens, sprouts, seeds, some fermented foods like sauerkraut and kombucha tea, fruit, hemp seeds, really good stuff. I've generally been low on the nuts and have avoided too much fat and oil. That's why the wrinkles are discouraging. However, for the 20 years prior to becoming a raw foodist, I ate terribly eating fast food twice a day (at least), drinking diet coke even for breakfast, and I also had a lot of stress and emotional issues.

kwan, I do have a gym which I haven't gone to in a couple months. I really ready to get back into it. I also used to walk every day as well. It made me feel great.

Hey Rawsome,
Just to prove my point, (and embarass myself in the process, but who cares), here are some pics from different time periods:

at 50, pre- or peri-m (looking like a 'tranny flute player--- ack!!):

at 56, post-m (looking a bit worse for the wear):

at 57 (still a little puckery and bloated):

at 59 (current pic):

and here is my true essential self, ageless and seamless:


Don't believe the hype about menopause; in fact, it can be very liberating. I lost weight after I went through the change, for example. Stay raw, ignore the myths, and you'll look back a few years from now and say 'wow, I am even more healthy, attractive and vital now than before.'

lol Kwan .. tranny flute player !! haha you are truly funny

honestly you great in all your pics

Thanks, Jodi. Heh-- yeah, I was a bottle blond for about 9 years. It was fun, but a real hassle. Eventually my hair got incredibly over-processed and I decided to go back to natural. I'll never bleach it again.

I thought about that 'tranny' comment later, after I'd written it, and realized it was not something I really wanted to say-- I have 2 (very handsome) male friends who sometimes cross-dress, and I wouldn't want to in any way disrespect them. Perez Hilton can say that; I can't! ;-p

Hi Rawsome,

I read your plight and my heart went out to you. Depression is no fun! I would start with a good cleanse of the major filtration organs; liver, kidneys, galbladder, colon. I would then incorporate some angstrom sized Magnesium along with a B complex and B3 (be sure it's buffered!). Magnesium is the calming relaxing mineral and the "B" vitamins are the anti-stress vitamins. They work together. If you have too much Magnesium and not enough B vitamins, the magnesium can't do it's job effectively and visa versa. Also, plenty of fresh air, sunshine (to recreate melatonins and serotonins) and walking in a relaxing environment, like the woods, also has benefits to overcoming depressions. Magnesium also helps with menopausal symptoms. Some report hot flashes disappearing in 24-48 hours by supplmenting with ANGSTROM sized Magnesium. Hope your feeling better soon!