40+Club-Making it Work

alf1163

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am still sooooooo tired. :yawn:

Ok, let me tell you. This trip to NYC started pretty roughly. Remember I told you there was bad weather? I get a call from AA that my flight had been cancelled the night before my flight. I called CS and they rebooked my flight earlier than the original flight. :noway: That did not make sense to me but I went with it. So I get to the airport and there was a super long line and a lady said that all the morning flights to Dallas had been cancelled due to bad weather. I could not believe what I was hearing!!! So I stayed in line for 3 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :noway: to rebook my flight. I heard everyone saying that they were rebooking for the next day and even Saturday!!! When I got to the counter, 3hrs later, the agent could not find anything for me. My coworker had been rebooked for the next day at noon so he was going to miss the first day of the convention. Then she asked me, "are you willing to drive to Houston? I can get you on a flight arriving in NJ at 10:39pm". She could also change my coworker to the same flight. I called my supervisor who approved the change and then called my coworker and asked him if he was willing to drive to Houston, of course he agreed!!! I left the airport and he picked me up at my house and off we went.

I called my sister who was on her way to the airport to catch her plane and told her what was going on. She said she was not feeling good about the whole thing and decided to cancel her flight. At that time she was not sure if I was going to make it and she did not have hotel reservations because she was staying with me in my hotel room paid for by my job. After I made my changes and was going to Houston she was still not sure I was going to make it so she went ahead with her plans to cancel her trip. So she did not go...

We got to Newark as scheduled and took a taxi to Downtown Manhattan. We got there after midnight. My room was beautiful and had the gorgeous view of the Hudson. I could also see some of the bldgs of the World Trade Ctr. The next day I went to the morning presentations but then my coworker and I decided to leave. He knows the city well because he spent the whole summer there last yr as an inter of Pres. Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. He was actually my tour guide. We walked and walked and walked and did I tell you we walked? OMG NYC is so exciting!!! I was born there but my parents moved to Puerto Rico when I was just one yr old. I tried to get tickets for West Side Story but it was sold out on Fri and Sat. I learned how to ride the Subway so the next day early morning I took off on my own to explore before I went to the afternoon presentations at the convention. Then after the convention ended I changed again and left once again on my own. I went to see Chicago The Musical, wonderful!!!!! I rode the Subway late at night and walked to the hotel by myself and I did not feel unsafe at all. There are cops everywere. And soooooooooooooo many people!!! :laugh:

On Sunday morning I also got up early and went out for one last adventure on my own. I walked soooo much. I love it!!!!!!!!!!! I took tons of pictures, of course I am not in them. :laugh: well only two out of over 100. Oh, I saw Meg Ryan walking with a guy in SoHo.

Sing, I did not have the Yuengling beer :grumble: I was like a little kid in an amusement park, I just wanted to see all the sights and not miss anything. So at times I was not eating every 3 hrs as I usually do and sometimes I did not make the best choices but I have no regrets. I had such a great time. For some reason God wanted me to be there on my own. I already told my sisters that we need to plan for an all girl trip to NYC. Oh, I took two trains to find the hospital where I was born and I found it, I was very nostalgic when I saw it. I called my parents from there and they were happy. I also went in St Pauls Church, it is right behind where the towers used to be. They have a lot of pictures and articles from 9/11. I left the church in tears. I took pics of ground zero. The new bldgs are just now starting to show, well the foundation.

So, that was an adventure!! Sorry this is soooo long...

I tried to read as many posts as possible. Everyone is doing so well. Glad to see everyone checking in. Stiring, great work researching, you will be just fine!! :drinker: Sing, you need to eat more, you can do it!! And no, you don't look your age!!!

I did cardio intervals from Chalean extreme today. I start the third phase tomorrow, the lean phase. I am eager to start.

Have a great evening!!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

singfree

Alf!!!!! I can't believe the hassles you had to encounter. I'm so sorry that the traveling part was bad, but happy you were able to see so many wonderful things. Newark is a much better airport than LGA. I fly out of EWR going to Germany. Did you arrive on Thursday night? Glad you're Home safe!

duffyzmom

:laugh: Stiring:laugh: Too Funny! Glad you have found a solution. You'll be surprised how easy it is to add 300 calories a day.

ALF: Glad to hear you had a great trip although sorry to hear your sister wasn't with you. I'm sure you two would have enjoyed the time together. Let me know how Lean is I'm still baby stepping it with the Burn Circuits but can really see the progress in my legs.

alf1163

Thanks!! I arrived on Thu at Newark but by the time we got to the hotel it was a little past midnight (Fri am). All the flights were perfect once we got on them. :laugh: It was just the ordeal of trying to rebook and of course driving to and from Houston back to San Antonio (at least 3hrs ea way). I was so looking forward spending time with my sister but God did not want it that way for some reason. I already told my sisters we have to plan a trip there together.

Duffy, I did lean circuit 1 this morning. Wow!!! My arms are still shaking!!. You are going to love it. But you are also going to love the push phase. I feel I got so strong during the push phase. And I have the feeling this lean phase is going to do wonders for my body!! :drinker:

Have a wonderful day!!! :flowerforyou:

mcelledge

Hi Texasmom and everyone,
Need some encouragement today. it is rainy and stormy as i look out my window at work. I am feeling the crunch - let me explain. Youngest child - son - just graduated from high school. Has major stuff to do to prepare to leave for college in the fall . But that isnt all - Oldest daughter is getting married at the end of July and we ahve STUFF to do. She is a nurse and works alot. MIddle child daughter is away at college this summer mostly working and dog sitting for boyfriend.
Okay so stress is mounting up and when i stress i eat i ant afford to gain back the 22 lbs i have lost since last year. actually i want to lose 5 more lbs. I go to curves as much as i can and i walked last ngiht for a short time. eating is the problem right now . and I sleep but it is not a restful sleep. Any one empathize? any words for me. ?

mkwood10

Hi Texasmom and everyone,
Need some encouragement today. it is rainy and stormy as i look out my window at work. I am feeling the crunch - let me explain. Youngest child - son - just graduated from high school. Has major stuff to do to prepare to leave for college in the fall . But that isnt all - Oldest daughter is getting married at the end of July and we ahve STUFF to do. She is a nurse and works alot. MIddle child daughter is away at college this summer mostly working and dog sitting for boyfriend.
Okay so stress is mounting up and when i stress i eat i ant afford to gain back the 22 lbs i have lost since last year. actually i want to lose 5 more lbs. I go to curves as much as i can and i walked last ngiht for a short time. eating is the problem right now . and I sleep but it is not a restful sleep. Any one empathize? any words for me. ?

Mcelledge,
Been there, done most of that (no weddings for our daughters yet but I know they're coming). I understand the stress completely; it's hard to cope with so many majorly important things at once, and a mom's instinct is always to make everything right for your kids, even if it adds more stress to your life! The 25th anniversary looming on the horizon doesn't help matters either; but just remember that is a milestone that the majority of people today never make it to! So........ you're a winner and survivor just for keeping a marriage going and raising a family for 25 years.... congratulations!!!

Keep going to Curves as much as you can..... I wouldn't survive without my workouts there!!:laugh: :laugh: Stock up on healthy snacks and get rid of the junk food in the house if you can. If your hubby complains, remind him that you're trying to be healthier, and it won't hurt HIM either!!:laugh: I also found out that Special K Chocolately Delite cereal satisfies my sweet tooth. It has chunks of dark chocolate in it, 120 calories and I think 4 grams of fiber in 3/4 cup, so that's what I keep around for a quick snack. Easy to grab a handful and then walk away from the kitchen. I also keep grape tomatoes in a colander by the sink and green grapes in the fridge; 2 more quick, easy and healthy snacks.

Have you seen the Curves members thread?? There's a bunch of us who post there...... nice to have somebody else understand exactly what you're doing for a workout.:happy:

Hang in there.......you can do it!!!!!

annaliza

Good morning everyone!!!!

Alf, welcome back! :drinker: Sounds like you had a good time inspite of the flight problems. I'm so glad to hear the joy in your writing.

SW, good for you!!! Good luck on your maint phase and that was smart of you - researching for yourself was a great idea!!

Mcelledge, I certianly can understand stress (and stress eating). Take some time to do some relaxation techniques before bed since you are not sleeping well - maybe some good deep breathing. Little or no sleep will exacerbate the stress. If you need to talk, we are hear to listen and help you....and keep exercising. That will help tremendously. Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:

This morning I weighed myself out of curiosity. I normally weigh myself wed morning but I couldn't wait since I haven't been eating that great lately. I've been keeping within my calorie allotment, but I've been eating unhealthy foods (taco bell, birthday cake, bbq last night). Well, I was up 2 lbs!!!!!! Oh I was so disappointed!!!!

But then I read one of Banks posts about high sodium foods and water retention....so maybe that was it? I know you have to eat an excess of 3500 cals per week to gain a pound (which I didn't do) so water retention seems logical.

My biggest worry is the change in my thyroid medicine (a decrease) that the dr. told me might slow my weightloss.

So, today I'm totally freaking out wondering how my actual weigh in is going to be tomorrow. I'm drinking lots of water today to help flush my system of salt (ohh, now I hate salt!!).

Anyways, hope everyone has a great day!

Texssippian

Mcelledge,
Hang in there! I agree with Mkwood: get rid of the junk in the house, if you can. Whether you can or not (I can't, hubby keeps buying bad stuff), stock up on good stuff for you. I have also stocked up at work and have fruit, string cheese and granola bars as well as skim milk and canned soups to eat at work. That has really helped.

Also, make yourself keep the food and exercise diary on MFP. Run the reports to look at your calorie intake and your exercise. Make time for yourself to exercise. It will really help with the stress. And, when you are stressed out, get moving then too. I got all my baseboards scrubbed the other night while waiting on the 20 year old daughter to get home after her car broke down in a thunderstorm with tornadoes and hail. Wow, it is so easy to tell someone else to do the right things...

Alf, glad you had a wonderful time in NYC. I hope you can get that time with your sister rescheduled.

My trainer last night commented on what good food choices I am making, much better than how she eats! My daughter's housemate is staying with us for a couple of days. She went to river aerobics with me last night and was amazed at how hard and fun it is. She is going back with tonight.

I will need to take my own advice on the stress relief. Our 24 year old son is moving back home this summer while doing on-line grad courses before moving out to San Francisco for "real" grad school in the fall.
Hope everyone has a great day!

singfree

Mcelledge, it sounds like my life! Even on vacation I have trouble sleeping more that 5-6 hours. This could account for some of my problem in losing the remaining lbs of fat. Stress (emothional) eating is a real problem that you must resist at all costs! Try to prepare some healthy snacks to keep in your fridge for those moments. Even before you reach that "I'll eat anything" point, have something good and filling. I like to have a protein shake (smoothie). It satisfies my sweet tooth and fills me up with good nutrition at the same time.

Believe me, it's a problem for all of us!

singfree

Do any of you eat nutrition bars..Clif bars, etc...??

I was watching Food Network the other day. Alton Brown (Good Eats) had some good recipes on how to make your own nutrition bars. I'm going to try them soon. They sound great!

Swissmiss

I saw that episode and went on line and saved the recipes. I am concerned that they may contain too many calories.

duffyzmom

Do any of you eat nutrition bars..Clif bars, etc...??

I was watching Food Network the other day. Alton Brown (Good Eats) had some good recipes on how to make your own nutrition bars. I'm going to try them soon. They sound great!

Yum - I'll have to check them out. When I get to the high mileage portion of my training, I usally include Cliff bars and try to find them on sale or buy the assorted box at Costco.

cardigirl

Love Alton Brown. He's the one that got me eating steel cut oats!

Mcelledge welcome to the group. You do sound like you have a lot on your plate these days (not food wise, but you know what I mean). Relaxation techniques might really help with the stress, and allow you to sleep better. I've found that since I've started exercising vigorously regularly, I'm sleeping much better,
and sleeping well really helps with the weight loss.

Congratulations to you too, sounds like you've got a very successful family, with kids getting married and going to grad school, etc. Lots to be thankful for there!

You've found a very supportive group of people here, and we'll help you be successful! :flowerforyou:

tron3002

String.... Glad to hear that your getting a handle on your maintenance calories. That way if I ever get there I will have lots of helpful advice. Makes you wonder though, with you still losing weight I wonder if you could have upped them sooner while you were trying to lose weight and still had great results. :glasses:

Alf... Glad to hear that you had an awesome time in New York. Makes me want to go even more. :happy:

Mcelledge... Hang in there. I know its no fun with all the stress but if your worrying about "stress eating" then just make sure you don't have the unhealthy options in your home. I know, easier said then done sometimes.:ohwell:

Annaliza... Sorry to hear about the weight gain. The same thing happened to me last week and I'm still scared to get on the scale to see if it's gone yet. :grumble:

Well Yosemite was fun. We went back up Upper Yosemite Falls and then a mile further to another lookout point (I forgot the name of it). I still think its a HARD hike and the whole way up I was saying.... I hate this hike, I'm never doing it again" :laugh: So much for a positive attitude that day huh.:ohwell: But when we reached the top my husband informed me that we made it up an hour earlier than the first time we did it so I should be proud because that means we were getting stronger. Next week we are planning on going up Vernal Falls via mist trail and hike up to Nevada Falls. I'm hoping to see a vast improvement from last year when we took that hike.

Oh Yea, I took my HRM and it said I burned 2516 calories!:noway:

alf1163

HOLY COW TRON!!! 2516 CALS??? :noway: :noway:

Annaliza, that is definitely water retention. Just drink lots of water and try not eat a lot of processed foods. I know, I know, it is hard sometimes.

Mcelledge, welcome!! I agree with everyone else. Try to find some ME time as much as you can. I know it is hard for us parents not to worry about our grown kids but we have to let them solve their issues on their own as much as possible.

I have to check out this Alton Brown guy. Cardigirl, how do you prepare your steel cut oats? I have bought it twice and I did like it but I just dont like the extra time it takes to prepare it. And it was "hard" for me to figure out how to measure it. Do you measure it cooked or uncooked? How much is a serving? I know it yields a little differently than regular oats. I would love to make my own protein bars.

Have a great evening everyone!!! Oh, by the way, my husband feels better and he continues to eat better and the pounds are just falling off him. He is still not exercising though...:grumble:

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

singfree

Tron, who says you can't keep up with me? What a great workout! Those are the kinds of workouts I like...challenging and burns a ton of cals. :flowerforyou:

I'm really excited to make those energy bars. We buy Clif bars, but they are pretty expensive. You can probably make them yourself for a third of the price.

Alf, your husband has forgotten how incredible you can feel when you are fit. I'm sure it was a real chore to do fitness in the Army, but I can't imagine doing without it...even for a day or two! Combined with your good cookin', he'll be lean & mean in no time!

StiringWendel

Wow, it's been a busy day! I'm late checking in.

First off....welcome back, alf! I'm sorry to hear the start of your trip was so bad, but it sounds like you had a great time. I've never been to NYC and really hope to be able to visit someday.

I also wanted to thank you again for the oatmeal suggestion for breakfast (from a couple of weeks back). I finally tried it this morning (I'd been trying to figure out if I wanted to go steel cut--which I preferred--or old-fashioned oats, and ended up going with the latter for the same reasons you outlined in your email) and it worked out really well. So thanks again. :flowerforyou:

Glad to hear your husband is feeling better. My husband is actually doing really well on this new lifestyle journey as well. He says he feels better and has more energy. He's working out hard. The weight is now beginning to come off. I can see a difference in his physique already. And he is enthusiastically embracing all of the nutrition/food recommendations I'm making right now, which is really wonderful (and fun for me!).

I'm going to have to check out this Alton Brown guy too. I've been toying with making my own bars. My sister gave me the recipe for one when I was in Colorado in March, and it uses protein powder. My problem with protein powder is that most of them I can find have all kinds of artificial flavors and/or sweeteners, so, as yet, I've not tried. I'll have to look at this guy's recipe and see what he suggests. singfree, let us know how they turn out when you make them!

tron, sounds like you had a good time in Yosemite yesterday! I'm anxious to hear about your hike next week since we just did it last month! And, yeah, I probably could have been eating more on the weight loss portion of this journey, but live and learn I suppose. The good thing is whatever I did during the weight loss part didn't seem to have any adverse impact on my metabolism, and that's the only thing I was concerned about with my calories during that part. So I'm just happy the weight is off now AND I can eat more than I anticipated.

Mcelledge, welcome. :flowerforyou: I totally agree with what everybody else here has already said to you. Please let us know how you are doing.

Did a great cardio/interval program this morning and still am feeling really fit and strong right now.

Enjoy your evening everybody! :drinker:

cardigirl

I have to check out this Alton Brown guy. Cardigirl, how do you prepare your steel cut oats? I have bought it twice and I did like it but I just dont like the extra time it takes to prepare it. And it was "hard" for me to figure out how to measure it. Do you measure it cooked or uncooked? How much is a serving?

Alf, I cook one cup of oats in 4 cups of water at one time, that equals 4 servings, and I can refrigerate the leftovers and microwave them in the mornings. I usually serve it with some heated milk, and some organic brown sugar (not a lot), boy is it yum!!! 1/4 cup dry = 1 cup cooked and about 150 calories.

I haven't done this yet, but a friend of mine eats hers with egg whites mixed in. She says it doesn't alter the flavor or texture and adds a bunch of protein to the meal. Other people have suggested mixing in peanut butter, which sounds yummy too. You could add in whatever you like, cinnamon, nuts, raisins.

When I cook the oats, I bring the water to a boil first, stir in the oats and then allow it to return to a boil, stir for a couple of minutes, then lower the heat really low, and put a lid on the pan, and let it cook slowly for about a half an hour. I can put the oats on, take my shower and get dressed and they are ready when I am!

The best part, apart from the taste, is that the oatmeal really keep me satisfied all morning long. You get 4 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of sugar. It's awesome!!!!!

singfree

Happy Wednesday! Well, this crappy weather pattern is very persistent here in the Northeast. Mostly cloudy with a few showers here and there, and temps in the high 60s. I WANT SUMMER!!! OK...I feel much better now.....

I did not do a strength workout yesterday. I had to work night shift on Monday night (10 pm - 6 am). Just for one night, but I felt like I had jet lag big time! I was able to ride 15 miles on my bike, so I got something accomplished. I've really been upping my protein the last few days and I must say I feel thinner. No bloated feeling...I like that! I'm going to stay with this for a few weeks and see how it goes.

I suppose it's like exercise...a variety breaks up the monotony and keeps the body guessing.

Cardi, I like the idea of egg whites in oatmeal. I will try the Egg Beaters egg whites for convenience.

Stiring, glad to hear that your hubby is on board with fitness, it will pay dividends in the long run!


BTW...I just booked our appartment in Garmisch (9 nights) and Salzburg (6 nights)for next year. I have such a longing to get back there. I'm like a kid dreaming about Disney World!!!!

alf1163

Good morning!!!! No am workout for me today. :grumble: I am going to the Krav Maga cardio kickboxing class tonight. It was a lot of fun last Wed when I did it the first time, very energetic!!

Sing, congrats on booking your trip. I am sure you are very excited, such a beautiful place. It is probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I do not comprehend how someone does not like to exercise. I could not live without it. Losing weight is just one of the benefits of exercising. I am hoping he reconsiders and starts exercising soon. I will keep trying to convince him.

Cardigirl, ok, so you measure one cup of dry oats, boil 4 cups of water and put the oats in there. Once cooked then you measure one cup and that is your serving? And in the morning you still have to cook that cup of oats some more? I am sorry but I feel so dumb when it comes to preparing steel cut oats. That is the reason I have not bought it again. I do like old fashioned oats but I know steel cut is better. I like peanut butter in my oatmeal but it adds more healthy fats to it than protein. Stiring, glad you are liking the PB in your oatmeal, I love it. I just had some for breakfast.

Have a great day!!! :flowerforyou: