WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2014

gmom316

Cindy, I missed the tummy pics. I'm going back to look for them.

Strassenkoeni, I lived in Greece for about three years, back in the late 70's/early 80's when I was in the Air Force, and remember eating a lot of meat, food fried in olive oil, and fresh bread from the corner bakery with real butter. But I also remember walking a LOT. And routinely biking UP a mountain to go home. Oh, I was so young back then...

Sylvia

I also haven't seen any tummy pics. Maybe they're mixed in with the river rock "album":laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I was thinking the same thing Sylvia. While the food is a major issue on it's own, mostly because of what's in it that doesn't belong there, the other half is lack of movement. At least with obesity and related heath issues. Took Aaron and a couple of his friends to the playground after dinner. About a 1/2 mile walk each way. One boy was huffing and puffing. Couldn't run with the other 2 kids and I made them do a "parkour" on the way out and told them I'd give them a prize when we got home for trying their best. The poor kid couldn't hardly climb the monkey bar round thingy. He plays videos games most of the day, most days....and eat garbage food. I know another 7 year old who's got to be 150 pounds (Aaron's 8, on the smaller side but 52 pounds). He mom has FB photos every day of her eating junk and I don't think they do anything active. :frown:

Soooooo, I had the night time crunchy, munchies and just ate a cucumber:ohwell: :smokin:

Hooked on Hay Day have to go tend my farm before bed. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :glasses:

See ya'll on the flip side.

xo- Gloria in Metro Detroit

exermom

katla - how far in advance do you have to be at your daughter's? I don't mind being a hostess, but invariably I wind up eating things just to finish them up so that I don't have to put them in the refrigerator.

Exercised (took yoga and then the deep water class) then went to B-Lo to try to get more jello for Vince. They didn't have two of the flavors he wanted so came home and made the one I had (I bought one of the flavors in the store brand), then went to senior bowling. Worked on my handicap. Tonight we have an organizational meeting for the Newcomer bowling league.

After senior bowlig went to WalMart for few things. Ken and Lynette are coming over for dinner Friday I know that she really wants to go in the pool. So I'll probably do a little more food shopping. I have a recipe for lamb chops. Just don't know how expensive they are. If they're too expensive, then I have a recipe for cicken. t's s difficult to come up with a menu with something that Vince'll eat. Wish his mother had gotten him used to different foods when he was younger

Linda - tell us a little more about yourself. What part of FL are you in?

Patty - I would like to take that nutrition course. I thought I registered at (what was it?) coursemp. Do they send you a reminder email when the class starts?

Heather - I have the greenest thumb on this side of the Atlantic. Actually, probably on both sides of the Atlantic. I remember once before we were married, Vince went on a business trip. He had this plant that he asked me to water for him. He even poured out the water for me so that I couldn't overwater it. The thing died. I told him all I did was look at it. The only thing I can't seem to kill are weeds. Cactus? I managed to kill that. We eat out on the deck that's attached to the house. When I've hosted Rummikub we played out there. There are fans and Vince installed lights in the pergola. If we have a party, many times people will sit out there. I've had it where there wasn't any rain at all as I pulled out of my driveway, it's poured going to the end of the development, and bone dry at the end of the development. I'm not crazy about socializing with people who just want to drink. You know what I think of? "Oh, those calories are so not worth it"

Sylvia - your hubby is a keeper, that's for sure. Mine won't even step into a gym. Cute joke

Pearlie55 - we'd love to have you. Come in any time at all

Vicki - we have Charter, too. We never had as many problems as we do now. They offered a bundle where we'd get more internet access, more DVR's, all the cable channels, and a phone. Ever since then, we've had nothing but problems with them. I just wish someone -- anyone -- would help me get those pictures posted correctly. How in the world do I go about it?

strassenkoeni (I forget your name) - the people in our development drive their cars to the end of the development where the bus lets the kids off. Even on beautiful days! I was the very mean mother who made my kids walk home from the busstop. I would pick them up if it was raining real hard or snowing, but otherwise my feeling was "God gave them two feet for a reason".

jane - oh, I do hope things go well for you.

JustMelanie - welcome! It IS more difficult to lose weight after 50, but the good news is that it CAN be done. It just goes slower, that's all. Tell us more about yourself

Michele in NC

strassenkoenigin

Michele,

I always forget to sign with my name. Sorry.

I nearly caused a riot (many years ago in LA) when I let my son ride his bike to school. I had just moved from Germany to the States and all the children there walked or biked to school. Nobody was driven.
In my new neighborhood in LA, which I had chosen because it was flat and the house was in a reasonable distance to the school, everybody chauffeured their kids to school. I thought it was ridiculous and refused to join in. It did not make me very popular.

But the much bigger problem I had was when I refused to let him eat at fast food chains for lunch or dinner. I was considered a cruel mother who did not understand the American way.

Anne

RebelRenny

:flowerforyou: Michele - I followed the links and so enjoyed seeing your pool. You have described the work you've done, and now I can see how much that was. That is amazing. Is there some kind of trophy you could lay claim to?

:flowerforyou: Cindy - I envy your tummy and think I am not that far behind, once I can get my but into gear again:bigsmile: :bigsmile: . A bit older than you, but frankly that should not matter. Would love for you being a cheerleader in that department and share.

:flowerforyou: Anne - it amazes me too how parents drive their kids to and from school here in Canada. And I've been here over 40 years.

I realized that I have not provided an update on my mom. As the old-timers will remember, my mom was about to die in June at age 91, just about when DD was about to have baby number two. Well, mom did not die and I did not fly to Holland. As a result, I was able to be there for my DD and had a wonderful time - notwithstanding a bad bout with some ungodly flu bug - helping her. After the worst was over, my mom had what seemed to be a switch in personality, but more recently she is back to her old self. My sisters and I are very happy about that. I am very far away from her, and my sisters had their own stressful situations, so all 3 of us are "recuperating" so to speak. We don't even want to talk to or email each other, we are so tired. Mom continues now on her prescribed morphine for her nights. Ultimately, it IS a matter of time, and I DO keep my suitcase and passport handy.

August means that the commute into work is a breeze, because so many people in this government town are on vacation. I can actually drive highway speed. How is that for a novelty.

I should go make some dinner now: stir fry turkey breast and mango. How is that for a yummy combination.

Renny
Vancouver Island, BC - where the temperatures are more bearable than they were! Hope it stays that way.

Lestan48

Had a good day yesterday and got in 100020 steps. Rang Interflora and sent flower's to DH mother in England who is 94 this year, also paid $300 off next electric bill. Must check and see how much it will be.
Had a 1.5 hour walk before lunch with our Mildred Beagle, neighbour Susan, her dog Ella, and horse Merlin. We put the world to rights.
I am trying to get the budget in order before end of August and then keep within budget.
Making Jamie Olive lamb shanks with veg for dinner..Jaimie is a favourite in our house and I have most of his recipe books.
Off to seasol our garden. The hyacinths, snowdrops and daffodils are starting to bloom. Hurry up Spring
Lesley in Tasmania

GodMomKim

Patty, www.coursera.org – noted!!! Thanks

Michele – I feel bad; yesterday I oode and awed over your pictures, showed them to Levi and forgot to mention anything!!! Sorry – What a ton of work, but looks great!

Sylvia – sorry about WEIL (that is witchy ex -daughter in law)

Cindy in OK – you look like a southern belle - what a pretty pic.

Rita – Wow a bit of philosophy a bit of ancient history and a bit of religion, I am empressed!!!

Sharon – triple digit heat, oh better you than me!!!

Carol – don’t move to CA… I pay twice that! And I am covered under a law that capped my tax, if I sell the new owner will pay about 8K

Linda – welcome

Tere – welcome back, I wondered where you had been off too!

Sylvia - DH earned his “D” for that comment! Loved the joke

321Debo – it is amazing to see what step count really is.

Pearlie55 – welcome, lots of veggies and logging is where most of us start.

Vicki – glad things worked out for your vacation

Anne – As an Aunt (no – kids of my own) I don’t allow fast food, and the only soda is an occasional root beer float…

Renny – turkey and mango – sounds like it could be really good


not much to tell, taught a class today for my city as part of the development program for the employees; we made herb gardens just mini ones in a pot... everyone seemed to have fun.


August goals :
Stretch 5 minutes a day xxx
Walk 45 minutes a day xxxxxx
Do Heather’s abc balance 1 time a week 1st, 2nd week done

Kim from N. California

Cindy781

Good morning ladies!

We are getting some rain this morning, so lovely. Today I will do some yoga and then treadmill. Hubby and I went out for lunch (grilled salmon over a spinach and quinoa salad), yummy! Then we went to a movie. Since we are both retired now we have seen more movies in the last 2 months than in the last 4 years!

Thank you all for the compliments on my photos. I am very camera shy and usually don't take good pictures. For those who missed them, my tummy pics are on my profile page. Just click on my photos. Also, I will post a new drawing soon, I am almost done with my current project.

Sylvia, so nice that your grandchild enjoyed digging in your yard, your Hubby is a gem!

Anne, I so agree on clean eating. Our food has been tampered with so much. I try to eat as clean as possible, the closest Whole Foods Market is nearly an hour drive from my house. I do envy your world travels!

Tere, welcome back!

Renny, I will cheer you on, thanks! It is so hard when parents are close to the end of life. Both Hubby and I have lost ours. Hugs for you.

Jane, fingers crossed for you!

Michele, one more time, beautiful pics! I'm not the best gardener either!

Welcome all new ladies! Hugs to all I missed.

Cindy in OK

mollywhippet

Lesley, please tell me that step count is a typo! 100,020 steps? My highest is 18,000 and I thought that would kill me.

Cindy, WOW! Those really are great tummy pics! You are so beautiful! Are you sure you are over 50? You look so young! Hubby and I have been to three movies in the last 17 years.

Tere, we missed you!

I've been thinking a lot about people not letting their kids walk anywhere these days, and I wonder how much of it comes from a fear of child abduction, or a fear of being accused of neglect. I read a news story the other day about a woman who was arrested for letting her daughter go to the park by herself, and she was 9. I remember my siblings and I walking all over the place when I was younger than that. We walked all over the farm, walked into town to the library, rode bikes in the road (without helmets) played on the railroad tracks, waded in the creek, you name it. My folks hardly ever knew where we were, and didn't really care unless we were late for dinner. I can't imagine my grandkids doing any of that today. It's a meaner world now, in many ways. I think people are more afraid of everything nowadays.

Well, I need to get some drafting done, so need to get busy. Have a great day everyone.

Sylvia

nccarolb

Good morning!

Tere - Welcome back!! You were missed.

Kim - No way could I live in California! I know folks love it and parts of it, I'm sure, are beautiful, but it has never been any place I wanted to live. I can't imagine paying 8K for property taxes. Do y'all have state income taxes?

Cindy - OMG!! My tummy will NEVER be that flat! I have my "Andrew legacy" from the c-section when my son was born--I carry a half-filled innertube below my belly button. :sad: No way to get rid of that other than surgery. Congratulations!! :flowerforyou:

Lesley - I, too, am hoping that 100,020 is a typo! I did a little over 20,000 a couple of days ago (my highest daily number) and I'm thinking I would have to walk all day long to get 100,000.

I grew up in the country and wandered the fields and woods a lot. Well, that might be exaggerating. I had too many chores to do to wander too much, but I did have an extensive amount of acreage to roam. My maternal grandparents lived in the "city" and my uncle (18 months younger than me) and I were allowed to walk about a mile down the road to Mr. Steppe's store to buy penny candy and the like. My daughter never had any inclination to wander outside (nose always in a book), but my son was free to roam the neighborhood with ever expanding boundaries as he aged. He did have to tell me he was going out of the yard, but he needed the freedom to move about and work on his anxiety levels by riding his bike and his scooter. He did have to wear a helmet, though!

I had a pretty good day yesterday. I have been struggling with stress eating, but did well with both food and steps yesterday. I read an article about how some fitness devices, such as Fitbit, seem to have a negative effect on weight loss because folks take the calorie burn too "seriously." I have been trying to not eat back my exercise calories very much and am working hard on what I put into my body as fuel. I'm also being mindful of how many of my steps come from actual effort and not from daily meandering. I've been trying to get back to core training for several months, but life has been in the way. Once I get the boy child moved into school, I plan to get back with it. I thought about beginning now with my Jillian Michaels 30-day-shred but I don't want my quads to be so sore I can't carry his stuff up steps! :laugh:

I'm off to get my paycheck written :bigsmile: and a few more work items, then I am going to take a walk through the building. Multiple times.

Have a great day!

Carol in NC

HSDramamom

After a long hiatus, I'm going to rejoin these message boards. I'm so frustrated with making efforts and seeing so little results, so I'm really hoping that this group will help me push forward and see results.

I just turned 50 at the beginning of this year. I'm perimenopausal. We've had a lot of stress with hubby job loss. Now I'm getting ready to take some online courses to prepare for an "empty nest" career.

I started back on a low carb diet at the beginning of June and lost 4 or 5 pounds. I'm no longer eating strictly low carb, but am eating virtually no bread, chips, pasta, etc. I used to crave sugar, but for the most part, I no longer do. This hasn't seemed to help me continue losing any further weight. I have stalled since mid-June and am beyond frustrated.

I have been really watching my food intake, but just to be sure, I decided at the beginning of this month to start tracking my calories religiously here on MFP. I have not been so good at tracking my water intake, but do think I am needing to increase that.

With the weather where I am being so hot and humid, walking is just not something I enjoy right now, but will when cooler weather arrives! I have been exercising quite consistently since July...a good bit even prior to that. For the last few weeks, I have exercised 6 days/week, mainly doing either Biggest Loser Power Sculpt, Ellen Barrett Weight Loss Pilates or most recently, Ellen Barrett Yogini. Each of these is about 35-40 minutes in length.

I am stalled at 138. I would guess that I'm gaining muscle weight, but my clothes still aren't getting looser...well, maybe just a tad?? (It may be wishful thinking.) I am so frustrated.

I hope to learn some things, as well as gain and give some encouragement.

Christina

cityjaneLondon

Good afternoon!:flowerforyou:

Had my friend over for a yoga session, which was extremely enjoyable.:bigsmile: A natter and a cup of tea afterwards. She told me that because I didn't go the end of term coffee the group were talking about me in the pub. I didn't go because I was hung over from too much eating and drinking the night before,:laugh: , but the gossip was that they were worried about me as they thought I had lost too much weight! ! ! ! I have a BMI of 23.31 which is perfect for my age. Nor has my weight changed in 7 months. In fact my bmi may be higher as I think I am a fraction under 5 ft 5 ins. Nearly all the group are overweight with quite large tummies.:laugh:

Lovely day here. I've made a tandoori monkfish for this evening, cucumber raita with the cuc my friend brought me, (I told her what you've all said about excess produce :laugh: ) and a new batch of yoghourt. Then I dead headed a few pots and picked some beans.
Michele - you can do it! Geraniums (pelargoniums) are very drought resistant and make a beautiful splash of colour. I have red, pink and salmon pink out there on the patio and they are glorious.
Tonight I will water the needy stuff, but we are forecast rain, either tomorrow or Sunday so I won't do a thorough job.

I got my money for the Premium Bonds returned for the SECOND time and DS#1 swore he had sent in the identity info.:grumble: :grumble: I am NOT trekking to the post office again so might send DDIL the £100 and hope she can buy them her end. How very frustrating it is!:ohwell: :grumble:

Tere - I missed you.:flowerforyou:
And where is Viv? :frown:

When my kids were young they walked to school by themselves from the age of 7. I did from the age of 5. The kids only played out around the block on bikes, but even then the local bully was a real nuisance. They had local friends they could visit on their own. The local park had gangs on bikes who made younger children's lives a misery and my son's fishing rod was broken by them. I was a latch key child and ran wild. I don't think my parents knew where I was. I got up to a lot of mischief and more. Never caught, thank goodness, but I had some close shaves. My brother did get caught by my parents. I went everywhere by foot, bus, bike. In the holidays we were out all day. My parents were neglectful, but there is a happy medium.
Locally we have to check our watches if we are going to drive anywhere as the local primary school is a parking nightmare. This is the countryside, so some kids are coming a long way and the footpaths are non existent, but the situation is ridiculous! :grumble:

Carol - we pay over £2200 a year council tax, for local services. A dollar is 60 pence so around €3000?? How much you pay depends on the size of your house. It is collected in ten monthly instalments so Feb and March are always comfortable months!:bigsmile:

Love to all. Got to make some toast for DH and me.:happy:

Heather in warm and sunny Hampshire UK

janemartin02

Happy thurs.
I was thinking about what Sylvia talked about ,growing up.
I was the oldest of 10.We lived at the park or the pool all summer.As long as we got home by 5 for dinner,it was cool.
I remember my sister and I walking to stores a mile or more from our home.Things aren`t that way.
I sit outside why Violet plays outside.I would never let my daughter walk to the mall,etc by herself.
HUGs to all
jane

margaretturk

Good morning friends,

Rita loved the moderation info.

I misspoke. The GMO were developed so plants were more resistant to pests and that the weed killers they put on plants did not kill the plants they wanted to grow. Instead of letting the universities develop these and prove they were for the greater good. They let big business do this. Not a good idea. I had a friend who worked in the foreign service in Kenya fifteen years ago. She had to explain to these companies that the people here could not afford to buy their seeds year after year. They were too poor.

The best thing I can do as a consumer is try to minimize the meat, dairy, and big grains like corn, soy, and wheat these are they hardest hit with this process.. I agree with you Anne about many of the food choices in this country are compromised. We all need to do is eat. When your income is limited price does become a factor. Unfortunately many of these less nutrient dense foods are cheaper. The cost comes in later when the health effects take place.

Exercise is another way to combat these effects. I agree with the discussion that is going on about how our youth are not encouraged to use their two feet. Our guide yesterday told us a sad fact about state parks. The younger generation is not visiting them because they feel intimidated by nature.

Our work is cut out for us as educators. The information is out there. The challenge is getting the message heard.

Today I will work to keep my garden healthy because it helps keep me healthy.

2014 word: contnetment

MNMargaret

mollywhippet

Here is today's joke of the day:

:laugh:

A woman is walking on the road and a voice shouts out, "Don't take a step further." She obeys and suddenly a ton of bricks fall on the place where she would have otherwise been. She thinks she imagined it and keeps walking until suddenly the voice calls out again. "Don't take a step further." She stops and a car skids past. Then suddenly she hears the voice saying "I am your guardian angel, and I will warn you before something bad happens to you. Now do you have any questions to ask me?" Yes! Shouts the woman, "Just where were you on my wedding day!"

:laugh:

Pammeycakes55

Good Morning Lovely Ladies :flowerforyou:

Yesterday was my first day in this forum. I am trying to get to know each of you, but please forgive me if I leave you out of a comment!

I hadn't thought much about how it was when was growing up in a while. My friends and I use to ride our bikes EVERYWHERE! No one was ever afraid of being kidnapped or anyhing bad happening to us! It is a shame time as changed and obviously, not for the good. I hate that my grandkids have got to live in this day and age.

Christine, I am new here, also. I welcome you and hope both of our journeys will be successful here. I "feel your pain" as the saying goes. I, too, have gone the low carb before and did good for a little while, but the holidays came, and I "fell off the wagon". :ohwell: Now, by doctor's orders, I am to be on a 1500 calorie, 22 carbs a day "diet".....and eat more fish. So far, the calories I'm doing good at, but the carbs are really kicking my butt. Maybe we can help each other our cheer each other on, along with al these awesome ladies. :bigsmile:

Also, I am not exercising. I am waiting for my "routine" to be made out for me at the fitness club I am joining. Since I have a severe arthritus in my right foot, I am limited as to what I can do. Walking, running, jogging are not in my future, unless I have surgury on my foot. Something I am trying to avoid.

So, to all the rest of you wonderfully, awesome ladies, I could sure use some suggestions in helping with my carb/calorie intake. If nothing else , just cheer me on! :laugh:

Hope you all have a fantastic day! Glad to be here!

Pam in LA!

Katla49

Heather: The DH who was dismissed from a job for gross moral turpitude sounds like someone to avoid. Phone visits lack a lot compared to personal visits, but you may need to consider a long chat with your friend as a compromise or arrange to meet her for lunch near her home.:ohwell: :flowerforyou:

Tere in Richmond VA: Welcome back!:bigsmile:

Linda and Sylvia: I switched from Caffeine Free Diet Coke to Diet Rite Zero Cola because of the sweetener issue. This one is supposed to be healthier. It uses sucralose as its sweetener. I wouldn’t want to drink it by the gallon, but I’m doing better with this than with aspartame. :flowerforyou:

Pearlie: Welcome to you and other newbies. I hope you’ll come back for support as needed. To lose weight and get healthier, a person needs to consume fewer calories and “move more.” With your foot issues, I wonder about swimming and yoga as good alternatives to help you move more. Yoga has helped me with knee issues. I also love riding my recumbent bike. There is some pressure on the feet, but it isn’t the pounding pressure that causes me pain. Good luck to you.:flowerforyou:

Dinaesia: Thanks for your comments on feeding wildlife. I don’t’ think that any reasonable or logical discussion is possible with my neighbor. :grumble: A person has to be open to reasonability and this woman routinely says, ”I don’t care.” I’m hoping that sanctions from the HOA will create improvements.:flowerforyou:

Strassenkoeni: Your comments on corporate food production hit the target. Many people I know buy from farmers markets and organic growers. This is possible for beef, poultry, and other meats, too. We don’t eat very much bread anymore, and are careful label readers.:flowerforyou:

Jane: I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you find just the right place to live.:flowerforyou:

Sylvia: Your grandchildren seem to be a joy and a blessing, and they are lucky to have you in their lives. I think fear of child abduction is a factor in many places, and too many of our “cultural practices” are fear based. But a person has to deal with the realities of a world with too many people and too many sickos and bad guys. I LOVE the Guardian Angel joke.:drinker: :flowerforyou:

Margaret: I love the new picture. I meant to mention it before. I am NOT a fan of GMOs.:noway:

Barbie: It sounds like you will be having a good time while Jake is hoeping out his friend. Wins all around.:flowerforyou:

Anne: My kids were outraged because I made them eat organic peanut butter instead of Skippy or Jif. Sometimes a mom can’t escape the peer pressure of the lunchroom.:ohwell: :flowerforyou:

Renny: Happy driving! Enjoy it while you can.:flowerforyou:

Margaret: I agree with your comments on food quality, exercise. And education.:flowerforyou:



I’ve been to yoga and am ready to take on the day. Our weather is great today and there will be a concert in the park this evening. My worst problem is anxiety about the timing between DH’s upcoming surgery and DD’s baby. I know that worry won’t help, but it is hard not to be anxious about this.

Have a great day.

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



August Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!

HSDramamom

"Maybe we can help each other our cheer each other on, along with al these awesome ladies."

Sounds good to me, Pam! Welcome.

Though mine is probably not as extensive as yours, over the last 3-1/2 years I have had intemittent lower back pain (mainly on the right side) as well as intermittent what I suspect is Sesamoiditis in my right big toe joint. These pain issues had been hindering me from exercising, but I have noticed that they seem to have improved some since doing my most recent exercises. I found I have to avoid a lot of twisting and too many situps.

My husband commented the other night as I was doing the Biggest Loser Power Sculpt exercise DVD, "You've been doing that for a while now." (READ: "I've never known you to be so consistent with your exercise before.") I'm hoping that I will truly make exercise a part of my (almost) everyday life from here on out. I hope you will be able to enjoy some exercise soon too! Let us know what your fitness club recommends to you.

Christina

lbtewksbury

This group of ladies is very supportive, I am so glad I found you guys, someone asked where in Florida I'm from and it's a little town called Okeechobee, right at the top of the lake. I'm feeling really good about my choices lately, I have been able to stay under my calorie goal and I know the weight will start coming off sooner or later....Thanks to all for all the encouraging posts!

AnneCarolOne

Wow! Day 7 and we are already through page 10! I had better get a comment in while I can. One thing I have discovered on my new post hospital diet and insulin regimen is that, while I mope about my weight plateau, my blood sugar levels have dropped into the normal range, something I haven't seen for at least 25 years. I am constantly adjusting my insulin levels to a point where I first started on it. And that is a very good thing!
My infection is still acting up, so pool exercises are out for now. But I start my upper body fitness classes next month and am being recommended for cardio classes with a trainer in the fall! Meanwhile, I talk myself into walking each day! I need to get a new pedometer to shame me into recording more steps each day. Although, I don't think that I will catch up to you anytime soon Barb! You are a walking machine! I will go now and let someone else get their two bits in! LOL Take care ladies and remember, when the journey to great health slows- take time to reflect on all the good highlights along the way!

MimiPersists

Just a quick "hello" because i don't want to be a complete stranger. Where does the time go? It seems to zoom on by at an ever-increasing speed. :noway:

I've been busy trying to reorganize my space. I basically moved out for about 6 weeks so my daughter's friends could move in while they went through a difficult time (they were clearing out the mom's house (she's a hoarder) so that they could move in). My daughter asked first and I said okay. (I know. It's true. I'm crazy.)

I stayed down in the Bay Area with my folks. Had a bunch of stuff going on (like my afib ablation and my nephew's wedding) so wouldn't have been up here (in the Sierra foothills) much anyway. Probably won't do that again though...just too hard...too much like moving without the benefits.

I didn't do so well with eating while all the wedding (nephew) and other festivities were going on but I'm truly back. I'm thankful for that. Barbie, I hear you when you say sticking with the way you want to eat is a life or death thing. I hear you but I still struggle with it. I still hold on to the idea of taking a few detours from the straight and narrow. Am I kidding myself? I hope not.

We had a small family gathering for one of my DGD's birthdays a few nights ago. The dessert was S'mores (roasted marshmallow with a slice of chocolate, between 2 graham crackers) and ice cream. Of course, the dessert was a lot of added sugar. I did eat one S'more (one marshmallow, 1 graham cracker, and 1/4 of a bar of chocolate (all organic)). I had a teaspoonful of ice cream.

Was it worth it? Probably not. I stayed under on calories so that was not the problem. That amount of sugar did not make me feel better. The idea of it was better than the actual taste. (The teaspoonful of ice cream was good though!) I don't have a solution in mind.

I'm a sucker for family gatherings and I don't want to give them up. They usually involve food of some kind. Most of that, I can give up without a qualm. There are a few things, though, that "get" me. For now, I'll focus on something Kim suggested that hit home with me: making the detour a one-meal thing (and that moderate) rather than a one-day (or more) thing.

Time for me to get moving. The next few days are expected to be in the 90's so I'll enjoy the lower temp (85 today) while it lasts.

Mimi (SVQ)