WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR OCTOBER 2015

Katla49

Terri: My DH was diagnosed with diabetes at age 18 by his family's veterinarian. He was sent to a hospital and the diagnosis confirmed by them. He is a type 1 diabetic. His body no longer produces natural insulin. He wasn't expected to live more than a few years when he was diagnosed. This year is his 50th anniversary as a diabetic. He still has all his fingers and toes, but he also has developed other autoimmune diseases including arthritis, blood pressure issues and MS. He has survived 50 years as a diabetic by taking care of himself to the best of his ability. In his case, that means testing his blood sugar repeatedly each day and multiple doses of insulin daily. If your DH is a type 2 diabetic it is possible that he can get oral medications that will help him stay healthy. He will also need to eat according to the plans his medical team gives him. I hope you will be able to persuade him to take good care of himself. Taking a cooking class through work is an excellent plan. Good for you! I hope he realizes what a treasure you are. :flowerforyou:

Joyce: Thanks for the reminder that men are not always good with words. :flowerforyou:

Barbie: I am sorry that the problem with your legs can't be resolved by your chiropractor. I'm glad he has told you to go through your regular doctor. I hope it turns out to be something that is manageable without depriving you of the exercise you love. Good luck at your appointment.

Becca: The picture of you and your DH in the town square at St. Helens was taken just a few blocks from my house! :bigsmile:



We're getting ready for window & French door replacements Thursday and Friday. We have the freezer moved away from the garage window, and will move things away from the upstairs window tomorrow. They'll do the upstairs window Thursday, and the downstairs one on Friday. I'm not sure which day they'll do the garage window & French door. They claim they can get the job done even if it rains.

Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison

October Goals :
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. Work on flexibility and back strength.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep. Try to average 7 or more hours of sleep nightly.

dreamwriter

Lisa - I wish they had hauled that man off. How many kids have to die in cars before people learn this lesson? Relieved that the kids are okay but sorry that someone is being punished for acting responsibly.

Sylvia - I hate all the passwords we need these days. So frustrating! I hope you got the hard drive ordered in the end.
That husband of yours is a real sweetheart.

Terri - Good luck with stubborn men. My uncle lost 1st his toes, then his feet, then to his knees. He died of complications related to the diabetes. Once my Mom's diabetes got out of hand. Someone reported her for drunk driving (she had never had a sip of alcohol in her life) She hit a car when the cops pulled her over. It was scary and she gave up her license and we moved her closer.
Diabetes can be pretty scary if not treated with respect.

DJ. I'm glad that you went boot scooting.

Barbie - Let us know what the doc says about your legs.

Janetr - I hope you feel better soon. It sucks when the medication to make you feel better makes you sick.

Becca - Nice picture and great memories for you. Thanks for sharing.

Work seemed weird today. New male manager started today. Both the new managers are with us now. Job fair was busier than expected. Checked over schedule and there were some major problems. I made a list and NMgr can correct them herself.

DD and SIL bought a 2007 Saturn Vue hybrid. It seems like a nice car and they were able to get it for $5000.00 which seems like a good price to me.

DH has dislocated a couple of his ribs. I'm hoping this resolves before his surgery. We have an appointment on the 22nd. Thank goodness because I have lost patience with his constant nit picking and negative attitude. Maybe this will give him the much needed tune up. I know he is very concerned about the surgery. He will be in hospital 3-7 days.

Went for a short walk today but feel so exhausted. Maybe tomorrow.

Cheering our Blue Jays on even if they had a dismal defeat today.

-Sharon in sunny, southern Alberta

klanders30

Barbie-hope the dr appt leads to some relief and some answers..
Patsy-welcome, i am a newbie to the group and logging, reading forum everyday helps me stay focussed. One choice at a time. Enough already, put down the cupcake, its not worth how it makes me feel. Good luck, stick with us.
Becca- loved the family pics. Butterhorns? Calorie freee?
Karen from ny

cityjaneLondon

Barbie - I so hope you get to the bottom of this. How very frustrating for you.

Cynthia - Hope you are feeling a bit better. :flowerforyou:

Joyce - thank you for your kind words. I was delighted this morning to find that I DIDN'T PUT ON ANY WEIGHT over the weekend. :drinker: I am still that pesky one pound up from my target weight, but now I have solved the popcorn conundrum I am sure it will come off.

For those of you who are new, or who don't know me well, I have lost 56 lbs since my worst. I would like it to be 57 or 58, but I am not stressing about that. For those on British money, I have lost 4 stone. :laugh:
Three and a bit years ago I was a physical wreck and very compromised in my mobility. Breathless, bad knee, all the business. I started counting calories and exercising, building up the exercise very gradually until I was doing 536 calories a day on machines we have in our spare bedroom and another 64 calories a day on weight training on a mat in my bedroom. So 600 a day, which I always ate back. I love my food and I am a keen cook, so starving myself was not an option. It took me 18 months to lose the weight and I have been at target for 21 months. I still exercise and eat 1800 cals a day.
I will try to post a pic of me at my grandson's christening, when I wasn't quite at my worst, but near enough. I found it difficult to stand throughout the ceremony.



Here is another pic of us at the 70th birthday celebration. I hope the difference is inspiring to those just starting out.



Much love to all.

Heather UK

lhannon062709

Morning, all...

Terri – my mom was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (at the time, they called it “adult onset”) in her early sixties. The scariest thing for her was the thought of losing limbs. She had been a silent witness as they lopped one extremity after another off her father once he was in the old folk’s home. They attributed his dementia to undiagnosed diabetes leading to extremely high fevers prior to his open heart surgery. It was a genuinely horrible way to die. I know you know all this—hope you can help your DH break free from his family patterns. My mother turned her life completely around, lost more than 50 pounds, and never ended up on insulin, just low-dose medications, diet and an active life.

JanetR – sorry the leg isn’t coming forward quite as fast as it was, and really glad that they figured out what was causing the headaches. Sounds truly awful. I’m with Joyce—without a car, I’m a basket case. My mobility is so important living on the ranch. There are weeks (or were before the restaurant!) where I go into town only once, if that, but knowing I can if I choose is basic to my mental well-being.

Becca—great pictures! And yes, the lady looks quite fierce.

Darsecam1611 – Welcome! The absolute best thing when I started on my journey on April 1 was being honest about how much food was going in my body, calorie-wise. I actually started paper journaling that a month beforehand and was utterly shocked at how much I was eating, and how often! I ended up on MFP due to a business trip, as I didn’t want to pack a paper journal, and it has been vital in losing a little over 40 pounds since April 1—and this group reminds me that I’m worth continuing to be honest. When I find myself blocking the thought of how many calories are in something, I keep reminding myself that it matters—and lying to myself, through omission in particular, is the first step to gaining all of it back. Log everything. Then start adding in the exercise, the rest of it to get yourself healthy again.

Pipster – good to see you moving… hope the shoulder’s getting better.

Patsy in Oregon – Welcome! The DH (darlin’ husband) and I moved from West Texas to Oregon in 2011, and then back again to Texas in 2013. The constant dampness and cool air hurt us both so badly, it was amazing to get back down to Texas in October of 2013 and be able to walk without pain. Glad you’re here.

Carol in NC – How’s the son doing? Hope he’s recovering well… and that you’re doing well, too. I know the winters can be hard.

Barbie in WA – hope the docs can figure out what’s going on. Similar symptoms for me were the first sign of my right knee moving into full-blown osteoarthritis. I was very near bone-on-bone on the last x-ray, and afraid to have another. Still not ready for knee replacements! Hope yours is not that serious, I know you love to walk…

Rosie in So Cal – thank you, I got an e-mail from that crew chief that said “Thank you for all you taught me in such a short time, I really appreciated it.” Told her I’d be a job reference anytime, and I will. She may have frustrated me on occasion, but she knows how to work, and how to sheepdog others into it. Hope she finds something soon.

Joyce – the ranch is almost 70 miles from where the crew chief lives, as she lives north of town, and we live south… so working here is not really an option for her and her family. Plus, were they to hire and house her and her family, all the houses on the ranch are eight to ten miles from the highway, and the school buses won’t actually come through locked gates—so it’s really hard on families with school age kids. Three out of her five kids are school-age.

Grits – Cracker does indeed look like a sweetheart.

Allie – hope you feel better today!

Beth – you nailed it – “I cannot control the events swirling around me, but I can control the way I treat myself.” It’s the same as what we used to tell people when I was a flight attendant: “Please put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others in need of help.” To make sure the rest are OK, we have to be OK ourselves…

---

Thanks for the response to the monarch migration pictures. It truly leaves you in awe that these fragile creatures can make a trip that I would hesitate to make in a car!

Thank you so much, too, to those of you who had kind words for the ending of the Restaurant Impossible saga... the one-and three-year-old left in the car were just fine, in the end. It was a rather pleasant day, low 80s. My outrage for it knows no bounds… not because of the temp, but because of their safety. The restaurant is right by the Interstate, any stranger could have walked by and snatched them…

For my own sake, I think I’ve finally closed that chapter of my life. I may go back someday and use him for a villain, but would have to find some redeeming qualities in order to make him… and I’m not ready to do that yet. Every villain is the hero of his own story—and this one truly believes he is the hero—it’s part of what makes him so dangerous.

The GM has found some closure as well. Spoke to him on the way into town yesterday, and found out the new restaurant manager now reports directly to the owners—the GM and his assistants are completely out of the picture, and all are extremely glad of it. The GM looked like he’d gotten a full night’s sleep for the first time in the last three months. He really is a good man, and no blame to him for the way this turned out.

Painting yesterday at the warehouse was therapeutic, though climbing an extension ladder to paint trim around the bay doors on the warehouse was rough on my knees! It’s looking better by the day… Got the water turned on, but found there was a PVC pipe coming up in the back of the lot that was just open to the sky, so had to turn it right back off. It looks like they had an RV hookup back there at one point, and who knows, that could come in quite handy! Luckily, my husband can fix that in like five minutes…

Unluckily, while I was inside trying to turn on the toilet and the water in the battered little sink, I broke BOTH the plastic, cheap valve turny-thingies on their inbound water lines… They’re not expensive, thank goodness. It’s just annoying. But minor among all the other rehab stuff. Would have had to be done anyway...


October Goals:

• Weigh less at the end of October than I did at the end of September. Will have to lose four pounds to get back on track… but I think I can do it. Lots of physical work to do in the warehouse, plus no snackies there… no way to keep them yet.
• Run three days a week minimum. Have the time now to do this, and should make it this week.
• Finish out this restaurant contract with some semblance of honorable closure and get back to my real life with a sigh of relief!. COMPLETE!
• Log every calorie every day! Getting better about it now the stress is off.
• Keep my calories under 1500 every day. Again, getting better about this now the stress is off.

GloworminWA

So I've been putting off talking about this but I need to get it off my shoulders so I can just move on. I had a bad - no terrible 3 days ending yesterday with a day of just binge eating. Today the result was a 10lb gain. I'm sure a lot of it is water gain but right now doesn't make any difference what the gain is from - it's just there. I've felt this coming on for about a week and thought I had it under control but I was wrong.

I was going to go back to the nutrition plan I was using when I first started losing weight about 3 years ago but didn't have everything I needed in the house so just modified my eating habits until I get to the market tomorrow.

I seem to have trouble transitioning from summer to fall weather with my food. Tomorrow I'm going to make Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls. It has all the ingredients of cabbage rolls but instead of stuffing them you shred the cabbage and put everything together in a pot. This is the kind of food I seem to crave as it gets colder. Next I'll be making soup - probably Hamburger Soup as we all really loved it last time I made it.

Talk to you all tomorrow!

Gloria in southern WA

janetr7476

jmkmomm wrote: »

Becca, what is a butterhorn?

Janetr, I don't think i could live without my own car. When we have a car in the shop, and I know it's only temporary I can handle it. It was nice when Charlie wasn't able to drive so we only used one car and Michelle was having real bad car trouble so we had one she could use for as long as she needed it. The minivan is the car we take on vacation since it's a 7 passenger. But with this ulcerative colitis i don't know if those days are over for us. For right now they are. It was good for Charlie to see that oldest daughter and husband was able to put together enough money to have a fantastic 2 day vacation

Barbie, sorry I almost ruined your show results. I normally don't talk about different TV shows unless some one has already made a comment about it.

Joyce, Indiana

This is just temporary too. He will be buying a smaller vehicle, like a Jeep, etc. That we can pull behind the motor home. Timing was just bad with the truck selling a few days before he has to leave.

Janetr OKC

janetr7476

Sharon in sunny, southern Alberta - thanks I'm doing much better now. Apparently when I decreased the amount I'd been taking, I did it too drastically, too quickly. I do feel much better this morning.

Heather - You are definitely an inspiration to us all. You have done a fantastic job. Love the pics. I had not ever seen a "before" pic. What a difference. Great job.

Lisa - Thankfully the knee itself is actually doing very well. Pain meds and I have struggled for many years. Hopefully we have the dosage worked out now. I should only be without a car for four days. Thankfully the neighbors/best friends have offered their small truck to Jack and/or me, if needed. Glad the restaurant business is behind you. Your phenomenal.

Becca - you have a beautiful family. Love the pics. I wondered if you were close to Katla when you mentioned Halloween Town. And sure enough you were.

Janetr OKC

estella430

Good morning everyone, my name is Estell. I'm 55 years old and I need motivation to help me change the way I eat. I have high blood pressure and was diagnosed with Afib. I haven't completely changed my diet because of lack of will power. I just don't know how to get rid of the sugar and salt craving but it's really important that I change my eating habits asap. Thanks for listening guys.

estella430

You guys seem to be so happy and motivated. I'm trying to get there.

cityjaneLondon

Welcome estella and the other new people. I hope you have seen my pics. I always love seeing other people's success stories. I forgot to add that I am 66, so if I look a bit wrinkly that's because I am! :laugh:
Don't let your age be an excuse. :noway:

Heather UK

barbiecat

jmkmomm wrote: »

Barbie, sorry I almost ruined your show results. I normally don't talk about different TV shows unless some one has already made a comment about it.

Joyce, Indiana

Joyce, I know that people love to talk about DWTS so I know to stay away from the MFP forums because someone will say something...when the DWTS results show was on Tuesday and I didn't watch til Wednesday afternoon, I stayed out of conversations at my line dance class so I wouldn't hear the results. It's my problem because I don't stay up to watch the show.....it just made me smile to realize that I was right to stay off the thread til I'd watched the show.....yes, the right couple got voted off this week....there are so many good dancers left that each week will be sad....I still have four favorites.

csofled

Checking in after a long 2 weeks.

The back story: My MIL came for a 4 day visit from South Florida as part of a forced hospice care respite program. My FIL had been under hospice care in their home for over a year and she was beginning to fold under the pressure she was putting herself under to keep him alive. He was taken "away from her" into the hospice unit at the local hospital and she was told she could not visit him. My husband's siblings who live near her would visit him daily and report to her. She knew she could only do this if she left the area so decided to visit us in NE Ohio. We weren't sure she would make it here but she did and we even flew our children in from Chicago to surprise her. She had a good visit but as expected worried herself about the care of her husband. Unbeknownst to us she had been "force" feeding him a Boost drink every evening and that small amount of calories was keeping him alive. He was in a near comatose state at this point and couldn't communicate at all. She returned home on a Monday evening and had her daughter take her immediately to the hospital to see her husband. She kissed him and told him she was home now and that she would be back tomorrow to take him home. Well he must have realized he could let go as she was able to carry on without him because he passed at midnight of that day. He was finally at peace. In Jewish tradition he needed to be buried within 24 hours. Somehow the family coordinated all of us arriving in NY city Wednesday morning of last week (where their cemetery plots are located) from 5 locations around the USA. We were loaded into a limo and to the cemetery for the burial. It was a beautiful day in every respect. Sad but having the knowledge that he had lived a long (80+ years) life giving so much to all those lives he had touched made it that much more bearable. We returned home to NE Ohio and immediately packed up for a trip to Chicago to spend several days in mourning ( in Jewish tradition we have several days of sitting shiva, a mourning period) with our children. Finally home and returning to our routine of life.

I was able to remain conscious of my MFP goals during these days and am returning to my normal routine which I missed. In the past I would have called it a mess and dropped everything but this time my commitment is evident to me which I am grateful.

There is such finality in death. This journey has really made us think about our own mortality. We have opened discussions with our children (25 & 27 yo) as to how we want and don't want to be taken care of in our old age. They were both a great comfort to us during the burial and since it was the first of 4 grandparent's to go provided them with a new circle of life experience.

When I have time I will read back through the many, many, many posts our little group has generated. In the mean time passing on comfort, prayers and encouragement to those in need.

Cheri in sunny NE Ohio

Francesun

Hello Everyone: I'm new at this. Joined last week lost 4 lbs. This week so far nothing. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've been walking 10,000 steps a day x 5, from no walking at all. Changed my eating habits. Measuring everything. Help!

Frances
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Cheri - why did they prevent you MnL from visiting with your FnL? That's weird! That would have upset me.

miriamwithcats

When I was taking care of my mentally retarded cousin who was dying of brain cancer, the hospice nurse recognized that I was at the end of my ability to cope, and they put him in to a nursing home. It was while he was there that he became comatose, and died several days after I had him home again. The hospice staff are trained to look at caretaker burnout and intervene so it will be a peaceful death, not one where the burned out caregiver says harsh things or falls apart.

Cheri, sorry for your loss. Sounds like it was a beautiful family time.

pipcd34

klanders30 wrote: »

Karen from NY

pipcd34 wrote: »

morning peeps -
had a lil more energy in working out this morning. kirby told me we are going to get the bug (volkswagon bug 1971) running again to drive. he got it for me for one of my birthdays. it started right up for him yesterday. he's going to have modern disc brakes put in and we'll drive it like once a week to keep it going. he was thinking about selling it (with my permission) and getting another restored one. this one was bought restored from california. the inside is all redone, just need to replace the dash if he wanted. when we retire, that will be the driving around car instead of the beast that we use to haul the airstream (save gas of course when we're not riding).


speaking of vw bugs....I was in my early 20s, flat broke, my first boyfriend gave me a vw bug to drive; it had a rusted floor, you could actually see the pavement below your feet on the passenger side! As I was driving one winter evening through the Baltimore harbor tunnel, I heard a loud explosion and a white sticky residue flew out all over the car interior. Unbelievably, I did not lose control of the car-- a can of "Fix-o-flat" had exploded inside the car as it was lodged next to the floor heater! Covered with sticky gluey residue I made it home in one piece. How in the world did I ever survive my early 20s.....I truly had a guardian angel, with a great sense of humor. And oh, how I loved that VW bug (the boyfriend meh, not so much)

lmao, glad u were ok. the stories i could tell you... i had a bug too in my 20's. when i'm able to type with both hands or i have time, i'll tell u about some of them

cityjaneLondon

Cheri - My thoughts are with your family. It sounds as if it all passed off as well as it could do under the circumstances. How good to have such a strong family. Well done for keeping up your regime. :flowerforyou:
You are absolutely right about us having to think about our own end of life and prepare for it. I have been reading a lot of books about it all recently. I am determined not to linger in a debilitated state, nor to allow others to strive to keep me alive when my time is up. My main worry is that I will get dementia and not be able to determine my own agenda.
Hugs for you and your family.

Heather UK

pipcd34

morning peeps and new peep-c's -

there's so much i wanna respond to but it's hard, don't have my other monitor (at home).

from what i can remember,

annr - love your pics!

gloworminwa- don't stress, that happens to everyone, just get back on the bandwagon. one weekend when kirby is a work we have to go walking, (i'll go your pace)

since i haven't been riding to the gym, i've been taking showers here at home and wearing "normal clothes". i put on one of my favorite skirts (looked it was a size 10) and the only thing keeping it up were my hips. :0/ not going to get it altered, i might as well buy a new skirt if i want one. i guess this is a good way to slowly find out what i need to get rid of. wearing size 4-6 depending on style.

i can't believe i don't have a pic of my bug, especially the day it was delivered. when we get it cleaned up i'll take a pic.

not too long ago i updated my profile and i put that i wanted to maintain and mfp put me on 1900 cal to eat! ahhhh ain't gonna do that. kirby is off on sat so he's gonna do another long run so that means i'm gonna have another long workout. type to ya later

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

OK - maybe that makes some sense. I have a friend whose oldest daughter was paralyzed from her neck all the way down and is in a nursing home. She normally sits with her; but, since her cancer has come back she is unable to visit with her because the daughter had a fever. She had pneumonia and was in the hospital a little less than a week. While there they found that she had gallbladder issues that need to be operated on; but, there is a chance she won't survive the procedure. She could 'die' from the gallbladder issues. Her husband has been told that he has 10 days to decide if they operate. My friend is upset about it; the husband has been talked to re: options and I know that my friend would be upset. She'd been paralyzed for about 20 years from a 4-wheeler turning over on her. It's sad to hear about it; friend is planning on getting some of those mask that sometime the MDs and nurses wear and spend time with the patient. She is planning on getting a mask so she can spend time with her daughter before S-n-L decides what and how his decision will affect his wife. Early on, they tried to get him to divorce her and move on with his life; but, he would not do it and he is religious about visiting with her.

Starting last night we have been attempting to teach "Cracker" to stay and wait until I finish pouring out her food. She also was a little better about getting in her pen when I fed her the yogurt treats. She gets food 2x a day; food for doing things like 'tricks' - getting into bed, sitting, laying down, and staying where we tell her to 'stay'. That is the hard part. She got into her crate without having to drag her into it, reluctantly; but she made it.

I think it was a shame that the HS banned the cheerleaders from wearing 'pink' cheerleading outfits to celebrate that this month is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month". They had bought the uniforms themselves. That isn't a good reason - would not allow them to wear them because others would not be wearing them. I'm thinking that being 'politically correct' has gone way too far. Our football players will wear something pink - most socks, some shoes, etc. during them month. The referees use 'pink' whistles. It's not like the school was expected to buy them. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Cheerleading outfits are not cheap either.