WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY 2020

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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,119 Member
    edited May 2020
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    Tips that have worked for me

    Put your current numbers into MFP
    Select sedentary as your activity level
    Choose how much you'd like to lose (i.e. 1 lb/week)
    MFP will give you the number of calories to eat
    Eat those calories
    ... and weigh (with food scale) and log every bite.


    A few extra things have helped me along the way:

    1) Exploring my grocery stores and markets to find delicious, filling low calorie foods. It's amazing what's out there.

    2) Exercising as much as possible. Exercise gives me extra calories to work with so that I can have things like pizza now and the ... but to keep my sanity and not wear myself out, my exercise quantity varies as does what I do for exercise.

    3) Eating how I want to eat. This is where everyone is different ... some people prefer to employ fasting, others like high protein diets, some like vegetarian diets, some like to eat 2 or 3 meals a day, others like to graze. Go with what works for you.

    Personally, if I had to define what I do, my diet is probably most similar to a Mediterranean diet with a vegetarian lean ... and I'm a grazer. I also have to adjust what I do depending on my cycling events ... they're tricky because I need the fuel without going overboard.


    And stick to it for 5 weeks, then reassess how things are going. :)


    More regarding exercise ...

    10 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Exercise
    https://www.verywellfit.com/things-to-stop-if-you-want-to-exercise-1231403


    Posted in the January thread ...

    And now, I'm thinking about goals for 2020.

    It is difficult to make goals because I'm not sure what's going to happen one day to the next. I plan, God laughs ... or something like that. The last couple years have been a lesson in patience and flexibility and giving up a lot of what I would like to do in the interests of what needs to be done.

    However, I do have some goals I'd like to accomplish, if possible ...

    How to Set SMART Goals for 2020
    SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
    https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/smart-goal-setting

    Interestingly, he talks about 7 significant areas ...

    Financial Goals: Start saving for retirement, get out of debt, or use a monthly zero-based budget.
    Spiritual Goals: Pick up a new devotional, start a daily journal, or plug in to a group at your church.
    Fitness Goals: Hit the gym more often, take the stairs, and remember to eat your veggies.
    Educational Goals: Go back to finish your degree, get your MBA, or read a good book every month.
    Family Goals: Plan one-on-one dates with your kids, have a standing date night with your spouse, or make it a point to call your mom and dad on Sunday nights.
    Career Goals: Work toward a promotion or raise, learn something new about your line of work, or polish up and send out resumés if you’re looking for a new career path.
    Social Goals: Say yes when someone invites you out to lunch or a social gathering—or, for some of us, say no more often.


    I've modified this slightly ...

    Organisation/Financial Goals -- Getting our taxes done and other paperwork in order.
    May 2020 -- This will have to wait till my break between courses and after I'm finished my degree.

    Spiritual Goals -- I'd like to start attending church a bit more regularly. I'll also include relaxation and recreation in here. Down time. I get very little of that at the moment and need more. For me that might be sleep and photography. :)
    May 2020 -- Online church is great! :) And I'm getting a bit more sleep since everything shut down. :)

    Fitness Goals -- Exercise, Eating, Sleeping -- Working up to running 5 km at least a couple times a month. Working up to cycling 50 km at least once a month.
    May 2020 -- I have run 5+ km a few times this month! And I'm trying to exercise regularly inside or out.

    Educational Goals -- Uni! I would like to finish my Master's degree in 2020.
    May 2020 -- Working on it. Got 2 assignments sort of due on Monday. Have barely started them but I'm madly watching all the online lectures.

    Family/Medical Goals -- Husband -- Never-ending stream of medical appointments + projects with 2 or 3 different organisations. And me! A goal is to get me into healthy shape again!
    May 2020 -- This has eased up, thank goodness!

    Career Goals -- One of the main things my area is planning to work on is streamlining the processes a bit. Meanwhile I need to learn a lot more SQL and as much about what 2 different people I work/worked with did. I'm also on the board of two organisations now. Both interest me a lot, but I'm also hoping that taking on leadership roles might help advance my career a little.
    May 2020 -- I have the time now to learn the work systems a bit better.

    Social Goals -- Cycling Club. I've made a detailed list of what I need to do, which helps.
    -- My Personal Website -- I have started working on this. I'd post it here, but not sure if I can: machka . net This has a social aspect in that we go to Wordpress meetings now and then.
    May 2020 -- These are taking a back seat to the degree.


    Challenges -- I've joined 3 challenges in the Challenges forum. :)
    If challenges appeal to you, don't forget about MFP's Challenges subforum:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/challenges


    Machka in Oz
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,119 Member
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  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,328 Member
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    Michele - CONGRATULATIONS to Jess. :D I'm sorry Denise doesn't keep you more in the loop with PJ. If I had to rely on my own son (s) I'd never get any info about anything or anyone. Luckily my DDIL takes on the task and is a great help to us. My elder son I can see regularly on his video blogs on Utube. Otherwise I never hear from him!

    Hardly slept last night thinking about the family popping over. Lockdown has been easier for me than normal life is, because I'm best in unambivalent situations. Choices make me anxious.

    Going to get up now and wash my hair. :D

    Love Heather UK
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
    edited May 2020
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    MaryBeth from Cincinnati Ohio @Jaxsgma Your grandchildren photos are great. Such cute kids! Welcome, I hope you enjoy our supportive group!

    >>>

    @Notreadytoquit Welcome!

    >>>

    Tonya Loving all the photos. You are a talent.

    >>>

    Kim
    I just want to say that I have thought a lot about your posts from Thursday evening. You helped those people. You really helped those people a lot. And shame shame shame on management, especially that direct supervisor. They all need to step up.
    The "born in 1900" post was provocative. All of my grandparents were born around the turn of the century; seeing each of them through that lens was startling and enlightening.
    Thank you so much for all of that.

    >>>

    Heather Is today the protest? Hoping your brother & wife stay safe.

    >>>

    I am a bit appalled at the news about the unreliability of the Abbott fast C-19 test. Geeez. I hope that's not the one the White House is using to test staff every day. :s

    >>>

    Delicious onion burgers last night. Served with sauted onions, fresh cherry tomatoes, dill pickle sandwich slices, and 1/2 slice of potato bread toast. A few raw carrots. Yummy.

    >>>

    Have any of you not yet at maintenance thought about doing one of the weight loss bet challenges like HealthyWage? I'm thinking of doing it. I'm pretty sure I would be motivated by wagering on my own success, and also by regularly weighing in while being held accountable by an outside force. Here's the link if anyone is curious about it:
    https://www.healthywage.com
    Would love to hear your thoughts.
    >>>

    ZOOMed with my high school buddies for an hour yesterday morning. It was so satisfying, and I can't wait to see them again next Friday. One of them had an adorable kitten playing around her the whole time. She said he was lonely because his sister had gone to live with an 85 year old woman (Sue) from our home town the day before. It was an easy choice…the elderly woman's old calico kitty had died the week before, and she was grieving. My friend lives on a farm, and the cats are mousers with shorter life spans because of outdoor living. She said she decided it would be nice for this little calico kitty to live like a princess and help alleviate the woman's grief. Apparently when she took the kitten to Sue she eagerly held out both hands to take the kitten, and that was that. Years ago, Sue lost her only son in a tragic car accident his senior year in high school. Lesley Jr died at the fiery scene, along with his girlfriend and 2 classmates. One of the victims was the younger sister of my former BFF Jeanette. So much grief.

    >>>

    View from my window FB:

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    Karen In Virginia
    >>>
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,119 Member
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    Saturday --

    After spending several hours listening to recorded lectures, I needed to get out!

    So we went to the local flat area and cycled. :)

    Distance: 16.19km
    Elevation: 104m
    Moving Time: 1:00:27
    Elapsed Time: 1:01:15

    Speed: Avg: 16.1km/h | Max: 39.2km/h
    Calories 284

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    Now I've got one more lecture to listen to ... and then I need to write a paper.


    Machka in Oz
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Hello everyone.

    I hope everyone is having or has had a great Saturday. I am logged in to work and analyzing what needs to get done for go-live. It looks like there isn't much for me to do just now - tomorrow is another story. It looks like a full work day for me. It's all good and was expected. Next week will be "he--" week. I am glad I will be working with great teams. Attitude is more than half the battle. Learning curves and skills can be worked upon. :)

    For all of you who are returning and/or new I am providing some of the tips and tricks I used to get going and/or have put in to practice. Please note there is no one way that works for everyone. Some of us blend plans such as one meal a day for 3-4 days a week and then eat 3 squares, some of us are grazers, some of us just count calories, etc.. This is really a lifestyle change and it is best to find something that works for you and sticking with it. I personally have found a lot of great ideas and support here and am so thankful I have found this group.

    Many have provided tips and tricks for setting up MFP to meet your goal. Here are some interesting statistics. Please note this is personal to me there are various sites you can find online where you can plug in your statistics. I wish I kept the link to this information, but did not…..I started my lifestyle change at the very end of August 2019. I had 40 pounds to lose and was not active at all. I reached goal weight at the end of April and am now contemplating getting rid of an additional 5 pounds, but am hovering in and around maintenance.

    3,500 calories = one pound
    2,000 calories/day = maintenance
    1,500 calories/day = weight loss of 1 pound per week
    1,200 calories/day = weight loss of 1.5 pounds per week

    There are a ton of great articles posted within MFP. Check out the blog section. Also, many great articles come up in FB and in your daily feeds. I have found quite a few tips and tricks there.

    Note to all - much of this contains repeats from previous posts. For those of you who are newer I am one who dislikes the word exercise and prefers the word activity. I know to some it means the same thing, but it makes a difference to me. Activity to me can be fit in anytime where exercise seems like it needs to be planned. It's just the way my mind works......
    Adding Exercise
    1. I added exercise very slowly. I would walk in place during commercials while watching TV or on a conference call. I am now actively walking at least 30 minutes in the morning before work. On days when the weather is not cooperating I make sure I am walking inside and/or try to walk at least 10-15 minutes during my work day. My co-workers are getting used to me walking the floor.
    2. I am using very light weights for my arms. I will continue adding reps when I can. I either take the weights with me while I walk or use them while I am watching TV.
    3. I generally do not like “exercise”. I have had to trick myself. I live in a town home and my washer and dryer are downstairs while the bedrooms and closets are upstairs. I walk separate clothing types up when hung/folded. For example, short-sleeve shirts, long-sleeve shirts, shorts, pants, dress pants, panties, bras, socks, towels, etc. all get put in place one by one. This typically adds approximately 10-15 minutes of stair climbing to a chore. That is where I am gaining the calf definition. If you do not have stairs you can still walk separate items and put away.
    4. While shopping even if I am only running in to pick up one or two things I walk up and down the non-trigger isles. Again, adding 5-10 minutes of walking I would not be doing.
    5. I am also getting back in to things I loved when I was younger. Yoga and swimming are two things I enjoy and have slowly been working towards adding in to my normal routine.

    Food and Intake
    • It is much easier for me to control what is in the house because I live alone. When my husband was alive and/or I had roommates I designated “my” own shelf and sections within the refrigerator, freezer, pantry, etc. at “my eye” level. I only looked at my areas when I was hungry. Being single I simply keep the stuff out of the house. If I want a trigger food I must go out and buy a single serve or I have to make it from scratch. Most days I find I really do not want it.
    • Shopping. I make a list and stick to the list. There is no more, oh, that’s on sale, or oh, I have not had those in a while. Of course, if it’s on sale and healthy, I will buy it as I cannot pass up a good bargain.
    • After shopping that day or the next I clean all vegetables, fruits, etc. I love hummus and vegetables. The vegetables are cleaned and cut in to usable pieces. The hummus is taken from the original container and put in to portion-sized containers. This helps me control my portions.
    • My meals are planned. I work Monday through Friday and really try to plan my lunches out for the week. Lunches and breakfasts are planned and ready to go. If I am eating salads I make it the night before which is extremely easy because all of the vegetables are cleaned and ready to go. I did invest in some SnapWare so I could keep the lettuce and vegetables separate (I dislike soggy salads).
    • For salad dressing. I invest in good-quality vinegars. I used the vinegar freely and add a teaspoon of a healthy oil (olive, avocado, or walnut).
    • Being single I do not always want to make a full dinner (most I precook and are easy to reheat and eat). I do keep some healthier frozen options in the freezer for those days where I do not want to think or clean up. I typically buy on sale and make sure servings are 400 calories or less. I also make sure there is a high fiber content. I do not care for frozen meats in most of those types of pre-made frozen meals so most tend to be vegetarian versions (and no fake meat for me – either eat meat or not – there is no such thing for me as oh, that tastes like chicken – LOL!).
    • I feel eggs get a bad rap. During the weekend I boil up a few. They make a healthy protein-filled snack and/or an easy breakfast or salad add-in.
    • My diet is mostly plant-based. I do eat meat once or twice a week. I make sure I get the minimum-required dairy in daily (us not so young gals need to track this).
    • I weigh myself every day and record it. Recent studies have shown people attempting to lose or maintain do a much better job of it weighing themselves daily.
    • MFP is a wonderful tool if used daily. I record everything I eat, drink, or taste. On the weekends while putting meals together I forward add my intake. It helps me stay on track.
    • Oh, and the measuring spoons and cups are on the counter. They are used every day for every meal.

    I am in lose-weight mode and am determined to reach maintenance. I do have to keep reminding myself of my goals – to look and feel better. It is a challenge. We are the only ones who can do this. Being kind and gentle to ourselves certainly helps, but sometimes we have to be a drill sergeant too!

    Water Intake
    I attribute most of the weight loss to sticking to my guns with my caloric intake, 1200 calories per day, no matter what I am eating and moving more as I do mundane tasks. I also do not eat my exercise calories since I am not burning 1000s of calories per day. I have also been drinking 8, 8-ounce glasses of water each day. I found an article on MSN yesterday detailing what happens to our bodies when we ensure we are properly hydrated. Not only is our cognition increased we also burn 23 calories drinking a half a liter/17 ounces (I consider that a 2-4-1. We are not only doing something good for ourselves we are burning calories). This isn’t the exact link, but this article mentions several good things regarding weight loss and decreased appetites when properly hydrated.
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/drinking-water-helps-with-weight-loss#section2

    Just in case you cannot use the link. Here are some extracts.
    A study of overweight women examined the effects of increasing water intake to over 1 liter (34 oz) per day. They Several other studies have monitored overweight people who drank 1-1.5 liters (34–50 oz) of water daily for a few weeks. They found a significant reduction in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat found that over a 12-month period, this resulted in an extra 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of weight loss.
    Some people claim that drinking water before a meal reduces appetite. There actually seems to be some truth behind this, but almost exclusively in middle-aged and older adults.
    After one school year, the risk of obesity had been reduced by a whopping 31% in the schools where water intake was increased.

    Here is an overview of my weight loss experience. I am fortunate to be healthy and have no underlying health conditions. I compared my previous experiences with Weight Watchers against my not so young self. It is very interesting to me I could still lose weight as fast as I could with my younger self. Again, no health issues and I am in menopause! I think it’s mostly attitude – I refuse to think of myself as “old”. I may not be so young, but I am not old! LOL…..Please note this is the end of my comparison. This is missing week 1 through 18 – did not want to bore you too awfully much.

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    I will catch up with everyone later on. I am still in birthday mode (yes, I have a tendency to celebrate myself for a period of days – one just isn’t enough!).

    Hugs to all,
    SuziQ - SFL - Where it is grey and dreary due to the tropical system off the coast. It started the first day of hurricane season. I am glad I am already stocked up due to our current situation and do not have to buy hurricane supplies. I am good to go! At least from a water and food perspective.......next items to stock are propane and batteries.
  • KJLaMore
    KJLaMore Posts: 2,834 Member
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    <3 Welcome new ladies! <3:* Hugs to all :* Busy day. ttyl B)KJ (Kelly)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,119 Member
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    Massive bushfire
    COVID-19

    Wonder what's next ..... perhaps this ...... ??? 🤔🤨

    Are you prepared? 😛🤪

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    Machka in Oz
  • BeUncommon
    BeUncommon Posts: 116 Member
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    Heather > Looks like you all had a wonderful time while still remaining safe :) It is so hard to not be able to be with our loved ones! Everytime we drop something off at my inlaws, we put it on the step and then back away as they take the items.. I always want to give me MIL a big hug but no hugs allowed :) I am so afraid of us getting another wave of it as they are slowly opening things up.

  • grandmallie
    grandmallie Posts: 9,784 Member
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    BeUncommon - I know I lost my dad it will be 2 yrs this coming January.. he was 89 so I was mighty lucky to have him that long, my mom passed 20 yrs before at 65.. I was there visiting my dad the day that my daughter and granddaughter saw him last , my granddaughter ran into his arms and sat on his lap and cuddled with him.. and my daughter talked to him awhile.. his eyes always lit up when he saw them...
    He Loved them dearly.. I choose to remember the wonderful times we had .. and I know that mom and dad and my family are watching over us all..its ok to grieve ,it is ok to be sad.. but try and remember the very fond and wonderful times you had and that your daughter is old enough to remember him xoxoxo
    going to be a beautiful day here am going to enjoy it.. even if its just me and the pup.. I have learned after being married and divorced twice that its ok to be on your own.. I have wonderful friends and family and I am truly blessed..
    right now I am watching the birds on my retaining wall come eat freeze dried meal worms and having a cup of tea..
    tomorrow I am going over and having a glass of wine with Toms girlfriend Elena , get to know her a bit better.. she feels the same way as me .. when Tom goes away she doesnt have to cook clean or be there all the time...lol
    he is her problem now, im glad we remained friends better to forgive and forget than hold a grudge
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,328 Member
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    Tonya - What kind of photography did you do professionally? You mentioned winning a competition.
    I was a writer of children's books along with a few other things.

    Done my bonus rowing and biking. Phew!

    Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx
  • Jaxsgma
    Jaxsgma Posts: 55 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »
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    This is a great quote!
  • 1948Peachy
    1948Peachy Posts: 1,511 Member
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    I feel better today...I got up, took a shower, put on makeup and clean clothes and went to Kroger at 9 AM. Got a lot of stuff and walked all over the store. Just getting out of the house for 45 minutes made a big difference. :)

    Carol in GA

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