WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY

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Replies

  • Angusowner
    Angusowner Posts: 34
    Hi, I'm new here. Actually, my college-aged daughter is helping me through the tech part. She, my husband, and I are all on board with Myfitnesspal. She has been blogging, finding friends, and on the message boards and said that has really helped keep her on track. She suggested that I do the same. This is a great program so far us. I like that it keeps track of sodium and fat as well as calories. When my daughter actual said that she liked to exercise because of how it affects her daily total - I knew it was a good deal!
  • msh0530
    msh0530 Posts: 1,675 Member
    Well, I don't quite have everything done for the trip tomorrow, but I'm close, and too tired to continue, so I'm calling it a day. I will probably get on just long enough in the morning to read anything you all post overnight, as that is pretty much my habit when I get out of bed, but won't have time to post.
    My plans? My husband, my 5 year old grandson, and I are going to camp for 7 nights near Taos, NM and see the sights around there. Then we will move to Mueller State Park, west of Colorado Springs, CO, for 4 more nights. The Enchanted Circle of NM and the Springs area of CO are two of our favorite vacation spots. We will be joined in NM by 2 daughters, 2 nieces, and their families. Colorado will just be the three of us, and we plan to take the grandson to the North Pole while we are near Pikes Peak. We haven't actually been to Mueller before, so I am looking forward to a new favorite.
    You probably won't hear from me again until about the 23rd, but know that I am out there, having a great time, and occasionally thinking of you! Here's to smart choices!
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,202 Member
    :flowerforyou: Welcome to Eli William :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

    :flowerforyou: Chiclet, thank you for the information about Greek food.....as it turns out, we ended up at Olive Garden for lunch and had soup, salad, and breadsticks ( a sodium disaster).......for dinner I had a Greek salad and pita and enjoyed every bit of my day filled with food that I wouldn't normally eat (I usually stay away from bread and dairy)...

    :flowerforyou: I got a fair amount of exercise....yoga and exercise bike and "Butt 'N' Gut" at home, walking while waiting for the ferry, walking on the ferry, and then our hotel room is two doors down from the fitness center.

    :flowerforyou: On Thursday an hour before I had to take the cats to be boarded I noticed that Bernie was still outside......I walked up and down in the back yard calling his name with no luck, then DH came out on the deck and tapped a cat food dish with a spoon and Bernie came out of the trees three houses away racing for the house to get his dinner :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: not as good as the stories you all told but it had us in stitches.

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: welcome to the newcomers on the thread.....keep coming back....this is a great place to be.:bigsmile:
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Barbie-

    Your story about the "missing" cat, the food dish and the spoon reminds me of when we had my Siamese cat, Samantha, AKA "molecatcher extraordinaire":bigsmile: She like to hide out in the house, and it was a big house, so there were lots of nooks and crannies. After I wandered the house calling her to no avail, my mom got smart and simply went in the kitchen and ran the can opener. Result: The "Incredible Re-appearing Cat" arrived in the kitchen in record time!!!:laugh: :laugh:

    Mary,

    Your trip sounds ambitious, but fun. We will look forward to hearing all about it when you get back.

    Newbies,

    Welcome. :flowerforyou: We are always available to offer support, a laugh, answer a question. Chiclet, you are very courageous to share your story with us. You have made great progress.:drinker: :drinker:

    It is late, and I have an appointment at 9am to take two of my three pesky little doggies in for a vet checkup. Mai Li appears to be doing better, as far as her back pain is concerned, and I HOPE Bradley will show a weight gain, as I have been just about standing on my head to get him to eat. Pepper doesn't need a checkup, but he will come along for moral support, and because he is a big wussie who doesn't like to stay home alone!!:noway: :laugh: :laugh:

    Have a good weekend all.

    Barb
  • imnadda
    imnadda Posts: 4 Member
    :smile: Hi everyone. I am still learning this site. :flowerforyou: I love it tho. Wanted to mark a spot. Hope I can learn something
  • mimi7grands
    mimi7grands Posts: 616
    I’ve just spent the past 2 hours trying to catch up with the posts. We ARE prolific posters. (Or, as Barb correctly says, gabby! :laugh: ) I have missed you so much but have to give up on responding personally to each of you.

    I would like to say “Welcome” to all the newcomers. You have come to an amazing place for motivation and reinforcement of new attitudes and habits related to eating and exercising. Awesome, awesome, awesome. :heart:

    I spent the first day back from Nevada babysitting my two granddaughters then had my two grandsons overnight and all day. They are whippersnappers and then some. The boys and I went swimming today. Matthew (9 years old) laughed at how my legs “waved” around in the water.

    It was an opportunity to teach him about not laughing at people because you might hurt their feelings. That’s another way of saying Grandma almost cried! :sad: Little monster. I don’t like the saggy skin (paying for plastic surgery may be reason enough for going back to work, 'though probably not) but I’m proud to have lost the weight.

    ***

    Chicletgirl, I got a lap band 9 years ago. I wouldn’t do it again. If someone has what it takes to eat healthfully, she has what it takes to lose weight with OR without the lap band. The lap band flat out won't work if you can't get your eating in line.

    I weighed 324 when I got the lap band, lost 80 lbs, then crept back up to 300. (I thought I’d kept off more but, when I checked the records, it was only 24 lbs.) I still have it but don't have the band filled anymore, so don't have any restriction.

    I like to eat plenty of volume. I didn't put two and two together before I got the band (there's that screening thing again) but, now that I know I like to eat lots of food, I know that, for me, the lap band (or any other weight loss surgery) doesn’t make sense. :noway: For the first time in my life (and I’ve “succeeded” with many diets, only to regain all the weight plus some each time) I’m loving what I’m eating and never feel hungry or as if I were on a diet. The bonus is that I’m losing weight doing it. :happy:

    Another bonus is that I’m much more cheerful and rarely get down in the dumps anymore. That used to be a regular occurrence. Quite often, the few times I have found myself feeling blue, I've realized I haven't eaten veggies that day. Kind of weird, but true.

    I eat lots of veggies and fruits. Up until last January, I thought I didn’t like them! That's when I started roasting fresh veggies in a hot oven. Usually at 475 for 15 minutes (less for asparagus, which is a fave of mine). They’re also fabulous grilled on a barbecue. They’re a whole different animal…well…veggie...than steamed veggies and way different from anything that starts out frozen or canned.

    My dad was a staunch supported of the Clean Plate club. When I think back to when I was a kid and the many times I sat at the dinner table trying to choke down cold (because it took me so long to eat them), previously frozen, peas, I have an idea of why I didn't like vegetables! Covering them with catsup helped a little but not enough. And the dog wouldn't eat them!

    It’s funny, I eat pretty close to the recommended daily servings of fruits and veggies, but so many people don’t. We often think “portion control.” But, how often do we think about whether we’ve eaten ENOUGH fruits and veggies? If our kids focused on getting ENOUGH fruits and veggies (before they chowed down on fast food), we'd have a lot fewer overweight and unhappy kids.

    Tracking what I eat in MFP has been a revelation to me. I’m much more aware of nutrition and how exercise affects the number of calories we can eat. However, the one thing it doesn’t track is how many fruits and veggies we’re eating. I aim for 3-4 servings of fruit and 4-5 servings of veggies. Truly, that’s within the recommended amount! When you eat the veggies, especially when you eat them BEFORE you eat anything else, it’s amazing how your willpower increases!

    Can you tell you’ve touched a chord with me? I’m so happy for this new way of eating and for all the supportive people in this group.

    ***

    Laura, welcome to baby Eli! Babies are awesome! So sweet. Being a grandma is awesome too (most of the time!!)

    ***

    Mary, I know you’re on vacation now, but your story about the cat bringing in the mouse reminded me of when I had maybe 30 people in my church singles group sitting in a circle in my family room when, in through the pet door and into the center of the circle, marches my cat, proudly carrying a poor little mouse. Still living. Eeek!

    ***

    Barbara, there seems to be a lot of that going around (an extra pound or two…or so), I’m glad you’re back on track. Having veggies handy will help a lot.

    ***

    Jackie, my prayers for your dad. Thanks for the poem. I’m still laughing!

    ***

    Robin, I love thinking of you out in the sunshine on skates! You are so dedicated when it comes to exercise and what you eat. You inspire me.

    ***

    Good night to all my friends. I've missed you a lot. I'm glad to be back and reading your posts. Thank you for helping me stay on track. :flowerforyou:
  • tiarapants
    tiarapants Posts: 1,015 Member
    Good morning ladies. We have a very warm Saturday here. I'm hoping it's not going to be quite as hot as it was yesterday (34 c). Being a 'delicate little flower' I can't handle too much heat and start to wilt extremely quickly.

    I didn't sleep well last night (no change there, I seldom do). In the end I got out of bed and came downstairs to read and drink water. DH must have been completely out of it as he didn't hear me get up. In fact, he slept late and only just got up. He's just brought me my morning coffee (best drink of the day!)

    My sister and my youngest daughter and I have all been chatting online this morning - we were all part of the wide awake club today! DD#2 is coming over in a couple of hours. She's going to help me go through some more stuff to help me decide what fits and what is too large. I really cannot believe the amount of clothes I have!! When I was working, I used to wear Armani suits. I could probably fit into some of them again now, but I think I'm going to let most of them go. Even if I get another job one day (I mean one where I have to leave the house rather than sitting in front of the computer doing Latin Translation!) I don't want to go back to working in a 'suit-wearing environment'. At the time, I loved my job but I know now that it was extremely stressful and I was never able to switch off from it. My sister used to be librarian at Kew Gardens and I always envied the relaxed atmosphere she worked in.

    Dad's not feeling well again today. He's got an appointment at the hospital on Monday afternoon and he's quite convinced that it's going to be bad news. Is it Tuesday yet?

    Our newish neighbours have taken to cooking barbeques every single evening and it's starting to make me feel really nauseous. I know it sounds petty, but as a vegetarian I hate the smell of charring meat. It's got so bad that I won't have the windows open at the back of the house. Bbqs don't worry me once in a while, but it's really getting tedious now that it's every single night. Plus, they don't start cooking until about 9pm, so it kind of lingers all night long. They are generally nice people and I won't complain to them though.

    I'm loving all the cat stories! I really miss animals and would love to get another dog, but DH is set against it right now. I'm trying to wear him down! It's not as if I'd want a big dog - although I'd love one - I was thinking of something like a sausage dog, how cute would that be? Last year, for my 50th birthday, DH bought me a gorgeous diamond ring with 13 perfect diamonds in (he had it specially made as 13 is my lucky number, the day I was born and also the day we got married). When he passed me the little box I teased him that I couldn't hear barking coming from it! For some reason I had expected him to buy me a doggy for my birthday. I am certainly not complaining though, I love my diamonds! Even now, I like to see the sun sparkle on them. (Still, a dog would be nice!!)

    Today I'm going to be extra mindful of what I'm eating. My plan is to make sure that I eat highly nutritious food only and I've been keeping to it 99% of the time. I'm just a little concerned that I won't get as much exercise as I should in this weather. Plenty of water though!

    Speaking of food, I'm off to cook DH his breakfast now - Saturday treat for him is a cooked breakfast.

    Have a good Saturday whatever you're doing.

    Amanda x
  • 2201953
    2201953 Posts: 6 Member
    I need some encouragement. The scale has been stuck for the last month. I've read all the posts about eating and I really feel I am eating healthier than ever. I have upped my exercise, drink my water, but the scale doesn't want to move. Any suggestions? I have lost 12 lbs since March, but the last few weeks nothing is happening. I have 20 - 30 more pounds to go, but may just be happy I'm not as big as I was. My family is all going to be home this next week which will mean lots of cooking, eating out, and snacks around - I wish things had been going better so I would have more stamina going into this coming week and a half! I'm really afraid I will gain back what I have lost!
    How do you get less sugars? If I eat my fruits, I am always over. I also struggle getting all of my potassium. Suggestions?
  • BarbieCat1
    BarbieCat1 Posts: 82
    My scale moved downwards again after being "stuck" for 5 days... finally, I've met a short term goal!

    SuzyQ, thanks for the info on the recipe calculator! I do a lot of cooking from scratch and it's been hard to get a handle on real calories. I've just been estimating, but human nature being what it is, I've probably been guessing on the low side. And aren't Sandwich thins a good new product? My DH likes them too. I've switched his full fat mayo for low fat and he hasn't even noticed when it's on this

    Re: Greek restaurants... One can eat well there, but you need to be careful. We have a nice Greek cafe near us. One can order kabobs with a small greek salad [dressing on the side] and a side of hummus with half a piece of pita. It's not bad calorie wise. And the yogurt sauce, if used sparingly, is really tasty on the bread instead of oil or butter. Gyros, if you're a meat eater, are good if you can get by with only half the pita. The large size of white flour pita greek restaurants use is somewhere in the range of 250 calories. Make sure the "salad" they put on isn't drenched in dressing.

    Or of course, we can get a large greek salad with dressing on the side. The Feta cheese is a bit salty, but not too bad. It's a good source of protein and calcium.

    About dressing... nonfat is best, but not always available in restaurants. I have a trick I'll share... first, avoid the heavy cream dressings like the plague. Instead, order Italian or other vinaigrette type, on the side, but don't put it on your salad. Instead, just dip the tines of your fork into it, then into the salad.. you get the taste of the dressing without all the calories of lettuce soaked in oily dressing.

    Jeannie... your white water rafting sounds wonderful ! DH and I love to visit N. New Mexico... but have never rafted. It sounds like something to plan for when we visit next year.

    We're taking off to spend 4 dangerous [dietwise] days with family, for birthdays and our anniversary. It's really hot in Kissimmee, so I'll have to get out very early or very late for walks. But if I do, maybe I can earn a piece of cake. I'm taking along my Ak Mak crackers, Light Smiling Cow cheese and fruit and vegs so I'll be able to snack when others get into chips and naughty things.

    Laura, Congrats on the new grandson and welcome Eli !

    Erica_q .... welcome... I'm fairly new here too and have been made welcome. Stick around. Re: sugar... it can be a very real problem. Even a little bit makes one crave more. Heck, even drinking diet beverages triggers the craving. White carbs, which are just another form of sugar, can do the same thing. I have cut out almost all added sugars and white carbs. There are some good books on the topic. One current one is Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure, but there are many others, like Sugar Busters.

    Substitute whole fresh fruit and whole grain, complex carbs for white carbs [ includes pasta, white potatos, bread, cereal, candy, baked goods, chips, pretzels etc.] and of course, NO Soda Pop. Some people don't have a problem with artificially sweetened drinks, but sugar sensitive people do.

    Amanda, wow.. I know what you mean about the barbecue smells. I haven't eaten red meat for 9 years now and the aroma is nauseating. Can you use a room deodorizer? Some pleasant flora scent perhaps? Or how about a fan pointed OUT the window to keep the smoke out?

    2201953... I was pointed to this thread when I moaned about the scale not moving... it's very informative. Have a read.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    I'm taking my laptop along on our little trip and will check in.

    BC1
  • jam0525
    jam0525 Posts: 1,681 Member
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Eli William joined us yesterday at 4:58pm MST weighing in at 7.4 and 19 1/4" long. I was put in charge of getting the computer set up to Skype my son in to the birth and it took us 3 hrs working over the phone with me going everywhere possible to get it to hook up...finally did with 45 min left before Eli was born. He was supposed to be born in a water birth...he was born bath tub! Really cool birth.

    More later...I have to get to work.

    Laura:smile:

    There are more pictures on my profile!:wink:

    Congradulations! Glad to hear all went well.

    Jeannie
  • tcac
    tcac Posts: 211 Member
    Good morning ladies,
    Today is such an exciting day for all of us here. Melissa's bridal shower will be this afternoon and everything seems great. My sister came in from Georgia last night and we will be joining dd#1 soon to set up. Thank you for the punch recipes they are made and in freezer and ready to go.
    I little brag if you do not mind. The dress I bought a month and half ago is actually a little loose today. I am not near the goal I had hoped for yet I know I look ok.
    Well, off to set up. Will try to get back on tonight, but having lots of people sleeping over in an already crowded house.
    linda
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,202 Member
    :flowerforyou: after my detour from my familiar eating yesterday, it was such a joy to open my food diary this morning to a blank page and know that regardless of yesterday's trek into bread and cheese land, I could return to the familiar today:bigsmile:

    :flowerforyou: we started the day with yoga (played the DVD on the laptop) and a few minutes of "Gut 'N' Butt" and will fix our own familiar breakfast shakes in the room before heading off to a day full of sit down meetings. I'll try to sneak out for a walk when I can

    :flowerforyou: Mimi, remember that you don't spend much of your life in the pool.....most of your life is spent wearing clothes :bigsmile: your story about your grandson reminds me of the story that Kathy (Plant Lady) told about herself......when she picked up her young grandson from school he said "I know how to spell fat F-A-T, just like you, grandma".....that was her weight loss inspiration....I loved your inspiring words about eating vegetables and staying away from simple carbs....as bad as my eating was yesterday, I made sure it was full of vegetables in spite of my over indulgence in bread sticks at lunch and pita bread at dinner
    :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:

    :flowerforyou: Amanda. when I mention the boy who cried wolf, it wasn't to suggest that you not respond to your dad because we never know which plea for help is the real one........when my mom called us to take her to the doctor for what turned out to be shingles in her eyes, she told us that she understood why we might to be slow to respond since she had called and complained about so many trivial things in the past

    :flowerforyou:
  • Fancyfit
    Fancyfit Posts: 13
    Hi All - I'm really wet behind the ears "new"! Just started yesterday. Right now I'm having fun navigating to all the sites and checking things out. I'm sure the real fun will be when I see the scales start down. The biggie will be trying to get some kind of exercise going.......not my fav. subject. I've been walking a couple times a week about a mile around the neighborhood. Guess I need to step it up if I want to "burn baby burn"
  • Wishful
    Wishful Posts: 618 Member
    Welcome, Fancy!

    I went to Jekyll Island yesterday and walked for an hour. The temp was extremely HOT, but I walked in the edge of the surf and felt wonderful.:happy:
  • rjadams
    rjadams Posts: 4,029 Member
    Good morning all, the sun is shining yet again and I am happy.

    I enjoyed working with my Dad's significant other yesterday. there is so much work to do on the place because it is big and thing grow over really fast up here. I also enjoy seeing my dad so it was a good day. The scale was back to 149.0 this morning but I refuse to change my ticker. It has to be on a Friday and on Friday i am 150.6 the last 3 Fridays I have been 150.6 and then on saturday the 149 something shows up. Well maybe next Friday. :grumble:

    Laura - welcome to Eli!!!:drinker:

    Jeannie - I am so envious of your white water rafting trip. It is something I have always wanted to do and it just never seems to come to fruition.:tongue:

    Mimi - I am so glad you are back and I am proud of you for getting out there and swimming. Be proud of yourself for all your hard work and success and the extra skin is just a badge of honor.:drinker:

    Barbie - isn't it great when we open up the next day and see the clean slate waiting for us to fill it with healthy choices.:flowerforyou:

    Welcome Fancyfit and Erica_q and any others I have missed. this is the best place for advice and one of the things that makes it easier to help is to make your food diary public. then we can look at what you are doing and make suggestions. feel free to look at mine anytime to see what choices I make. (ignore the wine, its been a rough week because of congress!) Also when you are veiwing someones food diary, there is a link at the bottom that will take you to their exercise diary. That way you can see what exercises they are doing and how long and what they burn doing it. good luck on your journey.:happy:

    Linda- enjoy the shower today I am sure it will be such fun.:laugh:

    BC1 - enjoy your time with family, I am sure you will do well. :smile:

    Okay that's all I can remember so I am sorry for those I missed, boy we are such a bunch of gabby women, :blushing: I love it.
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
    :flowerforyou: after my detour from my familiar eating yesterday, it was such a joy to open my food diary this morning to a blank page and know that regardless of yesterday's trek into bread and cheese land, I could return to the familiar today:bigsmile:
    :flowerforyou:

    Good one Barbie. I liked the blank page today. :flowerforyou:

    :heart: :heart: Rebel :heart: :heart:
  • My special birthday year - 55 and born in '55. The start of getting the old me back!
  • bjbowling
    bjbowling Posts: 1
    I am a newbie to this site. I have read the posts and it is amazing how motivating all of you are. I am 53 years old. I quit smoking 14 months ago. Today my goal is to eat healthier, exercise at least 3 times per week, and continue losing weight.
  • Erica_q
    Erica_q Posts: 41
    Good morning, all! It's overcast here (Torrance, CA), but it is supposed to burn off later today. It's been a rather cool week, and even though it's supposed to warm up elsewhere, those of us by the beach will be experiencing the low 70's, much to the dismay of my kids who want to go to the beach. While I'm glad we're not experiencing the high temps of elsewhere, I would like it to be a bit sunnier. It wreaks havoc on my state of mind when it's overcast. I'm really ready for summer.

    Chicklet - Thanks for your words of wisdom on depression. I have suffered from it my entire life, and like you, have found a suitable medication. I am more aware of triggers (like the aforementioned overcast skies), but still have trouble with the eating when I'm in that state of mind. I, too, had thoughts of suicide when I was 18. I am only alive today by the grace of God. No, I didn't try anything, but I had planned how I would do it. God just happened to reveal Himself to me within the time limit I gave Him. You would think finding God would have had a profound effect on me, but with the free will we're given, and the fact that old habits die hard, it's been quite a struggle for me. I have had plenty of ups and downs in my life, the worst being suffering three miscarriages. After my second, I went into a very deep depression that was hard to get out of, even after I had my kids. There were two other women at church who were pregnant at the time, and we were all due within three days of each other. When I lost that one, it was really hard watching them blossom and become moms. I did go through some counseling that ended five years ago that helped me deal with a lot of issues I had. I learned a lot during that time that I still draw on today. I think those of us that have battled depression our whole lives will not, for the most part, be able to stop battling it. Maybe that's just me, though. I don't know. On the bright side, though, I am much better at this stage of my life than I've ever been. :smile:

    Barbiecat - Thanks for the advice on sugar. I gave up soda the end of January, so I've been soda-free for 5 months. Every once in a while I miss it, but I happen to love water, so it's okay. Once in a while, I will have some iced tea and on very rare occasions, juice. I try to stay away from the juice, though, because there is no fiber. I have tried substituting fruit for sweets, but I'm such a chocoholic that I feel deprived if I haven't had something chocolate before I go to bed at night. I know it's all psychological, but it's still hard to give it up. Maybe now would be a good time to try with all the yummy summer fruit.

    I have a question. I keep reading about people doing something called "Gut 'N' Butt". Is that an exercise video? If so, is it good and where can I find it?

    Thanks, all. Have a great day!
  • mimi7grands
    mimi7grands Posts: 616
    2201953 (Maxine), it’s funny how definitions of healthy eating vary. You might want to open up your food log and ask for suggestions. I don’t expect this is you…but….there was one gal (a young one too) on MFP who hadn’t lost weight in several months and was complaining about it because she was “eating so healthily.” Ohmigosh. I looked at her food log and all I saw was soda, fried food, cheese, candy etc. Nary a veggie or a fruit. No kidding. I don’t know how she got the idea that as healthy. This was an extreme case…the most extreme one I know of…but the point works. So many people on here have such good ideas and ways of eating. I’ve learned a lot from them.

    BC1, congrats on the weight loss. It’s always nice to “see” it even though you know it’s happening. I’m right with you on the sugar thing. Even a little bit sets up the craving. I get mad about the “diet” foods that are actually high in sugar and perpetuate the craving for more, more, more. The food industry isn’t mad though. They’re happy as clams.

    Great link, btw. Very interesting reading. I also recommend a good and very simple book about food: Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan. It’s about $7 on Amazon. You can read it in a couple of hours. I love some of the rules. And they’re easy to remember and you’ll get a laugh out of some of them. Here are a few:

    "Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." (Think yogurt in a tube!)

    "Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot...As a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food."

    “Avoid food products that contain ingredients a third-grader can’t pronounce,”

    "Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car."

    "Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk."

    An amazing documentary video you can also get on Amazon ($10) is Food Inc. I’ve heard several people say (and it’s true for me too) that seeing it changed the way they think about food. It’s objective, informative, entertaining (in parts), and pretty much incredible. Well worth watching.

    EastIndian, happy birthday! You’re giving yourself the BEST birthday present by getting the old you back.

    Erica, eating in a healthy way has lifted my mood a lot. It may not be a “cure,” but it can be a support. I’ve been depressed too and spent many hours talking to counselors. I thought Prozac was great (those were the old days) until it turned out I was allergic to it and all SSRI’s (fever and rash – real allergies). My moods evened out after menopause (the one consolation – a big one – about getting older) so I figure hormones were a big culprit. I still tended to be down though. Since I started eating in a healthy way, my moods have been much better. I’m starting to consider myself an “up” person. That’s a never-before-in-my-life-and-I’m-62 kind of thing! I hope you’ll have a similar experience.

    Welcome to all the new folks. I think word has gotten out that this is the best thread on MFP. Maybe anywhere. But, then, I’m prejudiced! :heart:
  • kackie
    kackie Posts: 676 Member
    Welcome, bbowling and eastindian: This is a great place to hang out and get help, motivation, support. We have several ladies who have quit smoking and lost weight very successfully, so listen to them!

    The Gut N Butt exercises are a series of floor exercises that one of our members posted while her daughter was undergoing physical therapy that helped her loose quite a few inches and sizes. Many of us have added them to our daily routine and are happy with the results. At this age, the middle is a good thing to Whittle!!! ANYONE have a way to copy and paste for our newbies? I can't seem to get the hang of that???

    SuzzQ: I am loving the Leslie Sansone 4 fast mile DVD. I have been doing it inside one day and the elliptical the next to mix things up a bit. I got burned out with Jillian Michael. Question? How do you figure the calories used? I just logged in 50 minutes of walking at 4 MPH and guess that is close enough. Didn't know if you had a HRM and had better estimate. I know that MFP says that 25 minutes on the elliptical burns far more calories than my machine says, so I don't want to overestimate my calories.

    Robin: I set my personal settings on MFP so that every little thing that I did didn't constantly pop up on my friends page every day. Is there a way to set it so that food and exercise is available to others if they chose to look at it but still keeps the posts to others at a minimum? I just don't want to bug folks with mundane things they may rather not see but certainly don't need those things to be private.

    I had a few rather nice things happen to me this past week: :blushing: The young man who helped me landscape our property 3 years ago came by to help me install some landscape lighting and first thing he said was, "Wow...you've been losing weight haven't you?" Then 2 other people who I haven't seen in a while made similar comments. That has put me on a bit of a high as no one else seems to notice. DH is always very sweet and says nice things, but others, who I see regularly have not said a thing. So at least I know the loss HAS made a difference visually. ( I KNOW it has made a difference in how I FEEL) I celebrated by pulling out the larger pants from my closet and taking them to a local donation site. YEAH and goodbye for good, I HOPE!!!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    Just got back from our local produce stand. My garden is at a halt now. The raccoons got more tomatoes than I did this season and all else is just tired. I may have to turn most of the garden into a cutting garden next season as the deer eat so many things I would like to grow outside of my garden fence. I had thoughts of getting a dog yesterday...I even googled Border Collies as I like them and think they would enjoy Herding our deer and raccoons off the property. :bigsmile: But reality set in and we just travel too often to make that practical or fair. Everything is a trade off, isn't it? Glad that I have such good local produce nearby at least!

    We are a gabby group, aren't we? Good therapy for sure!!!:bigsmile: Take care all. Kackie:heart::heart: :heart:
  • mynyddisamrs
    mynyddisamrs Posts: 387
    :flowerforyou: A very good evening ......I hope you're having a great Weekend so far.

    :smile: We've had a little sunshine, a lot of wind and a little rain. no wall to wall sunshine!!

    :grumble: The scales were the same this morning ....again. Looking again on the bright side ..I haven't gained. Something's got to give soon ...surely. I have duly logged everything down ...even to the one chocolate I pinched from the fridge!!

    :smile: I managed to gain some calories from a bit of gardening. DH did the main hedge trimming and I went along with the shears to tidy it up and to show him the bits he missed!! :laugh: We have a small secluded garden ...the reason why we bought the bungalow.... but the shrubbery has a tendency to take over. It's at least six foot thick to the boundary fences and a real hideaway for all the birds etc.
    :happy: I think we won back a foot of space today! We found some of the garden lights that tried so hard to glimmer through the undergrowth and two footballs the grandkids had given up on.

    My Dad's comfortable today .... still a weakness in both legs and still having tests. He is not a good patient, I think!! The nursing staff will have their work cut out!! #2 son who lives in the south of England will be able to visit him Monday ...we're tied up here with mum and will have to find repite care if we need to go down.:grumble: Again sister and brother are not in the country .

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: A big hello to all the "Newbies" ....welcome to this great site. Support from such great ladies ......much better than all the clubs.
    Mind you I think you only get out of it what you put in ...so Log and post...log and post!!

    It's cheerio from me now. Pills to push and a very confused mum to settle in her bed! :yawn: Each day is like groundhog day!!

    Take care and have a good Sunday
    :heart: Jackie

    PS
    My hubby and I were having one of those conversation's last night I told him;
    "I don't want to be kept alive by a machine and fluids" .
    Do you know what he did
    Got up off of his seat, unplugged my computer and took my glass of wine off of me!!!!
    __________________
  • tiarapants
    tiarapants Posts: 1,015 Member
    Hello again ladies (a special welcome to all newcomers).

    DD#2 and I did a good clearout of clothes plus other stuff today. The charity shop was very happy with all the goodies we gave them. We also took three boxes of books to the Amnesty International shop. I can't believe that all my wardrobes are still full of clothes though! I tried on a beautiful winter coat that I bought in January, I think I've worn it about four times in total. I said to DD, maybe I could wear it this winter but when I tried it on it literally went around me twice! I was quite shocked. My daughter laughed and even called my DH to look, before making me put it on the pile for the charity shop.

    This afternoon I decided to do a bit of rearranging in my 'gym'. Anyway, I managed to knock a leg off a table (don't ask!) and the whole thing whacked me on my head. I have a lump the size of an egg now. Husband gave me a frozen ice pop to put on the lump, but it's not gone down yet. I really am clumsy sometimes! Tonight I'm going to take it easy and try to get rid of my headache.

    Time for me to up my water intake now. Enjoy your weekend everyone.

    Amanda x
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Amanda,

    Tell your hubby that on your next birthday, you want the diamonds on the collar of the new doggie that you are going to pick out as your birthday present. One of the best things I did for myself, while married, was insist it was time for a pet. I no longer have the husband (for reasons unrelated to pets), but I now have three little pesties :noway: that I wouldn't be without. Though I admit, there are times I wonder what I got myself into!!:laugh:

    This morning, for instance, made me wonder. It was time for Mai Li and Bradley to go back to the vet for a checkup. Mai Li has been acting much happier and didn't seem to have any trouble moving around, which means her back is not giving her as much trouble, so I foolishly thought that getting her to agree to be picked up and placed in the car would not be a problem this time. So much for thinkin'.:ohwell: She did her usual, sit down next to the car with her backside underneath the floorboard so I can't get hold of her. I still have all my fingers and both arms because I have learned that if she does this, it is NOT a good idea to try and ignore the obvious and pick her up anyway!!!:noway:

    Fortunately, "momma" has her number--she lives for :heart: doggie treats. :heart: So I removed the other two from the car and put them back in the house, as THEY live for doggie treats too!!:laugh: Then I put her favorite chicken flavored "pill pocket" (sans pill) on the front seat. As soon as her nose began working overtime and she stretched toward the seat, I grabbed her and she was in the car before she knew what happened.!!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Then I went back to the house and got the other two, and away we went.

    Unfortunately, her shenanigans made us late to the appointment, so she ended up being left as a "drop off" case, and will spend a few hours at the clinic while they work her in amongst the other patients. Bradley has gained about a quarter of a pound, so he is doing ok, and didn't have to stay for further examination. Pepper, who just came along for the ride, distinguished himself by taking a wiz inside the clinic office--not 5 minutes after he had "gone" outside.:frown:

    While I was at the clinic, there was a sweet little guy about the size of Pepper laying in his momma's arms in a blankie. He had been attacked by a coyote, and they almost lost him. He had been in the clinic for a few days and was now going home. He looked so forlorn, shaved in several places, stitches. Poor baby. I really felt for him and his human family.

    To those with parents who cry "wolf." I have the opposite problem. They tend to not tell me things that I should know sooner rather than later. A couple of lectures later and they are getting better at it. My mom is the worst. When she took that fall in December, it was as she was getting ready for us to go to a Christmas party. Neither she or my dad said a word about it. I picked them up, and when we arrived and she went to get out of the car, she seemed to be having trouble getting out of the seat. When I asked if she was alright, only THEN did I find out about the fall!! She insisted she was going to be okay, but by the end of the night, she could barely walk to the car, and in the end, it took about two months to recover, and about 4 doctor visits in the process.

    I came home this morning from the vets and got on the phone to try and find a blueberry pie.:huh: I definitely DON'T need one!!:noway: :bigsmile: However, the son of a friend of mine is having his 16th birthday on Monday, and he informed us last night, he doesn't want birthday cake--he wants a blueberry pie. It took a few calls, but I found one. I have never baked a pie in my life, and this isn't the time to start, so thanks to Fred Meyer's bakery, we have it covered.

    I probably should not do it, but there is an "International Food Festival" today in my town, and I never miss a chance to broaden my cultural horizons. I am going to see if I can accomplish with without broadening my "posterior horizons":laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I am going to call it "lunch."

    BFN

    Barb

    EDIT: While I was busy writing the above novella, more posts came underneath Mimi's, so

    Amanda, take care of that bump on the head, and in future, keep your head ABOVE the table--it's safer!!:flowerforyou:

    Also, I forgot earlier Kackie, you asked:
    ANYONE have a way to copy and paste for our newbies? I can't seem to get the hang of that???

    Assuming you are using a windows based pc, to copy, place your curser one end of the words you want to copy, and holding it down, slide to the other end, and the words you want to copy will be highlighted. Then using your RIGHT mouse button, with the cursor on top of some portion of the highlighted material, click once. A menu will come up and one of the options is "copy." Using the LEFT mouse button, click on the word "copy." Now you are ready to past the copied material where you want it. Go to that point and click your left mouse button, so the cursor will be blinking in the spot where the material will be placed. Now right click again, and once again the menu will appear. This time using the left mouse button, choose "paste" and the material you have copied will be placed. This works in word processing programs as well as posts on the web.

    Now if it turns out what you were really asking was how to show quotes in a post, let me know and I will post some instructions for that next time.
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,202 Member
    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
    Here is a slightly edited version of the original exercises that Jeannie posted when her daughter was doing physical therapy.
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:


    Pelvic lifts -
    Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, arms at your side palms down. Lift your pelvis up in the air as high as it will go, hold up to 5 seconds and lower. Do this 10 times, when it gets easy add in another set of 10, then up to 2 sets of 10 for 30 total. This never goes above 30.

    Abdominal curls -
    Same position as above except your arms are bent so that your hands are touching your ears. Curl up getting your shoulders off the ground. Whatever you get when you curl up is fine. Don't use your momentum to swing up. It is just your shoulders and head that curl up. Again, start with 10, get up to 30, but don't go over 30.

    Marching -
    Same position as Pelvic Lifts. Lift one leg at a time so that your calf is parallel with the floor. 10 lifts each leg. When you get to where 30 repetitions are easy, start extending your leg, pulling it back and putting it down. This also never gets over 30 at the higher level.

    Side planks -
    Lie on your side, legs bent at knee, keeping a straight line with your body. You are up on your elbow. Upper hand on your hip. Lift your hip off the ground as high as you can and hold up to 5 seconds. Lower down. Start with 5 on each side. As it gets easier add in more repetitions until you get to 30 each side.
  • rjadams
    rjadams Posts: 4,029 Member
    Kackie making your food diary public doesn't change any of your alert settings. go to settings on the food tab and scroll down to the sharing setting. by making it public, when people click on your profile one of the options they have is to view your diary.
  • BarbieCat1
    BarbieCat1 Posts: 82
    Barb, your copy and paste instructions work the same way on a Mac.... just adding my 2cents in case anyone was wondering.

    I love food festivals... we all know that they can be a booby trap, but if one is careful to only have small tastes, and avoid the obvious land mines of deep fried whatevers, it's fun to discover new foods and flavors.
  • kackie
    kackie Posts: 676 Member
    Jackie: Your husband is a Quick Wit!!! I am still laughing!!!

    Weaklink: I use a MAC so the copy paste isn't the same. I tried the instructions that I googled to do it, but still didn't work. For copy /pasting quotes on this site to post, I would like to know...I'm sure someone has mentioned it before but I guess I didn't pay enough attention.

    Barbiecat: Thanks for putting the Gut N Butt out for the newbies. I do think they are great little simple exercises that anyone can do.

    Big Thunderstorm heading our way. I love a good storm after a hot day. Take care, all! Kackie
  • kackie
    kackie Posts: 676 Member
    Barbiecat1: I was writing when you were it seems. Concerning a Mac, I just tried again after reading your post...the instructions to copy and paste and it will not work on my laptop. I USED to be able to do it with my PC, but cannot seem to get it to work with this Mac???!!! I will have to wait for one of my sons to be around to show me what I am doing wrong I guess.
  • smwert
    smwert Posts: 300
    Oh no. I just got invited to a bonfire tonight. I k now there will be drinking and I have just start afresh Thursday with following my diet and cutting out alcohol. I suppose I could just drink diet coke in a glass and no one would be the wiser.

    I feel like staying home so I won't be tempted. Then I wil just feel worse for missing the fun.

    I have almost no willpower!!!!!

    smwert
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