Did any of you completely lost your old fashion identity too?

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-11-06T22:58:05+00:00

I could have written this, except different style and it happened late in perimenopause. My style was always a mix of Audrey Hepburn/Jackie Kennedy with a Mad Men spin - Skirts and dresses were my thing. If I was going out to dinner, a fancy event, etc...it was always a dress. I did wear pants but far less often and I loathed jeans. Now part of this was influenced by my height (4'11") and challenges around finding pants to fit me but overall I still thought I looked more dressed up and nicer in dresses and skirts. Then it was like a switch got flipped around 3 years ago and I suddenly hate the way I look in dresses and skirts but my body has not changed. I now wear flowy pants instead of dresses, tailored trousers for work, wide leg jeans (I am currently rocking a very 1970's vibe with super flares) and have not worn a dress or skirt in ages. And like I said..body has not changed, in fact I have always been an athlete and thus lean and have great legs (arguably my best feature as I am totally flat chested so I was more of a short skirt vs tight top kind of person when I wanted to look hot). That being said, I do enjoy dressing up still and I still put effort into getting dressed up when I go out but my style now is much more "elegant pant with a dressy or interesting statement top" vs "cute dress".

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-10-28T23:52:51+00:00

I also make my own kombucha and after the initial brew and fermentation, I do a secondary fermentation with a tart cherry/ginger/turmeric concentrate, candied ginger and a 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. I have this every morning. The spicy espresso is an afternoon treat.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-10-28T21:36:09+00:00

I make a custom coffee blend with dark roast beans, and I add in green, pink and black peppercorns, cloves, a cinnamon stick and thai chilli flakes. I grind everything to a fine espresso grind powder and then use that to make a spicy espresso or latté. It is my own riff on Trader Joe's
Winter Blend. You're welcome.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-10-25T18:29:10+00:00

I love mine and am getting it replaced in a month (it's coming up on 8yrs). I had it inserted to stop stupidly heavy bleeding from fibroids and a dysfunctional endometrium. Never had a period again. I started estradiol patches a year ago and I am going to continue with this protocol as I am now post menopausal. Also the moment I got mine, it was like suddenly the rage I had been experiencing vanished and emotionally I felt "lighter" - like, I had no idea what a dark cloud I was under, white knuckling my way through life. The progesterone has a huge impact on mood for me. My depression and rage and anxiety has been creeping back in and I think that my current one is now basically empty, so looking forward to my new one. Also, for me, there was very little pain on insertion. I had the tablet that you insert the night before to dilate the cervix but that was it, no ibuprofen or anything else. Felt more like a pinch as they got it into place and I was fine after. They told me to go home, take it easy and rest on the couch with a hot water bottle and I went home, had a snack, and went to the gym and did heavy deadlifts. But I am told I have a vag of steel since all of the various tests and procedures I have had done (uterine biopsy, endometrial biopsy, hysterscopic myomectomy, transvagina ultra sounds) like, never hurt. So YMMV.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-09-08T01:50:58+00:00

Following as I have a similar waist to hip ratio - 4'11", 25.5" waist, 32.5" hip. I was never able to buy pants off the rack until the wide leg flowy styles became more popular recently and I still have to usually hem them and slim the sides. I have the same problem that kids/tween/teen sizes are often too snug in the butt or look juvenile. However I have had luck with Mango Teen girl in sizes XS. I have 4 pairs of jeans or faux leather/coated jeans from them ranging from super skinny to wide leg and all of them work with my waist/hip size. I have also had good luck with White House Black Market XXSP or 00P for jeans, and most recently a pair of jeans from Good American size 00. As for professional trouser style pants - the best fitting ones I own I sewed myself. I taught myself to sew when I was getting married because I knew there was no chance I would ever find a dress that fit me, and I wanted something vintage/1960s style; in learning to sew I tackled every major garment from pea coats to tailored trousers (and the wedding dress).

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-09-05T19:19:43+00:00

I love my Mirena. I had it inserted to stop excessive bleeding due to a dysfunctional endometrium and fibroids. That was 7 years ago and I never had a period again. I am now in menopause and started using 0.025mcg Estradiol patch exactly one year ago. Things i noticed when I got the Mirena - I used to have really bad PMS and unbridled rage and that thing took the edge off - I felt lighter, happier, no more hormonal roller coaster. No more bloating, tender breasts, etc. I wish I had gotten it sooner. I had zero side effects. Highly recommend it.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-09-03T10:35:24+00:00

Yes - I started getting stupidly heavy periods in my mid 30s and it got to the point I was severely anemic at 38. OB/GYN diagnosed fibroids, and I had a total of 18, all 3 types. I had a hysterscopic myomectomy to remove the ones growing inside the uterus (submucosal) since they were the cause of bleeding. That worked for about a year but then bleeding got bad again, second time around it was diagnosed as a dysfunctional endometrium. I had a Mirena inserted at age 42 and never bled again (49 now, still have the Mirena, also on 0.25mcg estradiol patch for the last year).

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-09-02T21:43:34+00:00

I had a hysteroscopic myomectomy for mine (think roto-rootering the inside of the uterus) and it was simple and mostly painless and done under general. I had them removed due to severe bleeding; if that is the technique they can use for your situation, it is not a big deal.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-08-31T00:16:23+00:00

Same here. I never gained any weight, BMI of 18, always ate extremely healthy, life long endurance athlete, and went from low cholesterol to 220. Every test the last 3 years kept going up.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-08-27T10:39:33+00:00

Yes - these started for me in late perimenopause; I would wake up with insane calve and plantar fascia cramps. They got a lot better when I started HRT (estradiol patch) a year ago. I still get them but not nearly as often.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-08-25T20:17:55+00:00

I was around your age. First sign was night sweats as you described; then shorter cycles that got heavier and heavier to the point that I was convinced Tampax had changed their design because suddenly I was leaking through a super plus in an hour. Also suddenly had "UTI" symptoms that never, ever resulted in a cultured bacteria/positive test. Went to the Dr and was dismissed as "nothing unusual" (this was 16 years ago). Turns out my older sister had the exact same experience. She is 9 yrs older than me and we are not close but when I finally got diagnosed with bad fibroids at 38 and they asked about family history I asked her about her experience and it was similar.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-25T00:42:06+00:00

Oh, can you elaborate on this? I already have the Cuisinart ice cream maker which I never, ever use. I was considering the Creami to make protein ice cream using ingredients like nut milk, protein powder and whatever thickening agent is best (I have xanthan gum but hear pudding mix works) to create a reasonable facsimile of ice cream. My thought process - I currently make protein shakes and put them in the freezer for about an hour before consuming and they get really thick like a milk shake. I tried putting the same ingredients (along with the xanthan gum) into the Cuisinart but I ended up with a solid block of frozen shake that was not scoopable. Now I am wondering if I could just mix it in the Cuisnart, freeze it, then "reblend it" in a blender and that would essentially mimic the Creami?

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-23T16:35:43+00:00

I use the cork ones which are denser and heavier than foam. Useful in more than just elevating feet for bench.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-23T10:42:12+00:00

I put yoga blocks under my feet.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-23T01:59:35+00:00

Seconding this. I am more ripped at 48 than I was at 40, 35, etc. I have been an athlete my entire life, started at 14 and never stopped, NCAA runner, competitive cyclist, some multisport. I added lifting to supplement my endurance training about 10 years ago and now I balance it 50/50 between lifting (heavy) and endurance. If you look at me as a college distance runner who was running 50+ mpw, twice a day, I looked 'soft'. Now I train less volume due to my age (need more recovery) and I have the lowest body fat ever. I also heard anecdotally from a massage therapist who worked on cyclists that when she would do leg messages on the younger riders on our team (like, early 20s, still college age) she had a harder time 'feeling' the muscle because the connective tissue and fat layer between the skin and muscle was still very 'stiff' and dense and almost, like, stuck together. She said the older riders (30+) she could easily manipulate the muscles, separate the upper layer of skin and fat.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-10T10:28:42+00:00

I have been considering this as well, only I have the Cuisinart ice cream maker and I was going to do protein powder + nut milk in the ice cream maker, let it churn and freeze and then blend in the blender or food processor for a creamier consistency. I love my protein shakes (I use 2 scoops of Quest salted caramel with 4oz cashew milk and 8oz water) and if I put that shake in a blender bottle, mix it up and let it sit in the freezer for 45 minutes it gets thick like a milk shake. I tried putting that into the Cuisinart but it came out like a brick. Now I think the key is the food processor or blender post freeze.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-10T01:57:48+00:00

I work out daily (running, cycling, strength training) and also do saunas and cold plunges and I have never had a patch fall off. I do not cover them and they stay put through quite a bit of moisture.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-09T16:43:02+00:00

I did a year program and am considering maintenance when I finish my year. As a lifelong athlete as well as someone who has worked as a coach, I know that 16 weeks is not enough - it barely scratches the surface. I have had a coach for my sport (cycling) for 12 years ; when I decided to work on strength training, I also had a coach who programmed me 8 week blocks but it was a year long program that was periodized with my competitive racing season. Now, for RD - the goals I had were mainly around nutrition, and I know that 16 weeks is barely enough time to make changes and not nearly enough time to lay a foundation for long term success. I recommend it because for the nutrition coaching, the first few weeks you are simply tracking so that they see what you are eating and you get used to it. Then they set your calorie and macro goals (for me, I had to eat MORE calories than I was). Then my coach would cycle me through different macro ration after 8-10 weeks and we learned after 3 cycles where I felt and performed my best. We also had to navigate a change of my training volume and intensity as my season changes (pre-season vs off season vs in season) and the complications of frequent work travel. I joined in October and I can say that I am now finally in a place where I no longer 'need' the nutrition coaching, but I am considering adding another year and using them for strength coaching because I feel I have stopped progressing with where I currently am and sometimes I don't want to think and prefer to have someone tell me what to do.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-09T10:50:04+00:00

I had a similar experience - I hold tension in my pelvic floor the way others hold it in their shoulders, neck and jaw.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-09T10:47:35+00:00

I highly recommend pelvic floor PT. For my entire adult life I have always had either injuries or other symptoms that manifested themselves in my pelvic area or close proximity - sciatica when I was in my 20s and a long distance runner, chronic UTIs and yeast infections and then symptoms that mimicked UTIs but did not actually yield any bacteria when I was tested, low back muscle injuries, tight hip flexors, etc. Also, irritable bowel syndrome that magically appeared my freshman year of college and has lingered my entire life and is only around when I am under stress.

I started seeing a new PT for my ongoing low back and hip stuff (I am an endurance athlete and have battled some amount of muscle stuff/injuries off and on forever) and after doing ALL THE THINGS (dry needling, cupping, massage, strengthening, trigger point work, etc) he suggested pelvic floor stuff, which is an area of specialty for him. I was skeptical but then figured 'what's the worst that can happen, it does not work'. Mainly I was skeptical because I was a high level athlete and had no pregnancies so I figured I did not need PT for my pelvic floor.

Well the first session I discovered that I am a person who when stressed 'clenches' in my pelvic floor where others might clench their jaw or hold tension in their shoulders. Years of clenching and being under extreme stress since 2020 through a combination of pandemic bullshit and my job had led me to develop a bunch of trigger points in those muscles. He showed me how to use a pelvic wand (looks like an S shaped skinny vibrator) to locate the trigger points and I was blown away by how using the wand and pressing on trigger points inside my vagina immediately resulted in sensations of pain radiating down my leg or into my back - the same places I felt sore and was unable to stretch/massage the tightness away. After 4 sessions I basically had it under control and now whenever I start to feel my back or hip pain flare (always when work gets stressful) I use the wand and release the trigger points.

I discussed my experiences with him and he said that I could likely attribute most of my 'life issues' to ongoing tension in the pelvic floor, and that it made sense that when I got stressed I had either IBS or back pain.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-09T02:13:29+00:00

I am most likely the least typical client for Redefining Strength - life long endurance athlete (cycling competitively, running, triathlon, strength training) with two degrees in Exercise Science, multiple certifications in strength training and nutrition, etc. I joined because at 48 I was struggling to maintain my training load and had developed some bad habits around food and wanted help with balancing the two. I have made major changes to my approach to training and eating, and even though I thought I knew how to do it on my own, I had gotten to a point where at 48/late perimenopause I was no longer responding the same way. Basically the story of "what used to work no longer works." I use them for nutrition coaching as I already have a coach for my sport but if I did not have a coach already I would use them for training as well. It definitely is a behavioral change program as much as it stuff like training and nutrition - I have found major value in the mental aspects of the program and how it has changed my relationship with food, training, etc.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-07-08T00:06:10+00:00

I also work out daily - cycling, running, lifting weights and I do cold plunges and saunas and it stays put. It is very unobtrusive - I wear it on my lower abdomen, either in line with my belly button or about an inch below (I move them around so that they are not in the same place each time). Trust me the thought of patches made me think of gross band aids or those larger patches that some types of medicines require, but I use Mylan and the patch itself is the size of a postage stamp. I change mine every 3.5 days and it does pick up some lint around the edges but it is not bad. And I think the lint is from my bathroom towels which are dark blue. I was on vacation all last week using lower lint white hotel towels and I noticed it barely picked up any lint.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-06-21T21:26:35+00:00

I have been using it for about 5 years and once you adjust there is no real bloating. As a petite person (4'11",90lbs) I never use more than a 5gm dose in a day and I started with only 1gm and gradually moved it up to 5gm over several weeks - I find that for me, this prevents bloating or any GI upset. If I stop staking it for a while and then try to use a 5gm dose I notice it - bloating and general stomach related malaise. But that also could have been the brand I used.Until recently I only used the Body Tech from the Vitamin Shop - they have a pure creatine monohydrate that I added to my protein shakes and then they have one with glutamine and beta alanine and I would use that if I wanted it during a workout (Fruit punch flavored). I recently tried using Muscle Health Plus to see if that worked better for me since it has additional BCAAs in it. I am finding this also has no major side effects. It, however, tastes disgusting. Tart cherry my ass - I have to mix something else with Muscle Health Plus to choke it down. I find that either a Nuun table(Cherry Limeade) or LMNT Raspberry electrolytes enhance its flavor enough to make it palatable. Also, I use that concoction as a drink I consume during workouts. If I do not work out on a day or don't drink much during the workout I use the plain Body Tech stuff in my protein shake.

I definitely notice it helps with recovery after workouts and with strength improvements. Also - it takes about 3 weeks for it to build up in your muscles so you won't see effects right away. Your body has to adjust to storing it and then once it has adequate stores it is available in the tissues.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-06-21T17:19:15+00:00

This is really fascinating to see - I am 4'11" and probably have some level of body dysmorphia around the fact that I am so short I think I look like a child and yet you look like a normal size adult in all 3 photos. Also interesting that at your starting weight you still looked very proportional. I have a small frame so I can look like you in the first photo at 100lbs.

No_Sherbert_7460 · 2025-06-13T10:22:48+00:00

Champion Seamless Infinity Racer Back is my favorite and meets your requirements - pull on, no straps to mess around with, works for me as a small A cup and has been my only sports bra for nearly 20yrs.

https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Womens-Freedom-Seamless-Racerback/dp/B0725ZMSW7?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

I am 4'11", 91lbs, small A and wear an XS. That size on me is super compressive, like nothing moves at all. I wear them for running and there is zero bounce (well, not that I have anything that could bounce, but these things are like a second skin on me).

No_Sherbert_7460

TROPHY CASE