40+ Club- I'm Dreaming Of A Light Christmas

zebras

A quick hello to everyone before I get buried at work along with Sing!

Got back on the treadmill last night. Felt like I was starting over after neglecting it for three weeks. Did do an hour and 10 minutes just pretty slowly. Only stopped because nature called. At least I know from experience that I will get back into the swing of things pretty fast.

Hope everyone has a good Tuesday!

Texssippian

Hi All! Crazy weather in north Texas: It was in the 70s yesterday and was 26 this morning. Everyone be careful in the ice – yuck!

We spent most of the weekend watching ballets that our daughter danced when she was younger: local Nutcracker production Saturday night and on Sunday afternoon another local holiday ballet. I am still listed in the credits for the snowflake costumes (how I cursed those tutu’s as I was sewing them…) The party girl dress that I made for my daughter in the Nutcracker ten years ago is still being used. There was only an ugly yellow dress in Anna’s size when we went for costume fitting that year. I told the costume mistress I would make a Victorian little girl dress and donate it to the ballet so Anna would not have to wear the ugly yellow dress. Only Clara was supposed to have sparkles on her dress in the party scene but I sewed sparkles on Anna’s dress and that dress has been the only little girl dress in the party scene over the years with sparkles on it.

Have been eating ok but not doing as much exercising, unless you count hauling bins of Christmas decorations out of the attic up and down the scary ladder… The dreaded popcorn bin the break room at work is empty (other people’s doing, not mine!) Have a holiday luncheon today but I just ate an 80 calorie cheese stick (I love those1) so I won’t be so famished at lunch.

Instead of baking for neighbors this year, we made mulling spice balls (half an orange rind with mulling spices, brown sugar and lemon peel wrapped in cheese cloth.) We are giving neighbors a bottle of cranberry juice to simmer with the mulling spices. We tested it over the weekend. It was really good.

Sing: how can you workout after getting home at 11:00 pm? I would be so done by then.
Marla and Zebras: keep at it.
Stiring: What a party schedule! You need to be at your level of fitness to manage that.
Alf: Hope your son is getting better.

Take care all! TxMs

singfree

Tex, sorry for the confusion. I got home at 11 pm last night, but I won't do a workout until tonight. The only thing i wanted to do last night was watch the end of the football game and hit the hay!

alf1163

Hello!!!! My son is doing much better. I sent him to school today. I think it was a 24hr bug. :noway: Nothing much going on with me, same old same old.

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well. As we all know, this time of the year can be very stressful with all the engagements, etc. We are all seem to be in control this year with our fitness and health goals. And of course, the support has been a tremendous help for me and for most of us.

Have a wonderful day!!! :flowerforyou:

2BLean

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to check in after being gone last week. :flowerforyou: Vegas was fun but I am very glad to be back and have my “clean” food and workouts. In fact I woke up the a.m. after we arrived at home and worked out first thing! Cardio …. To get my HR up a bit and sweat. It felt great! My husband thought I was crazy! :laugh:

I am in my 3rd phase of Cathe’s STS program officially this week. Tomorrow is Plyo legs ~ I’m really looking forward to it.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the holidays being right around the corner and not ready but it will come together.

Hope everyone is doing great and having a good week! :drinker: Cheers!

singfree

Good morning!

I hope everyone is doing well! We're in the final stretch 'till Christmas. These next 2 weeks are what we've been planning for. Take a deep breath and try to relax. I know it is a busy time. It's crazy for me right now. I have work, Church choir and Susquehanna Chorale to deal with and I feel a bit overwhelmed. I know my diet and exercise suffers around this time but I am trying to do my best. At least I am not gaining weight. If I can hold my own for another 2 weeks, I think I'll be OK.

I think that I put added stress on myself because I am almost dreading holiday meals, etc...
i need to re-program my mind to focus on the good times: family & friends and not the "weighty" issues like calorie-laden food and drinks. Because most of us celebrate Christmas here, lets focus on what Christmas really means to us...gifts, food and celebrations? Nope. I find great solace & inner peace when I sit quietly and think about the great gift that was given to me over 2 millenia ago. It's in those quiet, reflective times that I find where Christmas resides-in my heart!

Have a wonderful day friends and keep the faith!

Swissmiss

Thank you so much, sing. We all need to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. Due to three surgerys and a total of 21 weeks off of work, we are really not having a Christmas in the traditional way. I reminded my girls what Christmas is and let them know that money is rather nonexistant and they do not any problem with this. I will probably buy them something when I get my income tax return.

:flowerforyou: alf, glad that your son is doing better.

singfree

The best gift my wife & I could receive would be to see our little Grandson on Christmas. We have not seen him in nearly 2 months, which makes us very sad. Too bad innocent children are used as pawns during divorce procedings. I really believe in the power of prayer to work miracles...especially during this season!

Swissmiss

Sing, I totally agree. I have a granddaughter that I haven't seen in about three months due to a divorce. But then, I also have three grandchilden that I haven't seen in three years because they live so far away. I do get pictures a couple times a year.

Opps, too many snacks are being brought in to work and I get around everywhere. So, I have to face yummies all day long.

alf1163

Sing, hang in there!!:flowerforyou:

Swiss, I am on the same predicament. The realtors brought in 2 trays of goodies. I've had some already. Bad girl!!!!!!!! :laugh: Tomorrow I am going to lunch with some friends/former co workers. I am confident I will choose a healthy meal. Then on Friday is our Christmas party and nothing on the list seems to be healthy so another tempting day!!!! That will probably be my "cheat" meal. I wish I could burn mega calories working out but I really can't :sad: :sad: :grumble:

Have a good one!!! :flowerforyou:

StiringWendel

Hi all.

singfree, thanks for the reminder of the meaning of the season. While I know in my heart what Christmas is all about, sometimes I find it a little too easy to get caught up in the modern trappings of what Christmas has become to many. And I will admit to being a little down this year because we have no furniture, no Christmas lights, no Christmas tree, aren't exchanging presents, aren't with family AND my husband will be working both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. But when you put things in perspective as you did in your post this morning, I forget all I don't have and remember the many blessings of my life. And there are many! So....thank you. :flowerforyou: And I hope you get to see your grandson soon. It is so sad to me what divorce does to families, especially children.

2BLean, great to see you back! I hear you about needing to workout after being off a few days. I hope you're enjoying Meso 3. I really did. I can't wait to get back to strength training. It has been nearly two months since I lifted weights, and it is driving me crazy. One thing I've learned is it is much easier for me to maintain my weight when I'm doing a strength/cardio combo rotation instead of the cardio only I'm doing now. So, hopefully, in a few weeks I'll be able to get back to that.

Yesterday was a bad eating day for me. Like I said, I've been a bit down lately and yesterday just got frustrated with a few things. And I took my frustrations out on some Christmas cookies. :embarassed: Oh, well. Today (Thursday) I get to fly around Korea in a helicopter delivering cookies to airmen in remote locations. In addition to singfree's post, I think that will give me a much better perspective than I had yesterday.

I did get my workout in this morning---Insanity Max Interval Circuits. I think this is my favorite workout of the series, so I enjoyed it. I pushed myself more this time, and I think my back is fully back to normal. Yay! I already know I'm going to have a less-than-ideal eating weekend, so I also know I need to keep up with these workouts if I have any hope of keeping the weight gain to a minimum.

alf, how is your hip? I'm sorry to hear it is still bothering you. But are you recovering? I hope so. If not, are you thinking about seeing the doctor again? You have been so good with your eating since your injury that I have no doubt you'll get through the next few days just fine.

I hope everybody enjoys the rest of the day.

singfree

Good morning!

The British Invasion has begun!!!! Our parent company is based in England and the whole gang is visiting us today. I think I will lock myself in my office and not come out until lunch. More time to spend with you dear ladies here at MFP!!

Actually, it is a good opportunity to get caught up on my work. This weekend I have 3 concerts with Susquehanna Chorale, so I will be quite busy with that. Next week will be busy at Church with all the choral music for Christmas and beyond. Also, next week I will be back on night shift (10 pm-6am), filling in for another supervisor. At least I will be finished next Thursday morning. On Christmas eve we have a 5pm service for "families" with younger children and the 11pm service with lots of music, etc... We won't get home until 1am. The pastor & his wife invited us to their home between services since we live out of town.

Eating-wise (I'm Not doing that!!) I'm not terrible but not great either. I can easily see how people can get out of control when they are busy and stressed. I'm trying!

Stiring, I think your "cookie mission" will do your heart good. When I think of our courageous men and women who are on the front lines protecting our freedom every day, I thank God for them and pray that they and their families will be together soon. I get emotional when I watch TV and see our service people coming home and are greeted by family and friends at the airport. Many towns celebrate with a parade as a fitting homecoming for our heros. Around here we honor our fine men and women. It's a great thing to witness.

OK folks- only one week until Santa makes his big trip fro the North Pole!!! Will it be cookies and milk for him or a granola bar and a fruit smoothie? The big guy won't stop unless he gets his cookie (whole milk, not skim). He'll never lose weight that way!!!

Have a great day!!!! Ho Ho Ho.....

Swissmiss

I didn't do too bad yesterday. My supervisor did bring me a brownie that she found up in the finance department. And I ate it.:bigsmile:

We are taking a co-worker out to lunch today for her birthday. I think she has chosen Pizza Hut. They have a salad bar there and I think I will just stick to that. No crutons or meats and cheeses. Tomorrow we have the company carry-in. I am bringing a pumpkin pudding.

alf1163

Stiring, your cookie delivery helicopter rides sound exciting!!!! That is a nice way to spread the Christmas cheer. About my leg, I dont know what else to do. The Dr did not order any xrays, just did a quick exam, and based on my symptoms diagnosed it as a hip flexor strain. I really thought following Dr's orders, icing, stretching, resting etc was going to take care of it in a couple of wks or so. That is not the case and I am upset and frustrated. I read that depending on the severity it might take longer but how do I know how severe the strain is without xrays? I do want to go back to the Dr but it is going to be hard to get an appt during this time and I don't have much time either. Suggestions?

Swiss, I have not been doing too well with the goodies around my office and then snacking at home the last couple of days. :noway: I am meeting friends for lunch today as well, at a place called Cheddars. I am hoping to choose a nice healthy salad. Tomorrow is my office potluck...I am bringing macaroons dipped in chocolate (not so healthy) and a virgin coquito (Puertorrican eggnog). I have never had it without rum but I was afraid to get in trouble at work so no alcohol this time. :laugh: They have never had it so it will be something different for them.

Sing, my sister was at the Dallas airport yesterday waiting for her flight to Puerto Rico and heard people screaming and applauding. She said everyone in the terminal stood up applauding a lot of soldiers coming in from Iraq. She said it was very emotional. I also get very emotional when I see that or hear a story like that. It makes me happy that at least those soldiers will get to spend Christmas with their loved ones.

Have a wonderful day!!! :flowerforyou:

StiringWendel

Hi all.

Yesterday made for a very interesting trip around South Korea. I love meeting these younger people and hearing their enthusiasm about the military, their hopes and dreams for the future, and how they are coping being so far away from family this holiday. But what I loved the most was hearing their plans for Christmas because all of the units we visited had party plans in place--eating and drinking amongst themselves, taking care of each other, making sure nobody was sitting in a dorm room alone, etc. It really did my heart some good to see that level of caring and sharing yesterday. Again, it's easy for me to get caught up in the trappings of Christmas, and here it was all spelled out in a simplistic way....it's a day to be spent with people who you care and about and who care about you. Yes, it was a very good day yesterday.

I did better yesterday with my eating as well, which is good. I'm allowing myself a sweet treat each day leading up to Christmas--because it is Christmas after all! But I'm trying not to binge on those treats. Today I'm doing more baking for the young airmen we are having for dinner on Sunday and, aside from the dessert I'm making for Sunday night's dinner with those airmen, I should be done with my Christmas baking. It's hard work, but I really do love to bake.

Started off today with Max Interval Plyo, and it felt good. I have only one more week of Insanity. :drinker: However, I don't know when I'm going to finish it now because it looks like our household goods are here in Korea :drinker: :drinker: and they might get delivered to us next week! Yay!!! So I might have to take a few days off to unpack the house before getting back to Insanity....but I'm more than just a little okay for that. I'm ready to have my things with me again.

After Insanity, I'm going to go back into a STS rotation with a new cardio series Cathe Friedrich has created to be done with conjunction with that strength training program. I can't wait to get back to lifting weights again. I'll do that for three months and then use the same series to do an undulating rotation (hopefully with 2BLean :flowerforyou: ). So I've got my workout plans in place for the first half of 2010 already.

alf, I think you might want to visit your doctor again. But I've been wondering if you gave your leg adequate rest. Did your doctor tell you to exercise but stop if it hurt? Or did she (I think your doctor was a she, right?) tell you to rest? If it was the latter, it could be--with everything else going on like Thanksgiving and Christmas--that it just hasn't been rested enough and that is delaying the healing. If she suggested the former, I would suggest resting it completely for a few day (AT LEAST 72 hours) to see if that helps. If total rest doesn't help, then, again, I think you might want to visit your doctor again. I'm really sorry it isn't getting better more quickly. :flowerforyou:

singfree, sounds like you have quite a busy week ahead. Take care of yourself and enjoy all these concerts. It sounds like fun!

Swissmiss, I want some pumpkin pudding!! I made pumpkin bread the other day (for the airmen), and it had been quite a long time since I had anything with pumpkin (a year ago this past Thanksgiving), and, boy, did that bread taste good! Pumpkin pudding sounds delicious. Enjoy your party!

Oh...and today is my Friday check-in (I almost forgot). I weighed 100.0 this morning--a little up from last week but not enough to stress over (that's for sure). My measurements remain the same. I feel good, my clothes fit, I'm sticking with my workout plan.....so, all in all, a good week for me (minus one day of pretty bad eating).

Take care everybody!!

singfree

Good morning!

TGIF!!!! Reporting day too...still holding on by a thread, no real change in weight or shape which is amazing because I've been eating poorly lately.

A busy weekend for me! Concerts Fri, Sat, & Sun. with the chorale. It's supposed to snow on Sat night so I better take the trusty old Subaru. Nothing like being in tails as it's snowing, but my dry cleaner will be happy!

Stiring, I am going back to a strict schedule of Insanity after the holidays and supplement that with some assorted P90X workouts. I'm a goal setter, usually for some event on the calendar. The first one is my BIL's wedding in CA on March 20, then the biggie...Germany & Austria on May 27. I want to be ready for those hikes in Berchtesgaden & Garmisch. The hills above the Partnachklamm in Garmisch are incredibly steep. I want to conquer them this time!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Swissmiss

sing, you may be holding at your present weight due to all the activities you are involved in now. I have, also, been hearing that if you have a "cheat day" every so often that your metabolism will get a boost. So, it sounds like you are doing fine.

:flowerforyou: stiring, I have also been going for those sweets. Everywhere I turn there is a plattter of something yummy. I work for a large company and all of these departments have been bringing in the goodies. We have our carry-in today. I am planning on hitting the salads but I know that I will be cheating some also.

:flowerforyou: alf, I agree with stiring. Go see that doctor again. If you should be seeing some improvement by this time.
Tell us more about your eggnog. Can I google "coquito" and get a recipe? I loved reading your story about what your sister witnessed in the airport. That is very exciting.

I am waiting for the time that I can take my pudding to the dining room. I have it in the fridge at this time. Don't want it to spoil.

alf1163

Good morning all!! Well, something was telling me not to get on the scale. I did not feel good about it. I am exactly 3 lbs more than last week's weigh in!!!!!! 127.6lbs :sad: :sad: :sad: :noway: :noway: :grumble: :grumble: Would you believe that?????? I am puzzled!!! :sad: :sad: Could be water retention, could be the lack of calorie burning, could be anything or it could just be that the little indulgences here and there finally caught up with me....all I know is that I am upset and frustrated. I did not even dare to take measurements, my waist feels pretty thick. And no, I am not even near my TOM. Enough complaining, we will see what happens. Today is my company Christmas Party. I am looking forward to the time spent listening to my co-workers talk about different topics. It can get pretty interesting and funny. I work with a lot of psychologists. :laugh: :noway:

Stiring and Swiss, thank you for your concerns and suggestions. My Dr told me that I had to rest it, ice it, take the medication and I could start with the stretches that she recommended. I did all that. I did not exercise for at least 2 wks. I continue to do the stretches after warming up for 5-10 mins and I am not even working out hard at all, no jumping, etc. Yes, sometimes while doing something it hurts some and I either modify or stop it. I am considering taking a whole week break while on the cruise or rest it now this week and see how I feel and do some light-moderate exercise on the cruise. I could try to schedule an appt on Monday since I am off...

Swiss, I am sure if you google coquito you might find a recipe. I make it two different ways. The one I made last night to bring to work has the following: 1 can of coconut cream, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of condensed milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract, ground cinammon (as little or as much as you want). You can add rum or amaretto to it, again to your taste. Mix all the ingredients in a blender. I get an empty wine or rum bottle, put a cinammon stick in it and pour the mix in. Before you serve it shake it some (the bottle not your hips, well if you want both :laugh: ) Usually the cinammon goes to the bottom of the bottle. You want to serve small amounts since it is pretty sweet, the alcohol cuts down the sweetness some. You may sprinkle a little bit of cinammon on top after you serve it. Enjoy!!!!!

Have a great day!!!! :flowerforyou:

imway2fat

Hi everyone! I'd like to join this group. I am brand spanking new and need all the help and camaraderie I can get! I also am willing to give as much help as I can. :flowerforyou:

zebras

Welcome IM!

Good morning everyone!

Did not get on the scale this week. I do know that what little workouts I could do this week helped me feel tightened up, definitely going to get motivated over the weekend to fit some more in.

Stiring I was explaining to someone about this web site and the interesting people I get to talk to, and I told them about all the exciting things you get to do in Korea, and we decided you must be married to a General or someone like that!

I am cooking Christmas Eve for a small group, and I have decided to head to Whole Foods to see if I can pick up some healther options for that dinner.