WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2018

KetoneKaren

KJLaMore

LisaInAR

Many hugs, Allie... like everything, easier when taken in small chunks. My heart goes out to you... and stays with you, there in your pocket, as do we all.

Love,
Lisa in NC

janetr7476

We're off in about an hour to head to Denver. Not looking forward to the saying goodbye to my sis, but on a positive, I'll see my oldest daughter and the two sisters just older than me and numerous nieces and nephews.

Looks as if the weather is going to cooperate for the entire trip.

10 lbs lost since January 1st.

Love to you my friends,
Janetr OKC (headed to Denvet)

cityjaneLondon

Janetr - Safe travelling! (((Hugs))) and CONGRATULATIONS! :drinker:

Love Heather UK xxxxxxx

LisaInAR

JanetR - my deepest sorrow, once more, on the loss of your sister. Traveling grace go with you. And well done on the loss...

Love,
Lisa in NC

KetoneKaren

Janetr Some of the best family reunions happen because there is a funeral or memorial service. Hope you have a good time. (((Hugs))). And 10 lbs! Superb.

barbiecat

Lisa, congrats on the sale

Heather, great news about losing those pounds.

Janetr, congrats on the 10 pounds

Machka, thanks for the reminder about flexibility

Allie, you are so right about taking it one day at a time...you can do all this stuff, one thing at a time.

Barbie who loves having breakfast with all of you

Peach1948

Sharon: The colors your daughter used to paint the fish scene are just beautiful. Love it.

Rye: You seem to live a very busy life. Getting out and working and filling in like you do for your co-workers is a gift to help in itself.

Kim: So glad you have the warm boots.

Lisa: Congrats on getting the warehouse burden lifted off your shoulders.

(((Allie and Janet)))

Janet: Congrats on your 10 lbs. Gone.

Heather: Hope your dinner is a great one!

No news to report here.....Carol in GA

cityjaneLondon

Sharon - The painting is beautiful! Sooooooo talented!

Done my Day 2 Week 4 of c25k. Meg - I feel so good when I get back, even if I felt really blah setting out. Getting out of the door is the hardest bit. It really helps me to have an app with a warm encouraging voice and some great music these women have suggested. I feel supported. As a mild agaraphobe I am really surprised to find myself outside ! Try the exercise route first and there are so many great apps for meditation . I like CALM, for the lovely scenes. I just look at those and listen to the sounds of nature, but there are lots of other things on there, I'm just too mean to pay!
My knee was ever present with me on my run, but held up. Thank you knee. :bigsmile:

Now to get ready for the party! I've half laid the table this morning.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxx

exermom

Did the Biggest Loser Power Sculpt DVD. The plan for tomorrow is to go to the deep water class. After class, I need to cancel my membership at the Y and get one at the other place. You know, in a way I'm a bit afraid to do it. I know deep down that this is the right move. However, I suspect that I'm feeling this way only because I've been a member of the Y for so long.

Steve came here last night. We had the shrimp gumbo that I'd made and this cake that I tried the recipe for. Tonight I'm thinking that we'll go to Outback. I know that he likes steak and we have a gift certificate to there.

barbie - I usually have to cook my sweet potatoes longer than 6 minutes. Well, that's because I find that in the stores you can only seem to get the big ones. I guess if you get like a 5lb bag they're smaller. I just don't know that I'd finish a 5lb bag before it would go bad. God forbid Vince have a sweet potato! I usually cut the big ones into 3 or sometimes even 4 pieces. I don't really like anything on my vegetables, either. I usually have frozen veges. But I don't seem to care for asparagus frozen. So when I get it, I just keep it refrigerated. I should probably try it again. Like you, I don't like any butter or sauce on it. Actually, I always ask that restaurants not put any sauces on their veges. I want to taste the vege...not the sauce. I very seldom drink juice. Not that I don't...just that I don't very much. I will drink milk (as a matter of fact, I'm going to have almond milk with my breakfast today), but do try to have the skim milk. Wish Vince would drink that. I can only seem to find it in those quarts, and by the time I'd finish it it would have gone bad. Now the almond milk I get in those small boxes. Works. I can finish one box before it goes bad. I just finished making a hooded scarf. Downloaded the pattern from Lion Brand yarns. Now I need to have a friend help me sew up the hood part. That's something I've never done before

DJ - so sorry for your losses

Joyce - I'm so glad to hear things went well at the doctors.

Becca - that sounds like you're poaching the egg! What's the difference between coddled and poached? Boy, you and your dh have sure been thru the wringer!!!

M - WAAAAAYYYYY back when (like when I was in high school) I worked at a fast food place. We were allowed to have as much to eat there and drink as we wanted. At first I couldn't get my fill of shakes, fries, burgers. But after I left there, it took me a REALLY long time before I'd go into a fast food place. Even today I will pass it up. Most times if we need to stop so Vince can get something to eat, I will bring food with me. It's usually better anyway. You have about as much flexibility as I have. I've never been able to touch my toes, either. Glad to know that I'm in good company

Sharon - beautiful pic. I especially like the colors

Meg - I like to take as few pills as I can get away with

Lisa - I'll be thinking of you all day. Really hope everything goes well.

janetOKC - safe travels to you. Glad you can look at the positive side to this trip.

Volunteer at the Green Room today

Michele in NC

exermom

barbie - I just got an email that National Frozen Foods is recalling their green beans and mixed veges because they can be contaminated with listeria.

Michele in NC

KarenUK56

Hello ladies, please don't laugh but, I've lost the grand total of 0.2 lbs this week!
Better than nothing, I know. One thing though, last night I tried on a pair of trousers,(or pants in the US) that I last wore nearly three weeks ago. I'm sure that they felt less tight than the last time and zipped up slightly easier!!
I have introduced a little more exercise to my day in the form of 'walk a mile at home."
Some days I have to eat back some of the calories but not everyday.

I'm sorry to hear of the trials and tribulations of some of you and happy to hear of the good news.
I think that being part of this group of ladies is helping me get back on track. The advice and stories from all of you are encouraging and I feel as if I know you personally.
All the best
Karen UK

cityjaneLondon

Good going Karen UK! Walking will firm up your muscles, so that's great.

Here is my Burns Night table laid and waiting for the haggis. The whisky bottles are on the far counter, eight of them, though four are almost empty. Each one is different . You can also see the "Wee Jimmy" hats on the counter. They have ginger hair sticking out of them.



Now to make myself beautiful.

Love Heather UK xxxxxxx

kevrit

Results at doc are both good and bad. Bad first: blood pressure, A1c, and liver enzymes all up and must lose weight or I am in for trouble. I need what is called a ‘cone biopsy’ of my left breast. Have to call about that. NP said not to worry, probably extra skin or scar tissue from previous operations.

Good news, all my other blood work, including cholesterol were very good. Bone density is very good so no changes there.

Allergy testing: I reacted to molds and weeds mostly everything growing around me. Start immunotherapy next week with two shot every other day. Good news is I can do them myself after training.

Prescription: lose at least 20 pounds (40 to get where I should be) and increase exercise. Recheck on A1c and liver in 3 months.

RV Rita

ryenday

sweet potatoes recently I learned about resistant starch so I tried something new - In the morning I cut the sweet potato into strips (like home fries) and boil. Then cool on a rack, then in the fridge. That night I pull out the cooled sweet potatoes and use PAM coconut oil spray and salt and roast them in the oven. I think they are delicious and twice cooking makes them tender inside like restaurant fries and deliciously crispy outside. ( this works for regular potatoes too).

Two interesting things: my DH, Who won’t touch sweet potatoes unless it was Thanksgiving and they were coated in molasses and brown sugar and other sweetnesses, thought they smelled wonderful and asked try one. He likes it so much that he said he thinks it’s his favorite way to have sweet potatoes and he has requested that I make them several times!

The other interesting thing is resistant starch. There is some science to back this up, but not tons yet. When a resistant starch food like sweet potato is heated up, then cooled, some of the starch changes character to the point that it becomes resistant to digestion. Our body then treat it like it is fiber not carbohydrate. OK that part has good science behind it. The interesting thing is that they have recently found that reheating these starches that do this does NOT Reverse the process as previously thought. So you don’t have to eat your potatoes or sweet potatoes ( or pasta) cold to get the boost in resistant starch. While it is not enough calories saved for me to even bother changing the default entries on MFP, it is a kind of silent boost in my diet to fiber intake and properly feeding my gut biome. So any day that I would like a baked potato: I heat it up in the microwave in the morning cool it on the counter then put it in the refrigerator before I actually use it that night for dinner. When I reheat it still tastes exactly as it would have if I had it directly out of the microwave earlier.

Potassium warning. One source i found mentioned that potassium is lost if the cooking method is boiling. One of my favorite ways to make new potatoes is Syracuse salt potato method. That is boiling. Therefore I was not getting the potassium I thought I was getting on those days. Just an FYI.

Pills and meds I take lots and lots of daily pills, but no meds. Lots of dietary supplements (and I have tried most everything for hot flashes that I can find recommended). I am very thankful for my good genetic inheritance that I do not have to take any medications such as statins and blood pressure meds.

Another good gene, my mother had and I have, must account for our remarkably low resting pulses. Even when I was completely sedentary and obese my resting heart rate was in the 60’s. After 10 months regular exercise and good diet my Apple Watch reports a resting heart rate on par with athletes - at 44-47 bpm usually. I am happy and quite thankful for this, not full of uncalled for pride - it is luck not my hard work that accounts for it.

Mindfulness and meditation I’m not much the meditation type, but saw this somewhere ( maybe this thread?) and it is fun and diet friendly so I thought I’d share. Start your 5 minute timer ( I use the breath app on the Apple Watch). Put a piece of dark chocolate in your mouth. Mindfully breath and taste the chocolate slowly melt away. Repeat once a day. Ummm & maybe good for you?

Veg servings what exactly does the advice to get 5 veg servings in a day mean? 5 100 gram portions? Can you use fruit for 1? Do starchy veg like potatoes and sweet potatoes count? What about the serving of cherry tomatoes I eat most days? I have such a hard time getting enough veg in even when I try unless I can count those things. Anyone else struggle to eat veggies?

Tomato Juice I always feel like I’m cheating when I have tomato Juice (3-4 x a week - no sodium added tomato Juice, NOT V-8). I add a splash of lemon juice, a splash of Worchestershire sauce, a splash of liquid smoke, and a splash of Tabasco. It is so good that I never can believe how few calories it has.!! I rarely bother adding the vodka to make it an official Bloody Mary.

Drinking calories I happily drink smoothies, tomato Juice, a non-fat latte, a glass of red wine, and tonic water or champagne for celebrations. But, honestly, except for tomato Juice, those are show up on my diet rather rarely. I miss my after dinner drinks tho, I’ve pretty much eliminated alcohol on my diet so the one or two after dinner drinks I used to enjoy haven’t been on the diet. Now that I’m heading to maintenance maybe I’ll try to plan ahead for one each weekend. A Gibson Martini, some Coffee flavored tequila, and a black Sambuca - I do miss those drinks. So I guess if it is tasty enough I’m happy to drink the calories. But if it is just liquid sugar seeetness I’ll pass (fruit juices and soda). Oh, except a frosty root beer with smoked bbq on the Fourth of July ( a family tradition I love).

——-
I’m pretty sore from yesterday - hula hoop, restarting weights post sick, a dance class at the gym and walked a mile with MiL (yeah! I think that is the furthest she’s been able to walk in about a year and half! So happy for her) - maybe I overdid it? Lol. I didn’t mean to overdo it, just scheduling and circumstance. I think I’ll take it easy today and just do my walk to work and nothing more.

Our Sweetheart seems to have acquired a friend. We call his black and white friend Mr. Mustachios. They seem to be sharing the food and water we put out for Sweetheart. Yesterday morning, I heard a plaintive cat wail out my window - it was Mr. Mustachios and he was sitting looking at the food plate. I hurried to dress and put some food out, but then he quieted down. So I looked out and saw Sweetheart come over and the two cats brush tails hello. I think the plaintive cries I heard were a friendly greeting, not a wail for feeding. Lol. I worry about them, but with three cats I can’t take more in, so we are trying to give them an advantage with the food, water and warmth.

Speaking of them, I had best go give them some morning food.

Cin Cin a tutti!

Rye

SophieRosieMom

Rye - golly I love your informative posts. I have copied and pasted several of yours (and some of you others!) so I can go back and refer to the information. Love hearing about your visiting kitties.

Rita - glad you got your doc visit results. Hooray for the good news and I have faith you'll get busy on the trouble parts. Did Medicare pay for your allergy testing and shots? I have my appointment with the allergy doc in March - they said when I showed up for the testing, they'd tell me what was covered. I've been meaning to call - would like to know before I show up! But haven't gotten around to it.

Penny - I love how the gals in the group often have "mind meld" and we hit on topics that are so timely for many of us. Your editing papers on ERCP and Becca's DH is an example. Glad you are able to pop in!

Lisa - How thrilling! Really is a giant step toward your goal of getting resettled in your forever home.

Heather - your table setting for Burns night is so cute. I'm sure everyone will have a wonderful time!

Karen UK - don't the looser pants feel great? That's always been a marker for me and gives me tremendous boost to fit into some of my favorite clothes again. Congrats on the loss, you are heading in the right direction.

Lanette
SW WA State

ydailey

Happy Opposite Day!

"Opposite Day is particularly popular among children, who enjoy the kind of absurdity that can happen when everything you say is backwards. This kind of thing can open the mind to some incredibly diverse ways of thinking, and its stimulating trying to keep up with everyone saying the opposite of what they actually mean. The more cynical of us may wonder how this is any different from the rest of the year."

Rye - Woohoo! Keep it up, you'll be the hula-hoop queen!

Terry - Doing laps around your office is a great idea. You might even find a co-worker who wants to join you... imagine it, a conga line around the building.

Becca - You've got to love doctor terminology... "gall bladder properly absent" sounds so stuffy. One wouldn't want to have an improper gall bladder.

Kim - Congratulations you your cozy feet. Sometimes it's the littlest things that make a big difference.

Michele - Oh, no, you'll have to visit Jess in the Caribbean?! You poor thing! That's great news - I've heard it's harder to get into vet school than med school.

Meg - You could ask your therapist to teach you some coping exercises for anxiety, and tell him or her that you'd like to try it without meds first.

Sharon - I love Jheri's painting. The colors are so beautiful and dreamy!

Machka - Now I have just got to try my hand at cherry jam. I made some a couple of years ago but I couldn't get tart cherries so it wasn't very successful. I've since found out I can order them online.

Rita - I'm glad you had some good news from the doctor along with the bad.


I'm off to Houston tomorrow to collect all the contact information for Dad's financial services and continue sorting through the storage unit. I'm staying with my sister, who has a treadmill, so maybe I can get some walking in while I'm there... if I can find a place to put all the stuff she's stacked on top of it.

I've been off my motorcycle since my accident because I kept finding one little thing or another wrong with it from the accident. I do all my own work, but since we moved a couple of years ago I don't have a place to work on it in comfort and progress has been slow. Now I'm to the point where I don't trust it, though, so I've decided to part "Pele" out on eBay and buy a new (to me) bike instead. I'm looking forward to getting back on the road!

Wishing you all a fine Thursday.

-Yvonne in TX

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

I think 'sick' husbands are worse than being sick yourself. Mainly because they tend to be 'big babies'. Mine does not stay home unless he is 'really sick' and then he gets up out of bed, when he is feeling better and wants to get back to working since he is self-employed.

pipcd34

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