50+ Women

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  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    Thank you all for the encouragement I will be reading this site every day I beleive it will at least encourage me not to give up on logging in and plugging away. I am like sailgal I am 5'7 also and would love to be back down to around 145. I am concidering nutri system has any one tried that and what are your thoughts? I feel desperate that the scale is not reflecting the amount of work I am putting in.:huh: :brokenheart:

    Hi I mahloy,

    Glad you are here. I have to say this site, if you really use it, will work. I guess losing weight at our age or any age for that matter takes lots, and lots of work. I have lost and gained most of my adult life. So, this plugging away thing seems to work for me.

    When, I feel like I'm losing the grip, I just chat with my friends on this site and I always feel so much better. Eating Healthy is not easy for some, and I am one of them.

    As far as nutri system goes. All I know my sister went on it lost a substantial amount of weight only to gain it back because it was not realistic for her. But, I am know expert. That is just my observation.

    Eating in moderation and exercising is the way to go. :flowerforyou:

    Well, that's my 2 cents.

    Kathy
  • amy49
    amy49 Posts: 18 Member
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    Hello everyone, I hope everyone is fine. I was feeling kinda down today, so I decided to read your messages. I'm glad I did, it really helps to know that there are people who really cares. This is a great group of ladys.I'm so glad I joined. :flowerforyou:
    Thank you,
    Carol
  • angel_wings47
    angel_wings47 Posts: 14
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    Hi, Everyone -- I am on a break and thought I would check-in. Had a rough start to my morning and didn't get to ride my bike. I don't get home until after 5:30 p.m. -- besides, I am a morning person and "high time" is in the a.m. Today I have been having a flare up with my sciatica but I will be on my bike in the a.m. This is the first time I have ever joined a group on-line and I am so glad that I did. I look forward to reading more of your messages. Take care, all.



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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Food Diary
  • sailgal
    sailgal Posts: 22
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    Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond to my question about eating the exercise calories. What a wonderful, supportive group!

    I've never been a patient person so I guess in addition to learning how to eat better and exercise more, I will also have to start learning patience with weight loss! Since none of my sons are anywhere close to producing any grandchildren (or a daughter-in-law), I need to stay strong and healthy so I'll last long enough to to get to enjoy any grandchildren and my husband's retirement (if either of those things ever happen!!). In the meantime, I'm enjoying learning new ways to exercise and get stronger - I never thought that I would enjoy exercise but I'm starting to look forward to it just a little... a huge change for me.

    Thank you so much for all the kind words of encouragement.

    Angel Wings - Sciatica can be so miserable. Good for you for staying with the bike!

    Take care everyone-

    Cindy
  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    Hello all

    sailgal what a great smile you have.

    Angel, I get sciatica sometimes when I'm on the back of my husbands motorcycle. Especially, when I am over weight. It really hurts. I know what you are going through.

    amy
    I'm glad these messages help when your down. They sure help me. These are a great bunch of ladies. Keep on Keeping on. Don't stop the fight. It's is worth it believe me.

    I was happy today I burned 800 calories on what I call the step elliptical. I keep on forgetting to ask the staff what it is really called. I have my little ipod shuffle and I'm on my way. I love music. That really helps me when I'm down and I feel like I just can't get off my duff to exercise. I'm listening to "We are the Champions" by Queen at this moment. If that does not get me motivated nothing will. :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

    Catch everyone later

    Kathy
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,983 Member
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    This looks like a great group. I am 62 years old and the last time I had any success with losing weight was in my 30's. At that time I was single, worked out a gym three days a week and went to Jazzercise five days a week.

    After I got married my weight started to go up and since I retired 4 years ago it got worse. I used a lot of excuses ---some were valid, but most were rationalizations. When my husband was diagnosed with serious heart trouble he went to cardiac rehab and for awhile we were very careful about our eating but most of what we did was try to make our diet low fat. Well there's a lot of low fat stuff with a million calories and without attention to portion control the weight continued to pile on. Our social life is full of eating out in restaurants and going to pot lucks.

    I've made several half hearted attempts to eat better but they never lasted.

    In January I decided to try again and start with 3 preplanned, portion controlled meals and one snack. Almost at the same time my husband was inspired by the Isagenix program and asked me to help him plan a 600 calorie meal each day. I googled calorie counter and found MFP and it changed my life. I have 20 days of meal planning with MFP. I made a rule for myself that I won't accept food offered by others. It keeps me on my eating plan and I feel great about what I'm doing.

    I'm doing this one day at a time.
  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    This looks like a great group. I am 62 years old and the last time I had any success with losing weight was in my 30's. At that time I was single, worked out a gym three days a week and went to Jazzercise five days a week.

    After I got married my weight started to go up and since I retired 4 years ago it got worse. I used a lot of excuses ---some were valid, but most were rationalizations. When my husband was diagnosed with serious heart trouble he went to cardiac rehab and for awhile we were very careful about our eating but most of what we did was try to make our diet low fat. Well there's a lot of low fat stuff with a million calories and without attention to portion control the weight continued to pile on. Our social life is full of eating out in restaurants and going to pot lucks.

    I've made several half hearted attempts to eat better but they never lasted.

    In January I decided to try again and start with 3 preplanned, portion controlled meals and one snack. Almost at the same time my husband was inspired by the Isagenix program and asked me to help him plan a 600 calorie meal each day. I googled calorie counter and found MFP and it changed my life. I have 20 days of meal planning with MFP. I made a rule for myself that I won't accept food offered by others. It keeps me on my eating plan and I feel great about what I'm doing.

    I'm doing this one day at a time.


    Great Job barbie, YOU, will love this site. Logging in your food intake is such an eye opener. I am totally hooked to it. I don't think I would be heading in the downward motion on the scale if I did not enter my food. Week-ends are the hardest for me because we go out all the time. But I do make better choices. Well, I'm getting better at it.

    Keep up the fight.

    You can do this with your hubby.

    Kathy
  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/42671-why-women-do-need-a-strength-training-routine

    This is a great read for all of us. I just had to share.

    Kathy
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,983 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/42671-why-women-do-need-a-strength-training-routine

    This is a great read for all of us. I just had to share.

    Kathy



    This was a great article. Thanks for sharing it. Just last week one of my line dance friends told me about how she does weight training two days a week. when I got home that day I got my hand and ankle weights out of the drawer where they'd been for the last few years and put them on a soft cloth on the table where I can see them. i haven't put together a good workout plan yet but I do a few things two days a week and hope to add to it. The article was a huge motivator.:flowerforyou:
  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    I thought it was pretty motivational also.
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Welcome Barbie.! I was curious about the 20 days of meals you have planned. Did you find meal plans or did you come up with your own recipes and figure out calories, portions, etc?
    I think my husband and I do alright with meals, but we can always do better and it's good to have more variety. My real problem are my cravings for sweets, breads, etc. that is the problem.
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,983 Member
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    Welcome Barbie.! I was curious about the 20 days of meals you have planned. Did you find meal plans or did you come up with your own recipes and figure out calories, portions, etc?
    I think my husband and I do alright with meals, but we can always do better and it's good to have more variety. My real problem are my cravings for sweets, breads, etc. that is the problem.

    My husband craves variety and I could eat the same meals almost every day if necessary so that's been a challenge for us. We agreed that we'd like to have meals that fill us up rather than entertain us. We started with the suggestions for Isagenix----a very limited choice, but designed to make satisfying 600 calorie or less meals. fish, chicken, turkey, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green beans, salad (spinach, tomato,carrot, onion, radish). I learned quickly that sauces, bread, breading, potatoes, and pasta have too many calories. i love canned vegetables but gave them up because of the high sodium. We have eggs in moderation because of the cholesterol. The great thing for us so far is that we are both determined to lose weight and have made it a priority. We talk about what we're going to eat the next day and shop together sometimes. somebody said "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" and I bring that to mind when I'm missing bread.

    We're doing this one day at a time so we don't have to think about a lifetime without ice cream.
  • AHealthierSuzyQ
    AHealthierSuzyQ Posts: 702
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    I'm 49 but postmenopausal with over 50 pounds to lose. So I'm thinking this group of ladies might have more in common with my weight loss challenges than others. See my profile for more details. So far I've been at MFP for a week and lost 5 pounds.
  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    Hi Sue,

    :flowerforyou: Glad to have you. My:heart: heart goes out to you. I believe this site is great for support.

    Every morning, I wake up and have to tell myself that being positive and healthy is the best way. My hubby works the night shift so this computer is my virtual person most mornings. So I love to see new people. I can't wait till he retires. (Maybe next year:love: )

    I have really just started to exercise, and at times it is very difficult but when I log in I just feel like I have to be accountable. Plus, I want to be healthy enough to enjoy retirement with my husband. With this site I can make a jump start and learn how to live healthy now. I'm a slow learner.:grumble:

    So Good Morning:heart::flowerforyou: to all my friends and thank you for all your support.

    I'm going to start a little more strength training today. I have been doing 1 1/2 hours cardio and 15 min of strength training this week. So, I'm going to step up the strength.

    I got that Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD. (:flowerforyou: Thanks Healthier4Me for the advice) My problem is fitting it in. I know big excuse huh.:noway: My scale has been fluctuating between 4 lbs. up and down even with exercising. I am not changing my ticker until St. Pat's Day (Good or Bad) is will change it. Gee, I hope it stays the same

    Well, all have a great Morning. I will check in when I have lunch. :drinker: (Salad of course) :bigsmile:

    :flowerforyou: Kathy
  • angel_wings47
    angel_wings47 Posts: 14
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    Good Morning, Everyone, :flowerforyou:

    I got on my bike and completed 27 minutes -- still having issues with my sciatica, but the exercise seems to help it more than irritate it . . . . so I'll just keep pedalling away! My problem is that I am allowing myself to become victim to my scale . . . help! Does anyone have suggestions on how to get away from wanting to weigh-in "every" morning?

    Sue: I had the same surgery in '98 and gained 30 extra lbs. -- emotional eating, ugh! However, I can't totally blame my weight gain on that. I just never watched what I ate and didn't exercise. Great job on your first "5". One day at a time, one step at a time. Hugs.

    Kathy: You're awesome! Let me know how your BLBC DVD works out for you -- that is one of my favorites shows this year!

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  • plantlady99
    plantlady99 Posts: 1,338 Member
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    Sorry Angel, I am a slave to my scale. However, I use to get really upset if it did not move. Now, I still feel bad but I know that it has a lot to do with water weight. That is why I am not going to change my ticker until St. Pat's Day. In other words my official weight will be once a month.

    I just love to chart my weight and see how i was last year at this time. I try to see the patterns and analyze the progress. I like to see that I am heading down and I am in better shape then I was I year ago. The way I am going I will look fantastic by the time I'm 55:laugh:

    Oh well, Now I am going to put my ipod in my ears, get motivated and head to the gym. Weight training today. Cardio for sure:tongue:

    :explode: Sometimes does anyone have a hard time exercising alone. I do at times. I'm a people person. So, I find it hard to be alone so much during the week. Oh Well,

    Have a great morning all.

    :flowerforyou: Kathy
  • zaza54
    zaza54 Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Kathy, I agree. Would be SO much easier to e=have an exercise buddy. I would defintely do more if I was meeting someone every day.
    I'm still taking it easy - afraid of doing more damage than good. For now, I'm going to try to just get stuff done around the house. That will have to suffice for exercise. Anyway, I have my oldest son coming home for 2 nights so I'm looking forward to that (except working on his taxes). I also want to make one of his favorite meals, etc
    Have a great day all.
    Zaza
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,983 Member
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    We had so many signs of spring here that it was a terrible shock to wake up this morning and find six inches of snow on the ground. I walked the dogs but all they did was play. They completely forgot that the 7 AM walk was for "doing business". Now they are hounding me to go out for real.

    I go to line dance classes three mornings a week and that's even better than an exercise buddy. I don't think I'd do well exercising alone all the time. We have a Nordic Track stationary bike and hand weights in our living room so I can exercise at home with my favorite DVR recorded TV show.

    There's an old story about a 5 year old who was showing his friend around his house. When they got to the bathroom the friend pointed to the scale and asked what it was. The host said, "I don't know what it is, but my mom gets on it every morning and gets really mad".

    I weigh myself several times a day even though I know that the wisest thing to do to track weight loss is to weigh weekly or monthly. The scale reminds me that my weight is such that I can't allow myself to backslide into any of my old destructive behaviors. My weight generally varies by as much as 4 pounds during the day but since it still doesn't say 130, I just keep on doing what I'm doing and redoubling my effort to do better.
  • healthier4me
    healthier4me Posts: 357 Member
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    Good Morning

    It is so nice to see so many others joining our group. Warmest welcome to the new members that have joined us:flowerforyou: We may be from all different parts of the country but definitely we have so much in common. I believe that having a support system is so very helpful. We can learn so much from one another.

    I do not have an exercise buddy so I look to this site and in particular this group to keep motivated. I so agree that as each year goes by that it is definitely more challenging to keep the weight from finding a pernament home in my caboose!! However, having said that since I started my new lifestyle changes I know my body is healthier and I feel myself getting stronger everyday. I look forward to exercising everyday that I can since I know that is what has and will keep me the healthiest.

    Kathy, I am so glad that you like the Biggest Loser Bootcamp DVD...it has become my favourite workout. I started out with 5 lb weights and for the past 2 weeks I have been using 8 lb ones...soon I will move up to the 10 lb ones:happy: It is amazing the muscle tone that I have developed:bigsmile: I have learned to embrace my different exercise routines and am constantly looking for new ways to challenge my body.

    The scale is a challenge for me too:grumble: Initially I dropped weight consistently and for the last 1-2 mths I am staying the same...but the difference is the definition in all of my body. I am driven to keep going because of this. I know that when the nice weather is here I will have more strength and vitality to kick it up even more outside and then maybe the scale will cooperate. I am not going to let the scale control me:noway: So my advice for those struggling to get on track with exercise is to just keep at it, do what you can and push yourself a little more (without hurting yourself) if you can:flowerforyou: I too have to be so careful because of ongoing medical issues but I do what I can. After all we are all way toooooo young to give in yet, right?????:blushing:

    Hugs and:flowerforyou: to all
  • Grammymax
    Grammymax Posts: 572 Member
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    Good morning. I can't believe that I woke up to snow today. It was 50 degrees yesterday and today it's snowing here in the NW! Weird weather this year!

    I have my annual appointment tomorrow and have been putting it off for quite a while because I didn't want to go in and get weighed! I'm wondering if the doctor will mention my weight. I have gained since the last appointment and I'm frustrated that I can't seem to get my act together. So...this thread is so important to me. I sometimes just read without posting to get some encouragement.

    Hope you all have a great day. We need to remember that we are doing this for ourselves and no one else can do it for us. (darn) We need to keep these temples healthy :wink:
    Esther

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