WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY

Bevhart2

Hello Y'all,
I just learned about this website today when I upgraded my cell phone to a droid and added the internet. If I can figure out how to use all the resources I think this will help me get on a good diet and exercise program. Actually about 3 weeks ago I decided I was fed up with being sick and waiting to die so I hired a life coach instead of a shrink. She gave me a very simple affirmation "Above All Else I Want To Be Happy" and told me to repeat it 200 times a day. I honestly don't think I did it more than 50 times but I noticed a huge change. I found myself looking at stressful situations as they came up and asking myself if this unpleasant event, thing, whatever...was worth being unhappy....the choice is simple. If it isn't making me happy it has to go. And, the other strange thing that happened is I found myself making healthier eating choices and I joined a gym and hired a trainer. Go figure. I hate exercise and nothing seemed to deter me from horrible eating. I have a 1500 calorie daily calorie goal but I went over by 232 calories today... but I didn't even know about this website until after my day was over. So, I will cut myself some slack and see if I can do better tomorrow...now that I know I will be holding myself accountable. Will you share with me some good low calorie, low carb snacks...I am brittle diabetic so I really need to watch the carbs. Thanks. Also, how do I add my ticker to this post?

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mimi7grands

Happy New Year dear friends. I’ve been scarce in these parts lately. Busy with Christmas and New Year’s then a visit from my daughter who lives in Pasadena. This is the first time she’s visited in about 8 years (I visit her a couple of times a year and also see her when she visits the Bay Area) so I was delighted to have her here. We stayed up talking ‘til 2 a.m. all three days. Now, I’m catching up on sleep!

I started MFP a year ago and, to echo Barbie, MFP and this thread have changed my life. I’m still overweight and plan to lose 35 pounds or so this year, but I look and feel like a different person. (One of these days, when I’m brave enough, I’ll post “before” and “after” pictures. I lost 70 lbs last year and have lost a total of 130 since 2001.)

I’m looking forward to getting back to exercising. I played hooky all through December. :noway:

My warmest sympathy and hugs to Kathy and Randy. Losing your mom is so hard. Michele, I was sorry to hear about your aunt. Cindy, I know you are still in the grieving process too. Jackie, I’m particularly thinking of you as you deal with your mom. I’m so glad you have her living with you so you can take good care of her. I’m grateful that MFP gives us a way to share the joys and the sorrows.

I finally caught up with this year’s posts (didn’t quite finish with last year’s!) I probably won’t be posting the next few days as I’ll be visiting with my sisters in the Bay Area. (I’m going to stay away from my mom and dad, as they have a crummy, achy flu bug.) I’ll be thinking of all of you though.

My New Year’s resolution is to log my food every day, even when I’ve gone over on calories. Not perfect so far (going out to eat when my daughter was here made it much harder), but I’m making progress! I’m focusing on today, not yesterday and (trying) not tomorrow. Thanks, Birdie, for the reminder.

I'm back to eating lots of fruit and veggies. Nothing helps me as much as filling up on tasty (and good for me) food. I started the morning with a couple of delicious mandarin oranges and yogurt. I finished it with roasted onion (sliced), some mini-peppers, lots of asparagus, and a yummy smoked salmon / feta / tomato wrap. (Actually, these days, I leave the lavash flat, toast it (putting the feta and tomato slices on top) in a dry frying pan until it's crisp, then cut it into 3 pieces. Amazingly good and feels like such a treat.)

Hello to all my old friends. I treasure you. And, welcome to everyone new. This is a great place for encouragement and support.

chicletgirl21

Barb (weaklink) :flowerforyou:

I am so glad that I went back and read posts that I have missed. I have been having problems with my modem for over 3 months. I had called my cable company that provides the internet service and they changed their modem and came back numerous times but never could fix the problem. They ended up blaming it on my Vonage router. They also lost my computer's IP address and I couldn't get it working for a few days. I had to call Vonage and they reset my IP address. To this date my internet still says it has problems connecting and has to close the program and reboot.
So tomorrow I am going to try changing the plug like you suggested and see if that takes care of it. I don't think it is my phone (it is a cordless landline) because it is only 2 years old. But I have noticed that while talking on my phone some days I can't get a good connection and the conversations are broken and I miss every other word. I called vonage and they suggested that I go and buy another wireless router (I have to have a wireless router because I use my laptop also along with my desktop computer. They said if I didnt have the laptop I wouldn't need to get a wireless router.) Vonage used to provide wireless routers like the one I have but they stopped for some reason. They said for me to purchase a wireless router that can be used for Vonage and they will reimburse me. So that also is on my to do list. But I will try your suggestion first tomorrow. Thank you so much for the info.

Chiclet:drinker:

weaklink109

Chiclet,

Your cable provider won't want to admit it, but your Vonnage service will be affected if the quality of the signal you are getting into your location is not stable possibly being affected by something in your vicinity that is producing a signal that interferes with your modem or network. Also, if you have a slower speed connection, that will affect the quality of your Vonnage service.

I hope it turns out to be something simple, such as what I previously described. Troubleshooting wavelength interference can be a total pain in the posterior.

Good luck

Also, Michelle, I didn't mean to overlook your loss. I know what it is like to lose a special aunt, as it happened to me just before Thanksgiving. I am glad you will be able to attend the service and still leave on time for your trip.

I should be in bed, so farewell for now.

Barb

vickim26

Good morning ladies,
I am alive and well. The holdays were just very busy and I did not take the time to log, read or post. I am not back on track yet but am working on it. I promise I will be back just not sure when. thanks for the notes from some of you. I know how it is when someone is missing from post. I will be back later. hope you are all doing well. will try to catch up later.
Vicki M

frogmama

I joined MFP a year ago and just found this thread! I lost 25 lbs. in the 8 months before joining MFP and have lost another 32 lbs since. I still have about 18lbs to go to get to goal. The weight is coming off ever so slowly, but I'm ok with that as long as it is still coming off. Though I love being on MFP, sometimes I get discouraged when I see that someone has lost 15 or 20 lbs in a month. I realize that many of those folks are a whole lot younger and that at 61 years old my weight loss will be much slower.:grumble:

I was reading through some of the thread and really enjoyed seeing the support that you give each other. I would love to be part of this group!

I try to exercise most days as long as I can fit it in. Today is a day off of work, so I am about to hit a morning spinning class. I have read so many of your comments about walking your dogs so even though it is cold and snowy here, I am going to try to get the dog for a walk this afternoon!

vickim26

I just decided to go for it and skim all of the posts. I did that and now I just need to decide to get back on track. I need to make my plan and get some good groceries. The sugar monster has reared its ugly head and I need to get rid of him. I am an all or nothing kind of girl. I have tried the moderation bit but does not work. I am either eating well and exercising or I am a couch potato and eating badly. I have been watching episodes on today show and also Dr. Oz. I tried to log on to Dr. Oz's 11 week program but he has had so many responses the site is not working very well. I know you ladies are here for me but I just wanted a jump start. I realized while reading posts when some of you mentioned your time on MFP that it is nearly 2 years for me. I am pleased with my progress but at the same time after 2 years I should be so much closer to my goal. I have learned however not to throw in the towel and give up as I would have in the past. I will go now and begin working on my plan for my success. thank you ladies for being there for me. So sorry for those of you that lost loved ones. My mom has been gone for nearly 10 years and I miss her each and every day. Congrats to those still doing well. Barbie who is the baby on your pic. I am so used to seeing one of the pups on there.
Have a good day.
Vicki M

jam0525

My mom's closest sister died Tuesday. It was very sudden. Mom is not taking it well and neither is most of the family. She was 90 and relatively healthy right up to the end. Aunt Ant was a bright cheerful lady who never yelled at any of us (27 cousins) and showed grace through the hardest of family times. She will be missed.

My sympathies to those who have lost moms and aunts recently. It is hard. A co-worker's mom died last week and another one is not expected to last the weekend.

Hugs, kisses and condolences to those needing them.

Hugs, kisses and warm thoughts to all,

Jeannie
Jeannie

rjadams

Good morning ladies,

I am so glad so many of our old friends have come back after the holidays. You were all missed.

I am sending our warm thoughts and hugs to those of you who have lost mom's or aunts. I am sure that these strong influential women have moved on to a better place and you can honor them by being the strong influential women they wanted and knew you to be.

I have walked 10 plus miles every day this week and done an hour of strength each day as well. I feel good but I am still way up on the scale and getting frustrated. I know that TOM is playing a huge role in this but is maddening to be so far off my goals now. I will just keep pushing thru and I hope the scale rewards me some time soon.

Bevhart2

Okay so this is day two on this website and filling out my food diary. What a cool tool! For breakfast I had and apple and pnut butter on a wasa light rye cracker. I entered the food before I ate it. What an eye opener. That small breakfast was 490 calories. I was so shocked. I wanted to keep it below 300 since breakfast is my smallest meal. I am a diabetic and all they focus on is how many carbs I eat...but I kept piling on the pounds due to the insulin, age (lower metabalism) and lack of exercise. So, this tool helpled me realize that most my calories came from the pnut butter. So, instead of a full serving I cut it to half and ,met my goal. Also, a tip ....eating pnut butter on a wasa light rye crisp bread (very dry & sticky meal) made me so thirsty I drank more water than I normally would have. Yeah!

Please forgive me for not reading everyone's posts to try to catch up. I am new...know no one...so I was hoping someone would say hi back. Guess I have to get my name out there a few times before I actually become a real part of this topic. Anyway, going forward I will read your posts and try to get to know you.

I really hope to see you all happy and successful. Hang in there...this can be fun. I am so excited to start loosing weight. I created my signature butg can't figure out how to make it show up on my posts. Can anyone help me?

AliceLMS

Prayers and heartfelt sympathy to all who have just experienced the loss of their mother. The same to all who have experienced the loss of their much loved aunt. They are always with us in our hearts. To this day I can feel my mothers gaze when I feel a less than appropriate response coming over me, and her comfort is always with me in times of stress. I have had so many wonderful women in my life, and have been so blessed by them.

Congratulations to those who have the beautiful new grandchildren, what a delight.

Glad to see so many familiar faces back on the board! I really do read most of the posts even if I do not always respond. They are a never ending source of delight and inspiration.

Welcome to all the new faces as well. It is a treat to read your stories and share in your new lifestyle.

I may not linger long today, onward and upward, Alice

chicletgirl21

Bevhart2:flowerforyou:

The smartest thing you can do is log in your food in the food diary. Preferably planning out what you are going to eat ahead of time so you can see what the calorie total will be and trim back if needed. I know what you mean about the peanut butter. Over the holidays Boo (my dog) and I went through peanut butter like it was going out of style. When i was good I would limit myself to the 2 tbsp it recommends. While it is a good source of protein it is really high in calories. It's a sneaky one, and it is just best to not eat much of it at all, limit it to once or twice a week.

I am on a low carb diet. I allow myself 120 carbs a day. I usually have Quaker's Weight Control oatmeal for breakfast with some blueberries in it. I need the bulk of the oatmeal in the morning to get me through the morning without being hungry. I don't like to have eggs in the morning because they just don't fill me up and sustain me through the morning. I eat about 3 pieces of fruit throughout the day and load up on veggies. Thanks to Mimi (Sister Veggie Queen) I can't get enough of roasted vegetables! I use these in the evening to fill me up. Mimi, like I, like to eat and the more the better so that is where the veggies come in and make me feel full. I can eat almost a whole cookie sheet of roasted veggies and not worry about calories and I am satisfied. I usually have chicken or fish with it also. I don't eat simple carbs, and stick with whole wheat bread, pasta (which is another thing I limit to once a week) and no sugar. I use truvia or splenda. I drink a ton of green tea mixed with raspberry or gogi. It is a natural direutic and I am peeing all the time. Plus I hate water so my doctor recommended this instead. I do not have anything liike cookies cakes or any sweets in the house. But that is not to say that I don't eat them. I do not crave them anymore, but every once in a great while I will have a brownie or candy bar. But it is funny, I don't over indulge in them. I can stop at just one and am completely satisfied. Honestly, usually when I am eating them, they just don't do it for me anymore like they used to. I may have one once a month and that is fine with me. I'd honestly rather eat the roasted veggies.

Make sure you read labels and check how many carbs are in it. You would be surprised at what you are eating. This past month (holidays) with me making cookies for gifts, I ate a few of them, tons of peanut butter, and had pizza a couple of times because I was too tired to cook. I have frozen meals (healthy ones) for emergency situations like that, but caring for my mom 24/7 takes its toll on me and I simply want to eat a pizza. :ohwell: When I went for my weigh in thank goodness I didn't gain any weight, just maintained, but that is not normal for me. I always lose weight, so I know I over indulged for the holidays! Last month I lost 11 pounds. So you can see how it affected me.

Good luck with your carb diet. There is a booklet I originally followed when I first started out. It was called, "Carb Counting and Meal Planning", put out by Novo Nordisk. It is free and you can call this number to have them send it to you. 1-800-727-6500. It helps those with diabetes, but I didnt have that. I just used it for the carb counting.

Barb:flowerforyou:

Thanks for the info. The cable company did come out and change their modem and replaced their equipment outside also that was damaged somehow. But I still have the same problem. Today I will try what you suggested. Thanks.

:flowerforyou:

Things are not going very well with my mother. She is fighting me on everything now and swears at me all the time. She has not progressed any further and is only standing for a few minutes. She says I am being too mean to her and like to cause arguements with her. The therapist says I am not being too hard on her and that actually she needs to do more. But last night she was crying and feeling sorry for herself and called me all kinds of names and I just walked out. I don't know if I can do this anymore. I don't know if it is worth it to have her here instead of in a facility. If she doesn't want to help herself, how can I possibly help her. She is bringing me down both physically and mentally. I don't like how I feel now. The situation is only getting worse now. I really don't know what I am going to decide to do. I know if she goes into one of those homes she will die there. She will just give up and not do anything for herself. With me I push her all the time. Which is what she doesn't want.
She just wants to lie in bed and do nothing but feel sorry for herself. Oh well.

Chiclet

rjadams

chiclet, I hope things get better with your mom. You have done so much and I am sure that whatever you do decide to do in the future will be okay. try not to let it get you to down. Let Boo give you a kiss or two to make you feel better. :smooched:

rjadams

Bevhart2

I plan my menus out days at a time. I used to pick sunday and plan thru Friday. I have gotten a little out of wack lately but I am getting better. You may want to look at a product called Better than peanut butter. really low cal, very low sodium and sugar. I love it. Trader Joe's carries it and so does Target.

pmjsmom

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: Welcome to our new members! Keep coming back--LOADS of support here!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Kathy (plantlady)--I am so sorry to hear of your loss but am glad you are back. You were missed!

Michelle--I am also sorry about you losing your dear aunt. I lost my dear aunt this past year, and even though we were on different coasts I can still feel the void that has been left.

Jeannie--Aunt Ant--I like that!

Others are also dealing with losses--my condolences to you all!:flowerforyou:

Chiclet--I am praying for you and your mom. Does she actually realize that if she doesn't improve she may have to go into a facility? Maybe a meeting about that would be a wake-up call for her? I don't know--just wondering what would work on me if I were her, I guess!

I need to get off the computer. Have a good day, everyone!:drinker:

wizzywig

Hi everyone

:flowerforyou: Welcome to all newcomers it is good to hear from you.

Condolances to all who have lost loved ones recently. That's one of the things as you get older isn't it, your relatives get fewer and fewer. I find myself thinking of buying food items for my uncle when out shopping, then suddenly remember he's not here. The last few weeks we've been so busy clearing his flat and trying to sort finances etc that now it is almost done, it hits home. I'm still quite angry that the doctor did not come out sooner to see him, but it's all water under the bridge now. I hope he's in a better place.

Now I'm back at work I don't have time to post as much, I got quite used to been at home during the Christmas break but in another way it's good to have a routine, although I must admit I think I would like to work less hours but unfortunately can't afford it.

:flowerforyou: Chiclet I'm sorry your mum is being so difficult, it was only a few weeks ago that she was singing your praises has anything happened to make her change? It's such a shame that she is bringing you down physically and mentally, hopefully it is just a phase she is going through ( a bit like a toddlers temper tantrum) and she'll get out of it and start co-operating with you. At least you know we are here for you. I just wish I could think of something that would help.

:yawn: :yawn: Well it's 10 pm already, I think I'd better get a few things done before I get myself off to bed. I've an early start tomorrow. Goodnight all :yawn: :yawn:

Viv xx

exermom

Barbie - do what Vince does, have two chairs at your computer. One soft one for Haifa, and another (probably harder, ours is wooden) for you.

Vince broke the clip on his holder for his phone, so since our plans did expire we went to Verizon and were going to upgrade the phones. However, he's already gone to Verizon and they did whatever they needed to do so that his phone will work in europe. Probably also since he has a phone in his Outlook (for some reason, that is always a problem whenever we have to have something done to the phone), the gal just loaned him another holder until we get back from Europe. I think I did see the one that I like, it's a Droid 2 Global. I like the fact that it has a keyboard, not just a touch keyboard. I'm not happy that it's as thick as it is, but I guess I can get used to that. I tried another phone that has a touch-screen keypad, and what a pain! Vince doesn't like his and I can understand why.

Welcome bevhart!

mimi - I can't imagine you 130 pounds heavier! Wow!

Well, I probably won't be posting for a few days at least. My flight to Washington takes off at 2:30 tomorrow. I did an hour of deep water today and tomorrow I'll do an hour of yoga, then fly up to Washington. I'm just going to be mindful of what it is I'm eating. I know that you aren't supposed to take food on the plane, but I have some grapes that'll go bad so I put them in a baggie and put them in my pocketbook. I am going to do at least one (if not both) of the readings at the service. Thank you, everyone, for your notes of sympathy. On another note: I asked Vince if he wants me to make some dinners that he can just heat up, I already knew the answer but I asked anyway. He's looking forward to going to the Five Guys that just opened near here. He's viewing my going away the same way I used to view his going away on business. When he went away, that's when we got to have what we (the kids and I) wanted -- McD's, mac and cheese, etc. I wouldn't do that now.

We're so glad you found us, frogmama. As they say "all good things are worth waiting for"

Jeannie - so very sorry for your loss.

chicklet - so sorry to hear about your mom. I understand where you are coming from. My FIL was the exact same way, his routine was get up, have breakfast, go to dialysis, take a pain pill, lay down, get up, take a pain pill, have lunch, lay down, get up, take a pain pill, have dinner, lay down. When I even mentioned that it would help him to exercise, even if it was just walking around his living room, I was told "I don't want to talk to you about exercise". Then his MD told him to exercise and suddenly he was walking around his block. Only it was too late, his muscles had atrophied. But I understand where you are coming from, you so much want to help, but having someone uncooperative is frustrating! We are here for you. What a loving daughter you are!

I usually plan our dinners out for the next week, at the same time I also try to pencil in some exercise.

Well, going to take a shower. I'm pretty muchly packed, just the last minute things need to go into the suitcase. Everyone, have a great evening and next few days.

Michele

chicletgirl21

:huh: Well I gave mom the ultimatum this morning, facility or me. I told her she is bringing me down and no matter what I do she doesn't appreciate it. I told her I have tried numerous ways to help her be more positvie and she has more things available to her now that she is here than she ever had with my brother. (I just got her a power chair as a matter of fact) She looked at me with those blank eyes and said she'd let me know. That was this morning and now it is almost 5pm and she hasn't said a thing to me regarding it. Of course when her nuse, massaage therapist, and her physical therapist showed up she looked all perky and did everything she was supposed to do and I got the usual comments from them, "I dont' have any problem with her, she does everything with me and without complaint:explode: . It is so infuriating. I swear I have never felt so crummy in such a long time and I hate having it come back and go through it again. No matter what I do to try to help her look at things more positively, she refuses to try. I can't understand this frame of mind she is in. How can someone not want to better themselves and feel better about life?? She actually enjoys finding the negative in things and has a very difficult time seeing anything good. I have requested counseling for her because I am not getting through to her. It's all very frustrating to me. :sad:

yportia

bump

anotheryearolder

Mimi – Glad to see your post. We have missed you! So glad you got in a nice visit with your daughter. It sounds like you have a terrific large extended family. I would love that. It just doesn't happen if you only have one child and most of your first cousins, when you were a kid, were old enough to be great aunts and uncles!

Bevhart2 – Glad you found us. We are a great supporting group of gals. I hear you on the peanut butter; it's good for you but h3ll on your calorie count!

Chiclet – I'm sorry to hear that your mom is still fighting you so hard. It sounds like she is trying to manipulate you, especially if she is co-operating with the rehab people that come to your house. She may not believe you that she has to stop mistreating you and co-operate with you on the PT. Maybe you need to call her bluff and invite someone in to discuss a facility for her, as she doesn't want to work with you. Maybe that will help her see you mean business. You are in an awful position - hugs.

Michele – So sorry about your aunt. It's good you can make the service before you head out on your trip. We will be looking forward to hearing about your travels.

Jeannie - So sorry about your Aunt. I bet she was a load of fun. How could she not be if she answered to Aunt Ant? I love that. There have been so many deaths here lately...:brokenheart:

I finally have my holiday carb monster under control. Mimi is right, a couple days really behaving makes a world of difference. Just knowing that the craving will be greatly reduced in a few days after stopping the sugar/flour gives me strength to get restarted.

Years past when I got grabbed by the refined carb monster I usually tried to cut back with very limited results. It's taken this long for me to realize that cutting back after a refined carb splurge just doesn't work for me, it just prolongs the agony and increases the likelihood that I will fail. I have to stop them entirely for a few days and then I'm fine. I can then go back to a very occasional splurge with the refined stuff and not fall back in to constant craving mode. I do believe this is the most important thing I have learned since I started here in April. It's such a relief to know there is a way to stop constant cravings!

I think there is good news on the local gym/former YMCA. I stopped by the town hall and they say it is definitely happening, it's just a matter of getting a director and leasing the equipment. Hopefully that is the case. I will make do with walking my driveway and using DVDs until then. I really miss the elliptical. It's a great way to get my heart rate up and not hurt my bad foot.

In keeping with the PMA I'm working on here, I WILL be posting a weight loss soon. I really want to get my ticker moving again. :drinker:

Faye