40+ Club - Summertime Fun

annaliza

Good afternoon everyone!

Just checking in real quick....day went by too fast and now it's almost time to leave work!

Hope everyone is having a good day....I'll post later when I get a chance to read everyone's post.

singfree

Tron, Insanity is a 60 day program. I don't think I could take more than that! It's tough!!

Texssippian

Hi all! Have been battling a summer cold. Did not get to the gym or the river (river was rained out a couple of days last week). There is a rain make-up session tonight at the river. We go to the gym to see our trainer, so I am not sure I will have the energy to do the river, which makes me sad.

Brother-in-law is still in ICU at Ochsner getting liver transplant work-up tests. My mother and little sister are with him. They are still trying to get his blood pressure up before letting him out of the ICU. We are going to Mississippi to see whoever is there at the end of this week. May be staying at my mother's house with no mom there. We are very grateful that he is at Ochsner and they are doing the transplnat work-up.

My weight has been the same for several weeks now. Considering everything else going on, I am not going to worry as long it is not creeping up.

Husband picked the other "giant" pumpkin: 47 pounds. Still getting some squash and a few tomatoes. Okra is very happy in the hot dry weather.

Congrats to everyone doing so well. Take care! TxMs

singfree

Good Tuesday Morning!

The Insanity continues! You know, when you see results almost immediately, the motivation is there to stick with the program. I've always done physical and aerobic exercises, but never like this. I guess my body is responding to the completely different stimulus that Insanity provides. Plus, I can really feel the progress inside. I'm only finishing my 2nd week. I can't wait to see the change after the 60 days are up!

Tex, my thoughts & prayers are with you and your family. Stay strong!

Tron, I'm glad to see that you & hubby will have a nice get-away for a few days...enjoy!

Mk, the NordicTrak is a neat piece of equipment. Once you get the hang of it, you can really get a good workout.

Stiring, you must be chomping at the bit right now to start P90X. You will love the workouts.

cheryl220

Can anyone join this group? I am over 40 and I really need to get back on track! I have been trying to loss the same 20 pounds for about 2 years. I lost 60 pounds and I am having trouble just keeping that off. I starting gaining then I really start watching what I am eating and exercising until I loss the extra weight I gained then I just keep repeating the cycle over and over. Anyone else had this same problem etc.? Did you every loss the last 20 pounds and keep if off?

duffyzmom

Welcome Cheryl and Happy Tuesday All! I'm back after a long weekend of golf fun. Did you see me on TV? The Buick Open was lots of fun for the whole family. I am happy to report that I was able to squeeze in workouts on Friday night and I did get my long run in Sunday morning. I'm up to 9 miles which is good since my 10 mile race is less than 3 weeks away. Burned 1000 calories on the long run but I'm pretty sure I drank all of those back in Red Stripes:embarassed:

I quickly read through the posts and it was great to catch up. Like Swiss during the summer I'm always battling the teenagers in my house for computer time.

Sing: Glad to hear about your progress with Insanity. It sounds like the plyometrics would be great for me. I hate them but I know that my improved running pace probably owes a lot to the CX Burn Intervals and that workout has a lot of Plyo as well.

Stiring: I actually know what you mean about dense foods (even though I don't have the pleasure of working through that right now). Look at your normal foods and see if you can increase calories in easy ways. For me that usually means switching out my light yogurt for full calorie yogurt and my unsweetened almond breeze for the sweetened version. Right there you talking about increasing my morning smoothie by almost 200 calories. Plus don't forget nuts and seeds both dense.

Alf: I know you will be enjoying your time away. My husband and I are headed to a B&B to celebrate our anniversary this weekend and I can't wait.

singfree

Duffy, was that you in the green man costume? Wait a minute...maybe it was you shouting "get in the hole" every time Tiger hit a shot!! Good tournament, too bad it's over.

Welcome Cheryl! No magic bullet to losing weight and keeping it off, especially as we age. Diet and exercise MUST be a lifestyle, not just for temporary weight loss. Good luck on this fitness journey.

StiringWendel

Good morning everybody!

Welcome Cheryl!! :flowerforyou: I've gained and lost weight too many times in my life to count. I am determined this time to keep it off, and as singfree advised, I'm doing that by completely changing my lifestyle. I hit my goal three months ago, but I still continuously monitor what I eat to keep myself from going back to my old habits. Hopefully, someday, the new habits will be...well....habitual, but until that time, I'm going to keep working at this to make sure I never have to go on another diet again. Please ask if you have any questions. Losing the last 20 pounds is never easy, especially over 40.

TxMs, I'm thinking of you and your family. I hope you feel better soon.

mkwood, I'm happy to hear you are feeling better. That's kind of funny about your husband and the Nordic Track! I hope he sticks with it. My husband is still doing relatively well, and I'm surprised how long he has stuck with this. It really is nice having somebody else in the house with the same goals.

tron, good luck starting 30 Day Shred again!!

zebras, the weekend at the Casino sounds like fun. It is hard to adapt to eating away from home.

singfree, your feedback on Insanity has me so looking forward to being able to do this program. I saw your question in the Insanity thread about mixing P90X and Insanity. I know a few people are doing this type of program (either with P90X or STS) on a couple of other sites I visit, but both programs in a modified way (in other words, using the weight training DVDs of P90X and the cardio of Insanity on alternating days). I haven't gotten any good feedback on how that is working yet, but I know it is being done. If I see anything on results and/or issues, I'll be sure to report them back here.

duffy, congrats on the running! And thanks for your input on calorie dense foods. I've been upping my serving size of peanut butter/almond butter, and adding more nuts to my evening salad. I'm also trying to add some avacado/guacamole to some lunches/dinners. We'll see what happens.

I'm headed off to do a cardio/lower body circuit workout today. My body feels so much better after taking those couple of days off last week. I think I'll take at least two full days off again at the end of next week before starting P90X. I really want to be in a position of giving that program my all.

I hope everybody has a great day!

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: Welcome Cheryl, I am finding that the ONLY way that the weight will stay off is to start and stay on a new lifestyle. We can never go back to eating as we did before. We have to re-adjust our thinking. The last few pounds are so hard but they can be lost. I have only 1 more pound and then I will set another goal. Probably another 5 pounds. I have found that reaching my goal is easier if I set it small and then set another one. I am losing only 1 pound a month but at least my weight is dropping. When you reach your goal this time up your calorie count slowly and do not stop the exercise.

tron3002

Welcome Cheryl. This is a great group of people here and you will get lots of encouragement and really great advice here. :happy:

Thanks Sing... Its so nice being able to do things with my husband again. I almost forgot what that was like. :laugh: That car show will be so much fun. They have a lot of "regulars" there so some of the cars I have already seen in past shows but its still lots of fun....

Swiss... I agree with setting small goals for yourself so you dont get overwhelmed.

String... P90X huh.... Dang girl your gonna have to take some pictures of the muscles your gonna have after that program.

Duffy... Happy Anniversary. Mine is on Saturday, our 22nd. Geesh, do people still stay married that long these days?:laugh:

So today is my day 2 of the shred. I am a little sore today but thats a good thing. I also have 5 dogs in my house today, 3 of which are not fully potty trained:grumble: I really cant stand that:explode: One is my younger daughters and will be going home tomorrow evening and the other 2 are my eldest daughters that now live here. All's I can say is that getting these dogs on track to what they should be doing cant come soon enough. The other 2 dogs are mine and thank goodness I dont have to worry about them. (:bigsmile: Proud doggy parent)

mkwood10

Good Tuesday Morning!


Mk, the NordicTrak is a neat piece of equipment. Once you get the hang of it, you can really get a good workout.

Singfree, we've had the NordicTrak for about 15 years, but it's been in the basement storage room for about 5 years:laugh: I know it's a good workout, we've just been suffering from "motivation deficit syndrome" since the hubby retired from active duty 9 years ago! :laugh: I was really surprised to find it out in the family room; he's made comments about needing to get it out, so I guess he's found some motivation. :happy: He's got bad knees, hips and a bad neck, so can't run anymore:frown: Running PT in combat boots for over 10 years is hard on joints......and then the army wonders why so many older soldiers have messed up knees, hips and backs?:grumble:

singfree

Good morning!

MK, at least the NordicTrac is low impact and should be kind to the joints. I don't jog any longer, because the constant pounding was tough on the knees. Insanity involves a lot of plyo or jump training moves which is not too good on the knees, but so far it's been ok.

Tron, I love to see old and restored cars. I don't like racing, though...sorry NASCAR fans. A few years ago in CA my brother-in-law took us to the Nethercut Museum, which had an outstanding collection of cars dating back to the late 1800s.

Talking about setting goals..I don't set weight goals, but fitness goals. I want to be this fit by the time I go on vacation, Sept. 1, Christmas, etc... I think people become discouraged when they need to lose a lot of weight and it does not come off fast enough. Take it a pound at a time. Our daughter -in-law is dealing with this. She had weight issues before the baby, and now she is really struggling with it. But...she lacks willpower and self-control. She is motivated for a few days and then makes bad food/ drink choices.

Stiring, the only drawback about Insanity is that I am leaning out all over. The muscle definition I developed with weight training is slowly slipping away. It's funny, I feel quite strong, but the muscles are not as large. I have a small frame to begin with, and it is hard for me to put on muscle size even when I am lifting a lot. On the upside, the tendonitis in my elbow is not bothering me any longer!

Swiss, I really like your new picture. You look great!

tron3002

Well I am up early today...:yawn: I am never up at 6am but I have to take my daughters dog to get neutered because she has to work. I need to try to get up early anyway. I normally dont go to bed until after 2am (which was no exception last night) just because of my husbands schedule but now that he's quit one job and is going to focus on another we will be having to get up early so he can do that.

Sing... You would love hot august nights in Reno. At least 4 casinos have cars there and in Sparks they drive them down the strip.

I didnt exercise yesterday. First of all I was sore from the day before but also it was difficult with 3 teenage boys running in and out, my son had friends over, PLUS watching the 5 dogs. Gosh that was crazy enough!!!:noway: So today after I get back from taking the dog to the vet and having a business meeting with a friend over breakfast I plan on getting busy.

duffyzmom

Morning All! Today may be a day off for me. I acted as one of the chaperones at band camp last night and needless to say did not sleep much.

Sing: Yep that was me in the green suit:laugh: Actually on Sunday we were on 18 and you can see the whole family when Bob Heintz hit is 2nd shot into the spectators. As far as insanity goes, leaning sounds great but you said losing definition - that doesn't sound all that great to me. I can't wait to hear if your knees make through the 60 days. Nothing like having our own little guinea pig.

singfree

Duffy, I really think that you will benefit from this workout. Supplement it with some strength training if you want. Even though I would like to lift weights, I am going to give Insanity the full 60 days without weights then evaluate what to do next. I'm leaning toward P90X for 90 days, but substituting an Insanity workout on cardio days. Like Stiring, I will need to monitor my intake even more closely in the next few weeks.

I'm glad you were in the green suit. Did you hear David Feherty's gas explosion? Too funny!!! :laugh:

zebras

Happy Wednesday everyone.

I have attempted to add a ticker to my posts, my apologies in advance if it doesn't work!

Happy to report that I have re-lost that extra weight gained over the weekend, plus an additional pound, so I am looking at 215 (down 5 on MFP, and 60 total!) Hooray for me. I want to thank you all for your support, because this site and everyone's encouragement is really making a huge difference.

Its fun reading about everyone's sucesses and all the little things going on in everyone's lives. I'm still sorting out who's who in the group. I'm really surprised at how much I've gotten into the forum side of MFP, since I have refused to join things like Facebook (FaceCult LOL) or Twitter.

Well, thanks again, everyone.

StiringWendel

Congratulations on your weight loss, zebras! :drinker: I'm happy you've joined our group.

singfree, I'm kind of with duffy on what you said about Insanity. While getting lean is good, I'm not so much for losing what very little definition I actually have. I'm thinking when I tackle Insanity that I may do a simple 10 minute strength training session after each workout.....just one body part per day. Maybe that would at least keep some of the definition. I don't know.

I saw your question over in the Insanity thread about calories. Are you seriously thinking of going to 3000 a day? It wouldn't surprise me if you needed that many calories. I've been losing weight at 2200 calories, and I'm female, shorter, and, I would argue, not at active as you. So I don't think 3000 calories would be too much for you while doing Insanity.

Yes, I did say I'm still losing weight. :explode: I dropped below 100 yesterday (for the first time since I was a teenager!), and am there again today. I saw a post from somebody over in that Insanity thread (in response to singfree) who is struggling with maintaining as well, so I don't feel so bad right now. I never dreamed I would lose weight when eating 2200 calories a day. I'm finding this to be the most compelling advertisement for increased fitness ever. But I'm increasing my calories yet again....to about 2400 a day. We'll see what happens.

I did a back, shoulder, bicep strength training workout this morning, followed by a little kickboxing. I think this will be my last heavy weight workout before starting P90X in 11 or 12 days. I'll do a few full body workouts over the next week and then probably one last circuit workout before I get rolling with that program. I'll probably set my calories up even higher once I start P90X to see if I can't actually add some muscle mass. I'm not sure if I can (being a middle-aged female and all), but I figure I might give it a try to see what happens. That would be my preferred method for gaining back at least some of the weight I think I need to regain right now.

tron, get some sleep!! It sounds like you might need it just taking care of all those dogs.

Hope this finds everybody doing well!

Swissmiss

Siring...I don't EVER remember being below 100. I was about 110 all through my teen years. I always wanted to be a tiny as you but I am too tall for that. I have upped my calories in the hopes that maybe I am not eating enough. I did drop another pound but am also bouncing back and forth about two pounds. I need a break through.

zebras

Thanks Stiring!

Can I ask how tall you are? And where you were weight wise when you started MFP? I'm 5'2" and don't ever remember being 100 lbs. I really just don't remember what I weighed back in High School but I remember being about a size 10 maybe a 12 and still feeling bigger than most girls. My bones are truly big, and my girls are impressive too, no matter what size I am!

I'm aiming for like 137 which is about half of what I started with a year and two months ago.

StiringWendel

zebras, I'm 5'2" as well. I'm very small-boned, so I spent most of my younger days between 100 and 110, and still was constantly told by a plethora of people at the time (boyfriends, my mother, my grandmother, my violin teacher, etc) that I needed to lose weight. Frustrating times those were.

Anyhow, I started my weightloss journey at 143 (back in January) and was about 140 when I joined MFP toward the end of that month. I was a size 8/10 at the time. On my frame, that was too much weight. But I also think it is a very healthy weight for somebody our height with a slightly different build (as you indicated you have....seeing as you actually mentioned you have 'girls'....and I don't :sad:.... ), so I think your goal of 137 is reasonable and very, very healthy.

mkwood10

Hey everybody!!

The scale at Curves said 127!!!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
It hasn't said that number since early Novermber - I was so excited that I had the owner weigh and measure me today instead of waiting for Friday, my normal weigh/measure day. The inches didn't look very different, but it's only a 2 pound weight loss since last month. However......2.5 pounds of body fat lost, BMI down to 23.23!!! :happy: I hope this is the plateau break I've been looking for - I've been stuck yo-yo'ing from 128.5 to 132 for the past 6 weeks and been really frustrated with it.

Burned 450 calories.........yeah me!! :happy:

It's been a good day :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :happy:

singfree

Good morning all!

It's going to be a nice day here in PA, sunny and high in the upper 70's. Really nice weather to get out after work and move the old bones. I'm working day shift today and will go back to work at 11 pm tonight. At least I'll be finished for the week tomorrow morning! I have a busy weekend planned. I'll be singing in the chorus for Beethoven's 9th (Choral Symphony) at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster PA. A dress rehearsal Friday evening and 2 concerts on Saturday. Should be fun.

MK, great news on your weight loss. Have faith, it's working!

Stiring, I did the 2nd "fit test" with Insanity yesterday. My scores improved by 10-30 %, depending on the exercise in only 2 weeks. I really think that anyone can benefit from this program. A few other fit women on the Insanity thread have upped their daily cals to 3000!! I'm a bit nervous about that, but it could explain why I am losing some muscle definition. My cals are way low if they are correct, and I think they are right about this.

I have to go shopping for new work jeans. I was wearing a 33 waist because I like a looser fit, but these things are literally falling down if I don't wear a belt! Could a 6-pack be in my future?

Have a great day!

cardigirl

Morning all!!! So good to see everyone posting. Sorry to have been AWOL for a bit, busy time at work.

I am in amazement of all of you who are losing. I just cannot seem to have that type of success. I don't know if it's too little calories or too many, etc. I'm still following the 55-25-20 percentages that the trainer suggested, but even though I'm feeling good, I cannot seem to get past 157. :grumble: Even with a BFP% of 21% I think that weight is a bit high for someone 5'3".


Going to continue with the higher carbs for at least a month and see if my body starts responding to it more appropriately.

In the meantime, still doing plyometrics. They are killer, right Sing? My legs hurt so much the day afterwards. But it's a good burn. That Insanity program sounds interesting, as doesn the P90X. Might have to try to incorporate more of that into my non-trainer days.

Okay, just checking in. I'm always reading (lurking) but don't always have time to post. :sad: Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still around and still being inspired by all of you!:flowerforyou:

singfree

Hi Cardi!

Glad to see you posting. Plyo is a killer, that's for sure! FYI...we are visiting the Boston area in a few weeks. My wife's parents are buried in Merrimac, MA and we are going to visit some friends and spend a day in Boston before heading home.

zebras

Sing:

I was having trouble finding something to wear to sleep last night, and I came across a nightshirt, that even though the letters have long since worn out, used to say:

"I don't suffer from Insanity, I enjoy every minute of it"

Just made me smile thinking of your crazy workout called Insanity. Happy to report that the nightshirt is so huge on me, that it looks like I was wearing someone elses clothes.

singfree

Well, I'm suffering through AND enjoying Insanity. Actually, it's the results that I'm enjoying!

cardigirl

Hi Cardi!

Glad to see you posting. Plyo is a killer, that's for sure! FYI...we are visiting the Boston area in a few weeks. My wife's parents are buried in Merrimac, MA and we are going to visit some friends and spend a day in Boston before heading home.

Hopefully the weather will be decent when you are here. Hope you get to go to the North End for some fantastic Italian food! :drinker:


LOL about suffering through AND enjoying Insanity. Heh. Love the Tshirt Zebras. I need one like that.

duffyzmom

I did hill training this morning and my last circuit of Burn Circuit 2. I can't believe I will be moving on to the Push Circuit next week that was a fast 30 days.

Checking in to wish you all a great weekend! Tonight I am off the band camp for another night of chaperoning (and not sleeping) and then off to Traverse City for our Anniversary getaway. The goal this weekend is relaxation but I've already mapped my long run for Sunday morning. That area has a great trailway so I will be able to do my 10 mile run.

Zebras: Congrats on the loss.

Sing and Stiring: Enjoy the extra calories. 3000 is probably on the right track for Sing - my husband is the classic bodybuilder shape and I swear he consumes closer to 4000-4500/day and always has a six pack. Muscle really does make a huge difference in your metabolism.

I'm avoiding the scale right now but will weigh in and measure on day 30 of CX.

Texssippian

Hi all! Glad to hear everyone's great reports.

We are going to Mississippi tomorrow to see my family. My mom and little sister are driving back from New Orleans today. My brother-in-law's mom and step dad are going to stay with him at Ochsner. He is now out of ICU and completing all the testing for listing for a liver transplant. He is doing better and his MELD score (used to prioritize you on the transplant list) has improved in the last couple of days. We are encouraged but know that there still is a long journey ahead. Thank you for the continued support and prayers.

I am finally getting over this summer cold. It has been a terrible thing. I am looking forward to getting back to exercising. River aerobics is now over. I saw my water shoes in the car yesterday and was sad. I am going to start training for another personal triathlon (I swim, bike, and walk/run by myself). We are going to take our free weights with us to Ms.

I wore a blouse yesterday that was too small 6 weeks ago when I bought it. Fit great yesterday! (Daughter said I looked sassy!) I can fit into size 12 although some things are not that flattering yet. I had gotten to a size 10 last time I lost weight. I am shooting for that again. But this time, I want to stay that size... Take care all. Not sure how much I can post while gone.

singfree

Good Morning TGIF!!!!!

I was on night shift last night, so a am really beat. Yesterday I rode a hiily and challenging 25 miles on my bike. If that weren't enough, I did an Insanity workout as well. Burned a total of over 1500 cals. Needless to say, I was starving and really ate a lot.

Reporting Day!!

I am staying the course with my Insanity workouts. They are doing great things for my shape. If you are looking to reshape your body in the form of fat loss, this is the program for you. One thing, though...I believe that you MUST be fairly fit to attempt it. It is tough, demanding and will kick your butt each and every time you do a workout. Currently I am on day 17 of 60. My caloric demands are now around 3000 cals per day. I'm having a lot of anxiety with eating that much. Yesterday I supplemented my eating with more protein shakes.

Speaking of protein, I switched to EAS 100% Pure Whey Protein, Vanilla flavor. Wow, it is really good. In a blender using part skim milk, it has a very creamy texture and tastes like a milk shake. If you are interested, I found it in a 5 lb. bag at Sam's Club for around half the price of other stores ($28 for 5 lbs).

Thanks to all for your help and encouragement. I have a busy weekend with singing, but I'll check in from time to time. Have a great weekend!