WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2017

tallee

I am back after being away for a long time. I quit smoking at the end of 2016 and gained the weight to prove it. LOL. Thanks for the inspiration and for the tip about bookmarking the discussion. I was not aware of this and it will be a great help! Happy New Year!

cityjaneLondon

Hi all!

I'm so enjoying all the biogs that I thought I would add my own, for the newbies and those who are forgetful. :laugh:

I am 67 and in good company on this thread. There are a few older folks.
I married at 20 the first time, just as I finished university. I had met my first husband the very day I got there, on my 18th birthday, so I never felt I made the best use of my time at Bristol. I was fleeing from a very disfunctional family, including a father who sexually abused me when I was a child.
I managed to seesaw in weight most of those married years, sometimes being slim and sometimes overweight. I had three children, but the middle one, the only girl, was stillborn at full term. I loved to dance and joined lots of different style classes, including modern ballet. I was a writer, with a very complicated relationship with my writing. I struggled with routine and had not overcome my father's legacy. I suffered on and off from severe depression and did a lot of "acting out".
I did become a successful children's writer and I have books on Amazon under the name Heather Eyles. I also produced stories, plays etc for adults and pursued my love for theatre, producing and writing my own very modern play, which ran for three weeks. All this time my relationship with my husband was "curdled", but we were friends.
At that point I was overweight, but not obese. I got a Gulbenkian award which enabled me to study experimental theatre for two months in Denmark and Mexico City. My husband gallantly looked after the children while I was away. I lost a bit of weight in Mexico. I had been studying Spanish back in England and my love of languages increased.
From 1990 to 1994 I had also been doing a personal development course, called Insight, which helped me begin to focus on what I wanted from my life. I had been living very "inauthentically". I floundered for a while, but gradually my husband and I, through much therapy, decided to part. It was hard and I often regretted that decision, but we remained friends.
I went through gall bladder removal, hysterectomy, had several false starts in dating and then met my current husband on line at the age of 53 and married him. Good decision! I was 29 lbs overweight at my wedding. Not awful, but enough to embarass me in a swimsuit and for me to feel the heat on our honeymoon in Australia.
Happily married I lost weight, mainly through vigorous swimming three times a week and quite a bit of walking. DH had bought a house by the coast and I had my apartment in London. Then I got breast cancer (DH's previous partner had died of breast cancer at the age of 47) and the chemo and the worry put a lot of weight on me. Even when the chemo was over I couldn't stop eating and I was doing no exercising. I was a big, fat lump with real mobility problems and every sort of joint ache and pain. I felt about 90.
We decided to sell both our small properties and buy a bigger, detached house between us. This entailed a move out of my beloved London. Eventually, having missed out on a house I loved in Winchester, a beautiful cathedral city, we settled on a big house in the countryside. My mobility and weight were at their worst. I was 5'5" and 197 lbs. I was 62 years old. I could hardly walk upstairs, along the flat road without getting breathless and my bad leg (genetic knee problems) was causing severe problems. I had high blood pressure, arthritis etc.
My husband, who is very slim and very fit, gently encouraged me to move a bit more. I was very resistant, believing my state to be my lot in life. I had no concept of fitness. I hated exercise. I hated getting sweaty. I hated my body as none of my clothes would fit me any more. I reluctantly went to my brother's 60th birthday party and hid.
That was the day I decided to lose weight. If only so I didn't have to buy a whole new wardrobe.
I started June 11th 2012. By August I had found this thread. By December 2013 I was at target - 57 lbs lost in 18 months. I have been around there ever since and I am currently at 143 lbs, 3 lbs over target.
My wonderful husband has helped me exercise my +×÷#+ off every single day. I go to yoga once a week. This thread keeps me on the straight and narrow. I am fit and mostly pain free. My knee is still vulnerable, but functions. I love the way I look, with clothes on. :laugh:
In fact, I astound myself! I self published a novel last year from my back catalogue and I am currently writing a memoir of the first nine years of my life. That will probably appear later this year. I do 600 calories exercise every day, including cardiovascular, weights and mat work.
My husband and I have decided we would like to move nearer our three gorgeous grandchildren who live in the wonderful, vibrant seaside city of Brighton. Our house is on the market and we have made an offer on one we love down there, but it is by no means a done deal as the vendor won't wait for ever. I am looking forward to a much more fully charged life, with more activities than we have in our village. My fitness will be a bonus and we intend to buy bikes for cycling along the promenade!!!

Thank you those of you who have waded through this novel! If you haven't, I quite understand. :laugh:

I thought it might help give a bit of inspiration to those who think it's too late to get healthy. It isn't.

Lots of love, Heather UK xxxxxxx

grandmallie

Morning ladies~
woke up at 12:30 this morning and didnt get back to sleep until after 2. then slept until 6:45
today is my day off from work, and have alot of stuff I need to do...I will go down in a bit to see my DFIL and then make copies of things I think the Lawyer will need. stop at Walmart and pick up my comforter and mattress pad for new bed,bed supposed to be delivered tomorrow, hoping it comes today so I can get it inside.. we will be having snow tomorrrow

pipcd34

.

KetoneKaren

Heather and Lisa Thank you for publishing your bios. I have really been enjoying the ones the newbies have been posting. Since I have been on this thread for less than a year, there are many things I do not know about the veterans! It's wonderful and inspiring!

Karen in Virginia

lacruiser2016

Keep the bios coming, girls! Heather, LOVED your "novel". I'm such an anglophile...have only been to London once, and then as we were passing through so only stayed a day. I'm a fan of several British writers -- P.D. James, Dorothy Dunnett, Elizabeth George, and my dear Georgette Heyer -- and a trip to the UK is high on my bucket list. Have a dear friend that we met cruising from London, a very dapper gent who lives in Regents Park, that we see once or twice a year who helps feed my addiction to all things English.

Marnie, also on the bucket list is to see the northern lights...I don't think this Southern magnolia could live in Alaska, but I sure do envy you being able to see them often. Also love those weenie dog pics! We had to put down our beloved Golden almost a year ago; he'd been blind for several years, but was the sweetest and happiest dog anybody ever saw. I miss him so much. We are down to one cat who is 18, though you'd never know it to look at her, who is queen of the house. I want another dog, but she deserves to rule unchallenged, so will wait.

Now, don't laugh, y'all, but we had a cold front come through last night...it's in the 60's this morning!! I'm sure it'll be back up in the 80's by this afternoon, but it's really nice outside right now. I feel so guilty watching all the winter storm reports on tv...

Off to body pump class this morning -- have a great day, everyone!

KJLaMore

Good morning all! Happy Thursday! Had to shovel this morning, so I substituted that for my walk. Got my pick 5 done. I already have a couple kids here so I just popped on to share a funny with you. I was making breakfast this morning and while I was doing so, I could hear the three year old mumbling and grumbling in the living room. Next thing I know, he is in the kitchen bare naked except for his socks. Wailing in frustration! "I just want my socks off and they won't come off!" !!! Not sure why he thought taking the rest of his clothes off would help in the effort to remove the socks, but it is way too cold to be naked! LOL! We got the socks off and he put the rest of his clothes on without help! I think this means I have an interesting day ahead! Enjoy your day! xoxoxo KJ (Kelly)

fitgranny56

My big goal for the rest of January is to do away with sugar. I gave up soda years ago and thought this was going to be easy but I was so wrong! Any suggestions?

barbiecat

fitgranny56 wrote: »

My big goal for the rest of January is to do away with sugar. I gave up soda years ago and thought this was going to be easy but I was so wrong! Any suggestions?

The best tool for me at the start of my weight loss journey was to pre-plan and pre-log my meals for the day and stick to the plan. My plan included healthy foods including a bedtime snack and included only foods I wanted to include that would be nutrition dense....thus I had to leave out all the sugary dessert foods. It amazed me that when I treated my body to healthy eating, the desire for the sugary stuff went away. Do it one day at a time. Also, be clear about what you mean about doing away with sugar.....a lot of processed foods have sugar (bread, salad dressing, etc.) For fun, you might want to read " Year of No Sugar" by Eve Schaub also "Better Than Before" by Gretchen Rubin about habits. And keep coming back to this thread for support and encouragement.

Barbie from chilly NW Washington

kevrit

I must admit, I only skimmed. 24 hours and over 100 posts! Busy people! Went to chiropractor yesterday and felt better for a while. Haven't been sleeping well worrying about stuff going to happen this year. Too many unknowns, and out of my control. I know we will get through it, just hate not knowing.

Must remember that no matter my problems, there are others much worse off than me.

@e that put her in the home. Please keep her in your thaoughts and prayers. She asked that her name stay anonymous.

Allie, you go girl! One day at a time and stay strong. You are doing it right!

Rita from CT

klanders30

Kelly TOO cute a story, I bet you write these down, these antics are priceless!

fitgranny Suggestions about sugar, if you can't go cold turkey like folks following WHOLE 30 program....I would start with the most obvious temptations, cookies, crackers and candies out of the house.....I found that Tazo "calm" tea tastes sweet all by itself and I drink that to get my sweet in. Also, I eat a lot of fruits and veg instead of processed foods. i guess the best way is slow and steady...it's great you gave up soda that is a whopper of a big thing to give up if you were a regular soda drinker.

NYKAREN

margaretturk

fitgranny56 Reading labels helps too. It is amazing how much hidden sugar is in processed food. Anything ending in ose is suspect too, like maltose. I try to stick to foods that are not processed and if they are like my peanut butter the fewer the ingredients the better.

I agree about the tea an orange cinnamon spice tea tastes sweet with 0 calories.

Margaret

azsundancer

Good Morning all!




I love this... so true!

fanncy0626

Stronglift Rest Day

Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squat-3X5X 30
Russian kettle bell swing-15 X5X 30

Gloria - I sent you a friend request so that when you add your exercise to your diary I will see it on the newsfeed and I will be able to comment there.

Purl- I sent you a friend request as well. I am in the 40 pound loss by May 27 group. It was full so I am offering to post our challenges on here for everybody to be able to participate if they would like to. So far the challenges are;
1. Take your measurements-neck, above chest, below chest , biceps, waist, hips, thighs , calfs
2. Weigh yourself weekly
3. Exercise daily and post it
4. This is what I am doing for the week and you can join me if you want to. Besides the four above I am setting my alarm for every hour to get up and do 10 minutes of movement, such as, cleaning, walking, housework…

Have a great day everyone!



Mary from Minnesota

csofled

spikeyhair

Kate UK

richmondlady

3G:
my new condo life
fantastic daugher
wetland park walks nearby

Canookie-- soon! I have a good pic.

Katla49

Joyce: Congratulations on getting to choir practice!

MeredithDeV: I'm more than 10 years older than you and am here to tell you that getting older is good news. Being great with turning 55 is a sign of good health and good living. Congratulations!

Lisa: I was very interested in your comments about gastric bypass. Many years ago we had a dear friend who underwent gastric surgery, although I don't know exactly what form that took. She did great for a couple of years and was shedding the weight but eventually returned to old bad habits & regained it all. We were members of the same yacht club. We moved too far away to stay active there and lost track of her. I haven't seen or heard from her in many years. I looked her up online and found that she's in business for herself as a bookkeeper and seems to be doing well. Her photo shows that she's still very heavy. You got the weight off and keep it off because of your own commitment and determination. I admire you for it. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

NYKaren: Color makes a huge difference in my moods. I'll think of you smiling in your brightly colored blouse.

Heather: I love that you shared your story with our new friends. It shows how your determination and courage led to success, and may be a huge benefit for others who are now beginning their journey to better health.

Fitgranny56: I have been a coffee drinker since childhood and always sweeten it. Most of my life, sugar was the sweetener of choice but I eventually switched to artificial sweeteners in coffee and soft drinks. They have huge health risks and I no longer buy sugar-free soda & avoid sugar free cocoa, etc, if it contains saccharine or other artificial sweetener. A few years ago I found stevia and it is my goto sweetener of choice except for baking. I use Stevia in the Raw when travelling by air. Beware of sweeteners claiming to be stevia but with other ingredients. Stevia doesn't taste like sugar, in my opinion, but I've come to like it. When I am baking I use real sugar.

Rita: One day at a time. There is a Bible quotation I like but I can't cite where to find it: "Sufficient to the day is the trouble therein." (((HUGS)))


The only thing on my calendar for today is walking. I may blast myself out of my comfort zone and take the dog for a walk a bit later. He will appreciate it. I can get my own exercise riding the trike in the garage but he deserves to get outside and stretch his legs, too.

Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon

Tibetan proverb: "The secret to living well and long is: Eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure..."

kevrit

I am selling my Fitbit Blaze. You can pm me if interested. My DH got me an Apple Watch for Christmas taking the place of the Blaze.

Rita in CT

kevrit