WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2012

jb_2011

Happy Thursday! Raining this morning. Everything is SO beautiful and green around here, it almost hurts the eyes. :glasses:

I noticed a couple of you ladies were talking about Cherokee purple tomatoes, have you ever tried growing the Russian Black Krim variety? Oh my gosh, they are out of this world delicious, much more tasty than the Cherokee purples in my opinion. A neighbor gardener grew them one year and gave me one to try, I've been growing them ever since. Large fruits with very deep, dark red flesh, and a flavor that surpasses any other tomato by far. I also grow Early Girl, Sungold cherry, Romas and grape tomatoes which I slice and dry in the dehydrator for use in recipes calling for dried tomatoes. They're excellent tossed in with a pot of rice or pasta at the end of the cooking time.

Sure would love to get out and do some gardening today, but it's too wet. I suppose I could make a few mud pies. :laugh: I'll do the SWSY strength training routine this morning, and walk the doggies for an hour later on. I jogged a full mile on the track yesterday morning, ran up and down the bleacher stairs for a few minutes and did a few laps of racewalking. The 2 lbs I gained while on my trip are gone this morning, plus one of the 2 pounds I was up last week before I left. 3 lbs in 3 days, goodness! I think the jogging and racewalking helped.

Salad Sistas - doing great this week! Keep it up. Yesterday I put 1/2 c canned kidney beans on top of a mountain of greens with a little feta, purple broccoli from the garden, tomato and red onion, dressed with my old standby olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette. I've been adding water to the dressing to make it go farther. Or is it further?

Thanks everyone for your compliments on my photo, and yes, Nancy, I was happy being with family, it was a really fun time. Good to hear you're doing well and fixing wonderful salads, too.

Good day to all, love reading everyone's posts! Eat less, move more. :bigsmile:

jb :drinker:

laila101

So glad to have found you. I just started again and still learning the site. I love all the stories. It is great to know even after age 50 we can lose weight. I was beginning to wonder, lol.

caminogirl

OH MY all this talk of gardens and we had snow this week! I bought a bunch of tulips yesterday and that will have to suffice for "Spring" for now, although the buds are out on the trees and the occasional daffodil is in the garden.

Having trouble with portion size - seem's my idea of a cup is bigger than it really is - food diary is pointing this out to me in all its truthful glory. How can one possibly eat a third of one's calories for breakfast. I need to find better options than cereal, that's for certain!

Wishing everyone a good day!
Caminogirl

Laura80111

:flowerforyou: One day closer to Friday...Happy Thursday..(do you get the impression I can hardly wait for the weekend:huh: )

Nancy- Chair aerobics sounds like just the thing for you to keep up some form of exercise during your recovery time:flowerforyou:

Kackie- so glad your hubbys surgery went well, :flowerforyou: hope he turns out to be a better patient then you think.

djhobs- a reading club...I'm afraid I wouldn't do well in one as I do love to read "fluff" I use the reading as my way of escape from the real world around me as right now I really dislike my job and hubbys lack of a job makes everything just too stressful so give me plenty of fluff to read:laugh:

Faye- your tomato sounds wonderful...maybe one of these days I will try and do some tomato plants on the patio:ohwell:

jb- rain would be so welcome here, they announced today that we are once again in a drought and recommending watering lawns only two days a week:sad: which is just barely enough to keep it alive, especially in the middle of summer when everything is baking under the heat

Caminogirl- mixing up breakfast with eggs, yoguart, quiches...I have done a lot experiementing with this meal, I have found that if I eat something with good protein in the morning I seem to last longer thoughout the day.:flowerforyou: This week I've been eating a Green Chili Cheese Cassarole that I make with egg beaters and non fat cheeses and it's really filling at about 199 calories per serving and it's really filling.

#3 Son and DIL are coming tomorrow night to spend the night at our place, they live in the north end of town about 45 min away and she has a conference in our part of town so to save on gas and travel time they will be at Mom & Dad's B&B . We always enjoy when they come and stay with us, we get more time to visit although our son will probably spend most of his time on his computer doing homework so we may see the body but the mind won't be with us

I know exercise is good for me and I'm really hoping that one day I will be like Barbie & Michele when it comes to exercise being such a big part of what I do for the day but after a day at work when I finally fight the traffic and get home some evenings it is such an effort to change clothes and head to the basement to exercise...of course I'm always glad that I have done it and when it's over even more so but I'm still not loving it and must say not even enjoying it most of the time:blushing: In the mean time I will just keep plugging along....because each 2/10 th of a pound only seems to come off kicking & screaming if I exercise:grumble:

I best get to the papers calling to me on my desk. Everyone have a great day....drink plenty of water:drinker: (it does make a difference), log your food and move your body.

Laura80111

msh0530

Busy this week. I am planning to swim tonight. I had appointments on Monday and Tuesday, my other regular swim days, and couldn't go, so I am really ready for it. I think when I am done I will go to a local store and buy the few flowers that I am planning to put in this year. I did go out Sunday and start getting the beds cleaned out, but need to spade up a small one still.

My daughter, friend and I are planning a sewing day for Saturday, and I am rather excited. I plan to work more on some quilts that I am getting together to hand quilt while in the car on our mega trip this summer. Sewing day always brings new recipes for dinner too. This time I am going to try to replicate the Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster. I have also found a Weight Watchers recipe for Herbed Pork Tenderloin with a Red Onion Jam that sounds delicious. My daughter is going to make what she calls her new specialty for dessert, Strawberry Schaum Torte.

Have I told you about my dream trip this summer? My husband and I (and Suzie Q, our standard poodle, of course), are planning to load up the Durango and the pop up trailer, and drive to Ojai, California to see his brother. Then we are going to head up the west coast, seeing the sights along the way, and go to Alaska. We plan to be gone for 2 months.

I hope that you all have a great Thursday! Mary

yclayton

hello everyone.
sorry to have been mia for so long, typed a long post tuesday but oops...locked so didnt redo...havent been able yet to go thru all posts...last 3 weeks have been really hard for me. i lost 2 of my three dogs under horrible circumstances...dog attack, my sons dog, mercy, killed my precious terrier who was recovering from an attack by my own dog, sara, ( who doctors diagnosed with brain issue after attack and had to be put down). sara was old and apparently had a brain tumor. she was the gentlest dog...never in an altercation in the 13 yrs we had her, she just attacked gem and then was aggressive with my son and my vet. so out of character and so unlike her. all the dogs have been together for years with no problems, then my son got his dog and she came over every day for months and months with no problem. then after sara attacked gem and gem had major major surgery and was doing very well, i let her go outside to potty with mercy and red, and before i could get out there, mercy killed her. mercy is not a mean dog, but she tends to play too hard and i think it must have gotten out of hand. mercy didnt really understand why gem was not getting up and playing ...so now i only have my red dog...we have lost 3 of our 4 dogs since dec (old dog passed in dec). i have not been handling the loss very well, and have been pretty depressed. i did have my grandchildren for 2 out of the last three weeks, and that helped distract me and kept me sooo busy but of course they asked about gem constantly (the witnessed the first attack) so it was still hard. this is the first week i have been completely alone without my gem and it is very hard. havent been keeping up like i should, or going to the gym...just cant seem to do anything but sleep and eat. but...i will get thru this!
sorry to cry to you all but i promise i will get posts read and be more upbeat next week!
yvonne

jam0525

bumping in.

I can't believe how many post there are to catch up on.

Hugs to those in need, It seems like April is ending up to be a hard month for some of you.

All these years of hearing you all talk about the carb monster I never really understood what you meant. I think this week I had an experience (for lack of a better word) and "carb monster" popped into my brain.

At work, so must keep this short.

Jeannie

jellyfishjen

Yvonne, my heart goes out to you. Losing pets are so hard and you have had hardest. I would curl up under a blanket and be with my sorrow. I believe you need time to do this and its good for you.
Mary, a sewing day sounds perfect to me. What a lovely idea.
Laura, like you I’m struggling with my exercise. Last year I had no trouble and loved it all and it was the most important thing in my day, But this year it’s just not happening. I hope my passion for it comes back soon. I am going to start doing what I enjoy and work on that.
Caminogirl, I find I need a high protein breakfast to get a good start on the day.
Hi Laila, love your profile pic, makes me want to go on a nice bush walk.
:flowerforyou: To all of you starting your gardens. Enjoy. Of course we are now going into winter. My summer garden did not go well. We had too much rain, and I wasn’t home enough to care for it. As we all know gardens are a full time job, but so rewarding.

My daughter is being positive about her foot healing much quicker then the physio thinks and meanwhile she is doing what she can. Such as floor work to work on her abs and toning, etc.
Anzac day was lovely. Spent 3 1/2 hours standing watching the parade, it was freezing cold, but that's not as tough as what our veterans have been through. Spent time with family and just hadd such a lovely day.

Love reading all your stories and sharing your joys and sorrows.
Such inspiration from so many of you.

Have a lovely Friday, whenever it arrives at your place. I realise I'm a bit ahead on the timeline here.

djhobs

:happy: Happy Thursday! I too am looking forward to the weekend. Hoping to dig plants out of the part of the garden that I am going to let go back to lawn, not sure I will finish, but I am anxious to see the new look completed. My gardens are all flowers, mostly perennials I am too lazy to do the veggies and we are fortunate to have many farms and markets in our area in the summer and fall.

For those struggling with exercise...the way I started (and some days just to get going) I told myself that I only had to do 30 minutes of something, surely I could do that?! And what I found was once I started moving it wasn't so bad. I am a morning person (luckily) and I just roll out of bed and get it done...and many times I have to give myself my pep talk. I am beginning to enjoy challenging myself with new distances or new times and combos of exercises. This group has done more toward motivating me in a few weeks than my 14 mo with ww! :happy: thank you all!! :flowerforyou:

I have to confess - I had to start reading fluff..I too need the escape from the real world..I'll try to finish the book club book, but not looking good right now:laugh: lol
Have a good evening

Jen

Laura80111

hello everyone.
sorry to have been mia for so long, typed a long post tuesday but oops...locked so didnt redo...havent been able yet to go thru all posts...last 3 weeks have been really hard for me. i lost 2 of my three dogs under horrible circumstances...dog attack, my sons dog, mercy, killed my precious terrier who was recovering from an attack by my own dog, sara, ( who doctors diagnosed with brain issue after attack and had to be put down). sara was old and apparently had a brain tumor. she was the gentlest dog...never in an altercation in the 13 yrs we had her, she just attacked gem and then was aggressive with my son and my vet. so out of character and so unlike her. all the dogs have been together for years with no problems, then my son got his dog and she came over every day for months and months with no problem. then after sara attacked gem and gem had major major surgery and was doing very well, i let her go outside to potty with mercy and red, and before i could get out there, mercy killed her. mercy is not a mean dog, but she tends to play too hard and i think it must have gotten out of hand. mercy didnt really understand why gem was not getting up and playing ...so now i only have my red dog...we have lost 3 of our 4 dogs since dec (old dog passed in dec). i have not been handling the loss very well, and have been pretty depressed. i did have my grandchildren for 2 out of the last three weeks, and that helped distract me and kept me sooo busy but of course they asked about gem constantly (the witnessed the first attack) so it was still hard. this is the first week i have been completely alone without my gem and it is very hard. havent been keeping up like i should, or going to the gym...just cant seem to do anything but sleep and eat. but...i will get thru this!
sorry to cry to you all but i promise i will get posts read and be more upbeat next week!
yvonne

:flowerforyou: {{hugs}} to you. I understad the loss. Our dog we had before Peanut (our current dashound) was old, 18 yrs, and he died a few days before our family took a trip to Mexico for Thanksgiving and by Christmas Eve I had replaced Linus with Peanut, we have had Peanut for 12 yrs this past Christmas and now he too is starting to show the signs of his age. Just today he fell going up the stairs at work and it looks like his eye sight isn't what it should be.

Laura80111

barbiecat

:noway: How did I ever find time to work full time? Yesterday I walked the dogs as usual in the morning, went to my regular line dance class and drove directly to the next town to teach the afternoon line dance class. I had an Isagenix meal replacement bar for lunch and another for a snack and two 20 bottles of water and a plan for supper when I got home. A friend came over for a walk after her work and I walked the dogs again for about 20 minutes, had a snack, brushed my teeth and fell into bed at 8 PM…….needless to say there was no time for MFP.

:flowerforyou: Kat, I gave away all my baking equipment and ingredients when I started my weight loss journey. It has helped me to have hobbies and interests that aren’t food oriented.

:bigsmile: Jb, you look fabulous in your new picture.

:flowerforyou: Nancy, since I’ve been eating healthy, I don’t like the taste or the aftereffects of food with too much fat or sodium. It’s hard to believe that Kentucky Fried Chicken used to be one of my favorite foods……DWTS is on late enough at night that I am primarily sitting while I watch……I dance a bit but Jake notices if I move around too much and it distracts him.

:flowerforyou: Kackie, good luck taking care of your husband…..that is a huge challenge and you are so right to be taking care of yourself, as well……I do weight training at home with ankle weights and dumbbells and some body weight exercises and it allows me to spend time with my hubby and still do some exercise. At first he said things like “be careful” and “don’t overdo” but now he accepts what I’m doing and thinks it’s great. I use my HRM for weight training and love to see which exercises raise my heart rate the most (usually pushups).

:flowerforyou: Djhobs, I don’t know much about the scientific definition of nutrition dense, but obviously things like desserts, gravies, alcohol, and salad dressing are the foods that aren’t nutrition dense and fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains are a lot of nutrition for the calories. One of my favorite books “The Thin Commandments Diet” has a great section about budgeting calories……for example if I have only 400 calories for a meal, do I want to “spend” 120 calories on salad dressing and 200 calories on dessert when I could be using them for a big plain salad, 4 ounces of lean chicken, and a gigantic serving of steamed vegetables.

:flowerforyou: Michele, you have the most interesting and varied life.

:flowerforyou: Caminogirl, I had to give up cereal a long time ago because of the high calories and because I could never eat it in moderation….one night I found myself eating Kashi Go Lean Crunch right out to the box with no attention to portion control.

:flowerforyou: Laura, I love “fluff” reading…..I read stuff that I call “Nancy Drew for adults”. Right now I’m reading a series of mysteries starring a woman who works in chocolate shop in Michigan….the book is filled with chocolate trivia…..what are you reading? My “heavy” reading now is “The Happiness Project”

:flowerforyou: Mary, your dream trip sounds amazing…..a few years ago we took a long trip with an RV and Brandy, the poodle.

:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: Yvonne, my heart is breaking for you losing your dogs..pain like that takes time to get through….i hope you will check in with us and let us be your friends through this tough time.

:flowerforyou: Jellyfishjen, glad your daughter is finding a way to make good use of her healing time……the great thing about us all coming from different time zones and latitudes is that it is always daytime or good weather for someone.


:flowerforyou: Today was not as busy with only one line dance class. I did my weight training in the afternoon and have been watching TV with Jake for the last four hours. His back is having problems and the chiropractor told him to take it easy and lie down on an ice pack three times a day. He can walk the dogs one at a time so I got a break from them for awhile.

Barbie from NW Washington state where it has been drizzling all day.

exermom

Well, I did Jillian Michael's Shed and Shred DVD today. To be honest, it was a good workout, different exercises. But I was thinking that with the word "shred" in it, it would be more weights. But it was mostly aerobic. However, I did get the Jari Love 1000 DVD so I'll do that one tomorrow, it'll most likely be more weights.

Kat - yuk, I can hardly imagine salt in place of the sugar. You must have been real good and not tried any of the raw cookie dough! I know that I could never do that!

On my way to crochet today did it ever start pouring! It was raining so hard that I couldn't hear the radio.

Took the cake I made for the lady who runs the crochet class. Gave some to the other gals who were there and then gave her the rest to take home. I just dusted the top with confectioners sugar.

caminogirl - I hear ya on the cereal for breakfast. When I am trying to watch my calories in the breakfast, I usually have one regular egg and then some egg substitute. Eggs are pretty filling, low in calories. What I have, too, is I get some chicken BREAST ground up, cook that and then freeze the patties. Each pattie is something like 90 calories and it quite filling. Another thing I have is a container of Oikos plain yogurt (something like 80 calories) and a tsp of honey (something like 33 calories)

Had my last food safety class today. We took a test, I think you get some sort of certificate. Really, that's not what I went for so it doesn't bother me if I don't get it.

Mary - your trip sounds just wonderful!

Yvonne - I'm passing you the kleenex. I got teary-eyed just reading about your dogs. I can't imagine what you're going thru

Here's hoping everyone has a great evening.

Michele

westernjoy

Nancy what type of foot surgery. Doctor says I should have surgery on my other foot. Bunion 4 months in a cast. Not looking forward to that again. Put off until I can't take the pain no more.
Barbie I can't wait until I retire so I have more time for myself.
Yvonne- my heart is breaking for you. It is so hard to lose a family pet.
Michelle.- you inspire me
Jen I too I'm a morning person but work keeps getting in my way up at 4:30. Then graveyard for 2 days. I sometimes wonder if that the biggest part of why I don't lose weight. No set schedule
Lucky if I sleep more than 6 hours.
Everyone have a great day
Joyce

msh0530

Okay, I have to do it. Song lyrics running through my head and sharing with you!

It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin’ down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend!

This is really how I feel today! Have a good one! Mary

jb_2011

Friday Friday Friday. :flowerforyou: Just the sound of it speaks of relaxation and fun. Today's another work day, though, plus the house needs cleaning, the garden needs weeding, the exercises need doing and I have to figure out something to fix for dinner. In otherwords, there will be no relaxation today until later this evening when I'm done with teaching. It's been a rough few days since returning from my trip, I can't seem to get everything done. :grumble: But it's Friday, yay!

My heart breaks for you, Yvonne. How terribly sad. Wishing you all the best in this very difficult time. :flowerforyou:

Salad Sistas! Let's not forget the almighty greens. I'm hungry for roasted beets. I'm hungry for anything, lol. Guess I'd better go fix breakfast. Happy day everyone, be good, be strong. Drink your water! :drinker:

jb

Laura80111

:flowerforyou: YEAH Friday!

Mary- your dream trip sounds wonderful

Jellyfishjen- glad you and your family were there to enjoy the parade even though it wa cold:flowerforyou:

Jen- :drinker: Here's to us and our fluff reading:drinker: I'm currently reading some Jane Feather's books and it's in England 1807, I do so love period reading.

Hubby and I went to the 9 Health Fair, had blood work done. I had a few other things checked out too and one was BMI, weight & height....so the last time I went to the doctors (when we had insurance) she measured me and said I was 1/2" shorter but I felt maybe she didn't do it right...so today it's official:sad: I've really lost that 1/2":sad: 5' will never be mine because I'm headed in the other direction I'm now 4'10.5":sad:

I must get going have to finish payroll and clean up my desk for the weekend and prepare for #3 Son and DIL to spend the night.

Have a great day, logging, drinking and moving:drinker:

Laura80111

msh0530

:flowerforyou: Laura, I love “fluff” reading…..I read stuff that I call “Nancy Drew for adults”. Right now I’m reading a series of mysteries starring a woman who works in chocolate shop in Michigan….the book is filled with chocolate trivia…..what are you reading? My “heavy” reading now is “The Happiness Project”

Barbie from NW Washington state where it has been drizzling all day.

Barbie - I also read Nancy Drew for adults. Who wrote the chocolate shop books? Mary

yclayton

Hello everyone
Trying to be more positive this week…
Thank you all for your concern, kindness and support…I am still so lonesome but I will get thru it.

Laura – remember the BEST things come in small packages! It really is hard to watch our pets as they age…the dog we have is only 5, but our housecat is 17….and she is definitely slower than she used to be! Hope you have/had a great visit with your son and family. Green chile cheese casserole sounds great.

Jb – good luck with that to do list you have going there….

Joyce – surgery? Yikes! I hate surgery of ANY kind. And wow with a schedule like that it is a wonder you can keep up with yourself. I used to work shifts at the veterinary er and it really plays havoc with your mind and body! Will be thinking of you!

Michelle – you are truly an inspiration. You do so so much!

Barbie – I agree, how did I ever have time to work? With the farm and the grandchildren I have really more than I can do! Ice is definitely your friend for pain issues….hope jake is doing better!

Mary – sounds like a fabulous trip! My sister also enjoys quilting, but I never got the urge. I say a lot of ugly words every summer when I start sewing on the childrens Halloween costumes! Thank goodness I only have to make a frog this year as the tiana costume was purchased at Disney!

Kackie – remember to take care of yourself while taking care of DH!

Sissy – hope you are feeling better….all too familiar with the lethargy, lack of motivation and joint issues….i also have a knee replacement and have had problems with it. You really should go get checked out! And I will be praying for NO surgery to be in the treatment plan! Sunshine almost always helps me feel better…

So far today I have done my barn chores, and handsprayed 4 acres of pasture for weeds. Wish there was a calorie burn listed for ‘walking pasture carrying 20 lb spray can’.
Now off to mow. Also had to meet with farrier this am as my jazzy mare has a mystery lameness in front feet. Has been off for 3 days…cant find anything wrong…boo.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and lets all have a drink! (water, that is!)
yvonne

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: Laura, I love “fluff” reading…..I read stuff that I call “Nancy Drew for adults”. Right now I’m reading a series of mysteries starring a woman who works in chocolate shop in Michigan….the book is filled with chocolate trivia…..what are you reading? My “heavy” reading now is “The Happiness Project”

Barbie from NW Washington state where it has been drizzling all day.

Barbie - I also read Nancy Drew for adults. Who wrote the chocolate shop books? Mary

Mary, the books I'm reading are by JoAnna Carl. The first one is called "The Chocolate Cat Caper". There are about ten of them and you have to read them in order so you can follow the developing life of the main character. I found some of them at the public library.

barbiecat

So far today I have done my barn chores, and handsprayed 4 acres of pasture for weeds. Wish there was a calorie burn listed for ‘walking pasture carrying 20 lb spray can’.


yvonne

Yvonne,, I got a heart rate monitor so I could figure out how many calories I burn doing odd things like puttering in my garden and walking my frisky poodles.