50+ with 50+ To Lose Group

_gwen

Whew...Well, I'm already at 12 glasses of water for today. I just spent three hours pressure washing the deck. Thirsty work, even with water flying everywhere.

I just reviewed my goals for the month I posted earlier on this thread. C25K is off to a rough start.

Walking 4+ times a week - great
Strength training 4 times a week - great
Water - this week, great, so-so before that
My weight loss goal for the month is ahead of plan
C25K - I've gotten through week 1, my knees are very unhappy with my attempts to run. I think I need to lose another 20 pounds before I attempt that again. I can do a sustainable walk at 3.2mph, I'm thinking about adding distance instead of speed.

creasonr

Hi, My name is Ruth and I am 51 (almost 52). I am from Bryan, Texas. My blood pressure is normal, my resting heart rate is 64, and my cholesterol is 130 (since I started taking Lipitor 2 months ago). I need to lose a lot of weight (80 pounds). I have been logging in to MFP for 16 days straight and have stayed under my calorie goal every day. I have also been increasing the exercise because I genuinely enjoy adding in the numbers. It feels like I have'nt finished unless I can log some exercise(LOL). The exercise that I seem to be drawn to is walking and horseback riding. I enjoy being outside soooo much. The heat is amazing here and exercise in 106 degree heat really adds a new dimension. I rode my horse yesterday for about an hour and I was exhausted because it is so hot. I rode after 5 pm and it was still 103 when I got back in my truck. It is so bizarre to do things that normally don't bring on much sweat and be soaked in this heat after just a few minutes. I was really impressed with your group and would like to join. Sometimes I have trouble with negative self talk and I hope that being in a group like this will help. Being in my fifties and not acting or looking like it is one of my goals. I am really looking forward to making new friends with similar goals. I am a member of Golds gym but I want to be outside as much as possible because it makes my spirit feel so much better.

dfeledichuk

Welcome to all the newcomers.

KeriA when is your interview???

MCYoung

Welcome Ruth :flowerforyou: I am a newbie too ~

KeriA

Hi Ruth glad to see you join our group. I have sent you a friend request. It really warms my heart when I see all of you friending and supporting each other. You have joined a great group, Ruth. I came on here a few times yesterday and really liked Gwen's revisit of her goals and thought I need to do that but first want to welcome Ruth. My interview is Wednesay late in the afternoon dfeledichuk, Thanks,
Keri.

KeriA

Here were my original goals:
1. 1 hour or more of exercise daily (but a day of rest now and then is probably good)
2. 8 glasses or more of water daily,
3. keeping under my calorie goals,
4. getting enough sleep,
5. making healthy meals at home,
I also want to spend some time with my new Zumba DVDs

My progress so far:
1. Yes I have been good about this except sometimes not so good with the day of rest. I started some weight training this last week. Finally.
2. I have been better recently with this.
3. I do this most of the time but definitely have days when I go over but generally I have a healthy weekly deficit.
4. I have been reading at night more again and sometimes push this. Right now I have the luxury of taking a nap if I am getting tired.
5. This has still been mixed first because I have been taken time to support my Mother who recently lost her husband (my step father). I was happy that I made a great curried chick pea/cauliflower/spinach stew that my whole family loved and took some to my mother (she isn't much of a cook and doesn't have her dining buddy anymore). My son is a pescatarian who doesn't like alot of fish so he is more vegetarian so I do alot of vegetarian cooking.
Haven't broken out that Zumba DVD but I have alot of exercise going for now.
I think I maybe doing the first day of Week 8 C25K today. Next week may not be the normal routine with this interview and another meeting this week. If I am smart I would see it as a challenge to keeping up with things when life gets busier. Let's see how I do. I really want to focus now that I am finally out of this plateau. That is really the main progress for me finally getting myself out of this.

Thanks Gwen for revisiting your goals. Chuck did this daily. I hope he is having a great vacation.

Keri

CRody44

Goals:
1. To walk 30 minutes, four times a week (Sun., Tue., Thu., Sat.), 500 minutes per month.
2. To workout with resistance bands for 30 minutes, three time a week (Mon., Wed., Fri.), 360 minutes per month.
3. To stay within my diet, 1800+- calories, < 2000mg sodium, < 60g fat, daily.
4. To get off my diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol meds by August 15, 2012.

Monthly Progress:
1. 933 total min of 500 this week. Monthly goal met
2. Resistance Training: 71 minutes this month. I won’t meet this goal this month..
3. Starting fresh today
4. Working on this goal.

I’m back from our two week Alaska/Canada vacation. The good news is that we did a LOT of walking, but the bad news is that I gained 9 pounds, probably a lot of which is water retention (swollen ankles, not enough water available on excursions). I started off real good, fruit for breakfast and salads for lunch, but there were too many good food temptations, which I succumbed to. I ate a LOT of fresh fish, but also a lot of crab. The smoked salmon was one of my main weaknesses starting off with Smoked Salmon Benedict for breakfast, crab/artichoke dip for appetizers). I tried to make wise choices when I could, but I also wanted to enjoy the experience, which I guess I did. I started keeping a list of food so I could enter it when I got back (no or very expensive internet connection) but gave up on that. This was an experience of a lifetime. It could have been worse. Back too it this morning. I guess I have to readjust my settings as I turned 67 while away.

SeattleGrl

Welcome to the new comers and Happy Monday to all!

Great job Keri and Gwen on revisiting your goals, I'm sure that's fuel to keep going strong! I will do that as well this week to make sure I'm on track. I've been feeling a little defeated as I can't seem to get past this 5lb up and down I keep having but the one break through I feel I have is in the past I would've quit. I'm right at the -50 lb loss and have been for about 4 months and am finally seeing the scale start to move in the right dirrection. I've been working out like crazy but realize that's only a small part of the equasion, I've been tracking my food and that helps me see areas where I could use improvement. I've tried to cut out simple carbs (white flour, crackers, sugar) and notice when I go without these I don't have the cravings that I usually do. Also menopause and weight loss aren't friends, it's duable but at a much slower rate so I need to accept that and move on....which at times I have to keep reminding myself! This is possibly the first time that I've wrapped my head around "this isn't a diet, this is a way of life" and that gives me a stronger will or attitude towards this journey.

Keri, your curried stew sounds wonderful, is the recipe online? We've been trying to eat more vegetarian dishes as well as seafood and I'm getting tired of shrimp/fish tacos!
Have a great Monday everyone!
Hazel

_gwen

Welcome back from your trip Chuck. I've been meaning to take an Canada/Alaska cruise for ages. I hear it is beautiful coastline. I love seafood, but it does have quite a bit of natural sodium. With all the dining out, I would not be surprised if it was mostly water weight gain. It will be interesting to see what your weight is in a week.

I'm fasting tonight for my lipids bloodwork tomorrow morning, with a vitamin D test and the remainder of my Hep A and Hep B vaccinations thrown in for good measure. Seeing my current cholesterol levels is going to be the real test of my progress.

Keri, I'm interested in your curried stew recipe too.

Here's to another successful week!

KeriA

I tried to find the post on here for the recipe and I think it was a blog so here is the whole thing copied:
Curried Chickpea & Vegetable Stew
Posted on 04/19/2011 by muzio
This is a definite favorite! It seems like there are a lot of ingredients, but it's actually a very easy dish! Feel free to add more heat if you like things spicy, and add different veggies depending on what you've got in the fridge!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp peanut (or vegetable) oil
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped (more if they're really skinny)
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp red chili flakes
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 can lite coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
2 Tbsp peanut butter
a couple big handfuls baby spinach, coarsely chopped.
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, add onion and cook 5 min.
2. Add carrots, celery, garlic, and ginger, and cook together for 15 minutes or until the onions are nice and soft.
3. Add cauliflower, chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, peanut butter, chili flakes, curry & garam masala.
4.Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the baby spinach until it wilts.
6. Enjoy!
Serves 6 @ 251 Calories a serving. Goes really well with a bit of quinoa.

It would be nice if you could search bolgs.

KeriA

Chuck - hate to say glad to see you back since you were on such a grand trip. You are right it is a trip of a lifetime and should be enjoyed and I am with Gwen? that alot could be water weight which means the best strategy is to drink alot :drinker: But selfishly I am glad to see you back!

Gwen - hope your tests go well.

Hazel - glad the scale is moving in the right direction and also that you are seeing this as more than a diet.

It will be a busier week for me so I am trying to stay on track.

Keri:flowerforyou:

SeattleGrl

That recipe looks yummy, I'll try it later this week. Thanks for posting it Kari

_gwen

I just want to say 'thank you' to everyone in the 50+ with 50+ To Lose group.

I read a couple open posts on the forums and I am shocked (though not really surprised) at how unfriendly people are in some of the threads.

But not here, Whew! I think I'll stay close to home for awhile.

So again, I thank each of you for making this group such a supportive and positive community.

Gwen

dfeledichuk

Following KeriA's lead I will revisit my goals:

My goals:

1 To walk over a hundred miles each month including the winter when it gets -30 here daily.
2 Drink at least 8 if not 10 glasses of water a day
3 No eating after 7:00 pm - I really struggle with this one!
4 To be under 195lbs by my birthday in February
5 To ultimately get under 160 hopefully sometime next summer
6 To keep off all the weight I do lose

Progess

1 To walk over a hundred miles each month including the winter when it gets -30 here daily.
105 mile last month 78 miles so far this month

2 Drink at least 8 if not 10 glasses of water a day
working hard on this one... but it is work

3 No eating after 7:00 pm - I really struggle with this one!
Total fail at this one, so I need to make it my priority

4 To be under 195lbs by my birthday in February
Well I meet my first mini goal of 250 today - one week early so if I can keep on track I should make it

5 To ultimately get under 160 hopefully sometime next summer
Can't comment

6 To keep off all the weight I do lose
Can't comment

So I need to still drink lots of water, no eating after 7, and I need to get more veggies in each day. No where near enough so short term goals for the next few weeks are:

1. Drink at least 10 cups of water a day
2. Not eating after 7:00 pm
3. Eat at least 2 cups of vegetables per day.

And chuck welcome back, sounds like a great trip and every now and then you just need to go out and enjoy yourself.

KeriA

Thanks Gwen for the sweet compliment we are grateful for you too! Yes I have found the groups and challenges to be mush more supportive than the general boards. I think as MFP gets more popular and well known it gets a few issues that I feel have gotten worse. However I posted my first question on the general community boards and I got the sweetest, most helpful and considered responses. I was really touched so there are real gems on this site for sure. Many are right here.

dfeledichuk what I good revisit of goals. Do you find your self wanting to respond to everyone's goal. Like the no eating after 7. I will be so good at this and then it will completely fall down on Like recently I think because I am reading at night again. You also inspired me to set an interim goal for after the 1st of the year. My birthday is in March. Good oppportunity although last year didn't work out very well.

Serrtana

Hi All. I'd love to join the group. I'm 57 and boy does the weight come off slow:(
SW: 150
CW: 148
My goal: To lose 30 lbs.
My bigger goal : To stay motivated enough to lose the weight without quitting.

KeriA

Hi All
here is the list of those who have joined our group so far

dfeledichuk
_gwen
grannysquare1 (Nancy)
salliebeige
meabonl
jimswife1
GreenHydrangea
CRody (Chuck)
KeriA (Keri)
elfie9863
SeattleGrl (Hazel)
jhamby
swimmer54
momb4 (Lynne)
bisbeegal
McYoung (Mary)
creasonr (Ruth)
Serrtana
I think this is a great start and more are welcome

I made some additions and corrections.

Here is the current list of members, let me know if I missed anyone.

added momb4 (Lynne and corrected SeattleGrl (Hazel)

Added Bisbeegal and McYoung (Mary) to the list. Welcome. Did I miss anyone?

Serrtana welcome to the group.

CRody44

Lost four pounds of my vacation gain, most likely liquid loss, but I’ll take it.

dfeledichuk

Lost four pounds of my vacation gain, most likely liquid loss, but I’ll take it.

Terrific! That means you only really gained 5.

_gwen

My birthday is in March, but I don't think I'll make my goal weight by then. I'm hoping to be in the "Normal Weight" range by then. We'll see how things look in January.