WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST

Laura80111

Jackie - maybe there is room in your suitcase for a few of us:bigsmile: I know I'd love to go on the cruise with you

Barb - it was Bec that came up with the words to "Veggie Queen" I'd love to take credit but alas no it wasn't me...I just keep singing it:laugh: :laugh:

Michele, I hear you about finding it hard to find small petites:grumble: and when you do find it you wonder who would wear this...that's why it's on sale because it's so awful looking. I did a hunt the other day looking for who carries petites and was very surprised to find not that many do and of course the ones that do are stores like Nordstroms...and I can't afford their stuff even on sale... so JC Penny seems to be my best choice.

I have a little time to relax before bed and then tomorrow starts it all over again, Everyone have a good evening,

Laura

mimi7grands

I started my walk yesterday evening at 7:30 pm, thinking I’d be back before dark. The last 20 minutes were not pitch black, but darker than I’d planned on. There were a few late birds heading home and some bats fluttering around. The bats are harmless – they’re good mosquito-catchers - but they make me a little nervous. Being on the trail that late makes me a little nervous too. Most people with any sense are off the trail by 8 or so. There was one homeless guy who mumbled at me. :noway: I’ll get out there earlier tonight. I do like walking outdoors when the weather's good much better than on the treadmill.

Had a very nice day with GD, Kate, today. She’s so much fun when it’s just the two of us and she doesn’t have her sister to fight with. We have some good conversations. DD had to go down to Sacramento for a permit and DSIL was working from home and needed it to be quiet so Kate and I went shopping! She was a great shopping partner.

TJ Maxx had a great sale, with markdowns of more than 75%. Bought some cute things for Olivia and Kate for $3 apiece! Got a couple of polo shirts for my DGS’s too, on sale for $5 ea. And got a snazzy purple top in a silky knit and jeans for myself! Unfortunately, not on sale. The top is size Large and the jeans size 16. Progress! The top’s long sleeves pull up nicely to become ¾-ish in length. It’s so nice not to shop in the Women’s department anymore.

***

Cindy, thinking of you and sending hugs.

Welcome to everyone who’s new. This is a great place for encouragement and support.

Seawillow (pretty name!), you’ve made a great start. I don’t see much slow-down with age in the weight loss department. The biggest slow-down is probably due to losing some muscle over time, which mostly can be fixed!

Amanda, you’re doing great. Not only maintaining, but continuing to lose even while you’re entertaining company. :flowerforyou:

Peggy, woo hoo!!! Congrats on a successful weekend. You couldn’t have done better. :flowerforyou:

Kackie, fingers crossed for you. Even if the scale's gone up, it’s not a big deal if you jump back in. :happy:

Bec, Yay for grilling. The new grill sounds great. I’m jealous! One of these days, I’m going to get a BBQ. Loved your story about Mac. A nice, happy ending! Loved the Veggie Queen lyrics too. :smooched:

Jackie, getting ready for vacation --- so exciting!

Barb, congrats on the blood pressure. It’s nice when the test results reflect the progress we’re making. :flowerforyou:

Michelle, you made great choices at your get-together. Way to go! :flowerforyou:

***

Roasted my Brussels sprouts last night. Not a good idea! They needed to be steamed to soften up. I saved them and will try steaming them tonight. Should be interesting. I don’t love the flavor of every veggie I roast but last night was the first time I really disliked something.

Good night every one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us all. I feel as though I know you even though I’ve met only Randy in person.

makpitt

Hi everyone. I am new to the site, over 50 and struggling to lose the weight I've put on. So far I've lost 12 lbs. but it has been tough. Looking forward to hearing from women like me who have been successful. Your insight and advice is welcome.
Mags

Debhow

Hello ladies!

I just learned about this site last week and love it already. I turned 50 in May and have 50 pounds to lose. :sad: I have Adult Cystic Fibrosis and am limited in activities and get tired quite easy, but decided I need to do something.

So far I've been very diligent at exercising every day (I HATE exercise) since I feel obligated to this computer program, and I also find myself being much more careful at what I'm eating. Tomorrow I'm going to weigh for the first time, but my initial weight is from the drs office so I'm not sure if my home scale will be accurate. I need to save up for a decent and accurate scale.

It's so motivating to read all of your posts and see how much you all have lost. I can't wait to be able to post numbers like yours. It sure gets harder as you get older, doesn't it?

Debbi:flowerforyou:

paintedlady_1

I am posting so as to join the group. Halfway through August, but I am joining in!

weaklink109

Welcome Debhow and painted lady..

Debhow,
You can purchase a reliable digital scale for $20-$25 at Walgreen's. Mine is 3 years old, works great and needs a new battery about every year and a half. It is a Taylor.

Mimi,

Glad you mentioned your Brussels sprouts. It reminded me that I saw something on the public broadcast channel over the weekend that I thought you and others would like to know about. A guy named Steve Raichlen has a program called Primal Grill, AND it has a website with complete recipes for all three seasons of the program.

Here is a link to the one I saw for brussel sprouts with bacon and some other ingredients. Sounds yummy.

http://www.primalgrill.org/recipe_details.asp?RecipeID=161&EpisodeID=38

I am trying to motivate myself into the kitchen to make some dinner so BFN.

Barb

AHealthierSuzyQ

SuzyQ - when you say "shortening" in the crust for your pie, do you mean Crisco-type shortening or butter? Unfortunately, I can't try the recipe. Jessica is SEVERLY allergic to coconut, even if it's just airborn. It doesn't have to necessarily be ingested. Wait -- I've just eliminated the coconut from a lot of the recipes that I've made. How would this work without the coconut?
Michele

Yes, any brand of all vegetable shortening is fine, like Crisco. I've about decided to make puddings topped with meringue instead of pies from now on as its the pastry that packs the calories. You could use this basic recipe for a sugar-free chocolate pie using the chocolate cook n serve or a banana creme replacing the coconut with bananas. You can also discard the egg yolks if you want.

jam0525

Cindy,

I'm sorry to hear about your MIL. I'm sure it's going to be a lot to adjust to.

All
It is 8:30pm and I'm just getting to sit down. Hubby already went to bed to rest up for his first day with students. The next few months are going to be very tight between soccer schedules for both kiddos. I love soccer and so do they, but the end of October is party time as we finally get to rest up and get home early on week nights!

Jeannie

jam0525

Cindy,

I'm sorry to hear about your MIL. I'm sure it's going to be a lot to adjust to.

All
It is 8:30pm and I'm just getting to sit down. Hubby already went to bed to rest up for his first day with students. The next few months are going to be very tight between soccer schedules for both kiddos. I love soccer and so do they, but the end of October is party time as we finally get to rest up and get home early on week nights!

Jeannie

mimi7grands

Barb, thanks for that link. I'll check it out. Brussels sprouts with bacon? Maybe I can buy ONE PIECE of bacon! :laugh:

I'm procrastinating on going for my walk. Now it's gotta be the exercise bike, x-country ski machine, or Leslie Sansone. Too dark out there! But I did find out some good info.

Several people have commented about finding it harder to lose weight as they got older. The research says there is a small decline in metabolism due to age but most of it is due to losing muscle mass. If you don’t do any strength training, you lose 5-7 pounds of muscle every decade, which lowers your metabolism. The decline stops around age 50. Interesting, huh? The drop in metabolic rate is NOT due to aging; but mostly due to losing muscle, which we can do something about! :bigsmile:

The two major causes of muscle loss are DIETING and NOT USING OUR MUSCLES. Yep. Dieting! :noway: When we don’t eat enough, our muscles begin to break down. Because muscle is heavier than fat, we lose fast. We say, “Whoa, look at all that weight I’m losing.” Unfortunately, the big loss makes it easier to regain all the weight.

For me, it always was regain all the weight and THEN SOME! I guess that's why MFP says not to go under 1200 calories. I think you can go under, and not lose a lot of muscle, if you exercise like a fiend. I did that (lost weight quickly) on an 800-calorie, medically supervised, supplemented fast many years ago. Unfortunately I didn't do the "exercise like a fiend" part and regained all the weight. And then some.

Besides losing muscle through dieting, one article says, “As you age you start doing old. You get fooled into thinking that, as you get to a certain age, it is inappropriate to do a lot of activity.” They say not to retire (slow down), but “re-tire.” (Put on another set of tires and keep going.) If you don't lose it, you lose it.

30 years ago, people lost about 1.5 percent of their muscle mass every 10 years. Now, they lose about 2.6%. Thank you TV, computers, and desk jobs! :grumble:

Here’s the good news: you can increase your muscle mass by about 3 pounds by doing two 25-minute strength-training sessions a week for 8 weeks. That will increase your resting metabolic rate by 7 percent. And that's just in 8 weeks. By exercising for a longer time, I imagine you gain more muscle. Makes sense.

Okay, if I needed to talk myself into Gut ‘n’ Butt, that did it! Time to break out the old “Strong Women Stay Young” exercises too.

If you missed the Gut ‘n’ Butt exercises, here they are. Unless my memory has completely failed me (which is not impossible), they came from Jeannie. Her daughter did these exercises when recovering from extensive surgery. (Jeannie, let me know if I got that wrong.) The exercises are all designed to be done slowly so the abs are engaged and you don't use other muscle groups to compensate.

Jeannie said, “My daughter did them every day for 10 weeks, building the reps up to 30 for each exercise. Then she dropped to 3 times a week. She went from a size 14 before the surgery to a size 8 (which she was flaunting in my face…) but only lost 2 pounds. She was not on a diet and doing about 40 minutes a day on a stationary bike at the lowest level and relatively slowly. Like not even breaking a sweat. She is 15 years old.”

There are just 4 Gut 'n' Butt exercises:

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. It took Anna several weeks to get up to 30. 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. What ever 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.

Okay, NOW I will do my exericise - cardio and strength. :laugh:

RebelRenny

:bigsmile: No time to read posts, because getting ready for bed. Away for the weekend with DD and had some fun culinary experiences:

Day 1: Breakfast at home: 2 eggs and 100 g of blueberries
lunch at "694" in Qualicum Beach - "Californication Wrap" with baby greens. Ooh aahh
dinner at "Riptide" in Campbell River - Seafood dinner: Fresh catch of the day - prawns, clams, mussels, halibut, salmon on penne with white wine & cheese sauce

Day 2: Continental breakfast, 2 eggs, apple and orange
Lunch "Kameleon Cafe" on Quadra Island (you gotto go there): Veggie wrap - guacamole, tofu, tomato, lettuce, cucumber and chickpea/curry soup (this was the best lunch of the weekend!!!) DD had a "bhudda burger" to die for!
Supper: had to settle for chef's salad after all that car trouble. Happy to be back at the hotel.

Day 3: Continental breakfast - Toast, banana and coffee
Lunch: "White spot" - "Celebrate BC Chicken Salad" - Fresh char-grilled BC chicken atop basil goat cheese, toasted BC hazelnuts, BC blueberries, red onions and mixed greens tossed with white balsamic vinaigrette.
Dinner: Stuffed Salmon - BC Salmon stuffed with cream cheese and crab on a bed of baby spinach, grapes and red onions (the best dinner of the trip!)

We had a car breakdown (dead battery), an amazing hike, saw spectacular scenery, hot hot weather, had a wonderful hotel stay, met the friendliest and most interesting people in the universe and wished the weekend would not end!

Here's to the memories!

Rebel

barbiecat

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: welcome to the new members.....you have found the world's greatest support group

When my mother died in 1991 she had been failing for about a year. DH and I were by her side at the hospital at the end. We left the hospital and stopped at the grocery store to buy 2 half gallons of ice cream. At home we ate ice cream out of the carton all night while we made lists of people to call and things to do. As my mother’s only living child, her house was left to me and the lawyer said we could move in right away before the estate was settled. We moved in 3 days later and spent the next eight years going through her stuff and deciding what to do with it.

Chiclet, thanks for the link about sugar addiction…….I smile when people say they are sugar addicts so they have to have their sweet treats rather than addressing the issue of dealing with it so they don’t have to be victimized by addiction.

Kathy, I’m glad to hear from you again and find that no great damage (other than frustration) took place while you were unable to log onto MFP……..I hate to admit how much I love this site and how lost I feel without it.

Peggy, glad your weekend went well…….your DF sounds like a keeper……when will he become your DH? Do you have a date set?

Jackie, it sounds like you have the packing business well organized……I wish we could have a “packing table” but the cats would either sleep on the clothes and stuff and push everything off onto the floor.

Michele, sardines were one of my dad’s favorite foods but could never seem to like eating them….I gave up eating veggie burgers because of the sodium

Barb, congrats on the blood pressure…..mine is always extra high at the doctor’s office because I’m so stressed

Rebel, thanks for sharing your culinary experiences……I have time to read but not much time to post

A friend brought me bok choy, beets, and green beans from her garden….yum yum
:yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:

mimi7grands

Butt 'n' Gut - day 1 completed!

I think I can do this - but am amazed by how hard it is.

weaklink109

Rebel,
Your trip (except for the car battery:frown: ), and the MENU sounded wonderful!!! I have been to some of the places you mentioned, and know how beautiful they can be.

Mimi,
Thanks for reprinting the Butt n Gut exercises. Maybe I will finally try them this time.:blushing:

I found a new way to avoid eating after dinner. I went to the Kohl's store in my town, and wandered through the clothing, and tried on some slacks in a size 14 that FIT. :drinker: :drinker: I didn't buy them because I am hoping to reach size 12 by Fall and these were a dark color, and a brand and style that they will continue to carry for a while.

I mentioned this afternoon that I was expecting someone who didn't show up. When I called I got her voice mail and then a call about 3 hours later. She "forgot" that she was supposed to come and work for me today, and wants to come on Tuesday, so I guess tomorrow it is.

Just heard something on the news about an invasion of "dime size toads" :noway: :noway: on the Olympic Peninsula. Maybe Brandy and Sasha, Barbiecat's doggies will have some new playmates to chase at the dog park. :laugh: :laugh: They haven't played the story on the toads yet, so not sure where exactly on the Peninsula they are.

BFN

Barb

wizzywig

Good Morning

:flowerforyou: Mimi I quite like roasted brussel sprouts I sometimes roast frozen veggies including frozen sprouts put them in a covered dish, spritz with a bit of oil (still haven’t gotten the buttery type spray yet) and put them in the oven. Sometimes if I am roasting for later I’ll leave them on a low light and by the time I get back they are lovely and soft. Other times I put them in a hot oven and leave them until they look “cooked” You also made me think about how as we get older we lose muscle mass :frown: , so I am making more of an effort to do some strength training exercises. I did do some exercises I found on the intranet last night, but these were mainly “warm up” type exercises. Good for you starting the Gut n Butt I am ashamed to say I have let these exercises lapse :blushing: I will try harder !!

:drinker: Welcome all newbies, hope you enjoy this site as much as I do. :drinker:

Barbie I’ve just realised I’m one of those people who say that I have a sweet tooth and “need” something sweet after a meal :embarassed: I accept my addiction, instead of doing something about it. Thanks for making me think about this in a different way. I'm going to try and do something about my addiction, I know it won't be easy, but I am going to try and stop using it as an excuse to eat extra calories.

:flowerforyou: Jackie, I know you have mentioned where you are going on your cruise, but can you remind me please. Wherever it is I’m sure you will have a wonderful time. Recharge your batteries and spend time doing what you want to do for a change.

I had better make a move, I want to check out the link that chiclet sent about sugar addiction before I make a start on this mornings exercises. Been for a small dog walk earlier this morning, DD left Tara with me last night as her back legs are getting a bit stiff and she (Tara) finds it hard to manage the stairs into the flat, so us two oldies went on a gentle walk this morning :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

By the way Barb, well done on the BP and your weight loss, :drinker: :drinker: :flowerforyou: it must feel good when people don't recognise you, that is what I am aiming for :bigsmile: Need to get my act together :bigsmile:

Take Care everyone and have a good day.

Viv

chicletgirl

Evening everyone,

Had to catch up on reading the post. I've been very busy contacting doctors, friends that know about caregiving or are dealing with the same issue as I. My mom has been in rehab now 4 days and today was her first physical therapy. She didn't even get through half of it, before claiming she was too tired. The good thing is that she was able to stand and walk 2 steps. I know that doesn't sound like much but I was afraid she wouldn't be able to have the strength in her legs to keep her up without collapsing. (This has happened before) But when I called her this afternoon after PT she was really exhausted, mumbling and such. She slept straight through dinner also. I don't get it? I asked her if they gave her anything, like pain meds, which always makes her drowsy and drunk like and she said no. I think I need to call the place tomorrow and ask the nurse what they are giving her. She is so sensitive to drugs.:frown:

:flowerforyou: Mimi

I remember the first time when I had lost like 80 lbs and I went into a grocery store and paid by check making them have to look at my license. The checker refused to believe it was me on the picture. Plus it didn't help that my hair color was different and styled different. They wouldn't let me purchase my items. Needless to say I had to get a new license .....twice. One for my new and improved self at the time and one later when I gained it all back.:indifferent: So I can totally relate.

My son has me doing weights with dumbells for my upper arms and I try to do them every night. I am hoping that by starting now that maybe I will not have jiggly arms later when I have lost weight. Oh I expect some of course but am hoping maybe it won't be too bad. I wish I could walk. That helped me so much the first time I lost weight. But my knees are so bad, my left one in particular that I am in excrutiating pain after a 10 or 15 minute walk with Boo. It bugs me that I can't do some of the exercises on my DVD because of it. I complained to my doctor about it and she gave me an exercise to do to build up the muscle above the knee to provide more support for when I walk. So I have added that now.

:flowerforyou: Michelle
Okay, where in the heck do you go shopping at? Everywhere I go, all I see is small sizes and I am like, yeah right, who can fit into them???? I have a hard time finding decent looking plus sizes that fit me. They either are too long, don't fit properly around the waist, tight in shoulders, too loose in shoulders or are just plain ugly. Yes I have gone to Lane Bryant and Avenue and shopped at Catherines. I just have a weird body. Even in high school when I was thin my butt couldn't fit in to the current trend then, "Ditto's or DIddo's" pants. They were designed for flat butts! The guys loved my butt, but I sure hated it. Now my butt back then would be every girls dream to have. Why was I born in the wrong time period of flat butt clothes?

Lastly, Okay, it is obvious we are all in agreement that my ex is a JERK! So my next question is "Does anyone know of a good, reliable hitman??? Preferably one that if he gets caught and tortured would never squeal me out that I was behind it all?? Any suggestions will be handled with utmost confidentiality!:glasses:

Chiclet

blessedbirdie

Hi everyone, I am "joining" the group since I am over 50. I will be 53 the end of Dec. So I have been logging on for 40+ days now. I have lost 23 lbs. on a drs plan. I have one friend on here but I would like to add some more.
I am married 34 yrs. with 3 kids and 4 grandkids.
Work from home which can make this hard since I am alone most of the day. Going to weigh in at the dr once a week helps keep me accountable since I have to hand in my food journal.

Anyway I will keep this post short as I go weigh this morning. Hope to have lost more since I have over 100 to lose.
God bless you all in your journey.
Roberta

mamacindy81

Welcome Roberta,

This is an extremely friendly group of people. You will find lots of encouragement and tips from the gals on this page.

I just burned my 200 exercise calories. Off to the shower and then to Bible Study group this morning.

I'll check back later,

Cindy

jam0525

Mimi - Thanks for the post on the importance of exercise and keeping our muscles. It's always to get a good reminder and updates from recent articles. Hang in there with the Gun N But. It really will help.

I've dropped down to GNB 3-4 times a week. I did my measurements last weekend and EVERYTHING but my neck has gone down 1/2 inch to 1 inch in the last 6 weeks. I might be able to use my flabby neck as a sail soon.

Today DS starts soccer practice after school. I will be picking him up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is my intention to go to the Y on those days to use the time between work and when I need to be at the high school. At this point I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I get there, but I will go. The spinning class is from 4 to 5, but I have to leave town at 4:30 to get to the school on time. I may do strength for a while, then just the first half of the spinning class.

I weighed 148.2 this morning. A new post child birth low! lol

I have never eaten Brussels spouts.

Welcome to everyone new! This is a great group with lots of good information. Yes, the story of my DD and her surgery are true. She is still a solid size 6-8 depending on how the cloths run. She does the GNB and the stationary bike 3-4 times a week plus does minimal weights for upper body. She is starting back into soccer on Monday.

Jeannie

Debhow

I can tell it's going to be a hard day to exercise today. I think I am catching my son's cold and since my lung capacity is already at 39% a cold can just stop me dead in my tracks. I really don't feel like doing a blessed thing!

On top of that the neuroma on my root is really bad this morning and it's hard to even walk a few steps, so I don't think using the treadmill on this rainy day would be smart. You know, I'm actually going to MISS using the treadmill! I put my earbuds in and listen to an audiobook and when I get off I feel so much energy and so much better during the day.

I can still use my Total Gym, as long as it doesn't involve my foot. Guess that's the plan. I'm noticing that when I fill in my exercise it only seems to calculate calories burned with my walking and not strength exercises. Am I reading that correctly? Can anyone advise me?