40+Club-Making it Work

singfree

Happy Monday everyone! AND>>>Happy Mother's Day (belated)!!!

Sorry, but I did not post at all this weekend. Its a busy time for us here. We had a big rehearsal with my Church choir (I'm the director) for a concert next Sunday. I'm finishing rehearsals for our Spring concerts with the Susquehanna Chorale this Friday and Saturday. Next week we have our Grandson ALL week, as his mom & ded are going to the Dominican Rep. for a wedding.

I FINALLY feel as though I am reaching my goal!! Just a slight bit of body fat to shed and I know there is a 6-pack lurking somewhere (not in the fridge)!! :laugh: I have 3 weeks until my finish date of June 1 (we go to Cal. to visit my bro-in-law). I'm having more success since I am allowing myself to sleep a bit longer. I am doing shorter, more intense strength training at the gym and bike riding in the evenings. My diet is still the same, but I think that I can tweak that a bit more, too.

Welcome to all the new members! And for all of you "old" members, I'll check back in as soon as I catch up on the posts from the past few days!


Frank

SandraD1064

Happy Monday 40 somethings!!!

MAY I JOIN IN HERE TOO???

I`m a qualifying 44 years old :blushing:

cardigirl

Welcome SandraD, you may indeed join us! We are a lovely bunch of people! :happy:

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend. It was good weather here, for the most part and I spent as much of it as I could, outside!

I went out on Saturday for a friend's birthday dinner, and we went to the North End in Boston for some real Italian food. I prepared for it by exercising and burning a few more calories than I normally do on Saturday, but still...arancinis, handcut pasta (fettucini alfredo), red wine, and of course, creme caramel and ricotta pie for dessert. It was AWESOME! Heh. I won't be doing that again for awhile. But sometimes you just have to have a good time.

And for what it's worth, I spoke with my trainer about the value of a heart rate monitor, whether he thought it would be worthwhile for me, and he told me he didn't think I needed one. He feels they are really valuable for people who are at risk from heart failure, have had heart surgery, etc, to monitor their heart rate, but for someone like myself, he felt that it was more of a gadget rather than a necessary tool. Now I just throw this out there, to give additional information. Your mileage may vary on this and that's cool. Just wanted to present another side.

I asked him how to know if I was getting the most out of my workouts, and he said that I should be able to tell if I'm working hard enough by the way I feel. For instance, if I cannot easily carry on a conversation during my workout, then I'm working hard enough. :laugh:

Oh and the best news is that I'm down another half a pound. Yay!

singfree

Cardigirl, the trainer is right...but if you really want to know how hard you are working out or if you wandt a more precise measure of workout cals, then get a HRM with chest strap. You seem to have a good handle on how hard you are working out otherwise, so the choice is up to you. I don't use a HRM all the time, but is a good tool to use from time to time, even if it only to check your progress.

The north end Italian restaurants are great!

alf1163

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More newbies :drinker: :drinker: LOVE IT!!! WELCOME! :drinker: :drinker:

I finished the burn phase from Chalean extreme this morning. I am not sure if I should move on to the next phase this week because I will be on vacation next week. What do you guys think? Should I start the new phase and pick it up after I come back? Or should I do one more wk of the burn phase and then start the new phase when I come back? I feel great about doing this program and I definitely feel stronger but I really don't feel I have lost any weight/nor inches. I have a feeling I havent. I am NOT giving up though :noway: Depending on what I decide I might weigh in and measure tomorrow or on Friday.

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

singfree

Alf, why not try a test week of phase 2, maybe it will give you a jump-start going into vacation. Then you can wait 'til Friday to measure/ weigh (so you know how "good or bad" you were in Vegas)! :happy: Hey--getting stronger without weightloss is not a bad thing!! I weighed myself last night :blushing: and I did not lose any weight even though I am more lean.

cardigirl

Cardigirl, the trainer is right...but if you really want to know how hard you are working out or if you wandt a more precise measure of workout cals, then get a HRM with chest strap. You seem to have a good handle on how hard you are working out otherwise, so the choice is up to you. I don't use a HRM all the time, but is a good tool to use from time to time, even if it only to check your progress.

The north end Italian restaurants are great!

Yes, I feel lucky to live so near to Boston! Of course temptation sometimes is too great!

Well, as I said about the HRM, I just wanted to get my trainer's opinion of them. I think that when I am no longer working with him on a regular basis, it might be something I'd invest in then. Apparently there are applications you can buy for Iphones that track all of that info for you and put it into spreadsheets, etc. My son even told me about the Nike+ shoe that stores information from your running and you use it in conjunction with your iPod, hee! All kinds of gadgets abound! Truly an amazing era we live in.:happy:

duffyzmom

Happy Monday All ! I've been missing you but just couldn't stand the sight of MFP while I'm still on restricted activity. Today I get my post-op X-Rays and then 1 week till my appointment with the surgeon. So I thought I'd start back with counting my calories to gear up for the all clear :drinker: I'm doing a little light weights and have been taking the dog on longer walks each day. The weather is nice today so I'm going to try a little baby run to see how I feel. I've been avoiding the scale mainly because I'm sure the Vicoden and Valium have my metabolism at a really slow pace. But my clothes seem to still be fitting about the same (probably because I have no appetite).

Alf: I've very jealous of you and your completion of the first phase. Are you still happy with the program? I can't wait to start although I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to negotiate with the doctor she orginally said 6 weeks - 2 months before I could do push-ups.

kelligirl

I'll be 45 on 5/23 and I'd love to join your 40+Club! It's been a bugger to lose weight since I hit my forties, with thyroid issues topping the problem. It will be nice to have a group who understands and can give advice / encouragement. I had a near-perfect last week in regards to what I ate, but when I weighed in I hadn't lost a thing. My exercise time was on track, but my goal # of calories to burn was too low - so I'm sure that's my problem. I have hip and knee issues, and I tend to injure easily, so I've found that when I exercise I do so very carefully.... and hence, I'm not burning a great deal of calories. I keep telling myself to take it slow and get strong, so I'm not so apt to hurt so much or injure myself. It's been a struggle. I do feel better since I've been eating good and that's a start!

Hoosiermomma

Wow! This thread has graduated to a whole new page! I am back from daughter # 2's grad. I plan to weigh once a week but will weigh before and after periods of time when i can not keep the food diary. Great news for me! 1 pound down for the 20 hour trip and only one day to excercise! :happy: Keeping the diary has really helped me to be aware of my eating even when we are away!

Welcome newbies! This has been a great place to be accountable. Reading about Alf's (nice new pic), excercise routines are inspiring to me. and more of yours' whose names escape me. I do feel great when I get in the good work outs. I am looking forward to the checking my metabolism on the reccomended site. i am curious about mine. so far i have been losing a bit more than a pound a week with about 1300 cals and eating my exercise calories.

Hope you all had a great Mother's day. I felt so blessed being taken care of this Sunday and sitting with the 11 of us at dinner! I even enjoyed doing dishes since I was the helper this time instead of the boss!

singfree

Actually, its the third page!!! Alf started all of this in Feb. You are doing very well with your weight loss journey! I'll bet you will need to get some of your clothes altered soon!!


Welcome, kelligirl!! Stay with us as we all get healthy & fit!

singfree

Hey gang!!! What are your thoughts about tonight's Biggest Loser? It's been a great season. My guess is that either Mike or Tara will win, but who knows?

StiringWendel

Hey all!

Welcome kelligirl! You and I share a birthday!! I will be 44 on the 23rd.

Regarding what you said about injuries, I think it is so very important to listen to your body. So don't push yourself beyond a point and force an injury on yourself. I am prone to injury as well (I mean, I sneezed once and couldn't walk for a week because I hurt my back so badly! So, yeah, I'm prone to injury :bigsmile: ), and no matter how fit I am, I make myself concentrate very hard throughout my workouts so that I don't hurt myself, because it seems to me that when I lose concentration, that's when I get hurt. So if it takes longer to lose the weight because of this, it just takes longer to lose the weight. But that's a better option than getting injured (at least in my book it is!). Are you doing any upper body strength training? I'm just curious. You won't burn alot of calories doing that, but it does wonders for the metabolism. Just a thought, of course.

duffy, great to see you back! I'm happy to hear your recovery is going well.

singfree, regarding The Biggest Loser, I think Tara will most likely win. I think she is, if nothing else, the most determined player left. I've enjoyed this season, and I can honestly say I wouldn't mind seeing any of the contestants win at this point. I just hope they can all continue with their healthy lifestyles after the show.

Wouldn't you know that on the very day (Saturday) that I reached my goal, my husband decided that it was time for him to start counting calories. So I've created an account for him here, and will be helping him try to get back into better shape (he doesn't have much to lose....maybe 15 pounds). On one hand, I was thinking it would have been nice if he had joined me four months ago. But on the other, this will make sure I stay focused going into maintenance, and I won't be tempted to eat ice cream when he does since he won't be eating ice cream for awhile!

Had a great workout this morning--75 minutes of high impact step aerobics. I've started on the last week of the second cycle (hypertrophy) of STS, and will finish that up before we head out on vacation a week from Friday. I'm really looking forward to the last cycle which I'll start after we get back--heavy weights and low reps! That's my favorite method of strength training!

Swissmiss

Good day, everyone. I have a question for anyone who is understands the Polar F6. I bought one while I was off of work recovering from surgery. I couldn't use it at that time. I was looking at it yesterday and realize that I don't know if I entered my birthday, height, weight, etc. I know that I started to set it up when I bought it but to be honest...I was on some pain pills and do not know what I have done with it. There are instructions for changing users and I thought that I could go there and re-do things and begin again but I can't get it to go to the area where things can be changed. I know that I probably am not making sense. I really need someone who has one of the Polar F6 to help me understand it. If you are that person please message me so that I can finally get to use it. Thanks.

aprilvet

Hi, all! Found the new thread! No wonder there were no posts over the weekend!:laugh:

Had a nice Mother's Day. We actually had some sun!

It's so thrilling to read about everyone's progress! I started week 9 of P90X today- can't wait to see what this final phase brings.:happy:

We went to PF Chang's spur of the moment last week- I had not allotted the calories- and was on recovery week so less calorie burn- I had the chicken salad with the dressing on the side. It was great and very filling. Of course, I had a few bites of everyone else's entrees, too!!!:laugh:

In regards to a hrm, I think there are benefits for people without cardiovascular issues, too. It has shown me that I am becoming more fit and need to push myself harder and longer for the same calorie burns. I also use it religiously to guage my calorie burn so I can eat the right amount.

Have a great evening, everyone!!

And welcome to all of the new folks!!! 40 is the new 20, right???

Lisabeth

Hi again everyone and thank you for welcoming me. Unless I have a question to ask, or answer, I will be reading each day....so I AM here. I know that a lot of you are tired tired with all the work out stuff, etc. I have decided to "blog" my day. I am currently with a trainer and working really really hard. So, if you'd like to send me "tips", "thoughts", "encouragement", or ANYTHING, please feel free too.

I take constructive criticism very very well. In fact, that's what keeps me going. In fact, when my husband told me "Honey, yes you are wider than that wide woman" the other day......I didn't even cry!

Thanks for letting me share!

:flowerforyou:

Lisabeth

Looks like you really have this thread going! KUDOS!!!!!! :drinker:

Good Morning Everyone - Lets get this thread going.

I am empowered by all the encouragement you guys give me and don't want it to stop.

Alf and Sing - I can't wait until my clothes are falling off like yours are. WAY TO GO!!! :bigsmile:

hoamai

Hello - just rediscovered this group I am now maintaining and have been out of the US for a month - so before I left this time, I bought the 30 day shred and a yoga DVD - they have been great for keeping up with workouts when I am traveling. It can get a little cramped in my room doing the workouts and I use water bottle for weights - but life is improvising -

Have a good day (or evening - depending on where you are):glasses:

singfree

Welcome to all who are joining this wonderful little group! We are here to build you up, not tear you down...we encourage, not discourage. As April said, "40 is the new 20"!!!

hoamai, have you considered using exercise bands in lieu of traditional weights while you are away? Many people travel on vacation with them. Actually, there are some who use them exclusively!

lisabeth, I can see that you want to take charge of your life. We all reach that conclusion sooner or later. As a wife and mother, you have a responsibility to those you love...but you need to love yourself also! Recommit yourself to a healthy lifestyle daily. Sugar and processed foods are stumbling blocks in the quest for health and fitness. Notice that I do not emphasize weight...I am a firm believer that through exercise and a clean diet your weight and outlook on life in general will improve greatly. You have taken a step in the right direction, now keep walking!!! We're here for YOU!!!!!

duffyzmom

Good day, everyone. I have a question for anyone who is understands the Polar F6. I bought one while I was off of work recovering from surgery. I couldn't use it at that time. I was looking at it yesterday and realize that I don't know if I entered my birthday, height, weight, etc. I know that I started to set it up when I bought it but to be honest...I was on some pain pills and do not know what I have done with it. There are instructions for changing users and I thought that I could go there and re-do things and begin again but I can't get it to go to the area where things can be changed. I know that I probably am not making sense. I really need someone who has one of the Polar F6 to help me understand it. If you are that person please message me so that I can finally get to use it. Thanks.

:laugh: Swiss I totally understand - I sent out a bunch of Thank yous post-op and Now I'm really wondering what I wrote in them :laugh: Sorry I can't help but I would try the change user and maybe you'll recognize the info. I haven't used my HRM since surgery because I'm not allowed to sweat:mad:

Stiring: I'm sure your progress is the main reason that hubby is now interested. I've always found maintenance a bigger struggle than the loss phase so I'm sure that having him on MFP will be a big benefit in the next few months.

robin1964

Good morning everyone!
My family took me to Olive Garden too and because I really have never been one to count calories (until now that is) I never checked my meal until Monday....... OUCH!!!!!!! I love chicken scampi, nearly 1600 calories not to mention the 46 grams of fat,and.... the big chocolate dessert I think I went over by 2000 calories and I cant even remember the fat. What really shocked me was the 27 grams of fat in the salad.
I didn't even eat half of my meal or dessert. I guess as long as that is only a few times a year it really isn't so bad.
I really like reading everything. I really don't know alot of the things (must be exercise programs) you are talking about. My exercise is walking. I also have my elliptical. Maybe you guys can enlighten me.

mzaccardi

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope everyone had a great morning! I started out by exercising at the gym this morning, set the morning right. Unfortunately every time I look at the scale the numbers aren't going down. So now I'm not going to look at the scale anymore, I'm going to go by how I feel and right now I have more energy than I have had for a long time.

I noticed there a few Boston ladies in this group. Which restaurant in the North End do you like? My new favorite is Fiore's on Hanover Street. Love the outdoor patio upstairs.

Have a fabulously day everyone.

Texssippian

And 50 is the new 30!

For those of you with hip or know problems... Look into water walking or water aerobics. Very low impact on joints. When our water park opens for the summer, they offer "river aerobics" three nights a week. You run against the current in the 3 foot deep Lazy River. It is very hard but very fun!

Our trainer told me she could tell I was losing inches. She will measure us in six weeks. Now my husband really needs to get in gear!

StiringWendel

Good morning everybody!

duffy, you are right that my husband has seen my progress, and now he wants similar results. But he and I are very different people, and it can be a little....frustrating...at times. For instance, yesterday was the first work day I've tracked his calories for him, and I did my best to make his dinner to fit within his calorie allowance. But then AFTER I made the dinner, he says 'I forgot to mention the piece of cake I had today, didn't I?'

And two things went through my mind. The first was that I was surprised he couldn't make it through two days of monitoring his eating before having cake. And the second was that I'm working here to try to help him by logging all his foods, crafting his meals, etc., and then he goes and eats cake! :grumble: I didn't really say anything to him, of course, because is a grown man who can make his own food decisions.

But I think what has me the most disturbed is that it is probably very likely that my husband will be able to lose his 15 pounds while eating things like cake every few days. And I've cut even the simple things, like cream and sugar, out of my coffee. And I'm fine with that and know I'm better off having done it.....but I certainly don't need to the in-my-face reminders that other people (like my husband) don't have to cut so much out in order to find their ideal weight. I know the realities behind it--my husband is taller, male, has a more active job, etc--so I understand the 'whys' of it. But I don't think it is going to make it particularly easy to see, especially when I'm the one responsible for logging what he is eating every day.

Of course, I'm not going to tell him that because I really do want to support him. So thanks for letting me vent here! :flowerforyou:

I guess I'm just a little scared about the maintenance thing, and am finding it difficult to accept that my maintenance will most likely look lot more like a diet than my husband's 'diet'. :sad: But I keep reminding myself that, for me, this isn't just about the weight, it is more about the health. And my husband is able to make different decisions and take a different journey for his own reasons. But that's what my journey is all about.

That being said, I'm slowly working at increasing my calories to my maintenance level. Today I'm going to workout my legs for an hour and just keep doing what I've been doing.

Hope everybody has a good day!

cardigirl

And 50 is the new 30!

For those of you with hip or know problems... Look into water walking or water aerobics. Very low impact on joints. When our water park opens for the summer, they offer "river aerobics" three nights a week. You run against the current in the 3 foot deep Lazy River. It is very hard but very fun!

Our trainer told me she could tell I was losing inches. She will measure us in six weeks. Now my husband really needs to get in gear!

Amen sister!!! That's what I keep telling my kids, 50 is the new 30, but they just roll their eyes at me and pat me on the head and say "Sure, Mom, whatever." Hee.

Water aerobics are great, because it's so easy on the joints. That river run sounds like fun, indeed.

Congrats on changing your shape. It's always nice to see and hear that you are getting results!

icandoallthings

Mornin' team!!

Feeling good this sunshiney (and CRAZY WINDY) day!
I can't believe that the simple act of drinking all of your water makes
such a difference. Not sure why it is so difficult for me to get it all down? :grumble:
Most people I know drink it *constantly* and love it. I'm a weirdo I guess.
This morning I thought I was going to gain but didn't. Yay!
I'm trying to keep from being frustrated and depressed. I lost 7 lbs my
first week and this is my 3rd week and I haven't lost any since. Ugh!
My hubby said not to let it bug me and that if losing 2 lbs a week is a
healthy goal, then I'm still on track!
I used to lose weight so easily when I was younger! What's up with that? :huh:

Sooooo looking forward to "The Biggest Loser" finale tonight! :happy:
3 hour show! I'm staying up late for this one!

cardigirl

Hello mzaccardi! Nice to meet other Bostonians!

Good for you for making it to the gym! It is amazing how much better eating right and working out has made me feel, so I know what you mean about having more energy. People (doctors) told me for years that exercise was the best medicine and I didn't believe them. Well I do now! I haven't felt this great in over 20 years! I just wish I had started this sooner!

One of my favorite places in the North End to visit is Modern Pastry. MmMmmmmm cannoli! I also like Strega.

Stiring, of course you can come here to vent! It is always frustrating that men can eat more and lose weight faster than us, gosh darn it! Congrats on getting to your goal weight. I'll be watching your efforts in maintenance, as I surely hope to get there someday soon.

aprilvet

Good morning everyone!
My family took me to Olive Garden too and because I really have never been one to count calories (until now that is) I never checked my meal until Monday....... OUCH!!!!!!! I love chicken scampi, nearly 1600 calories not to mention the 46 grams of fat,and.... the big chocolate dessert I think I went over by 2000 calories and I cant even remember the fat. What really shocked me was the 27 grams of fat in the salad.
I didn't even eat half of my meal or dessert. I guess as long as that is only a few times a year it really isn't so bad.
I really like reading everything. I really don't know alot of the things (must be exercise programs) you are talking about. My exercise is walking. I also have my elliptical. Maybe you guys can enlighten me.

Hi, Robin! Welcome to the "club"! A rare over-the-top splurge like that won't hurt you, but now that you understand how many calories are in most restaurant food, you can plan in advance. Most chain restaurants have nutritional info available on-line, so I plan ahead. This is VERY useful!

As for the exercise, cardio is great, but I'm a firm believer in strength training for women! Increased muscle mass burns more calories all day long:happy: and gives you a nicer, more toned shape. Women do not lay down big muscles, so don't be afraid of weights. And it's ok to use heavier weights as you get stronger. For instance, I curl 15#. And you only need to do resistance training 2-3 times per week.

Good luck on your journey!:flowerforyou:

Catherine1962

Hello everyone!
New to this Thread. trying to loose 24 + lbs since feb when I joined the gym. Have only gained weight, but have had to change my eating habits and food. My body has been living in starvation mode for many, many years I have found. So this is a big change for me.
I did however find that my strength has increased dramatically since Feb so at least there is some encouragement on that side of the fence.
Still waiting for that wight yet!

annaliza

Good Afternoon everyone! This is the first time I've posted since we moved...lol, I don't know why, though.

Wendel, I hear you there! My husband doesn't have to do much and even eats all kinds of sweets and exercises "here and there" and he still loses weight! Drives me up the wall but I'm happy for him that he got such a great metabolism. I just hope that my children inherite that trait rather than my eat a donut where a donut on my gut metabolism :laugh:

I've been doing good about working out. Been really sore lately too. I'm sick of getting up at 5 am to exercise so I've been trying to come up with creative ways to sneak out and do a little running since my husband or my older daughter has to watch the little ones.

I'm doing good with my eating....though it seems that I'm eating this HUGE list of food when I have to eat 1600-1800 cals on workout days. Lol, 1200 makes me feel so hungry. I'm half wondering if I should up my normal cals to 1400. Dunno, so far it's been working for me....5 lbs in 22 days on MFP...not super fast, but decent enough. I've noticed that I'm a lot trimmer than I was a month ago.

Anyways, hope you guys have a great day! The sun is finally out today so I might get lucky and get out for some exercise.