women 40+ would like to share progress

makeitallsue

- I bet if you took time to write down about the positive things that have happened since April you would be surprised. In the 9 weeks I have been here - I have sooooo much more energy, feel more confident, am happier, am standing straighter, am in less pain, am spending more time with my mother, my clothes fit better, and I feel prettier.

Pinbotchick, You are so right, I did exactly as you suggested, starting with some of the same reasons that you have mentioned, there are a lot more positive things that I can add to a list since I have lost the weight.....I'm not sure what happened earlier this week, guess I was feeling sorry for myself. I did great yesterday, i got up did my stretches and elliptical and I ate what I wanted and even after I added all things up I came under with my calories....I'm sure the salt in the ham will effect the scale a little..but my month;y friend showed up, so I'm not weighing in until next Friday, and maybe I'll get a surprise.....:happy: , I'm not giving up...I've came to far....thanks for the reminder, and again I love your positive outlook!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

About the running, you can do it!!!!!!...I was amazed at how fast my body responded, each time I ran I could go a little longer and I hated it at first, now...I love it, I'll take my dog and we run the country lap, I did my first 5k back in September and it was very emotional for me that day.....I finished!!!:happy: Keep me posted, would love to hear how your doing, have you started your program?

pinbotchick

makeitallsue - I have been working on slowly on the c25k program. I got up to week 3 and was doing well with it when a friend near me want to do it too, so I started over at week 1. Unfortunately, the friend got the flu and hasn't been able to do it for 2 weeks. I am in a holding mode on week 2. I don't want to get too far ahead of her but I don't want to stay here. I guess I will go on without her if she cant restart soon. The next 5k in our area is April. Did I read somewhere that you are in Indiana? Are there any 5Ks near Fort Wayne in Feb or March? I have an aunt there I could visit. I will keep you posted on my progress.

charlo2010

Hi pinbotchick and makeitallsue! New to the site and liking it already. Just wanted to add my two cents of encouragement about running. I just did a Turkey Trot (5k) on Thursday - my FIRST EVER! didn't really train for it, but I have been going to the gym consistently for about 2 months. Even though I had to walk at times, I completed it all under 45 minutes! Not the greatest time ever, but HEY! Anyway, the point is, keep it up ~ you can do it!

snowflakes

Hi ladies:

charlo2010: welcome. Good job of your first 5K. I baby my knees I don't know if my knees will ever take that kind of impact.

It has been a wonderful couple of days having everybody home. My weekly weigh in was today and the scales says I am down three pounds. I hesitantly reported that because I know that it is not 3 pounds of fat. I am set up to loose up to 1.5 pounds a week with calories and exercise. It will be interesting to see what scales do the next week or so.

Have a good evening:flowerforyou:

makeitallsue

The next 5k in our area is April. Did I read somewhere that you are in Indiana? Are there any 5Ks near Fort Wayne in Feb or March? I have an aunt there I could visit. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Pinbotchick, I don't know for sure about future races, I will look into it and get back with you....that would be so much fun. I am from Columbia City, Fort Wayne is about 25 minutes East from here, my oldest daughter lives there. We just had the first in our area marathon on November 12. (the veterans marathon) It was really exciting, the route they ran was right out by our house, i watched them that day as they came down our road, it was mile marker 18-19 by the time they made it out here....I watched them in total awe....I can't even imagine running that long, but they are coming back next year and I told myself I would love to try the half-marathon, it would be in November again....today I bought myself a new pair of running shoes....I'm hoping to wear them out!

makeitallsue

Hi pinbotchick and makeitallsue! New to the site and liking it already. Just wanted to add my two cents of encouragement about running. I just did a Turkey Trot (5k) on Thursday - my FIRST EVER! didn't really train for it, but I have been going to the gym consistently for about 2 months. Even though I had to walk at times, I completed it all under 45 minutes! Not the greatest time ever, but HEY! Anyway, the point is, keep it up ~ you can do it!

Welcome Charlo2010,
Super news about that 5k! That is great and something to build from, what a great idea ( to run in stead of stuff)...it was pretty cold here yesterday, was it warm where you ran? I haven't ran in the cold, it's been pretty nice here and the coldest I've tried it has been about 50 degrees, I'm such a wimp with the cold...I'm worried about that, I have really enjoyed running and winter is setting in on me, I'm going to try my hardest to try to at least get out and run once a week as it gets colder, I'm just going to pick the nicest day of the week for my run. Good Luck!

makeitallsue

It has been a wonderful couple of days having everybody home. My weekly weigh in was today and the scales says I am down three pounds. I hesitantly reported that because I know that it is not 3 pounds of fat. I am set up to loose up to 1.5 pounds a week with calories and exercise. It will be interesting to see what scales do the next week or so.

Have a good evening:flowerforyou:

Wow, Snowflakes, you are doing so great! Your going to be hitting that next 15 pretty quick at this rate! Congrats!:bigsmile:

amcmamcm

With Thanksgiving behind us, let's concentrate on our new goals for Christmas or New Year. I lost my first 10 lbs on MFP easily and I have set a goal of reaching 150lbs by Christmas. That is only 5 lbs, but I am sure that this next 5 lbs are going to be harder to loose. Also 150 lbs will bring me to a healthy BMI, and I do not remember last time that I was not overweight! I have been as much as 30-40 lbs overweight, so this last 5 lbs are going to be really important for me.

DD, I am happy that you are back in the gym and feeling better.

Boo-Boo, I also did the cooking, and cooked most everything low fat. This Thanksgiving, my daughter, who is in college, could not make it home, so we decided to go visit her. It was only the 4 of us (husband, daughter, son and me) so it was easier not to overeat. The special thing was that we were together not the food.

Hoosiermomma, riding horses sounds like a lot of fun.

makeitallsue over 30 lbs is such an accomplishment! I know that you must feel great. When you feel down think of all the things that you can now do. What is your goal for Christmas or new year? Since you are doing so much exercise, and probably gaining some muscle, you can set an exercise goal instead of a pound lost goal, that way you do not get discouraged. I wish i were as disciplined as you with the exercising...

Missou I hope you are having a wonderful time!

pinbotchick I walk every day with my neighbor. But if she cannot walk with me, I use the treadmill. If your friend cannot exercise with you and you do not want to get ahead, just do some different form of exercise for that day.

charlo2010 Welcome!

snowflakes congratulations on the 3 lbs and good luck with this week!

Hoosiermomma

Good Saturday Morning!

Hope all of you are happy with yourselves following your Thanksgiving feasts. We had 17 at the table and had awesome food. 1 plate for me and more of the lean choices. The twice baked sweet potatoes turned out awesomre. I'm still enjoying those! Plenty of wine and about 1 slice pie with samplings I enjoyed.


I weighed myself the day before Thnksgvg and will check my progress again next Friday. This is the first week in awhile that I did get 4 REAL exercise sessions in! Working to keep THAT up! The weight went back down so I am working to keep heading in the right direction.

We are headed up to Mi. for an engagement party tonight.. The parties continue! :drinker: Fortunately I enjoy talking so much. That will slow me down in the eating department! :laugh:

This morning I was able to run 1 1/2 miles on the treadmill! That is a pretty big deal for me! Altogether I ran 2.5 miles! I would like to be able to run an entire 5K. So I will keep working!

Enjoy a relaxing weekend All!!

HoosierM

Mommabee

Wow what a great way to think about talking! I've always been a talker and never thought of it as an asset before, but now I can say it's all part of my new diet strategy! Thanks Hoosiermomma, us talking momma's gotta stick together!

DeeDeeLHF

I agree that Thanksgiving is past and let's focus on Christmas goals. I weigh in on Tuesday and hoping I didn't gain over this past week. Between Thanksgiving and lots of Black Friday and Saturday shopping I have been eating on the run and not writing anything down. I shopped for 14 straight hours on Friday and I NEEDED to keep eating to maintain my energy. I can only hope that I was burning calories as well as consuming them.

I have two choices...dwell on the past or start moving into the future! Today I am moving on!!!

Love you ladies!!

PS...someday I will join in the conversations about running! I am looking forward to that great day! Keep it up you are all an inspiration to me!

booboogroom

Hi ladies I'm back from the Holiday and gained 3 pounds. Oh well I'll get rid of it again. Welcome to all newcomers.

pinbotchick

Good morning. Glad to see everyone survived the holiday weekend. I took it easy and started decorating for Christmas - the house is now a mess with boxes everywhere. I hope to finish tomorrow. I finished off the turkey left overs by making quesidillas (? sp) and they were delicious. Gotta run to do my morning exercise before work.

itsbella

Hello Ladies,

I just joined the boards this morning! I'm 41 yrs young, married for 16 yrs, 2 girls 15 and 12, one dog. We had 3 dogs a yr ago and since two of them have died ;(

Anyhow, I began this journey at 197 last month today I'm at 188...tom is here so I will have a more current number in a few days! I was working and going to school, life and all that jazz my wt went up sky high and now I'm working on me, me, me! I'm loving the way I'm feeling since exercising again and taking good care of me! I gotta tell ya that craving sweets is my down fall. I'm gonna make myself some nice low cal treats for dessert this week to close the days with. I set a goal of eating all my calories before 8 pm and so I will celebrate that goal every day this week with a lowcal treat at 8pm!

Today is my rest day!

djfshop

Hi, I'm Deb. I had lost previously, but quit logging and paying attention to portions and now I am back up in weight. So, back to the daily entries. I really have to plan my meals in advance and then I do so much better. Which leads me to Christmas parties. Tomorrow evening starts the list of long barrage of church, work, and social "food" gatherings. I do not want to feel slighted during the holiday. How does everyone handle these little, but this month frequent, hiccups in healthy eating?

pinbotchick

It really does feel good to be back on schedule this week. I managed to stay under my calorie limit and did 45 min of low-impact aerobics yesterday. I finished decorating inside the house last night. Today, I will tackle putting up some outside lights. Of course it had to snow last night - I knew I should have put them up last weekend when it was 45 and sunny. But, the white yard looks beautiful.

Welcome djfshop and itsbella. It's always nice to have new people join us.

I handle the hiccups in healthy eating at parties by exercising more that day to allow extra calories, to have salad for lunch or dinner, try and fill my plate up with healthier options and trying to limit goodies to 1 tablespoon of each item. I am not a big sweets fan so the deserts don't tempt me.

Good luck on your weigh-in today DeeDee. My scary day is Thursday. I am looking for another just stay even week.

makeitallsue

Good Morning Gals, hope all is well with everyone. I have been sticking to task, adding in more days of cardio and I'm feeling more like myself...wondering if last week was more of my "TOM" issue. I have trouble with pms. The Doctors put me back on the pill because I was having so much trouble with heavy bleeding, but I'm wondering if that was a good idea, it's been 6 months now and I have been getting headaches, and very moody usually for at least a week before and then the cravings are still bad for me...ARG!:mad: I would love to try something more natural, anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking next year, I'm stopping the pill, I just don't feel like myself and I think it could be hormone related.....

Off to get a run in for the week, looks chilly out there, but it is suppose to get up to 50* here so I am taking advantage of it

Welcome djfshop and itsbella and good luck on your journey.

DeeDeeLHF

Hi, I'm Deb. I had lost previously, but quit logging and paying attention to portions and now I am back up in weight. So, back to the daily entries. I really have to plan my meals in advance and then I do so much better. Which leads me to Christmas parties. Tomorrow evening starts the list of long barrage of church, work, and social "food" gatherings. I do not want to feel slighted during the holiday. How does everyone handle these little, but this month frequent, hiccups in healthy eating?

Hi Deb,

I feel myself entering a very scary zone!!! I just don't seem to care as much as I did when I started. So far the scales have only gone up one pound so I am maintaining but it has been a couple of months now since I was serious or consistent. I am terrified of Christmas!!
Yesterday I went to excercise but it was cut short because of my son. This morning I was going to go again but my daughter is running a fever of 101! I am just not sure with the busy schedules and now the snow beginning!!!! I may have just enough excuses to not go to the Y. As it is I stopped swimming. (pool is too crowded, takes too much time, not feeling well, etc) I feel like I am the master of excuses!!!

Reading your post today I am hoping will motivate me!! I am going to keep in mind that every decision that I make today will either bring me closer to my goal or send my back to where I started!!!

As for dealing with the extra foods,...truly the secret is exactly like Pinbotchick says... excercise a little bit more and only take 1 TBS of any one thing.

Have a great day everyone!

DeeDeeLHF

Well, the scales today said that I lost a pound. I am afraid to trust it...I have not been very good these past few weeks and do not "deserve" to have lost. Either way, at least I didn't gain.

Thanks again for the support!

pinbotchick

Congrats on the loss DeeDee. That's one pound less to loose later.

Makeallsue - glad you're feeling better. I have been keeping up with cardio doing floor and step aerobics but seem to have lost my urge to run. I plan to buy new running shoes tomorrow - I am hoping it will give me a new urge to get back to my C25K training. Keep posting about your runs to keep me motivated. I know once I start again, I will love it.

I have been good keeping in my calorie range the last few days.

makeitallsue

:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Good Morning Ladies, hope everyone is off to a great day!

Dee Dee, Great News on that pound loss....I am weighing in on Friday, it will be after 3 weeks, I'm really nervous, but I have been eating my exercise calories like a good girl, and I have been doing more of the cardio and only a few times a week on the strength training, so I do hope for at least a pound...but 2 or 3 would be nice:laugh: :laugh:

...OK, might not happen, yesterday was our anniversary and DH came home early from work and we went out to lunch at our favorite Mexican place, I haven't had a drink all year, but Yesterday I had 2 margaritas with my meal....but I think I made wise choices with food and it was so good:bigsmile: :bigsmile: We had such a nice time.

Pinbotchick, I did get that run in, the sun was just a shining, the air was crisp but it was a very nice run (2 1/2 miles) and I was back in 23 minutes, I felt so good that I came in and did an additional 45 cardio workout....( I was getting extra exercise in as you suggested, I knew I was headed for extra calories yesterday) After I logged them though, even with the drinks I was 200 under, so I think I did ok
Hope You are excited about purchasing your new shoes....I have 10 miles on mine so far
Today is a lighter day, and hour stretch and then elliptical, and maybe a quick walk with my pal, Bella (she's just the best girl and always ready to exercise!)

shariguymon

I guess I would belong on another thread. I'm 65. I had my 7th child when I was 43; boy; girl; boy; girl; boy; girl; boy. My oldest is actually 40, and my youngest is 22. I shed 25 lbs before joining MFP and seemed to be stuck there for a long time. I'm down another 4 lbs now, but I can tell that things will we moving downward. It feels so wonderful to feel so much energy where I just want to dance ! I can't really run well,yet, because of a heart condition, that I'm working on, but I can hike and do interval training on my elliptical!:bigsmile: Actually I never could run well even when I was young and weighed 120 or less, (two lead feet). Life is wonderful and I'm just excited to live it!!! I had a hysterectomy at age 59, but all is well and happy:happy: to face the challenge with my heart! Actually when I saw my doctor the day before Thanksgiving #'s were looking good, and I don't go back to see him again until March. Boy is he going to be surprised!:bigsmile: Greeting to all of you, and a hysterectomy is not particularly fun at the time, but after you heal all can be great!!!:happy: Just takes time, and patience! Love the new day! got to get ready for my yoga class in 20 minutes! Everyone have a great day! I guess I could be like your mother....:laugh:

snowflakes

shariguymon: Hi you are welcome to chime in here. Good job on losing 25 pounds on your own. The dairy tools are the best help, you will see continued results.

makeitallsue: Happy Anniversary! :smooched: :flowerforyou:

deedee: Enjoy that pound lost. I know how you feel, I was sceptical of the scale last Friday when I weighed in, now today I am thinking 'will the scales on Friday be as kind', I can always hope. I am trying to enjoy the process. I just want instant beauty. :bigsmile:

How many miles you do log on your shoes? I have never really paid attention to that. If I split out the sides then it is time for new shoes.:laugh:

pinbotchick

How many miles you do log on your shoes? I have never really paid attention to that. If I split out the sides then it is time for new shoes.:laugh:

If you are really running, jogging or power walking in them, they normally wear out between 300 to 400 miles. The last month my feet have been aching after my 3-mile walks and it just dawned on me I didn't by new shoes this summer. But, my feet don't hurt when I do barefoot step aerobics or floor aerobics. I hope this is the answer. I put about 420 miles power walking/jogging this year and about 240 miles last year on them. I really need a new pair - I may buy 2 or 3 pairs. I just read an article saying after 200 miles you should rotate in new pair so you can tell when the old ones don't give you adequate support. Sorry I tend to give too much information.

DeeDeeLHF

Welcome all new faces! Shariguymon, you are most welcome to join us!! I think the beauty of this thread is that we are all trying but no one is too over the top not one is critical. We seem to rejoice in each others successses and encourage the weak bumps. I was recently disheartened to read a thread on MFP in which people were complaining about members "whining". I understand their point that we can't eat a box of oreos and wonder why we are not losing but really, I think some people just need the support to do it. Isn't that what we are all here for??? Besides, the thread says 40+...so your just on the plus side!:laugh: Your positive and joyful attitude will be a blessing to us all (OK pinbotchick...now i just said too much):laugh:

Sounds like you did wonderfully, makeitallSue!!! :flowerforyou: I am going out tonight as well. I just recently left a service position that I have held for 13 years and the girls are all taking me out. I have planned my calories carefully by excercising this morning and watching all day. I even planned for a glass of wine with dinner. I have an extra 150 for the day just in case they decide to order an appetizer.

Snowflakes: I am the same as you...I am terrible about buying new sneakers. Pinbotchick: NEVER too much information. I appreciated that. It is a good idea!

I hope to make it out tomorrow to excercise again. We are supposed to be hit hard with some snow this weekend so it might be difficult to get out on Friday/Saturday.

As for trusting that pound...I weighed myself again this morning just to be sure it wasn't a fluke and the scales actually say it is one pound gone. It have not lost any weight since September so maybe it is real.

pinbotchick

Welcome Shariguymon - our group really is open and would love to have you. You can give us added insight to the problems we may encounter. I exercise with mother who turns 62 today. Good luck on your journey.

makeitallsue - happy belated anniversary. Good luck with your weigh-in tomorrow. :flowerforyou:

DeeDee - I too was disheartened by that thread. I thought to myself - if you don't like it, then don't open, read or post back to those threads. I joined MFP to celebrate my success and to get encouragement when I am down.

So on that note, I just wanted you all to know I am down 2 pounds this week :bigsmile: 22 pounds total in 10 weeks. And I feel great. I even had salt and vinegar chips last night (salty food is my weakness :grumble: ). My husband surprised me by bring dinner home - Asian tofu wrap with peanut sauce (YUMMY) and the side of chips. (FYI - he laughed at me as I pulled the chips out of the box to weigh them before I ate them.) I still came in 20 cal under for the day with exercise. Well I am off to get ready for my shopping trip - I have to be out the door in 30 min. Have a great day everyone and thanks for being my friend and support.

DeeDeeLHF

Hey Pinbotchick, that is awesome!!!!!

I also survived my dinner out with friends last night. We went to Applebees so I was able to view the menu and calories ahead of time which helped. I still ordered the Bruschetta burger but opted for garlic mashed potatoes instead of fries and in the end did not eat the top of my burger and only two bites of the potato. I did have a glass of wine but didn't finish that either. My only bad part was eating a mozzerella stick and 2 chips with a tablespoon of the spinach artichoke dip. Balance that with two large glasses of water. Over all, considering that we sat around the table for 5 hours laughing, eating, drinking (and giving our server nice tips), I did pretty well.

I too came in under calories for the night.

Excercise makes all the difference! It will be my survival mode for the holidays.

Question: The day after Christmas we are expecting my husbands brother and family who seldom come to visit. The will be with us for just over a week. We plan to wine and dine them and do every fun Buffalo thing we can think of. Is it rude for me to get up early in the morning to travel to the Y and excercise? I would be gone for about one hour. It would be impossible to excercise at home as there will be people sleeping in every room of the house and frankly walking outside in Buffalo in January is not my idea of fun. I don't want to be rude but I know that this will be a dangerous week if I do not excercise.

What do you all think? this is a question I would not want to post to someone who is twenty but need a more mature audience.

thanks in advance!
DD

makeitallsue

Hello everyone and welcome sheriguymon!:flowerforyou:

Pinbotchick:bigsmile: :flowerforyou: :bigsmile: :flowerforyou: WOO-HOO..!!!! 2 pounds is fantastic! 22 pounds in 10 weeks, something to be proud of, that's tough to keep it going with that average. I'll let you know what tomorrow brings for me, I hope the extra cardio is paying off, after looking over my past calendars, I do think that could be a problem. I do recommend p90x for toning though,(they are good, get to the point types of exercises) and I will add the workouts back in as soon as I drop some of the extra pounds!

Dee, Dee...sounds like you have this eating out under control as long as we are prepared...we can do anything! 13 years is a commitment to be proud of, are you leaving the company or just transfering to a new spot?

Snowflakes....I never logged the miles on my last pair of shoes:frown: and at the 5k I ran I heard other runners talking about it, it was something they had kept track of...I thought that would be a fun idea:happy: and somewhat of a motivator and thought when i got my next pair, I would keep track this time around......I probably should of bought a new pair a long time ago....my old ones were 2 years old and I ran and did all cardio in them for most of those 2 years.:embarassed:

Dee Dee, to post to your last question...I myself do not think it would be rude, it's part of who you are and who knows, it just might motivate someone in your extended family. Not only that, but you will feel so super fantastic that it will send all those feel-good vibes to everyone in your family! I'd have coffee and juice out for them, maybe a healthy muffin or fruit and sneak out:laugh: :happy: :laugh: :happy: , chances are they might not even know your gone...depends on how early you sneak out!!:laugh:
Have a great day everyone, it's kickboxing for me today, a few extra minutes on the elliptical, and groceries..(my grandsons are coming tomorrow to stay for a couple of days, the oldest will be 3 on Saturday....I have to buy surprises and ballons!) Then this evening off to a basketball game, my son plays and we are traveling tonight!

shariguymon

Thanks for the welcome everyone!:bigsmile: It's only worthwhile to give positive interaction in my opinion. If someone slips and has a whole box of Oreos then they probably need some knowledge about the hormones that stimulate appetite to combat that type of experience in the future, not a chewing out!:grumble: Hopefully I will have something to offer so we can all find what we seek together!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: Best to everyone Pinbotchick I also made 2 more pounds since Thanksgiving!:happy: It sure does feel good! It will take me a while to get all your names, but you sure seem like a happy bunch, and I'm very happy to join you!:bigsmile:

shariguymon

Hi, I'm Deb. I had lost previously, but quit logging and paying attention to portions and now I am back up in weight. So, back to the daily entries. I really have to plan my meals in advance and then I do so much better. Which leads me to Christmas parties. Tomorrow evening starts the list of long barrage of church, work, and social "food" gatherings. I do not want to feel slighted during the holiday. How does everyone handle these little, but this month frequent, hiccups in healthy eating?

Hi Deb, I'm just learning about strategies for handling those party days. The day before have a low carb day, and the two days after. Eat the day of the party slow and never past moderately full. Head for the protein first at the party and again eat slow so your body has a chance to tell you when you are full. Enjoy it! Overeating a little can stimulate your metabolism so up your exercise after for the next 48 hours, with increased intensity in your work out. Try and vary it so there are intervals of high and low intensity. Listen to your body and don't push too hard, but feel like you are doing something. No heart attacks here!:explode: I'm just starting on this strategy and that's what I did for Thanksgiving! I was advised not to weigh until my regular day of eating more in the morning, as your weight will fluctuate a lot. Just move forward with confidence. So far so good, but I do need to improve the quality of my workouts for sure!:bigsmile:

Learning together!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:

It's very helpful to log because then you really know what you are doing. At first I was inaccurate with my logging, trying to fool myself I guess, but then I thought, This tool is to help me, and if I don't use it properly it can't help me. Sometimes it's a guess when you don't know what is in a food, but all we can do is the best we can do! :bigsmile: :huh: How's that for a twisted sentence!:laugh: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Don't ever forget the water, but then again if you feel you might float away listen to your body and don't float downstream!:laugh: