WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2020
barbiecat
Posts: 17,119 Member
For several years I have been posting with Women Ages 50+ on MFP and have gained support and encouragement. I plan to continue that again in August.
I hope you'll join me on this journey to wellness.
If you have goals or resolutions, please tell us about them.
If you have questions, please ask them.
If someone asks a question and you have an answer, please share it.
Don't forget to bookmark this page so you can find it again.
Please sign your post with a name or nickname and a location, specific or general so we can respond more easily to each other.
I look forward to this journey with you by my side.
Barbie from NW WA
My word for 2020 is "flexible".
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Replies
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Thanks Barbie!2
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Barbie - I joined MFP in August , 8 years ago. Found this thread pretty soon. Wow! Thanks so much for keeping us all going all that time. :flowerforyou:
Love Heather UK xxxxxx5 -
Katla - My tablet decided it wanted to update yesterday. Grrrrr!
Now the keyboard is all different, I had to change the way I downloaded photos and videos from Dropbox, and nearly blew a fuse. Why do they have to make life difficult for us technically challenged poor mortals?
I'm awake in the night. I will read for a while.
Love Heather UK xxxxxx5 -
Thanks Barbie for giving us a clean slate for August.
Okie in the TX Hill Country
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Thank you Barbie! This is a seance of normalcy we need and a fresh start for a new month! I should have goals, but for now it is to check in daily here and practice self care!
Thank you for all the different insights to my question. I have watched these friends you over 100 pounds every few years which I feel is unhealthy. I haven't tried to give advice. I have said before that moderation is the key to weight loss. My prayer is that they are learning something on this journey that will carry them the rest of their lives. Their way is not for me, but I agree with less sugar and simple carbs. Again thank you!
Productive work day. Had dinner with friends. Spent time with y'all. Time for bed! Goodbye to July! Hello to August!
❤
Kylia7 -
🌛💛0
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Barbie thanks for starting August off on the right foot.💖. Grocery shopping today and bought so much! We were out of many items.
Protein choices for me:
Herb butter salmon (frozen from Safeway)
Roast chicken (fresh in frig)
Beef kielbasa sausage
Avocado
Hummus
Vegetables choices for me:
Cucumber
Cabbage
Lettuce
Carb choices:
Hearty grain bread
Wild rice
Bagel chips
Big Fig bars
Potatoes
Should be a good week! 😁
👍Rebecca
Whidbey
Washington6 -
Tips that have worked for mePut 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 then ... but to keep my sanity and not wear myself out, my exercise quantity varies as does what I do for exercise.
Also, I tend not to eat all my exercise calories back.
If I've just done a little bit of exercise like a 3 km walk or something, I'll eat about 50% of my calories back.
If I've done a moderate amount of exercise like a 5 km run or 50 km bicycle ride, I'll eat about 75% of my calories back.
If I've done a lot of exercise, like a half marathon or a 100 km bicycle ride, I might eat about 90% of my calories back.
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.
Stick to it for 5 weeks, then reassess how things are going.
Regarding Cheat Meals
When I was on a mission to lose weight in 2015, I never went over my calorie limit. I stuck to the plan like glue. And I lost the weight.
But I broke it up into weeks. When I started I had 16 weeks until we were going to Canada so my plan was to stick to the calorie limit for 16 weeks and then take a 1-month break while we were in Canada. I did that and lost 15 kg in that time. After the 1-month break, I eased back into it for a couple weeks, upped my calorie limit slightly, and then stuck to it like glue for the next 16 weeks in which I lost 11 kg and took me close to Christmas when I took another break for about a month.
10 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Exercise
https://www.verywellfit.com/things-to-stop-if-you-want-to-exercise-1231403
January's 2020 GoalsIt 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.
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.
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.
Educational Goals -- Uni! I would like to finish my Master's degree in 2020.
Family/Medical Goals -- Husband. Never-ending stream of medical appointments regarding his brain injury + projects with 2 or 3 different organisations. And me! A goal is to get me into healthy shape again!
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.
Social Goals -- Cycling Club and My Personal Website -- I have started working on this. I'd post it here, but not sure if I can: machka . net This had a social aspect in that we go to Wordpress meetings now and then.
A little bit about me ...I'm Machka and I am in Tasmania, Australia.
Some of my favourite hobbies/sports/activities include:
-- cycling
-- walking
-- hiking
-- running
-- reading
-- working on my website
-- photography
I bake, but don't cook, sew, knit, garden, etc.
Most of my day is spent working with health data, "attending" university (online now) working toward a Masters in IT, doing homework, and spending time with my husband (who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury 2 years ago) and new kitty, Rhody.
My husband is not able to work anymore, so one of his main activities is gardening. He works at that at his own pace and we've got quite a lovely garden of flowers, fruit and veggies.
This is Rhody ... an all black, 10-month old "domestic" who joined us just 3 months ago.
I joined MFP in February 2015 and promptly lost 15 kg, took a 1-month break, then lost another 11 kg. By Christmas 2015, I was down to a weight I hadn't seen in quite a few years ... since my early 30s.
In 2016, 2017 and the early part of 2018 I maintained while increasing my cycling. My sport, within cycling, is ultradistance cycling: Audax, Randonneuring, 24-hour races, etc.
Here's me in 2016 in Brisbane, QLD a couple days after cycling a 300 km event in 18 hours including all breaks.
In late 2017 and early 2018, my husband and I were in great shape and feeling good. We were cycling events and on our own and building up the distances in the hopes of going to France in 2019 to ride the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 km event. We met on a Paris-Brest-Paris in 2003, and the 2019 one was going to be a bit of an anniversary trip.
And then on March 22, 2018, my husband had a very bad accident at work ... and life changed. He was in a coma for 3 weeks and post traumatic amnesia for 7 weeks and in hospital for 100 days. Then, a year after the accident, he had a tonic clonic (grand mal) seizure which set him back. He'll never fully recover but he's doing better then they originally predicted.
He is cycling again but gets very tired so can't cycle consistently or for long distances.
Because cycling is something we've always done together, this means I'm not cycling the ultra long distances at this point either. In an attempt to boost my exercise we've set up a home gym, and I've got into running again. I hadn't run since I was in my late teens!
But all the time sitting at the hospital and dealing with the aspects of care for my husband, plus working, plus attending university has taken its toll on my weight and I don't look like that picture above anymore! This year I have maintained my weight but I'd really like to lose a bit.
So that's me in a rather large nutshell.
August...- Work
- University
- My husband's situation
- Resuming Exercise
Busy month.
Machka in Oz6 -
Hi, I’m going to be 51 on Monday, and looking for some friends on here. I have been on and off of MFP for years now, but can’t seem to quite reach my goal weight!!! Looking to get serious and would love some friends to make the journey with!20
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August 1 - Planner Day
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/planner-day/?timezone_offset=nan
Planners are used by everyone from stay-at-home parents to important corporate executives who would be lost without a carefully planned itinerary to see them through their day. They also come in every shape and size, and some people keep separate personal and business planners so their two lives can remain separate.
I know I would be lost without my calendars!
Even here within MFP, one of the things I do is to pre-log my food so I can plan my calorie intake.
Machka in Oz6 -
Barbie: Thank you for bringing us into August. :flowerforyou:
Today I went to the ice-cream store and bought a one scoop serving of ice-cream. I had a treat in a paper cup, and will not pig out, because the serving size was small and there is not ice cream in my freezer. I have difficulty staying out of ice cream if there is a big container at home.
These are my August Resolutions. They are familiar goals that help my life & my health.
August 2020 Resolutions
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. Work on strength and stamina.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least 3 glasses of water a day.
5. Monitor sleep. Average 7 or more hours nightly.
6. Abstain from alcohol.
Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon
https://community.myfitesspal.com/en/group/123702-women-ages-507 -
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Katla - Great job on the ice cream. I'm a great believer in 'a little of what you fancy does you good'. My mother used to sing that song a lot. My triggers are different to yours, but just as powerful. Not having them easily available is the best strategy. People always overestimate their willpower.
Today is promised to be not nearly so hot. Thank goodness. The beaches were heaving yesterday, I'm told, and so were the trains. We will stay away as some people are planning unofficial parties on the beaches because this weekend would have been the Pride Festival, which had to be cancelled. I hope they heed the council's pleas not to come. Our cases are going up. Still fairly low, but increasing. For a long time we were one of the lowest in the country.
The grandchildren 's new labradoodle has been postponed until Christmas because the litter wasn't big enough.
My ex is going to be visiting them today. It is his 73rd birthday. He is shielding, so it will be a little complicated to organise. I wish I could see him, but don't want to make things even more difficult to manage. Plus I have to think of DH.
I'm missing the kids already.
Love Heather UK xxxxxx5 -
Thanks BARBIE for keeping us going
HEATHER looks like you enjoyed your boules afternoon. Used to play that when my grandkids were small.
Covid cases here are going up as well, feels like the second spike beginning
I’ve been logging food and keeping below calories and 4 pounds has gone, I know most of this was bloat but happy nonetheless, I need the encouragement to keep going. Have persuaded DH to stop offering me biscuits and cake. Carbs are my downfall especially my brown seeded bread, can’t just eat 1 slice ((sigh))
Stay safe
Kate UK ❤️4 -
Saturday - nice, slow, casual, flat ride. And my headache went away! It's our first ride since June 14!!
Distance: 8.30km
Elevation: 28m
Moving Time: 36:17
Elapsed Time: 36:56
Speed: Avg: 13.7km/h | Max: 25.6km/h
And then we stopped at Zambreros to pick up burritos. It's the first time we've eaten take-away food in 4 months.
Machka in Oz5 -
@barbiecat Thanks for starting us off again!
@Machka9 Thanks for your tips again. Eating back only half the activity calories when very active seems wise. I'm going to aim for that. Your approach sounds similar to WW. (or WW online was about 9 years ago). They only add about half the calories back to eat for activity calories burnt, AND they have a lot of weekly calories. That's what i meant about "splurge". They have about one sixth to one eighth of weekly calories that can be spread over the week as one likes: All in one day for an event if one likes or some days and not others, etc. That worked really well for me and for many as it seemed to make it easier to participate in big social events without concern. (a meal out here and there, a celebration, or just a treat to enjoy)
Machka, do you have zero distance work now? Most places have at least one or some days per week distance now at least for those who want it. it was already a legal thing in france. a set of laws for allowing distance work since 2016. i'm not sure what is involved. i think it's often 2-3 days max per distance work and may depend on organism and type of work. my banking industry friend was 100% distance and then they said now they have to come in 2 days per week, but finally they are questioning if that is really necessary.
Do you have the possibility of doing 4 10h work days ?
@dellafayefox that is a scary story with the guy aggressing you, glad you got the upper hand and he got a month in jail. how unwise of him to have tried to send you to jail. that is one early schedule from 3am to 6:30pm!
@auntiebk thanks, i think it's sometimes easier to help others than oneself. i have sometimes helped people stuck w clutter. Paper clutter is the worst, the longest for me.
@Kymarai I'm so sorry you went through that as a child. noone should have to. Not the same, but I feel uneasy withdrawing money from ATMs, or going to ATMs because everyone is wearing masks so the videocameras around the ATMs are not much use.
@kymarai what is it that you co-own? it sounds like a shop of foodplace since there is a counter. Can you set firm limits, with schedules and rules? and set times when you will not be there and agree that one of you has to always be there? or find a way for her to do other things to balance if the customers prefer you? or she can be specialist in certain areas? It sounds long installed but can be similar in many human relations. i'm co-founder of this collective with a lot of work and this one guy is always away and calls to give suggestions - that's ok, as it's all volunteer, unpaid work and we are free to invest as we choose, but when he started second guessing and criticizing the work that i had done well and he was not at all available to do, i had to "dot the i's" (expression in France meaning, set some things straight). In your case it's more complex. but maybe there are some partial solutions by being clear and firm, and possibly having a 3rd person to relay if neither of you 2 are free at some points.
@Anniesquats100 sorry you had that experience. Flattery can be so tricky. Sometimes people can be sincere and positive and it's sometimes hard to know what is true and what is not. All compliments are not insincere.
HOLIDAYSI have not left lovely polluted Paris for a year, due to major transport strikes last dec-jan then COVID, then work obligations + lack of good laptop to keep connected on essential from afar. Rates are up this year for beach-y places since only about 25% of people on vacation are leaving France this year. Trains are harder to book too. i finally booked a train ticket and one night at a hotel by the sea for Monday night. i have to switch renters on Sunday (old one out, new one in), which requires doing inventories together. I'm gonna try to book something somehow for following 2 weeks. it's difficult this year, but i REALLY need to get away from the city and home for a while. i feel a bit burnt out.
COMPUTER MESSI have not had a good computer for over a year, though like many teachers i do tons on my computer and more with COVID. i have a 3 year old and a 5 year old macbook both with retina screens both of which i had replaced at one point and which promptly broke or glitched again (500+ euros per screen for a 1500 euro computer), and which i didnt replace the 2nd time. one works sometimes and then gets all foggy, the other not at all and is connected to external screen (so not a laptop really). Fed up i bought a cheap PC laptop, Le novo for about 350 new, but it is very clunky and hard to use often. finally i decided to get the newest mac laptop screen fixed again (still cheaper than new and it seems to have plenty of life left in it).
I found, from a friend-collegue a place that fixed it for 440 instead of say 580, and in the day instead of 1 week.4.8 stars online review w hundreds of reviews. BUT they totally messed it up, told me it was fixed and then later said they only fixed it 98% (??) and would have the total fix in September. they also said my topcase was out of shape and had to be replaced (+80). i said no thanks and i will take it as it was. i'm not paying 500+ for a partial repair. I went to pick it up and it had problems it didn't have when i brought it in. i was furious. the guy was calling me a liar, and this went on for a good 15 minutes or more. on the paper it said 'screen broken' (imprecise) it didnt say "white spots, very pale screen", etc.
I asked him to show me how my original topcase was out of shape, and he said it was not out of shape. So they were going to CON me on that too.
he was suddenly quiet. The place closed at 2pm yesterday with no repairs till Monday. (supposed to be done Thurs evening). The owner called me about half an hour later after closing, and apologized and offered to fix it half price, but i don't even know if the screen was to replace; i was planning to go away with computer on monday but i'm gonna leave the computer behind and too bad. I easily wasted 5h with travel and waiting time and several days. i chose this shop because they were supposed to be faster than the closer by one.
I wonder if he googled and saw i work and live in paris and am not a passing foreigner that they can have one over on without consequence. The people i saw yesterday said it was the owner who had done the diagnosis. the owner seemed to imply he was unhappy with the people who had seen me yesterday and the customer is first. this customer is first is not an approach commonly applied in France, unfortunately, though it's changing sometimes. Customer service leaves much to be desired here. It is kind of night and day compared to the usa. It still makes me angry when i think about it, but i'm gonna go away computerless to start and see what he says on Monday.
WEBDATINGI think about 50% of guys on webdating (or other websites where meeting is common) are guys in couples pretending to be married. I have most definitely heard there are many women (or people pretending to be women) from Bolivia or Russia trying to get money...for a plane ticket to come visit. (and yet i know some people who married real russian lovely women met on websites too). There are presumably the other 50% or so that are real and sincere and not money-grubbing, nor in a couple.
I'm not a big enthusiast,but sometimes webdate in summer when i have time. i don't spend long online, speak on the phone if i am curious and listen carefully.(since some say about half are men in couples). I had a drink w someone on Thursday, first time in a year in online dating. he seemed fine and pleasant but it didn't particularly click in a romantic way. During transport strikes 25 years ago i had met a guy at a real conference and we had phone conversations after that. (since with the transport strike it was very hard to meet and he lived an hour away and roads were blocked with heavy traffic) Then finally met after a month. Even then, the phone was not a good gage of reality. we seemed to click on the phone, but not in real life. he wasn't a con artist onr in a couple. in fact he was a nice guy and he was hurt and angry when he realized it didn't click but i don't think it really did for him either if he was sincere. (he had sent flowers). it was a lot of projection. Now i base thoughts on face to face time live in person.
I also give a different name online to start and don't give too much info about my work. i'd be easy-ish to find with my name job and place of work (which people often ask quickly) and you can occasionally find crazy people.
I also went to this speedwalking group a few years ago (through online meetup site in france) several times. One guy seemed super-normal, mild-mannered, regular job, lived not far, 2 kids, and so we agreed to have dinner. He had 5 drinks (me zero) was agumentative and didn't stop calling texting, mailing. i had to block him on the site and avoided the speedwalking group for a few years till he was no longer in it.
@cityjaneLondon I agree that one has to use one's head in love. Lower hormones with age makes it easier i think. In France the word "Sensible" means what is in English "sensitive". I frequently explain this and then ask them (in humor, as it is not our subject) if it's better to be sensible or sensitive in love. The answers vary. I would agree both are needed.
@TerriRichardson112 thanks for the poem, i love it!
MASKSnow masks are required in shops. It was VERY hot on Thursday and Friday. I felt VERY unconfortable in ikea (for my much-needed shelves, i need to see them live to have a feel), and again yesterday wearing a mask. Higher ed has has ZERO work days (no classes in higher ed), since COVID so i wonder how i will manage when i have to wear a mask for 4h straight...
I wonder if i should get a plastic window mask so students can see my expression and mouth.
@SuziQ113 CAMPINGI used to love to camp from early 20s till sometime in 40s. We didn't camp or go away much when i was a kid. I think the 5 kids camping was a bit daunting and it wasn't common in our circles back then. I recall only 1 overnight church camp with the whole family when we slept in huge stand up tents. But LOTS of camping and hiking in my 20s and 30s. I could sleep easily anywhere. A 1cm foam and a sleeping bag was fine. Now the extra work (going somewhere to wash dishes, etc) doesn't seem so relaxing. I have to spend much more time on work now than i was in my 20s and 30s, so i need leisure time to really feel like kicking back much of the time. I love to walk, and swim and visit, but not so big on setting up, etc.
If I try the goals such as you suggest them Machka, i have, this month.Financial Goals:
-As close as possible to zero-based budget.
-No need to transfer money from one account for living or holiday expenses.
- Check what's going on in partially stock-based savings (i know close to nothing about stocks). (I know it had lost 90% COVID) but i see every thing is tanking and maybe i need to sell and put into cash---),
- keep making progress on filing
- Pay bills
- follow up rental repair (mild water damage last august, slow to solve partially due to covid)
Spiritual Goals:
-meditate 5 min per day
Health Fitness Goals:
-Walk w heart rate monitor at least 3x a week, (w/rate above 115 for 20 min or so) (no more gyms here for the foreseeable future).
-Track all and aim to lose 0.4 k per week. (a bit less than a pound)
- Get progressive glasses. (finally, i've been able to get by without glasses for reading till now, but it gets tough on very fine print).
- Get hiking sandals or something close.
Educational Goals:
-Work 4h a day on thesis after 2 week vacation break starting, so from Aug 19
-read one of the novels I bought Aug 3.
.
Family and loved ones Goals:
-Read sister's emails
-Go to exhibit and do a writing session with M.
-Meet up with friend.s at 1x a week.
Career Goals:
-Send email to required address for training period
-Disconnect till August 19 at least
-Update website
Home Goals
- follow up repair water damage (here too) slowed due to COVID
-order big shelving unit to stock my masses of papers (for thesis, teaching etc) (ikea online)
-maybe; order smallish sofa bed
-order small, round dinner table (ikea online)
-Get rid of Japanese divider if not fixed by end of august (very useful but fragile and broken)
Weight AND SO ON
I have not been sticking to tracking and keeping calories down. it's not really helpful when people say "just do it". it hasn't been working; it has sometimes in the past. I keep trying.3 -
I skimmed over posts from 28th and 29th (6 pages) and then had to skip over the next 11 pages from July 29-30, or else i will spend the entire day just reading and commenting on 15 + pages in 3 days!0
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@kymarai ok saws you must have a DIY or hardware store, got it!
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@bananasandoranges - My husband and his sister own a lawnmower shop. We sell and service lawnmowers , snowblower, and other lawn equipment. Their father branched off from his father's shop in 1967. FIL passed away Christmas of 1997. I started working there in August of 98. I hold all of the training certificates. I think engines are sexy. I like to know my jobs from the bottom to the top. I use to work on them, but now spend most of my time up front with customers and paperwork. We are a small shop. One mechanic has been there over 40 years. The other is my son in law(5 years). Then my husband, SIL, and me. There are upgrades we could do to make everyone's life easier, but I hit brick walls every time I suggest. Neither my DH nor SIL have good management skills-grumble. I don't have all the information needed to make some decisions, so just use my judgement. We are still in business!7
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