WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY 2014

tiarapants

Good morning lovely ladies

Is it really Monday again?

Today I have the day off and I am taking my father shopping. Always a stressful event! I am going to ‘reward’ myself by buying myself the new bag I’ve been lusting after. http://www.fossil.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=32553&langId=10&catalogId=25005&categoryId=331141&cm_vc=331141&pn=&productId=22456433&imagePath=ZB5486928
I just love the mint green and think it will be great for when spring rolls around.

Still waiting to hear when my surgery will be. Very impatient as I need it to be over. Uncertainty about anything is a real stresser for me.

I was deeply saddened to hear of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death. A few years ago I had the privilege of working with him. He was a gift of a man. Friendly, sweet, funny and so talented. Much too young to be gone.

Time for me to move – I need to add another layer of clothing!

Love to all.
Amanda x

cityjaneLondon

Good morning lovely ladies!
:drinker: :drinker:
Amanda - enjoy that bag!

Linda - I love your enthusiasm and determination. I'm sure those 5 min walks are doing a LOT of good. Keep it up! :drinker:

Molly - nice to see you posting! Congrats on getting back down to it. I used to have a lot of car problems. We only have a two door, so getting out of the back seat was like trying to extract an elephant! Also my bad knee leg was so weak that I had to lift it with two hands just to get in to the paasenger seat. And if we parked too close to the car next to us - oh joy! But if I can do it anyone can!

Sylvia - hope the preliminary hearing goes well todsy.

Jane - hugs for you at Thelma's funeral.

Well, my planning isn't going too well. I am having to work on letting go and knowing what I can't change. There most likely is a tube strike in London on Wednesday. That makes gettiing to DS extremely difficult. Plus there is a landslip on our lical train line and if that isn't mended then EVERYONE will be driving to the main line station and there will be no parking. :sad: :sad: I hope all this will be resolved by Wed, but if it isn't then we won't be seeing my grandchildren.:sad:
To make it worse, DDIL is tsking the grandchildren to her mum's that night, just 40 mins from us, becsuse the builders are bresking through the ceiling from the loft extension in the morning. Oh dear, feel jealous!:blushing: :embarassed: Iff we haven't seen them, then I hope we can pop over on the Thurs for an hour. Don't want to muscle in on their time, but I have clothes presents to give them and it is over a month since I saw them. The baby will be so changed!
Feeling sorry for myself.:embarassed: ! But it may still all work out. Like Amanda, I don't like things up in the air, but "that's life" sometimes, I guess.

Going to ring the nail bar in a minute to have my gels removed. Fed up with them now!

Bye for now, Heather in damp Hampshire UK

grandmallie

well what yucky yucky weather~
we are in for 4-8 inches of heavy wet stuff,I work only 30 hrs a week and if they call and tell me not to come today,Weds is supposed to be worse,I get 3 personal days and 2 weeks vacation and so far I haven't used anything,but the way this winter is going,I wont have a choice...
going in at 11 I hope,the dogs are tromping in alot of dirt so I am sweeping a couple of times a day.so will do that ,take a shower, stop at the post office and the vet

DeeDee2211

Good morning beautiful ladies:flowerforyou:

Molly So nice to see you back here:flowerforyou: !!! I think we all have pity parties at one time or another:sad: , sounds like you`re ready to get serious again:bigsmile: !!!

Amanda I couldn`t get the link to open , I`m sure it`s a gorgeous bag, maybe you can post a photo of it:bigsmile: ! Enjoy your time shopping!

Heather Hopefully all will be resolved by Wednesday and you`ll get to see those darling grandchildren !

Margaret:drinker: :drinker: having coffee and water with you!!!

Sophia`s funeral is today and it`s raining here, it seems every funeral I`ve been to it rains, it`s like the heavens are crying ! Her prayer service was absolutely beautiful, more of a celebration of her life!

Have a wonderful Monday ladies!!! Drink your water:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: and log your food!!!

Hugs,
DeeDee in rainy NC

CynthiaT60

Amanda: bit of retail therapy is good! Love the bag.

Cynthia

yanniejannie

Rain, colder temps and wind moving in. I'm getting ready shortly to take Gwen for a dr. appt.; well, not snow this time.........YAY!!!

Didn't think the commercials were as good as usual; my fav. was the clydesdale, of course. Bruno Mars was wonderful, as I knew he would be; thought the other group was not. And my pick won...........so, a great night. I would have given MVP to the QB.

Heather ...........I would also be so sad to miss out on seeing grandkids if they were close; hope you get to see them, if even for an hour.

Molly............Good to see you!!! The main thing is you didn't eat the candy----I've been known to throw candy gifts away; lately, not so much, and I'm paying for it.

janehadji...........Your DD sounds very talented and intelligent; I wish her the very best, she is a gem!!!

Susan.........When you were writing about the "short shorts" of the 80's for men; all I could see in my mind was Magnum PI..........thanks for the yummy thought!!!!

janemartin..........Hope your friend Thelma's services provided you with comfort and support. (hugs)

Dee Dee...........Comforting thoughts to you and all who knew Sophia.......(hugs)

Need to get moving
yanniejannie
mid-Atlantic

pkhernandez4

I'm new to fitness pal but certainly not new to weight loss. I weighed 292 lbs last time I started this journey and made it to 210 but then had some health problems which led me back to 250 lbs which is where I started this time on fitness pal. I'm juggling 3 people on this weight loss path. My husband who is newly diagnosed as a diabetic and my 17 year old son who has an extremely fatty liver. Each one of us faces our own challenges and trying to cook foods and different calorie goals is fun. Not. We did join the Y and also walk at our local mall. Hubby and I are walking about 4 times a week but son is not much for being around people.
I look forward to sharing support and hints with you all.

cityjaneLondon

Just to show you what I could be missing. (Sorry it's sideways!)

LinCharpentier

Well way back I am working at finishing page 4

Dr. Katie
I'm also working to get back in onederland but it looks good to be there for Valentine's day.
That will be my valentine to me.
You talked about everything takes time. Well I'm running out of time and patience.

Amanda
Looks like your taking care of you. Doing very good and taking dr. orders the way you should.
Take care.

Larie and Poppy
9lbs and 7 lbs wow great months. Keep it up.

Katla
Don't know if I'm the right person to face all these health problems or not.
What I do know is no one is going to do it for me. So face it I must.
I'm not a big fan of clothes myself. Sooner have less and good fitting clothes.
Than a whole bunch that look like hell.

Sylvia
You also have a lake cabin. We have a cottage on a good acreage only 7 miles from home.
Great get away place.

Welcome fabulous fifty and Sarah.

Well that's page 4 and it's after 9 and I should look like I'm doing something before hubby shows up from coffee.
I haven't been going because it takes me a good hour or so just in fitness pal.
So wishing you all a great Monday.
Let's be good to ourselves.

See you all Lighter
Linda in Northern Ontario.

PatsyFitzpatrick

To inspire. 75yrs old http://ernestineshepherd.net/

janemartin02

Good morning.
Off to the funeral.
The wake was nice.Lots of people.
A picture show of her doing what she loved best,knitting.Pictures of the kids she made gifts for every Christmas
Have a good day.
HUGS
jane

Laura80111

X marks my spot

Laura in Colorado

gmom316

Happy Monday to all,

Amanda, I love the mint bag and as I recall the many traumatic shopping trips with my dear grandma, rest her soul, it is well deserved

Speaking of indulgences, I'm seriously thinking of buying (or asking for an early 50th birthday gift) T25.

I never would have thought of the word document "method" barbicat, thanks for the suggestion. One the days I have a little more time, I will give both a try to see what works best for me.

Got my boy off to school (he insisted I check the news to make sure it's not cancelled again because he was looking for a way out), got my workout in and now am making my list for the week and seeing what I can get done before pick up time. He may get his way Wednesday as another round (up to 6") is expected tomorrow night. :ohwell:

My poor mom is having a TERRIBLE time. You'd think the pain and suffering can't get any worse, but apparently it can. Thankfully she has a doctor's appointment this afternoon. It conflicts with when I have to pick up my son from school so I, sadly, can't got with them. I am making notes to send, however. I think we're long past the time to call in assistance from hospice. She's convinced that they are only there to help with the death process and I think I have her finally realizing that they are the pain management experts she needs right now. She also needs to finally take advantage of a legal medicinal marijuana prescription. I don't know what the hold up has been there either. I also don't know why her doctor hasn't suggested it. On the staggering amount of meds that she's already on, she couldn't sleep or find a way or place to sit or lay that wasn't sheer agony.

Does it sound strange that sometimes I feel guilty for doing the things I have to do (like cooking, cleaning, working out, etc.) because she can't?

Best wishes to all for a strong and successful day.

xo-
Gloria in Metro Detroit

mollywhippet

Molly, Molly, Molly! I have been where you are. My advice to you is to make a list of all the weight issues you have now. Not only will it be a good incentive to lose, but it feels REALLY great to look back at the list later and see how much progress you have made. Some of my favorites from my list are getting stuck in the bathtub, being unable to release the parking brake in the van because I have to pull it up with my hand and couldn't reach it because my stomach was in the way, not being able to tie my shoes or trim my toenails, not being able to zip my 4x men's winter coat, ripping out the butt of my size 30 pants when I bent over in class, not being able to climb the two steps into the garage without being out of breath, aching knees and hips, falling down at a national park and it took three very big policemen to help me back up. There are lots more. And those are tangible, real world things, not just numbers. Now I look at that list and see how far I have come. I love checking them off! I still have 60 pounds to go, and the list is marked off. None of those things will ever happen to me again!

Also, I changed my ticker to show progress - pounds lost - rather than showing how many pounds I have left to go. That big number made me so sad. It was totally overwhelming. I like seeing the number get bigger instead of hoping it will get smaller. I changed my mindset somehow, making it less of a chore and more of a game. And I finally realized I was working on changing my life. When presented with options for food, I started thinking about it like a budget. I can afford that food, but I cannot afford that other one. What will that food cost me? If I wanted something special, I had to save for it. And once the budget was gone for the day, I had to stop spending. And thinking of it in terms of "one day at a time" helped a lot. I can do 1200 calories just for today. I can work out for an hour, just for today. I don't have to lose 150 pounds, I just need to try to lose ONE pound this week. Every time I lose a few ounces it makes me hugely happy. I don't have to think about the "big picture" - that will take care of itself later. It's all about baby steps.

Do you have a support system? I finally told my husband how much I actually weighed (I had never told him before) and then every time I lost weight he was cheering for me, no matter how small the loss. Once I spoke those secret words "three hundred and two pounds" out loud they lost their power over me. The shame and guilt just evaporated. I am really lucky though, that he has always been supportive and never critical. If you aren't getting that kind of support at home, you need to find it somewhere else. That's why this group of MFP ladies are so fantastic! There's not a critical one in the bunch. But you already know that.

I wish when I started I had taken some before pictures and recorded my measurements. I didn't do that. I thought I didn't want to see the truth. Hubby has a few pictures of me that he keeps hidden because they made me cry, but even those are not at my all-time highest weight. I did save one pair of size 30 pants, as a souvenir. The rest I gave away because I'm never going to wear them again.

I hope you will stick with us and let us know how you are doing every day. Some of us aren't very good at replying to everyone every day, but we ARE reading, following, and caring.

Sylvia
In Kansas, where we are expecting 6-8 inches of snow. Darned Phil!

kayak_kutie

Rori – I’m joining you in your goal of cleaning out the master closet. I have so many clothes I should donate or throw out and shoes scattered everywhere. :ohwell:

Rose – congratulations on rescuing Sprite. We currently have a little Puggle in the rescue group I volunteer with and he is a cutie.

Jill – congratulations on being able to drop the medicine. My DH is pre-diabetic and he has found that eating walnuts at night has helped his morning reading. Not a scientific claim just through observation. If he doesn’t eat them, his morning readings are about 117-125. When he eats them, his readings are 99-105. Doesn’t seem to matter what else he has eaten that day. Just something we noticed. :drinker:

Sue – Happy belated birthday!

Meg – Hope Bert is doing better.

Tammy – What a cute dog in your profile picture.

JoAnne – Welcome. My DH is from Lancaster, PA. Is that anywhere near you? Guess I should look at a map to see if Lancaster is in Southeastern PA. :flowerforyou:

Jb – have fun with that manure. When I was growing up my neighbor always got manure in the spring for his yard. His kids were so embarrassed because our bus stop was on the corner of their yard and they had to put up with all of the comments from the Junior High kids. :devil:

Laurel – 12 pounds is fantastic! :drinker:

Sandy – 81 pounds lost! You go girl. :drinker:

Nancy and Tina from FL – Hope you’re feeling better. :flowerforyou:

Karen, Marise51, Patricia, FabulousFifty, and all others I may have missed – Welcome! :drinker:

Molly – Hang in there. You are worth it and can do it! Congrats on not eating the candy. :flowerforyou:

Pkhernandez4 – Not sure about the diet for a fatty liver but my DH was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes and I know I need to limit carbohydrates and sugars so our menus consist of mainly proteins and veggies that work for both of us. I track calories, proteins, carbs, sugars, and sodium. We try to keep our carbs and sugar under 50 a day and sodium less than 2000. My food diary is open if you want to look at what we usually eat.

Weather was beautiful this past weekend but raining hard here this Monday morning. Had a productive weekend trapping 4 semi-feral cats. They were living at a home that is now up for sale. They are scheduled to be spayed/neutered tomorrow and given Rabies shots and then will be going to their new home on a farm. The homeowner said there were 4 but the last one we caught is not one of the original 4. I believe it is another offspring from last year as he has the same coloring and markings. That means one (at least) is still left to be caught. He may be more difficult as he is a little older and much larger so more feral than the others. Unfortunately, staking out cat traps and getting them settled didn’t leave much time for good meal choices so ended up with a sub. :grumble: Really noticed the increased salt this morning. We usually eat very little salt and keep it under 2000mg a day. Drinking more water today. :drinker:

February goals:

Get to the gym at least twice a week.
Walk at least 6000 steps a day
Clean master closet
Resume yoga at least once a week

Katla49

Nancy: Warn your DD about the “Freshman Fifteen.” It is only fair. My mom didn’t warn me. Congratulations on her decision to stay closer to home.:flowerforyou:

BJ: Beautiful picture. I’m sorry but I don’t remember where you’re from.:flowerforyou:

Jettypeople: Exercise more to boost your metabolism and energy. We all hit ”walls.” The term I use is plateau. I surely hit many along the way and it is a common occurrence. Have patience with yourself & eat the most nutritious food you can so that if you run out of hunger you’ve taken care of your body. Good Luck.:flowerforyou:

Margaret: Thanks for the description of the Rumford container. I looked in one store yesterday and they only had the baking powder with aluminum. I’ll look more today.:flowerforyou:

Carol in NC: Congratulations on your newly developed frontal thigh muscle! That is an EXCELLENT NSV.:bigsmile:

Alison: Keeping your brother in my prayers. I didn’t see any post from Pat (Phoo) either. Someone mentioned she’s had contact and Pat wasn’t quite ready to come back yet, but planned to come back soon. I’ll put AA for your brother’s future into my prayers. It will be really hard to stay clean without a good support system.:flowerforyou:

Barbie: It sounds like you and Jake had a very productive day yesterday. You got your chores done and the Seahawks rewarded you with a decisive victory. :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Your pizza sounds yummy and full of good nutrition.:flowerforyou:

FabulousFifty: Welcome. Stick around for a lot of good support.:flowerforyou:

Joyce: I went over yesterday, too. At the end of the day I rode my trike on its trainer in the garage for half an hour and earned part of the extra calories, but not all of them. It won’t happen often.:flowerforyou:

Michele: We didn’t get the memo to come in “costume” but most people did. The experience was fun. There were only two other people at our table, and a team of four isn’t as much fun as a team of twelve. The ladies we sat with were nice.:flowerforyou:

Laurel Fisher: I hope you feel better soon. Back pain is a tough one.:flowerforyou:

Susan: Believe it or not, the Super Bowl was on at the mystery dinner before the actual mystery “performance” began so we knew the Seahawks were miles ahead.:flowerforyou:

Molly in WVA: Shame is a destructive force in life. My mom lived with it from childhood and it caused her a great deal of depression and grief. I hope you’ll show up here for a good dose of moral support on a regular basis.:flowerforyou:

Joyce: Olympics? I must be living in an alternate reality. I didn’t know this is an Olympic year. Where are the winter games being held?:huh:

Amanda: The bag looks wonderful and you deserve a reward. Good luck shopping with your dad. I guess I don’t understand the British health care system. Why can’t they simply put you on the schedule?:huh:

Heather: I hope you are able to see your grandchildren. The baby is adorable. I haven’t seen DGD since June and I am missing so much of her growing up. DD is good about setting up facetime calls. They help a little.:ohwell: :flowerforyou:

DeeDee: I’m sorry about your loss. I think funerals help family and friends reconnect with one another as well as saying goodbye to a loved one.:flowerforyou:

LinC: Running out of patience is usually a bad sign. I hope you’re able to find a way to sustain your positive spirits. Never give up.:flowerforyou:

Gloria: Good luck to your mom. Some doctors have their heads located in a position that gives them “optical rectitus,” AKA a sh*tty outlook on life. I hope hers isn’t one of them. When my auntie needed hospice care they did give her a lot of morphine at the end. Your mom is right that hospice assists with the death process. They also help relieve pain. Marijuana is a much better choice than morphine when death is not near and I don’t think hospice has that option. Eventually morphine may be all that helps. Your mom probably wouldn’t want you to feel guilty about being able to do things she can no longer do. I hope you have a good friend or personal advisor to help you through this process.:flowerforyou:

JB: Re garden manure: One time we went to Alpenrose for a load of their “compost.” We had raised beds at the time, covered in black plastic and watered with a drip irrigation system. We didn’t develop a weed problem. We put down landscape cloth in the bed beside our sidewalk at our current home. It has helped tremendously with weed control. Hand weeding is easy enough for the rest of our tiny space. I use Alaska Fish Fertilizer.:flowerforyou:



Sorry if I’ve missed anyone. Yesterdays’ adventure is done. It was a good time, but I ate too much. :grumble: I don’t know what we’ll do today. Our dog deserves a chance for exercise and play. He had to stay home for our big day, yesterday.:flowerforyou:

Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


February goals:

1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Move more: cardio at least 3 days a week and strength training as soon as I am able.
3. Water: According to an article I saw on facebook, drinking water at certain times maximizes its effectiveness for the body. I’ll work toward following these guidelines:
* 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
* 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
* 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
* 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

kevrit

6 pages already? Wow! Well, as usual, no time so will post my February goals here and check in when I can.

My SMART goals for February:
I will lose 5 pounds by February 28 through consistently going to Curves at least 4 times a week and increasing my daily steps to average 8,000 steps a week. My ultimate goal is to weigh 145 or less pounds and be healthy by this time next year.

Amendment to goal: if I cannot make it to the gym 4 times in a week, I will exercise to my walking video for at least 30 minutes.
Pretty much same as last month.
SMART goal - Specific, Measurable, Actionable/achievable, Realistic, and Timed.

They are the same as January as I did not increase my steps to where I wanted, nor did I lose the entire 5 pounds last month. I did lose 2 pounds though so not a complete wash!

Rita from snowy CT

texasgal22

Hello Monday! just came from reading a post of a young mother of two who is celebrating her 1 yr anniversary on MFP and the loss of 124 lbs. It's an inspiring post and what an amazing loss. Makes me want to do better but I know the feeling will pass...:laugh:

I've already been online for awhile catching up with my home page so I am keeping it short here. I hope to do some catching up later. For now I have work on my desk to attend to and it's already lunch time in Dallas. Where does the time go?!

May it be a MARVELOUS MONDAY for all...well, maybe not the Broncos.

Plano, Teral :flowerforyou:

meyllisa

:flowerforyou: Sylvia loved your post to molly has given me the inspiration I needed to get back on track starting with lunch thank you
Happy Monday to all

Juanita in sunny sudbury

LizPlus

Good Morning All :happy:

Yannie*** The weather is our poison apple..when it rains my feet / hands/ and hips grumble and groan...when it snows they still pain but my legs and back join in on the *fun* :noway: So sorry you are hurting too!!!

DeeDee*** Thoughts and prayers... I send to you... while you go to say good bye to your friend ;

Grandmallie*** Our doggy fur buddy used to love to play in the snow..he would put his little nose in the snow then run..he looked like a mini plow..then comes up sneezing..then lie on his back and make like a snow angel....I sure do miss him

Heather*** I pray you get to see your sweet grandbabies...ours are getting older and starting to out grow our games together...but they will still take and give a hug..I love being with them..as I am sure you do with yours.

Amanda*** Have fun shopping with your dad

Joyce*** Your DH is a great guy to take the time to answer your questions during the game...I stay away while mine watch his sports..safer!! :noway:

Molly*** We all have our ups and downs in this journey of becoming thinner...I sabotage mine with sweets...love them!!!!!
All will work out!

Susan*** With my DH it is picking his clothes up off the floor or rehanging a shirt or t shirt because it is hanging by its itty bitty buttons..one arm out... one in...they look so sad and I tell him to hang them up right..For Heavens sake....can men go thru their teenage years again :noway: :grumble: :noway: ...Your Banana bread sounds real yummy!!!

Pkernandez4*** Welcome to the saga of becoming thinner...it can be a hair raising experience

Jane*** She will see you all there and see the love you feel...gentle hug

Gloria*** Sorry about your mom...she would never want you to feel guilty about doing the things she no longer can...it is the cycle of life...all she wants right now is your love and understanding...cherish every minute..hour..you get with her..they are more precious then gold.

Sylvia*** I just recently changed my tikker to show the weight I need to lose..like you had done...I am going back to the lbs I lost..no so discouraging!!

Well it is time for that February **wants**...January wasn't all I wanted it to be...didn't get my 5 lbs lost but I still lost 3lbs..am not complaining...planned to come on more...I get on when I can so I am letting that one go...to log every bit of food ate (( scary :sick: )

February **wants** ; To try to lose the 5lbs!!!
To cut down on sweets :noway: :noway: :noway:

Good luck with all your February wants!!!
Liz from Halifax NS ( Canada)