WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY 2012

jb_2011

Happy Sat. everyone. It's a dark, dreary, drippy morning here in Portland. The beautiful sunshine yesterday only lasted until noon, I'm always amazed at how fast the clouds come in. Spent all afternoon transplanting huge clumps of perennial flowers in my yard, digging up beds that need soil ammendment, and chopping out runners from several "creeping" plants that'll take over if not kept in check. Mint, monarda, gooseneck loosestrife and evening primrose. Not done with that project yet but will have to wait for another dry day. Might as well put on some music and clean the house this morning.

Went shopping at Costco, bought a box of Panko Breaded Cod which I fixed for dinner along with roasted broccoli and low-fat scalloped potatoes. Mmmm good. Not sure what's on the menu for tonight, I don't really want to think about food this morning.

Realpure - I know exactly what you mean about focusing on one thing then finding out there's a problem in another area. When I first started with MFP I was stunned and amazed at how many nutrients I had to pay attention to. It's taken me a year and lots of research to get it somewhat sorted out! Early on I started tracking Potassium. Learning how to get 4,000g a day is quite a trick. Low-sodium V8 helps. Here's a link where you can read about the importance of Potassium, and if you scroll down the page, there's a terrific chart. http://www.krispin.com/potassm.html

I'd best get busy. Good day everyone! Drink your water, eat your greens. :drinker:

:^) jb

janemartin02

Have a good week-end>Let`s make the most of it.
HUGS
jane

mazaron

Warning - monster post! You have all been very busy on line in the last 24 hours and I have lots of time so...:bigsmile:

Sleep in Saturday! :happy: It started snowing here yesterday afternoon and I woke up to at least 10cm of wet, heavy white stuff. :grumble: I love to ski and all, but I prefer my snow to stay on the mountaintops. Thursday it looked like spring and I was planning to go and check on the snowdrops that bloom along the north side of my house. It sounds like snow all over northern North America from the other posts I’ve seen.

JB & the salad sista’s! I was out of town last weekend so did not get my usual big grocery shop done. As a result my salads were pretty dull. No excuses this week, I am planning to get a pile of good stuff. Please post your salad ideas because I need some new ideas.

Food scales and measuring cups are my best friends in the kitchen. I bought my food scale on-line from Amazon, it’s made by OXO. It was recommended “Cook’s Illustrated”, which has a great website, but you have to pay an annual fee to get the good stuff. The scale measures in pounds or kilograms, which is essential in Canada where we have a lot of recipes & labels that use both, one or the other. The batteries are fine so far and I’ve been using it for over a year. I like the idea of buying “pretty” measuring cups as an incentive. I’ve seen some nice ceramic ones – might just pick those up when I hit my next milestone.

Frogmama – good for you, finding the balance between Dr’s orders and Chiropractor’s suggestions. Where I live deer are considered by most people to be a pest and a threat to gardens, orchards, dogs and small children. :grumble: What’s the attitude where you are? No matter what, 3 deer standing on the street in the middle of the night is guaranteed to wake up the dogs!


SallyCC, I love the image of you dancing around the kitchen while the chicken was cooking. :bigsmile: Did you get your husband to join in?

Oh Michelle, there you are lying beside the pool in 80 degrees, and here I am, looking out my window at 10 cm of new snow. Jealous? You bet I am. How’s the new bathing suit looking?

Kackie – “The more you do, the more you want to do.” That’s so true for me too, particularly with weight training. Going to bed is one of my tried and true methods of staying within my calorie goals. I say it out loud to DH, “I am craving food, or wine, or whatever, so I am going to get horizontal and sleep it off.” Works for me!

:sad: A huge pile of snow just blew off the roof onto my outdoor courtyard & sitting area.

Virginia, I don’t have a cat, but you are giving me new ideas of how to torture (woops, I meant play with) Buster the Poodle.:bigsmile: Make the bed when he’s still under the quilt…He has a brain the size of a dried pea, it could take him a long time to figure a way out. Ah, don’t think I don’t love him though! We’re best buddies, the dog and I.

JB, I know you’ll find the balance between work and MFP, which is really the balance between work and life. Just don’t let work take over your life… Did you get your bike out? Sorry to hear it's raining again.

Suz, I loved your quote “I wish I was as thin as I was when I thought I was fat”. It’s so true of me in my teens and early twenties. When I look back at the pictures I’m so surprised. Isn’t it interesting how we can look in the mirror and not see at all? Your Moma was beautiful, and I can see the affection between the two of you in your faces in the picture. It’s a memory to treasure.

Eileen, If you can share, what goals off your pink spreadsheet have had the most impact on your day-to-day satisfaction with life? I’m surprised just how much difference a little thing such as putting away my clothes and making the bed every morning makes for me. I feel calmer every time I go into the bedroom because I’m not looking at the clutter thinking “Oh, I am such a slob…” :blushing:

Realpure – good for you finding black pants that fit. What shoes did you end up with?

Colorado Jan – How did the party go? What’s a fitbit and how does it work? I see it mentioned quite often.

Renny – metric confusion (68 years or 68 degrees?) it’s definitely a Canadian thing – see my comment above about food scales. Did you make the tomato soup?

Jane I am thrilled to read that your husband got a job. :flowerforyou: What a celebration you must be having in your family.

Amanda, walking home past Buckingham Palace and through St. James Park sounds so exotic to a Colonial like me! The first time we were in London I was so excited I was just about hysterical. As we were riding in a cab to our hostel, I looked out the window and saw a big white building on my left. “Oooh, that looks familiar” I said to the family. “That would be Buckingham Palace, ma’am.” replied the cabbie sarcastically. :blushing:

Meg, I hope you got all three items. They’re not just rewards, they’re life-style guarantees.

Sarah, Your comment about getting your grown children to de-clutter their stuff out of your house reminded me of my mother’s strategy. Soon after I was married, on a visit home, my mother pointed out a pile of boxes that were sitting in the basement hallway. “That’s yours,” she said, “take it with you.” I had no choice!

Well, I think it's time to get moving. I have a funeral to go to today. An 83 year old friend of mine died unexpectedly last week. She was very active, very witty, and very fun to be with. When she didn't come to church last Sunday folks got worried and eventually got the RCMP to do a wellness check at her home. I don't know exactly what happened, but apparently it was very sudden. Kind of the way I'd like to go if I could choose.

DH wants me to do a crossword puzzle with him. I'm off.

Nancy

genealace

I've been missing for the last couple of days because things have been very hectic with DBF. The place he was originally going to (before the heart problem) was full and didn't have any space until the end of March, so then I had a mad scramble to try to find him somewhere to go for the next couple of months for convalescence.

Yesterday I took him to a fairly new Retirement Residence which is quite close to where I live, so that is good. I was invited to have either lunch or dinner with him yesterday (free!), so I elected for supper. As I have a large number of allergies, I'm always leary of the thought that I might have to go into somewhere when I get older. Anyway supper was grilled salmon filets (very dry, cooked and kept hot) and a salad (lettuce and chopped tomato) but they didn't have any oil and vinegar for salad dressing.

Luckily the major snow-storm we had yesterday, didn't hit until after he was safely delivered. Then I went to do some grocery shopping and had to clear off the car when I came out. Then had to clean the car off again when I went to supper and then had to clean it off yet again when I left there to come home. Luckily the chap who does the drive had cleared off most of the snow and he has been back today to do it again. He arrived just after I'd finished cleaning out the end of the laneway where the plough passed by, of course.

Anyway, now I'm off again to DBF's apartment to collect some more bits and pieces of clothing that he is missing and then I'll go for a little visit. Supper there is very early 5:00 p.m.

mimi7grands

Amanda, you sound good. Effervescent!

Laura, welcome. Your post made me smile. Your MIL is so lucky to have someone cook healthy food for her. She just doesn’t know it yet. :laugh:

Welcome too to everyone else who’s new. This is a great place for tips and encouragement.

Thanks, Meg, for the veggie recipe and pic. I usually like my veggies roasted for a short time at a high temp but this would make a great dish for a wintry day. Plus it’s beautiful. I think I'd cut back on the olive oil though. I’ve been amazed at how little olive oil I can use to coat a whole mess of veggies. A half teaspoon is generous. Seriously.

Sarah, your post was inspiring, particularly your journey with exercise. I’m just in the early stages with this one. It looks as though doing the strength exercises has boosted your ability to do everything else. As I said, inspiring!

Susan and Sarah, you’re both inspiring me to make my own beans. I haven’t been eating a lot of them because I’m stingy about the calories but I know they’re packed with lots of great nutrition. I’ll give making my own a try and make them in small quantities.

Susan, I can tell how much you loved your Moma and how you miss her.

Jeannie, I’m happy to see you here. Woo hoo on the freezer and, especially, on paying off your DD’s hip surgery.

Bboros, welcome. I had a lot of weight to lose too. (My highest weight was pre-MFP so it doesn’t show up on my ticker.) The exercise will get easier as you lose weight. A few steps (literally) at a time will get you going. The advice in the book (it's excellent) Strong Women Stay Young is to start with strength training as it’s easier when you’re overweight. You’ll see more success sooner. (Now, Mary, go practice what you preach!)

Nancy, great post and not too long at all. I enjoyed it and was inspired by it.

I’m paying attention to all the suggestions about decluttering and setting and tracking various goals. Time for me to get moving on these things. I’m pretty well decluttered as I moved recently but I tend to wait until everything’s a mess before I get motivated to tidy things up. And, when it's a mess, you’re right, I feel like a slob. Not good and not necessary. I do dislike working on my own though. This is when the idea (notice I said “idea” :laugh: ) of a husband is appealing. I also like doing things when I want to do them though. That’s when the idea doesn’t sound so good!

It’s a beautiful day here. I plan to get out and walk down our road. I count the calorie burn as cross-country because it’s up and down on a gravel road filled with ruts so the walking can be tricky - particularly with two dogs along. The walk is also beautiful.

I’m pretty sure I saw a mountain lion leaping across the road the other day. I wasn’t worried as it was moving, at a distance, and I had both dogs with me. My little one (11 lbs) thinks she’s big and barks like she is and the big one (80 lbs) really is big. A friend of my daughter’s sent her pics yesterday of 2 grown mountain lions and 2 cubs close to his house. Now *that* I wouldn’t like.

I hope everyone has a healthy, active weekend – myself included! In addition to walking down the road today, I signed up for a 7-mile Meetup hike tomorrow. I think I can do it!

Mimi SVQ

RebelRenny

-Sarah, I used to do jumping jacks with Jack Lalane, when I was in my 20s. I have been avoiding them since giving birth to child 2, 3 and 4, for the reasons you described so well.
-AHealthierSuz: I totally relate to your cartoon. I thought I needed to lose weight when I felt overweight but was thin.
-Jane, congratulations on the good news. I like good news especially when they come to my friends.
-Several people are talking about "the Happiness Project". I will have to look that up.
-Sarah, I have also experimented with the tracking choices for nutrition. Leg cramps are also helped by taking Co-Enzyme 10, my doctor advised. I started taking one everyday given the high dosage of cholesterol medication, which is known to cause leg cramps.

Saturday morning is a favourate time of mine and DH. We hang out, I call my mom, my daughter calls me, we read, we talk. I treasure the time.

And I treasure the time I get to spend with you, my MFP friends. Have a great day.

Renny


P.S. Today, sushi is on the menu for lunch. Soup - yes, it is homemade - and the steak we decided not to eat last night, for dinner.
- Nancy, my husband makes the soups. He is a master at it. Tomato soup is my absolute favourate!

westernjoy

I'm new to MFP....and am loving it so far. Course its only been a week. BUT I"m learning sooo much. Bought my scales and cups..I have NEVER messured servings before. I used a new recipe last night. Found out my hubby doesn't like turkey sausage!!! I really wasn't crazy about it either. But the rest of the recipe was good. I can't figure out how to figure calories into a recipe that doesn't have them listed. Anyone??
I have three grandbabies that are the light of my world. I keep the two girls. They keep me on my toes. And when my grandson is over....I'm on my tail laughing at them all!!! They are such little angels!! With alot of devil thrown in for fun!
My mother lives with us and is really over weight...so ineffect I have put her on this journey with me...even though she is NOT LIKING it. LOL!!!! I do the cooking so she has to eat what I cook. :laugh: But I think she is starting to come around a little. Now if I could just get her to move around a bit more! But even if she don't, I'm not going to let it stop me any more! I'm going for it!!!

Wonderful to be here!!
Laura

Go to recipes then click on create recipe. Name your recipe how many servings than add your ingredients. Then save then you just have to click on recipe to add to your food. Welcome you will enjoy this group of ladies
Joyce

LadyBeryl

Hi.

Although I haven't been skinny since I was a child, I should be much smaller than I am now. When I tracked my calories for 6 years, I maintained a decent weight but I stopped when my father died and I slowly gained a lot of weight.

I early retired this time last year (thank God) and now I have the time to concentrate on ME at least as much as I concentrated on my jobs for 35 years (29 years at the same company).

Now that I'm motivated to get back to the size I should be, MFP is a very cool system that I know I can continue to use to track my calorie in/out. My exercise routine consists of working out on my Wii -- mostly dancing, riding, and more recently Elastic Resistance Training.

Befriend me, if you'd like.

westernjoy

Nancy -you were commenting on deer. Hard to see in my picture cow elk in field. But my mom bought a 7 foot weeping willow for my birthday. Couple days after plantings all I had was a stick straight up in the air. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Have a fence around my veggie garden. Deer only come into backyard. Don't like the dogs.Elk they go where ever they please. Don't want to spook them. Would go right through the fence. Apple orchard, deer get lower limbs elk get middle and I get the ladder for the upper part.
Joyce

vypeters

Howdy all. Quick in and out today. Going to Carrabba's for dinner - I'll have the crab cake appetizer as it's a realistic portion size and reasonable in calories: 350. I have a habit of looking up good choices ahead when I can so I don't have to fret about good choices when I get there.

Then going to the local community theatre so hubs (whose foot is much better) can set up the lights for the upcoming show. Daughter helps and I mostly just hang out for company and to run errands.

RebelRenny: I'll be 50 in a few weeks, so I'll be legit here :laugh: I look at metric temperatures and they always look so cold to me, since I'm used to the much higher numbers in Fahrenheit.

JaneMartin02: Hooray for Hubby's job!!!! Really hope the knee improves soon. I've dealt with knee pain and I know how it affects everything you do.

Barbiecat: On the topic of knees above I admire your daily squats but honestly don't know if I could do them with my bad knee. Are they hard on your knees? Can't do jumping jacks either because of the bouncing. I try so hard not to flare up my knee because when it is flared up I can't do ANYTHING!

LauraJWSteven: You can enter your own recipes into the database, then re-use them. I put all kinds of things in there. On the Food tab where you enter your food, look for My Recipes. There's an add recipe button. You enter each ingredient and how many servings and it figures out the calories and stats per serving for you based on the calories and stats of the ingredients.

Megathome111: On your recipe question, see right above...We've had the same high winds and drop in temps today. Odd.

kckramp: Yikes! My sis is prone to bronchitis. Hope you're better soon!

Scompton54: Dairy is a great source of potassium. Jb_2011 has a great list of potassium foods somewhere on the thread between your post and here. I stole it from her for you: http://www.krispin.com/potassm.html

BBoros: Welcome! All I did for exercise was walk for many months. Honestly, walking/hiking is still my favorite exercise. Start by walking as far as you comfortably can. Do that for at least 4 days a week. The next week up it just a little bit and repeat that distance at least 4 days. And so on. As you lose weight your knee will tolerate more, but mine still won't take running or jumping. I do low-impact everything and have gotten pretty darn fit doing so. You can do it!

Mazaron: The snow (especially heavy wet snow) is better off your roof, even if you don't like where it landed!

On beans: My hubs makes a great turkey chili that really has more beans than turkey. It's very healthy and tasty. I also love 16 bean soup. Beans are amazingly good for you, just packed with nutrition.

On measuring cups: I go in the other direction and get lots of cheap ones. I then leave them in containers of stuff where that's the serving size to make it easy. When I finish the container I was that measuring cup and it's ready for the next food. I have a 1/4 cup measure in my bran box, a tablespoon in my roasted soynuts...and so on.

OK, this was supposed to be a quick post...not so much, but I'm out for now.

Happy weekend!

Virginia

AHealthierSuzyQ

SEVEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD EAT BEANS EVERY DAY

1. Beans can hep you lose weight - Beans are low in polyunsaturated fat and are cholesterol-free. Beans take longer to digest and are filling so you eat less. They also reduce the amount of insulin released, so the body stores less fat. A recent study released under the National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey concluded that adults and children who regularly eat beans weigh approximately seven pounds less than those who do not.

2.Beans increase dietary fiber — eating beans can prevent or relieve constipation. Cup for cup, beans provide about twice as much fiber as most vegetables. Read Benefits of a high-fiber diet.

3. Beans are vitamin-rich-Beans provide B vitamins; folic acid, niacin, pyridoxine and thiamine. Beans promote healthy blood. Beans are a source of vitamin K, which controls normal blood clotting. Beans are a good source of thiamin, iron, folate and potassium.

4. Beans can lower your risk of diabetes – a US-Chinese study links beans to a reduced risk of diabetes because they are rich in “resistant” starch: a type that stabilizes blood sugar levels.

5. Beans can lower your risk of heart disease – Beans lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Replace red meat with beans to lower your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and to serve as a source of folic acid (lentils, pinto beans).

6. Beans can lower your risk of cancer- Studies suggest a diet enriched in beans could help prevent cancer.

7. Beans are Frugal - Beans are inexpensive. One bag of beans can feed about 8 people for under a dollar!

:flowerforyou: :drinker: :flowerforyou:

I forgot to mention I have also learned make unseasoned garbonzo and black beans to bump up the fiber in baked goods. Try replacing 1/2 the flour in a chocolate recipe like brownies or muffins with black beans or making chocolate chip cookies or sweet bread doing the same thing with garbonzo beans. No one will notice the difference taste-wise, but you boost the fiber and nutrition considerably. I just soak and cook a whole package at a time without any seasonings. Then I flash freeze them on a cookie sheet and put them in a ziploc bag. Easy to measure out a cup at a time, thaw and puree.

Here's the brownie recipe I use:

HIGH FIBER BROWNIES

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked dried black beans
2 cups water
1/2 cup prunes
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder

1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the prunes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to start to break them down.

Add the black beans and process until smooth, adding a cup of the water in a steady stream to thin the mixture. The beans and prunes will be smooth with a few chunks.

Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract and pulse a few times to combine.

Add the oats, flour, salt and baking powder to the food processor and pulse until combined.

Add the remaining cup of water in a stream until a thick but smooth batter has formed. (You might not need all the water.)

Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to mix in.

Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then pour in the brownie batter.

Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing into 12 brownies.

Note: For a party, slice into 24 brownies.

Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 146.3
Total Fat: 3.0 g
Sodium: 202.0 mg
Total Carbs: 32.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.2 g
Protein: 6.1 g

scompton54

Hi again

Thanks for the potassium list. I did find it the other day when I was doing a search on potassium, but when I actually had entered a spinach salad into my diary, it didn't register at all on the potassium levels so I may be doing better than I thought.

If you need any more incentive to exercise, I heard a segment on our CBC ( Canada's public radio) science show which says that exercise not only slows aging of the body, it also helps the brain. You can listen to the podcast here ( http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/quirksaio_20120225_63467.mp3) The segment is just over half way through the podcast. I found it very interesting. Exercise makes your brain grow!! I actually love this show so the whole show is interesting, but then I am a bit of a nerd....your mileage may vary.

regards

Sarah

mimi7grands

Thanks, Susan, for the great recipe and the tips on making, freezing and storing beans. I'll definitely give them a try. I like the idea that they're good for you and good for your bank account!

Mimi SVQ

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: Michele, this is the quote that helps me the most "The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want the MOST for what they want at the MOMENT." I plan my day with a snack halfway between dinner and bedtime.

:bigsmile: JaneMartin, congrats to hubby on his upcoming job…be careful with your knee when do the happy dance.:bigsmile:

:flowerforyou: Laura, there are several ways to enter a recipe that’s not in the data base……enter all the ingredients and then save the meal : or use the recipe tab…….explore all the stuff on the food tab and you’ll find out how to put in any food that you prepare.

:flowerforyou: Amanda, when you are walking home past Buckingham Palace do you ever think that lots of the other people who are walking there have saved for years to visit London and see the same sights you see every day :bigsmile: Your walks sound like taking a walk in a picture postcard. :bigsmile:

:flowerforyou: MEG, photo bucket and flicker are two ways that I know to post pictures on your posts……….taking a shelter dog for a walk would be a great way to decide if the dog would be a good pet for you……dog walking is a major part of my fitness routine so I’d want to know how the dog would walk with me.

:flowerforyou: Sarah, thanks for sharing your workout routine. I am third in line for “The Happiness Project” at the library. I expect to get it about the time I finish reading “The New Rules of Lifting for Women”

:flowerforyou: SuzyQ, thanks for sharing info about cooking beans in a crockpot……DH keeps suggesting buying a crockpot and I keep telling him that I can’t think of anything I’d do with it. Now I know what to do……I love cornbread but DH can’t stand it, so I get occasionally at a restaurant. If I made it at home, I’d eat the whole batch.

:flowerforyou: Jeannie, sorry to hear about your boss…..I’m sure you’ll find ways to get along, stay out of his way and cope so you can get along on your job. Congratulations on paying off your daughter’s surgery. I remember when she had the surgery and have admired you so much for the sacrifices you made so graciously to make it happen. The benefit to all of us from her surgery was the “Gut ‘N’ Butt” exercises that she shared with us and that so many of used for so long.

:flowerforyou: Nancy, I am envying you your 10 cm of new snow and have no interest in being somewhere with warm temperatures and lying outside by the pool. My food scale is from a company called “Escali” and measures in grams or ounces. Also I have bookmarked a site that converts to and from metric (but I don’t know what it would do about the 68 years old and 68 degrees)

:flowerforyou: Genealace, I have been visiting assisted living and convalescent hospitals performing with my line dance group and everywhere we go I look at the menus because I have a lot of restrictions on what I eat (self designed more than allergies) and all the places seems to have some alternative foods that are always available so I might be able to survive if I had to.

:bigsmile: Mimi, I’m glad your dogs protect you when you’re walking…..mine protect me from deer, birds, and cars that drive too fast……have you planned a strength training program yet? It helped me to have a plan in place before I started.

:bigsmile: Virginia, I don’t know if squats are hard on knees…..they don’t bother mine…..all the things I’ve read about squats say not to go farther down than having your knees at 90 degrees. I do squats that are like plies in ballet because I feel like I’m falling over when I do the regular kind.

:flowerforyou: :bigsmile: Today is our Isagenix cleanse day which makes it a sort of rest day as well. I walked the dogs as usual this morning varying the route because of the deer. They seem to watch us without worry but I don’t like to get too close. I slept later than usual so the whole walk was in the daylight. I’m doing the week’s laundry including the sheets and all five blankets off our bed. The dogs make such a mess of the blankets that we need to have a lot of them to make sure we both get covered and warm on cold nights. Bernie, the cat likes to sleep under the covers all day and on top of them at night. We record favorite TV shows on our DVR so we have good stuff to watch together when we have time. I can finally feel some effects of the weight training. It took a few weeks to learn the routine and gradually add weight until it became sufficiently challenging. Yesterday along with my regular weight training routine I ran the three blocks to the neighborhood clubhouse, did calf raises on the carpeted steps inside, walked for 10 minutes on the highest incline on the treadmill, did two sets of barbell bench press with 30 pounds and ran home. I found out that running in my Shape-Ups is easier than running in high top hiking boots and running alone is easier than running with two dogs on leashes.

Barbie from NW Washington

RebelRenny

RebelRenny: I'll be 50 in a few weeks, so I'll be legit here :laugh: I look at metric temperatures and they always look so cold to me, since I'm used to the much higher numbers in Fahrenheit.
Virginia

Hahaha. Happy Birthday in advance, Virginia!! :drinker: :flowerforyou: If you can just remember that 30 degrees Celcius is hot, you'll start to understand the difference. Between 20 and 25 degrees Celcius would be ideal for me. 24 Celcius equals about 75 Fahrenheit.

Hope this helps.

Renny
P.S. I remember that Americans were aghast at 32 degrees at the Calgary stampede in July one year!!! They thought it was freezing so they stayed away. When in fact it was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely time for Americans to get educated what the rest of the world is like. Just say'n and no offence to my American friends!!!

barbiecat

:bigsmile: Renny, quite a few years ago there was a small movement in the US to adopt the metric system......as a public school teacher I took a class designed to help us teach the new system. what I remember and put to use was the suggestion to begin using metric measurements to get the feel of them rather than trying to convert the measurements (a bit like language immersion teaching). Ever since then I've had Celsius thermometers in my house.......and the only radio station I listen to is from Vancouver, BC so I'm comfortable with temperatures in either system.......when I post on MFP I try to remember to indicate F or C with a temperature.

DarleneBDA

Hi Ladies I hope your all having a great weekend. I received my new DVD, biggest loser sculpting DVD in the mail on Friday and did it today........... Gotta say I loved and I sweated like no tomorrow... I love how they try to push you harder, and harder... I love it and hope to get some great results out of doing this one and my BL Cardio Max and BL Bootcamp.... What DVD's do you all use if you use DVDS....

See you all LIGHTER....

exermom

I woke up in the middle of the night last night and had an attack of the munchees. I didn't even record it because I never record my exercise calories and I figure this would take care of that. Also, tomorrow is another day and I'll start anew. But it was interesting, I don't have a lot of things that I like down here, so I had mostly healthy snacks (just too many of them). Walnuts, OK some candy -- but it was dark chocolate, fruit rope, raisins, triscuit, yogurt, I would have had potato chips only I only have Doritos which I don't like so I didn't have any, things like that.

mimi - thanks for bringing up the topic of shoes. Lately, I've been more conscious of my shoes, and I really need to change them. So I will when we get home.

Amanda - my deepest condolences

Laura - there are times when your mother won't even know that she's eating something good for her. trust me, Vince is Mr. Pickey and if he ever knew half of what he was eating....... As far as figuring out the calories in a recipe, input the entire recipe into MFP, it'll then calculate the calories/fat/protein etc for you. Welcome!!!

I had my egg beaters and mushrooms, warmed them up and I was so full until the race started. Then I had a boca burger on a piece of rye bread. Vince forgot to bring the headphones into the grandstands, but it really didn't matter to me, I watched the beginning of the race and then went shopping.

kc - hope you feel better real soon

sarah - I do low impact jumping jacks. Still gets the heartrate up (be sure to get your arms above your heart). Low impact is where one foot is always on the ground.

Welcome Bboros

Nancy - I didn't bring the new bathing suit down with me. I have an old one that if I had worn it a few more times at the Y, I would have thrown it out. Since I don't wear it a whole lot and when I do I usually have a cover up over it, I just have the old one that I will just leave down here. Vince's parents had a different way of getting rid of his things. They moved to FL! They had a garage sale, told us to come over and anything we didn't take, they were going to sell....lol My condolences on the passing of your friend

ladyberry - I enjoy using resistance tubing, a different kind of workout but very effective since you work your muscle on the concentric and eccentric movement.

joyce - when Bryan graduated from Elon he got an oak tree saping. Since he was going to S. Korea and we had just bought a new home without any trees (even tho oaks take a long time to grow), we took the sapling. I actually didn't kill it (I look at a plant and it dies!). Last year Vince went to cut the grass, he knew the sapling was in the front yard and didn't want to cut it down. He looked and it was gone! The only thing we can think of is that there was a time when the wind was really high, we wonder if the winds uprooted the sapling. In a way, that makes me sad...:(

Suz - thanks for the black bean recipe. I hope I remember where it was since I can't print it out here, I'll have to do that when I get home.

Meg - have you ever considered fostering a dog? I've know so many many people who've fostered and then wound up falling in love with the dog/cat and adopting it. Maybe that'll help convince your hubby. If he knows that it isn't something permanent but it could be......

jeannie - congrats on paying off your daughter's surgery. Boy, can I remember her getting it (has it been that long????)

Have my lunch ready for tomorrow. Gotta take a shower, watch some TV, and get to bed. Hope everyone has a great evening.

Michele

jaks97

Well scale moved down a little, today had lunch with my Best Friend from high school. We re connected about 5 years ago, and meet every couples of months for lunchl Today was mexican, I was good a salad with a cheese enchalda, the margarita will definately put me over im sure on calories. Now to drink my water

rockinsue285

hi im 51, feel free to add me as a friend , only started on here last night so looking forward to meeting new friends and supporting each other

frogmama

JB- Congratulations on the scale moving down
Janice- Enjoy you "Welcome to Colorado Party"
Nancy- Deer are considered a nuisance here as well often destroying gardens and shrubs. There are also alot of car/deer accidents around here. I see them al ot on my way to work in the morning. One of my coworkers hit on on the way to work and then went into a guard rail. She broke a few ribs and was out of work for awhile
Mimi- A mountain lion? And you weren't scared? You are a braver woman than I am.

Lots of nice merchandise coming into the store when I worked yesterday. I have to be careful that I don't spend more than I earn. I did well yesterday and didn't buy anything, though I do have my eye on a few things.
I can't believe how busy the airport was this morning. Usually after the early morning rush, we don't have any long lines. Today it just didn't let up. When I was looking at boarding passes, it seemed that most were going to Ft Lauderdale. I think Florida is going to sink.
DH and I went to another mall for our walking this evening.At least it was a little different scenery. We went out for dinner after and I had a side salad and 1/4 of his burger. Oh! I also had 3 drinks of his beer.

jugar

Hello all,

I'm a good (I hope!) friend of Nancy's from another board here on MFP, and have been looking for one more community group to follow along as I go forward. This one sounds good. I have dipped in a couple of times in the past, but somehow it did not "stick".

I am doing well since the beginning of December, and hope to keep on -- in no small part because of partnering up with Nancy on a February challenge in a group for those of us who are rather, umm, short. It has been great to work with her, and I look forward to getting to know more folks here in the over 50 gang.

I am 58, in the part of Quebec where we had something like 15" of snow in the last 24 hours, and I had the best time snowshoeing today. It has been a rather snow-less winter up until today, so it was more than welcome. I have steadily lost 1 pound per week since early December, and hope to continue. It takes a lot of effort, but I recently left 10 years of rather heavy administrative posts at work, and have 6 months off before going back to a regular university teaching load. It is heaven to have time for exercise, recuperation from stress, and nothing time. I am loving it.

So, hoping to learn more about all the regulars in this group --

liselyn

SallyCC

Welcome to the new people....enjoy!

Good to read everyone's post tonight. Had a busy day. I tutored and then went to help my sister and brother-in-law. They are breaking up his dad's apartment because he had to move into a nursing home. I got lots of exercise going up and down the two flights of stairs with stuff. Lots of people helped so we had some good laughs. My sister brought pizza for everyone for lunch but I didn't want to go there. I have started Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet again and I wanted to eat clean. I really planned for today. I had a snack of an apple and string cheese before we left. When we got home from the move I had planned for fish tacos (in romaine lettuce leaves) so it was easy to have a great cup of coffee while everyone had their pizza. (A lot easier than I thought it would be). I am really working at planning meals that I really will enjoy....maybe it helps not to feel deprived. WE also got to go see a movie. We saw Iron Lady later in the afternoon. A great day.

I think it was Nancy than commented on the dancing while waiting for dinner to cook....and yes, tonight my husband did join in. I am doing a Shape Up Rhode Island program and they give you a pedometer...just moving for 20 minutes while my veggies were roasted used up almost 600 calories!! I might have to do that every night!!!


Have a good night!

barbiecat

:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Welcome, Liselyn :bigsmile:

I've read some of your posts on vertical challengers and have admired all the exercise you do.........you will be a great addition to this thread...if you are looking for support and encouragement, you've come to the right place.

:flowerforyou: Sally, I love my pedometer and I love dancing as a way to stay active.:bigsmile: I've discovered that my pedometer doesn't count a lot of the steps I take while dancing so I use my heart rate monitor to figure out how many calories I burn while dancing.

It's early but I'm ready for bed :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:

beth40n2

Hello everyone,
I am glad to find this group of 50+. I am 53 and have been on MFP for a few years, although most of that time I only used the site on my iPod touch. I have been at a plateau and I know it is because I have been cheating and eating too much. I need to get back to loosing weight like I know I can.

Feel free to add me as a friend, I can use some encouragement right now.

AHealthierSuzyQ

Suz - thanks for the black bean recipe. I hope I remember where it was since I can't print it out here, I'll have to do that when I get home.
Michele

You are welcome. Look to the left where my profile photo is. Click on the number after Posts beside any entry you see from me and it will take you to a list of everything I posted. You should be able to easily scan them to find the recipe.

msh0530

I just wanted to remind everyone that I will be once again posting the birthday list when the March thread comes around, so if I don't have your birthday and you want to be included, please send me a message.

I bought quinoa for the first time today. They haven't ever carried it in our store, but today, there it was! Anyway, please tell me a good way to try it for the first time so that my picky husband might give it a whirl.

Sunday School lesson prepared, Children's Sermon ready, dessert and vegetable ready for pot luck tomorrow, steel cut oatmeal in the crock pot for Sunday School breakfast, and grandsons (ages 3 and 6) gone home after a 24 hour stay. This tired Grandma is headed for bed, with no way to know how many calories she burned. Good night and good weekend to all! Mary

kleinbuenstorf

Hello everyone !!!:flowerforyou:

It has been a busy week and I'm trying to catch up!!
Well, my experiment work for this week!! Cut back on my carbs to between 25& 40, kept within my calories, did not use my extra cals from exercise, walked 6 miles most every day, mowed my back yard, which took almost 2 hours by push mower and lost 2.5 pounds!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
On Tuesday I completed my " 100 miles in February" Challenge and I'll just keep on walking and see how many miles I'll do this months!!:laugh:
I can see that I will cut back because my gardening is calling me and there is lots of work to be done!!:flowerforyou:

I hope everybody has a wonderful and enjoyable weekend!!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
Desiree

mimi7grands

I finally got out of the house for my walk and and managed just 4-1/2 miles instead of the 5-1/2 I'd planned but...I walked faster! 3.6 mph instead of 2.75. The cool weather helped. Bode (the big dog) kept me moving. Izzy manages to keep up somehow but those short legs have to move fast.

Mary, be sure to rinse the quinoa well before cooking. It has natural saponins - basically, soap. If you don't rinse it really well, it can taste soapy. My daughter makes a delicious salad with it, similar to a cous cous salad. It has dried cranberries, toasted nuts, etc. (I don't have her recipe but I'll ask her for it.) Quinoa is also good hot. I like it a lot.

anotheryearolder

Jane – Yippee on the hubby getting a job! Hope the knee is mending well.

Michelle – You could copy the recipe, paste it to your email and mail it to yourself.

It has been windy up here in the north of Florida too. I was out this afternoon picking up branches and raking pine straw. DH had to grub out the stump of a small tree that snapped in the wind. It had a weak spot and gave way in the gusty winds.

Mimi – A mountain lion crossed the road while you were walking!! :noway: Whoa, I would have to think a while about walking in your neck of the woods. Then again, it just may be what you get used to. When I walk in the woods there are wild pigs, rattlesnakes or the occasional alligator, if I'm near the river. They, however, usually try to avoid people.

Jeannie – So glad to hear you got the medical bills paid off! I love having a big freezer too. It's handy for sales, garden excess, and for us, hunting season.

Mary - The white quinoa has the mildest taste. The red and black have a more pronounced flavor, which I like best. I cook it and use it like rice using either water or chicken broth, but to start your DH out maybe add a bit of the cooked quinoa to any casserole that he likes or add a bit of it to a soup. I have also added it to cold salads.

Someone asked about salad ideas. I didn't have an extra tab open to respond as I read, so I don't recall who asked. I have been enjoying a salad most every day for quite a while now. Lately I changed to a greek yogurt based dressing and love it – but you need to like tangy to enjoy the one I made up.

I chop up a pile of veggies, add some meat or chick peas and dress it with plain Greek yogurt to which I add a dash of balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, garlic pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic mesquite seasoning. I don't measure, so I can't tell you how much of anything I add. Yes, I DO like garlic. It makes a very satisfying meal.

Yesterday I went to a different gym with a friend. They had an ARC trainer and I really liked it. Today I had a slightly sore bum and different leg muscles felt it as well. It would be great to have access to all the classes and equipment they had. I am grateful for the little gym I go to but a girl can dream. Actually, we're lucky to have one at all; it's a one stop light town.

Today I planted arugula and a few hills of zucchini. I should have started some Japanese eggplant and cherokee purple tomatoes from seed in January. As it is now, I will have to scour the nurseries to find the sets when I need them. I think I will still start the tomato seeds and maybe I can get a later crop of tomatoes too. Usually the heat and the bugs get too bad for them to thrive by mid-July, but I may as well try. I could get lucky.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Faye