40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

alf1163

Tracy, great!!! And congrats on losing 23 lbs!! :drinker: I came across this article and wanted to share it with you and others.

http://www.realage.com/tips/a-savory-way-to-steady-blood-sugar

It is from realage.com. I like that site a lot. It is from the 2 doctors that appear on Oprah a lot. I believe they have a section just for diabetics. :flowerforyou:

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: Good afternoon alf, Yes I had to work.:mad: My kids are home from school, though. The day's work is light so I am sort of getting a break.


:flowerforyou: Tracy...good idea to look for a diabetic thread. Hope you find one and please stay with us also.

alf, you are inspiring me to have another picture taken of myself and put here.

patti1959

I want to join the club... I need the support as my diets usually last 2 days....lol

denimangel

Checking in again. Had a good and busy weekend. Saturday I ran and went snowshoeing. Sunday, I carried and stacked firewood. This morning I did a pre programmed workout on the treadmill called rolling hills... although I had to up the speed to 4mph as 3mph was just way to slow for me. I also stacked more firewood and carried a bunch up stairs.

Swissmiss.. no my husband won't eat vegetables PERIOD! Like I said once in a blue moon he will eat peas and carrots though.
Tonight we had roasted garlic chicken wings with potatoes... and of course I had a huge salad!!

Hope everyone else is hanging in there and doing well.

Trina22

I'll be 41 on Friday and would like to join this thread. Doing really well in the first two weeks of clean eating and am hoping to keep up the motivation. Is there a way to bookmark this thread so it is easier to find and check in? Thanks! Trina

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: Trina, when you go to community, look just down to the options and hit My Topics. That will take you to the threads that you have reply to.

:flowerforyou: Angel, I so want chicken wings. I want them very hot and spicy with bleu cheese dressing. I crave this.

:flowerforyou: Patti1959, welcome to the thread. You will find a lot of support here. I usually have no problem with eating right during the week. My problem is the weekends.:mad:

jmuch2005

Hi, I am new to this website (starting week 2) and have reached a point that my health dictates I change my lifestyle. I just turned 40 in December and I have never been a healthy eater. I love to eat out (and do most nights), I cannot stand most vegis, I have an easy gag reflex with certain textures of food....I love salads (lettuce, cabbage, spinach, little bit of carrots, dressing, tomatos), cheese, and breads.

The reason I have to make a change now: Genetics, my 3 uncles all had their first heart attacks in their late 30's, both of my aunts have had multiple bypasses, my grandma and grandpa both died from heart disease, my mom (the youngest) has pleurisy (sp)....and my cholesterol is over 400....which my doctor says is not what we should look at now because my triglercerites are over 700. I have been on medication for 10 years now, and chose to go to the doctor as little as possible. Guess I should have went, I would have known that the lipitor was not working for me.

I just moved to california (away from all my family and friends), my husband is out to sea, my son stayed in washington state (going to college) and my 15 year old is starting to stay to herself more. The cool part is that she is a health nut (always has been, she became a vegetarian at 10 years old because of things she read, checked out recipes for food and always helps cook her own food), so she is very good at keeping me in line. Tonight we went out for mexican and she would now let me have any cheese! It was irritating at first but totally thanked her for it. She also pushes me to get active...she has been doing the Jillian 30 day shred and now I am on day 2! I started playing tennis 2 days a week last month and try to be a little active every day. I didnt excersize for many years before this though so i am out of shape and about 50 lbs overweight.

I suck at this so I am hoping that joining this group and this website will be motivating for me! Being away from my home (WA) is making it even harder! I want to eat because I am so bored, and I spend about 4 hours a day in front of the tv or computer!!!

UGH! Anyone else in this type of situation out there???? I want pizza every night....and california has this devil of a place called in and out burger that is unbelievably good.

Jenny

alidasturn

Hi everyone! I am 46 and new to this site. Still trying to figure it all out!

Lookgreat

Hi Though I'm not new to the site but would like to join this thread - first few months with mfp were great with me as far as healthy eaitng goes then i faltered ...... now trying to get back after gaining a few pounds. I will be 42 in Feb and wanted to get some motivation to manage eating in winter . I love peanuts and walnuts and there zooms my calorie count :grumble: I wish I could just give away my pounds in charity ! how I wish that was possible !!!1

singfree

Good morning!

WOW!!! This new thread is really attracting a lot of new and great people!!! Welcome to all!!!

Even though many of have been here for a year now, there is plenty of room for everyone. The more the merrier!!

I am sensing a common theme here among the newbies. Some of us struggle with weight gain as we grow older. For some, there is a more sinister side--that is high BP, high cholesterol and the associated risk to the heart. I hear you loud and clear! You've come to the right place. I am a FIRM believer that there is a direct correlation between body weight (excess fat) and health problems.

Personally, if I keep my weight and body fat % low, the blood numbers fall right into line. For example, I lost 15 lbs of body fat and my cholesterol went from 250 to 195 in just a few months. NO MEDS, just a common-sense diet and regular exercise. Yes, I struggle with my eating habits. I feel lousy if I put on just a few lbs of fat. My point is: You can do this!!! There is NO magic pill. We will help you with your struggle. We are all in the same boat. This is a life-long process. Conditioning the mind and body takes time, but it is SOOOO worth it.

You must start somewhere, so why not now? Take that first step to good health. Do it for you, do it for your spouse and kids...but just do it!!!

My best wishes to all of you for good health and happiness!

alf1163

Good morning everyone!!! Wow!!!! :drinker: :drinker: I am so excited to see all these new members!!!! :drinker: A huge welcome! As Sing said this is a great group. We are very helpful and motivate one another. There are some very knowledgeable people in this thread about exercise and clean eating. Stick with us!!!

Trina, I try to eat clean at least 80% of the day. Sometimes I eat clean 100% but I feel happy with my 80% minimum most of the times. That is way much better than before. I just finished my favorite breakfast of steel cut oats with non fat milk, blueberries and chopped almonds. I prefer walnuts but I ran out. :grumble: Another member, Stiring and a few others, also focus on clean eating. :drinker:

Lookgreat, try to go back to what you did last time you were using this site. Maybe those few lbs you have gained are just water retention. Drink lots of water, that is very important. I also love to eat nuts. I eat them almost daily. Just measure them and make sure you log them in. That keeps you more accountable. If it is a major problem then dont buy them or limit them. But nuts are very important part of a healhy diet so dont cut them out, just limit them.

alidasturn, welcome, just ask us anything, we will help you. Tell us more about yourself.

jmuch, I want to congratulate you for all the positive things you are doing for yourself!! :drinker: It is great that your daughter takes care of herself and is also helping you out. I am not a vegetarian, I love to eat meat, but I choose leaner cuts of beef (anything loin), pork (loin), skinless chicken breast, skinless turkey breast, and fish. So those are good choices if you decide to eat meat. If you want to follow a vegetarian lifestyle just make sure you are consuming all the nutrients you need. Is your husband in the Navy? My husband is retired ARMY. When he was away on duty I would also use that time to take better care of myself. Take advantage of the wonderful weather in CA and go out for walks at the beach, window shop, hikes, etc. Getting back to exercise do things that you enjoy at the times you can be consistent and take it from there. We are here to help you.

My husband is off today so I took the day off. I am sure we will go somewhere to eat, I will choose healthy!!!! I am teaching Zumba tonight, I can't wait!!! He is going with me to take pics and video.

Have a wonderful day!!!! :flowerforyou:

zebras

Good Morning Friends!

I managed to get my hour in on the treadmill last night and boy am I sore today. I'm trying to get back to where I was at the beginning of December when things started happening to keep me out of the gym and eating badly, but its hard. last weeks i got 3 nights of exercise in, so hopefully this week I can do at least 4!

Trina22

Hi Swiss Miss,
Thanks for the tips!
Have you tried any of the vegetarian "chicken" wings? Morningstar Farms makes a good one and Quorn also makes a tasty one. I dip them in a tiny bit of Marie's low-fat blue cheese dressing and they are wonderful! Even people who eat meat love them when I take them to parties. Enjoy!!!
Trina

duffyzmom

Happy Monday All! Welcome to all the Newbies!

Is it just me or does January seem to be flying by? Started Week 3 of ChaLeane Extreme yesterday and really was able to increase the weights. Question for ALF - do you start to feel it in your elbows some when you're lifting heavy for the lower body? So far my neck is doing pretty well - a little tight but not horrible. I'm still taking it easy with the push-ups and any time I lift weight above my head.

I am also at Week 3 of Eat for Health. Actually this is the week that has me questioning the program. Once again for Stiring here are the guidelines for this week
1-Start cutting back on Dairy ( Not sure if I'll be following that one too strictly - I understand the arguments against cow's milk just not sure if totally agree)
2- Reduce all oil even olive oil (don't have a problem with that one I try to keep oil down to less than a tbs a day)
3-Stop snacking (big problem for me because I do a much better job of keeping my calories down by eating 6 times a day)
4-Make veggies the focus of your meals (I'm working on it)

zebras

Duffy:

In reference to #3 on your list:

Is it really considered snacking when you are probably eating 6 small meals a day? I think there's a big difference between someone who is careful and spreads their meals out versus some who eat 3 squares and then decides to have a snack. That person probably isn't really aware of how many calories they are taking in.

singfree

Duffy, that's a great list! I totally agree with this solid, common-sense approach to diet and fitness (especially having 6 small meals during the day). It's easier said than done with me. Are you getting sore elbows from lifting? I used to get that a lot when I lifted a lot of weight, especially with tricep extensions at the gym. I developed some mild tendonitis in my left elbow which took a few weeks to subside. The wrists, elbows and shoulders seem prone to this type of injury. This old dog has had more pains, strains and pulls than I care to count!

jmuch2005

thanks singfree! your post did a good thing for me today....i am about to leave early to pick my daughter up and I was thinking about grabbing some fast food....but i will eat before i go:-)

jmuch2005

alf1163 - thanks for the advice! I started zumba 2 weeks ago (twice a week) and LOVE it!!!! I sweat so much but am having so much fun dancing that I dont want to take a break!!!!

Yea, i prettyy much eat only chicken and turkey, I love a good steak about once a month:-) I dont think i will ever be a vegetarian like alyssa!

My husband is in the navy, hoping to retire next year. How is life for you after the military?
Jenny

StiringWendel

Welcome to all the new members!! :drinker: It's wonderful to meet so many new people here.

jmuch, my husband is in the Air Force, and we just moved from California to Korea in early November. I completely understand how difficult it is to think about weight loss during a move. I struggled through this last move, especially with the holidays. For me, the important part was getting back on track when all of the turmoil was over with (which, for me, was about New Years Day since we finally had gotten all of our household goods in just a week prior to that). I struggle with a little bit of sadness being so far away from my family. Just this week, my mother celebrated her 80th birthday, and my sisters and I had planned a huge party for her. The party went on (with great success!)....but without me. I've done this thing (military spouse) now for 20 years, and we've lived most of that time in overseas locations. But no matter how many times I do it or how used to it I should be, it just never is easy being so far away from home. What I try to focus on, though, is making sure I am strong and healthy and fit so that when my husband does retire from the military, we are able to enjoy all of the things in the US....like spending time with neices and nephews.....as we can without health concerns. I'm from Colorado originally, and my 'dream' is to return to Colorado some day and once again enjoy the fresh, mountain air that was so much a part of my youth. But I won't be hiking those Colorado mountains at 50 (which is only a few years away!) if I don't take care of myself today. So, hopefully, you can find something to focus on as well. And if you ARE going to eat fast food in California, In and Out is probably your best option. I don't know where you are in California (we were in LA), but what I loved so much about California was that there was every option known to mankind for health food there. Boy, do I miss that!

tracy, I don't have diabetes, so I can't help you with that. It sounds like you are doing great, though, and I hope you can stabalize your blood sugar levels soon. But just a word about the sugar recommendations on MFP.....ignore them. I know that sounds bad, but MFP sugar recommendations really seem to be based on ADDED or PROCESSED sugar, not ALL sugar. Unfortunately, the site isn't set up to read only added or processed sugar, so if you eat one piece of fruit a day, MFP will show you as being over in sugar. So, for me, that reading is completely worthless. If you are eating healthy sugars (like in the form of fruit), and avoiding overly processed foods (including carbs), I wouldn't worry about your sugar levels as they relate to your weight loss. I don't know what you need to pay attention to regarding your diabetes, so I have no advise on that. But in terms of weight loss, going over in sugar grams on MFP....as long as they are healthy sugar grams....is not an issue. I'm always over by at least 50 grams a day, and I lost 45 pounds.

zebras, I hear you about being sore! I'm still trying to get back to where I was before the move, and each day I find a muscle sore that I didn't know I even had. :laugh: But I also know if you stick with it, you'll be back to where you were in no time at all. Just stick with it as best you can. Three or four days a week is absolutely great!!

duffy, thanks so much for your continued information on this program. Of those points you listed, the only one I'd have troubles with is the dairy. I don't actually eat much dairy, but I do eat at least one serving of it a day (and I'm sure that is way more than he recommends). I find it interesting that he says not to snack. There is so much conflicting info out there on meals, and I understand both sides of the argument. I think it is important to go with what works best for you. Personally, I've decided to cut out all snacking and go back to three meals a day. I just prefer eating that way (because it helps me control my calories better to have them in meals). But I know alot of people (like you) are the opposite. But I'm with zebras on that one....I don't know that you could consider it 'snacking' if you truly eat 6 'meals' a day. Please keep posting about this and thanks again!

All here is going well. I'm in my third week of STS and continue to feel really strong. Where I have noticed the most significant improvement over last year when I was doing this program is in my chest. I credit P90X and Insanity for that. Like I said earlier, my goal last July was to do at least one of these workouts doing all of the pushups on my toes. Well, I have done all of the workouts and all of the pushups on my toes....and with relative ease. :noway: So I'm much stronger there than I thought I would be, that's for sure. Now biceps are a different story. :ohwell:

This is day 19 of back to eating clean. I weighed myself again this morning (a week after the melt down :happy: ), and I am happy to report I've lost three of those pounds I was complaining about. I knew I was retaining water, and I knew better than to step on the scale.....but I did anyhow. What can I say? I'm still about six pounds heavier than I was before the move, but I'm okay with that. I'm not trying to lose weight now, which is good. But I really want to keep my eating as clean as possible to see if I can't get back some muscle definition. Whatever I'm doing is working because my husband was gone for a week and thinks I look much leaner than when he left, so............

Again, welcome to all the newcomers! Please keep posting. I hope everybody enjoys the rest of your day. Wednesday here in Korea is starting off relatively mild (40 degrees), but with heavy rain. Maybe it will wash all of the snow away. I hope. I just hope it doesn't then turn around and decide to freeze. :huh:

2BLean

Welcome everyone to the thread! :flowerforyou: This is such a great group of people.

Sing, Alf & Swiss: Thanks you guys on the nice comments about my photo! :happy: That’s my sweet Emma and I last summer in our front yard.
P.S. to Alf: THANK YOU! You’re so sweet to say that. ((((( HUG )))))) 5 LBS would really by my ultimate goal the other LB’s would be a bonus for fluctuating weight. :laugh: :blushing:

Zebras: Good job on the workouts! Sounds like you are doing great. The soreness will get better and better and you will be right back to Pre-December condition again!

Stiring: Good on ya with the push-ups! I know which workouts you are talking about and there are a lot of them. :noway: That’s so great! That’s awesome on the 3LBS – I’m sure it made your week & that your hubby noticed! By the way, I did or attempted SHOCK Athletic Step this a.m. I'm embarrassed to say even that tripped me up a bit on the steps. Geesh! I am going to tackle it again soon though so I can get it. I know I will like it. :blushing:

Hope everyone is enjoying their day/week!

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: Good job, stiring...losing some of the weight. Do you think that you will continue to lose the rest of them or stay where you are?

singfree, I tend to have tendonitis all over my body. I have it in one elbow and both knees. It does take a long time for the pain to leave and then I will do something to make it come back. One of my knees is so bad that I have to wear a support.

denimangel

Well this is day 5 for me this time... doing good so far. I'm getting in my exercise... even at work... we played on the Wii today.. after one game of bowling the residents decided that they didn't want to bowl any longer but wanted to watch me play something.. so for 30 minutes I played tennis.. discovered that in that 30 minutes I burned 184 calories! Yay!! I can burn calories at work too!!

I have managed to stay within my caloric intake so far... didn't get my snack in today at work because I had to take a resident to the hospital for lab work and end up there for almost 2.5 hours... but I still didn't over eat at supper even though I felt like I was starving. Amazing how drinking a bottle of water fills you up till supper is ready.

stiring good job on losing some of the weight?
Singfree, I also have tenonitis in my elbow I usually only notice it when I try to do pushups.. but i push thru and then ice my arm if necessary.

Hope everyone else is having or had a good day.

StiringWendel

2BLean, I forgot to mention your photo in my earlier missive! :embarassed: I agree with alf. You certainly don't look like you need to lose more weight! I did Athletic Step for the second time yesterday, and I did much better with it. I was tripping over my step the first time too, but this time did MUCH better and really enjoyed it. And, yes, I'm sure you remember the STS pushups. I even did the Elmo pushups yesterday (for those wondering, that is doing pushups with your arms on a stability ball.....tough stuff because it is so hard to control). I'm not saying I did them well though....but I did them.

Swissmiss, I'm not sure I'm going to lose anymore weight. I'm not going to try to, but if I do....I do. I weighed in at 104.8 this morning, and I think that is really a good weight to me. I'm pretty much back into all of my clothing right now, and that makes me happy. My measurements are still a little up (about 1/2 in the hips and about 1 inch in my waist), but I can live with that. I really want to focus on my overall fitness and finding the balance that was missing in my life much of last year, and I don't think I can do the latter if I'm stressing about the few pounds I gained. I have to remind myself that I'm still over 15 pounds below my initial goal (120) and over 5 pounds down from my 'no kidding this is as low as I can get goal) of 110. So.....I'm pretty happy with where I'm at given everything.

hisangel, you burned that many calories playing Wii tennis?!? I LOVE Wii tennis. Looks like I need to be cranking up that machine this afternoon. On this very gloomy day, a round of make believe tennis sounds like fun. Sounds like you are doing really well right now. Congrats on everything!!

Off to play some tennis......:happy:

kalmf

Hey alf and everyone,

I'm the 53 year old mom of a 17 year old with autism (did I really just say 17!) I can't say we rescued him because he's still autistic and uses that excuse whenever he can, ("but mom - it's the autism, I couldn't help it" - yeh, right) but he's an amazing young man, I have no fear about his future anymore (very different from his childhood when spinning was his greatest accomplishment and speech was a dream on the horizon). I wish you strength and energy and everything good.

I think you were totally justified in eating the junk food! But you can work it out over the week. I wish we got weekly totals on this site. If I screw up on one day, I try and work it off over the next couple of days. If I know I have a challenging situation coming up, I try to get extra workout credits in ahead of time. I love the MFP tally board - it's like a bank account.

Good luck to you

singfree

Good morning!

It's really wonderful that we're seeing so many new faces on this thread! We are a unique bunch here at MFP, because we are more than willing to help our friends reach their goals. I've become very frustrated reading other threads, because there seems to be so much nastiness and back stabbing that I wonder why anyone would subject themselves to it.

What separates us from some of the others is that we will never speak in a negative way to someone. We respect the fact that everyone here has a need, whether it is weightloss, health issues or even something emothionally upsetting. We've reached a point in our lives when we want to move away from negativity. My wish is to surround myself with calming and positive influences. I'm trying to rid myself of life's stresse that I've heaped upon myself over the years. I refuse to carry that baggage any longer!!!

I know that I am getting back into shape again. The muscle definition is showing (slowly) and daily I feel stiff and a bit sore, so I know the muscles are responding to the vigorous workouts. I just need to focus on my diet. It seems that each day I find a way to undo everything I've done. I really should adopt Alf's 80/20 policy. She's a smart lady...why am I not listening?

Today is upper body day. I will do all of the strength stuff at the gym at lunch, then a short Insanity workout after work. This German guy needs to be in shape to tackle those Alps in May!!!!

Have a great day!!

duffyzmom

Hello all - Gee I remember when checking the 40+ thread took a lot less time :laugh: Glad to see we are still growing in number.

Zebras - The plan really stresses 3 meals unless you are an athlete but never defines what an athlete is - I work out at least 6 days a week so maybe I could qualify.

Stiring - I know what you mean about the dairy - I love my low fat cheese and my greek yogurt in a smoothie but have easily switched from cow's milk to soy milk. Dr. Furhman's man complaint is with cow's millk and all the hormones and antibotics used in its production.

Sing - my elbow pain is most likely tendonitis - the pain isn't from lifting but when Chalene has you doing squats you hold the weights at your side. I'm double jointed and so I have a hard time with heavy weights holding the weights in a "soft" joint form. Honestly, it isn't too bad of a problem to have it just shows what a great job running does for strengthening your lower body. Since my husband is now working out at home we have a great sled so I may just switch to doing squats on the machine so that I can lift a little heavier.

I've been doing really well with my food this week. Although my husband and I did stop at a local bar last night for a drink while our son was at his 4H meeting. With the kids schedules we haven't had any alone time since our trip to Vegas so it was nice to have a little adult outing and I was very good just one glass of red wine:drinker:

tamarads

So glad I joined this thread, it is great to see the posts from everyone and to hear all the great stories of work outs and weight loss!

Stiring - I lived in Korea several years back, are you at Osan? It sounds like you've got a good plan for work outs with your WII and such. It is not easy to live overseas so far from home, hang in there!

Thank you to Singfree for all the positive thoughts!

zebras

Good morning friends.

Thank you for all the encouragement. If I didn't have you all, I think I might not have had the incentive to get back on track.

Sing, i agree, this group has been nothing but positive encouragement, and folks who set a good example for others.

alf1163

Good morning! :drinker:

Duffy, what is the name of the program you are following? How do you feel physically after following it for 3 wks? On the elbow question, my left shoulder bothers me a little since starting CX and I remember it did towards the end of my first round. My right knee is also bothering me lately. I am telling my body is just falling apart!!! :noway: :grumble: :laugh: It sucks to get old. :laugh: But I refuse to slow down!!! I have way too much energy!

Karin, my son is 16yrs old and has autism but he seems to be more severe than yours. He will be 17 in May. He is pretty much non verbal. I worry about his future a lot. That is something that can bring me down to tears in a second. But then I pray and try to stay positive. :flowerforyou:

Stiring, 3 meals a day? I could not do it!! :noway: I am so used to eating every 2-3 hrs and I am truly hungry every 2 hrs or so...my stomach growls and everything!! And I just hate the feeling of being very full after I eat a large meal. Even if it is a large healthy salad with lean protein, etc. But we do what works best. Congrats on eating clean for 19 days wow!!! That is phenomenal! You continue to be an inspiration to me.

Sing, what kinds of foods do you eat? You might be already eating clean at least 80% daily. Don't be so hard on yourself, you are doing great!!! I was telling my husband yesterday that what I focus more is clean eating but that I know it does not have to be 100% effort. And he said that he thinks I eat clean 100% of the time. It is nice of him to think that way but I don't. When I want fries and it has been a while and while meaning 2-3 wks not months, I have my fries and get the craving out of the way. Same with ice cream, juicy burger, etc. This system has worked for me and I feel pretty happy about it.

Zumba Report!!!! I had 19 students last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: So much fun!!!!

:flowerforyou:

duffyzmom

ALF: We may be falling apart but at least we'll look great doing it :drinker: The program I'm sort of following is Dr. Fuhrman's Eat for Health. I definitely wouldn't call it a diet it is more about eating to reduce your health risks. Very similar to clean eating the philosophy is to choice the foods that give you the most nutrient to calorie ratio. So lots of fruits and veggies, few servings of whole grains, increased nuts, seeds and beans and limited animal products. How do I feel I really hate to say right now since I'm just easing into the program and decided what parts I want to stick with and which I can't see myself following. Right now I'm just celebrating the increased fruits and veggies in my diet and really can't see myself limited to 4 oz of animal protein 3 or 4 times a week.