40+ Club: Hop Into Spring With A Fit Bod

teffy1

Hello,

My birthday is coming up in April and I'll be 42.....

I find that getting older and losing weight really helps me appreciate myself so much more. About two years ago I weighed as much as I do now (now that I've lost 30 lbs) and I hated it.. I felt so fat and ashamed. Now that I am back down to that weight again..... I think what was I thinking..... I feel great. I love putting my old clothes back on and walking with new confidence.

I wouldn't go back to 23 and size 2 again if I had the option.

jacksonjean

Hi just joined 3 weeks ago now enjoying the site lost 2 lbs first week have stuck since but have lost inches:happy: :happy: :happy:
Starting a new fitness plan going on a machine called flabulos it shakes you to bits for 10 mins three times a week . I struggle to do normal exercises as i have poly arthritis which means i have 5 inflamed joints at one time:mad: So watch this space It is supposed to be the easy equivilant to 1 hours aerobics. Hope everyone else is doing well:flowerforyou:

megamom

I am still the same darn, was sick for 2 days and worked my long week of nights so no extra exercise. Am feeling better today and hopefully will drop some more this next weigh in.

Texssippian

Hi all! Well it is spring and we got about two inches of snow last night! (I live in Denton, north of Dallas and Fort Worth) I have posted a picture of my redbud tree with snow on it. I saw some blue bonnets poking through the snow this morning. I will be posting some wildflower pictures as the flowers bloom for those of you who cannot get to Texas in the spring to see the widlflowers.

Have been long distance (from here to Austin) taking care of my daughter who came back from San Francisco sick. She is much better now but was texting me on Thursday from the doctor's office with an iv for fluids and antinausa drug. Also, long distance helping my mom get her tax documentation together. Last year, I flew over to Mississippi to help her. My dad handled all the finances. When he died in 2008, she had not managed any finances since they were married 54 years ago. Anyway, she was able to complete the questionnaire from the accountant and find almost all of the documents. She will have to go to the Social Security office to get a copy of her 1099 which she cannot find. I am proud of her. She was afraid to open mail after he died, thinking she would not understand what she was looking at. Many long phone conversations at first, but she is not afraid of the mail or the bank account any longer. Yea!

Need to get on the stick with the exercise. We are going to London is August to meet up with our daughter after she finishes a class at Oxford. You all from the UK: help! we will have a week and plan on staying in London. I like to stay at suite/apartments. I like having a kitchen and refrigerator so you ar enot eating out all the time. Our son who is 25 will join us. Any thoughts you would have would be great!
Swiss: hang in there. We are here for you. Sing: Glad you had a great time at the wedding. Take care all! TxMs

singfree

Good morning!

Wow! What a difference a good night's sleep does! The weekend was busy, but wonderful. We arrived in Los Angeles at 11 pm on Thursday night and stayed at the La Quinta near LAX. The next morning we took the Flyaway Shuttle Bus to Van Nuys where my BIL picked us up. He lives about 10 mins away. We spent most of Friday catching up and relaxing with BIL, his wife (to be) and his son & family. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Van Nuys on Friday night. The wedding was held at a beautiful outdoor gazebo at the Odyssey Restaurant overlooking the valley. The day, the weather and especially the wedding was great. My wife and I composed and sang a song during the ceremony which was well received. After the reception we went back to their home for a few hours before we had to head back to LAX and our red-eye back to Baltimore. From BWI it is a 2.5 hr drive home, so we were wiped out yesterday.

Needless to say, no exercise and bad eating was de rigeur this past weekend. Back to reality. Healthy eating and back to the gym today. My next focus is on Easter Day wihich is only 2 weeks away. I NEED to continue to concentrate on the ultimate prize, namely fitness and good health. I know that I feel and look better when I act in a responsible way. If I set a number of goals based on dates in the future for getting into shape, so be it. As long as I make positive strides each week I will be satisfied.

It's great to see so many new postings on this site. Welcome to all! And to my "old" friends here, I'm thinking of y'all.

Have a great day!

StiringWendel

Good Morning everybody! I hope everybody had a good weekend.

singfree, I'm happy to hear you made it home safely from California. Sounds like a good, though busy, trip. I'm sure you'll get back to your good habits today since you are so disciplined. Just think....a little more than two months and you'll be heading off to Germany! :drinker:

duffy, I hope your foot is feeling better. I can't say enough positive things about STS, so if you are leaning towards purchasing it and need a push, I'll be happy to push you! :laugh: Yes, it is quite the investment, but it is also 40+ DVDs, so I think it really is a decent deal for the variety and versatility of the program. You asked about the produce here....actually it is quite good. I've had the best bell peppers I've ever eaten here in Korea. So fresh produce isn't really the problem. The problem is more the limited brands of American-specific foods I like. For instance, I used to get my natural peanut butter (unsalted) from Trader Joes. Now I have to rely on the commissary since peanut butter isn't a Korean food. And sometimes the commissary has unsalted. And sometimes it doesn't. It's those little things that I'm finding difficult right now and is one of the reasons my sodium intake (among other things) is more unpredictable than it used to be.

cardigirl, I love your new photo!!

Swissmiss, good to see you! I've missed you. I'm so sorry to hear about your stress at home. Please know we are here for you. Don't worry about your eating right now. You don't need to be eating well to check in here. If that were the case, I would have had to chuck myself off the website for the months of November and December completely. :blushing: Again, just know we're here for you. :flowerforyou:

lalalady, I know I'm three days late discussing this, but I think the idea of having a small meal before you went out on Friday was a good idea. I hope that worked out for you.

Welcome to all our newcomers!! Thanks for sharing so much about yourselves. Please continue to join in the conversation. I wish I had time to respond to all of you right now, but I don't. I'm sorry. But please keep posting! :flowerforyou:

TxMs, sorry to hear about your sick daughter. I hope she is feeling better. Sounds like you have been having quite a time of it recently. I'm happy to hear your mother is adjusting to her life without her husband. It makes me think of my grandmother who didn't know how to balance a checkbook when her husband died. That is one of the reasons I try to stay as independent as I can. I never want to be in a the situation of being afraid to open my mail for fear of not understanding it.

I had a pretty poor weekend eating-wise. I think I'm just not eating enough still so I'm having a tendency to over-compensate for that at times because I'm getting too hungry (I was awake all Friday night because I felt like I was starving :noway: ). So I ate alot on Saturday and Sunday, but I also tried to control it pretty well. I had some great workouts though. I'm starting my second week of this last cycle of STS and continue to feel strong (especially with the extra food). I hope I get my arms wrapped around this eating issue soon because it is beginning to drive me crazy. :grumble: It seems like something in my metabolism has changed recently, and I'm having a difficult identifying what it is right now.

Hope everybody has a good Monday.

GoodGollyMolly

Bump

duffyzmom

Happy Monday All!

Sing: Sounds like you had a great fast paced weekend!
Stiring: My foot is much better - I did a 10 mile run on Saturday and really only starting feeling it at the very end (much better than in my old shoes).

Our weather took a turn for the worse over the weekend which was fine because we had plenty of indoor activities planned. It looks like this week will be a good one. Less than 2 weeks till our spring break trip to Florida so I'm hoping they start warming up.

Welcome all the newbies - Tiffy I turn 42 in April as well.

crispy1990

Hi everyone

can I join you guys..... please :happy:
I'm Karen and am coming up to 45, gosh it seems to come round quicker every year. Have been overweight for the last 19 years (since baby no 1) Have probably tried almost every diet there is, lost weight & then put it back on with a little extra every time.
I joined MFP a couple of weeks ago and have found it really helpful. My starting weight was around the 215 mark and I have lost
9lb so far.:bigsmile:
However have just had a weekend away in France, (lots of wine & a little cheese) so will have to be really good if I am going to show a loss this week.
Have a good week
Karen
x



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Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: You are quite welcome to join the thread crispy1990.

I have to get back to logging in everything. I had an evaluation at the YMCA on Saturday. I have gained seven pounds.:sad: The trainer thinks that I need to add more cardio since three hours a week are not enough. She says that I am fine with the weight work. I sure wish that the weather would get nicer so that I can take my new bike out.

zebras

Of course you can join us Crispy. This group is the best! We just wish we were with you in France!

Sing, Welcome back. I'm glad you had a good time at the wedding.

I ate pretty well over the weekend, and made sure I got all my exercise in, as I want to see the same kind of progress I saw last week. It was disheartening at my Doctor's office on Friday, to have my weight gain pointed out to me, since I had gained it since the last visit, however, I had also begun losing it again, and would have loved some positive reinforcement over that. My blood pressure, however was at its best ever, so hopefully it won't be too long before he can reduce my BP meds.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday. Welcome all the other newcomers!

crispy1990

I know that Fri is Check In Day, but I only found this web site 3 days ago so shall wait til next Fri to report back. I have, though, bought some scales today. Ooooppppsss - guessing wasn't such a good idea. Still never mind I am determined to shift the weight and I think the writing of all food down will help. At the moment tho all my thoughts are of food!!
Rudie - I too am from England, whereabouts are you? I live in the south east, near to Gatwick and Brighton.

Hi Carrie, Rudie

I'm from the UK as well, just north of you Carrie in Orpington.
Looking forward to checking in with all the ladies on here,
thank you for welcoming me
karen
x

crispy1990

Of course you can join us Crispy. This group is the best! We just wish we were with you in France!

Sing, Welcome back. I'm glad you had a good time at the wedding.

I ate pretty well over the weekend, and made sure I got all my exercise in, as I want to see the same kind of progress I saw last week. It was disheartening at my Doctor's office on Friday, to have my weight gain pointed out to me, since I had gained it since the last visit, however, I had also begun losing it again, and would have loved some positive reinforcement over that. My blood pressure, however was at its best ever, so hopefully it won't be too long before he can reduce my BP meds.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday. Welcome all the other newcomers!

thanks Zebras ?
France was brilliant, but I had no idea there were quite so many calories in a slice of Brie :laugh:
Luckily we had done a fair amount of walking so I am hoping I won't have put to much on !
Karen
x

sunnysmile

Hi everyone,

I finally made it back into the pool, yahoo. It was closed because of the storm and then it was too cold to swim in it until it reheated to temperature, then it was closed for the weekend for a synchronized swim meet ... man, sometimes life sure makes it hard to get your preferred exercise in. I did some walking while I was out of the pool but I do love my pool workouts.

I aqua jogged today and used the resistance booties, felt it all over (which is good).

Am pushing fluids today .... experienced a fattening meal Saturday night although I showed restraint and didn't eat much of the leftovers either. We were at a restaurant where one of the contestants from Next Food Network Star is the chef, that was fun.

Sunny

paulkj

Good morning...I have been doing well with my workouts averaging an hour 6 times a week. The scale hasn't budged but I can tell a noticeable difference in my body and my clothes, for the most part fit the same.

I am finally no longer stressing about the number on the scale.....

I hope everyone else is doing well.

Carrie181

Hi

have had much better day today, did not feel hungry so am hoping that my body is getting used to having less calories! Went for a swim yesterday for 40 mins and have 2 hours training tonight - am trying to increase the amount of exercise to help speed along the results.

However, am going away this week end with a friend for a spa break - it includes breakfast and a 3 course dinner each night. I do not want to fall off at this early stage, so think it will need careful planning.

Hi to Karen, a fellow Brit and yes you aren't far fom me at all.

Carrie

lalalady

Hi All - I've had a good Monday. I did well with my eating and exercise over the weekend and I think that helped me avoid the "Monday Blues." I just spoke with my son who is traveling in Peru and that really made my day! I am happy and grateful that I feel strong. I hope it continues or at least I remember it when I am feeling not so strong.

The scale hasn't budged in awhile...patience, patience. I'm in it for the long haul.

-Tina

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: Tina, I also am not seeing any downward movement of the scales. Yes, we must be patient. Hopefully, all this hard work will pay off.

:flowerforyou: Carrie, does this spa offer healthy food choices? I always thought that they did. If not just remember to eat slowly, leave some food behind and try to go for the healthiest items.

paulkj, your clothes are a much better indicator as to what is happening with you body. If they are getting looser than you are on the right track. I love your picture.

Sunny, I envy you and your restaurant experience. We love watching Food Network.

My daughters will be in Florida next week. Yippy, a week without kids. My husband and I are also celebrating our anniversary next week.

singfree

Good morning!

Or is it? Of course after the hectic weekend and a bout of jet lag induced fatigue, I worked yesterday, had a rehearsal in Hershey and then had to go back to work for 10 pm. I'm starting to believe that sleep is overrated!!!! I've never tried drugs, but at times I feel like I'm on something strange!! I can't wait to hit the bed in an hour.

Welcome to all the newcomers!!! It's very nice to hear from so many friends from the UK as well!! My wife & I have a dear friend who lives in Liverpool, caring for her elderly mother.

Ladies, PLEASE do not fret over the scale!!! It is merely a source of frustration. Listen to your body. Eat sensibly, drink plenty of water, and by all means...move the old 'bod daily if possible. A few smalll changes in your lifestyle will make a huge difference in your appearance. Weigh yourself in the mirror and with your clothing. After all, isn't that the most important thing? Who cares what the scale says if we look and feel great? Good luck!

Not too much to report today. I will try to get a good workout in after my rest. My best wishes to all!

Have a great day!

StiringWendel

singfree, I did without the scale for years, so I know it can be done. You are right (of course) that there are better ways to measure ourselves than with a scale. I think the thing with the scale is that it is cut and dried. Everybody can relate to the number whereas it is harder for people to relate to other things (even clothing size). But I, too, think too much is often read into that number on the scale.

Swissmiss, I hope you have a good anniversary with your husband! My husband and I are hitting our 20th in four weeks. Where did the time go?

lalalady, it's interesting that you mentioned the 'Monday Blues'. I didn't eat too well this weekend and really felt down/yucky yesterday (part of that could have been the fact it was snowing again, but I won't go into that!) But I, too, find that if I workout over the weekend and eat well, I don't have nearly as many problems on Monday as I do when I don't do those things. And your son is in Peru? I SO want to go to Peru someday. I hope he is enjoying it.

I had a really good workout this morning....chest/back. I also did a steady state step cardio workout, which felt really good after the heavy weights I was lifting. I find doing cardio after my strength training really helps ease the ache in my muscles. Had a good day of eating as well.

Hope this finds everybody doing well!

zebras

Happy Tuesday All:

Thanks Sing, we always look for your words of wisdom.

Even though I worked late yesterday, I managed to come home and have the energy for a full workout. I had to kick my husband off the main TV to do it though, as I have been having great success with the Walk It Out for the Wii. He's like a squatter with that TV, if he beats me home. I usually let him finish whatever episode he is watching, and he was all huffy, because he had just started an episode of Barney Miller. Our TV system lets you watch recorded tv in any room, so I don't know what he was so huffy! It is really funny when he when he watches it though, because he has the strangest laugh!

tamarads

Good Morning All!

Love the words of encouragement from everyone, thank you, thank you!! :flowerforyou:

Doing okay, weather has been rainy so I'm back on the elliptical, but it's not so bad when I have a good book!

It's great seeing the new faces, stick with us, this is a great group of people!

Good to see you back Becky!!

Happy Tuesday!

crispy1990

Hi

have had much better day today, did not feel hungry so am hoping that my body is getting used to having less calories! Went for a swim yesterday for 40 mins and have 2 hours training tonight - am trying to increase the amount of exercise to help speed along the results.

However, am going away this week end with a friend for a spa break - it includes breakfast and a 3 course dinner each night. I do not want to fall off at this early stage, so think it will need careful planning.

Hi to Karen, a fellow Brit and yes you aren't far fom me at all.

Carrie

Hello everyone :flowerforyou:

Carrie - I know the feeling, was away in France at the weekend and it is so difficult not to fall of the wagon. You just have to try and make sensible choices :laugh:


swissmiss - Congrats on you anniversary , mine is tomorrow (hence the weekend away) 20 years, left a note this morning pointing out the choices - Lillies, Platinum & Emerald ....................... I'm thinking the Lillies might be coming my way. LOL

Singfree - The BEST thing I ever did was to throw my scales away. I used to be on them 2 or 3 times a day. Now I have to wait till the weekend and pay for the privelige !

Have a good day
Karen
x

singfree

The most important thing is that people fail to take body composition into account. As we eat well and exercise, several things can happen. First is to lose not just weight, but FAT weight. Second is to gain muscle mass. It seems that these two things are mutually exclusive, but they must be considered as a unit: FAT loss AND MUSCLE gain = SUCCESS!!!! You can lose all the fat in the world, but if you do not strength train and gain lean muscle, you are in for trouble.

So if you lose 15 lbs of fat and gain 5 lbs of muscle, the net result is 10 lbs lost. The scale is now misleading you, because you are programmed to think that max loss on the scale is the ONLY way to go. For me, if I lost 10 lbs of fat and gained 10 lbs of muscle (net zero on the scale), I would be overjoyed because my body would then be lean and strong!!!

Enjoy the fitness journey!

Swissmiss

Karen, I would hold out for platinum or emeralds.:laugh: Congratulations on your anniversary.

sing, I know where you are coming from. Instead of watching the scales we should be looking at how our clothes are fitting. I really do think that some of my weight gain is due to the fact that I am using weights and building muscles. And, I really do not look heavy. But, I know where the pads of fat are hiding and I want them gone.:bigsmile:

lalalady

Ladies, PLEASE do not fret over the scale!!! It is merely a source of frustration. Listen to your body. Eat sensibly, drink plenty of water, and by all means...move the old 'bod daily if possible. A few smalll changes in your lifestyle will make a huge difference in your appearance. Weigh yourself in the mirror and with your clothing. After all, isn't that the most important thing? Who cares what the scale says if we look and feel great? Good luck!

I have to admit I am a slave to the scale. I know I shouldn't go on it everyday but I have found myself unable to kick the habit. Every night before going to bed I say to myself, no scale in the morning, then morning rolls around and I jump on it. Its bad...any tips out there to help me wean myself from this bad habit?? Please help.

Texssippian

Lalalady: If you can't keep yourself off othe scale, then don't look at the numbers: Cover the number window with duct tape!

Had a good workout with the trainer last night. Hoping to do some bike and treadmill tonight. We'll see.

Karen: I think a lovely vase in platinum encrusted with emeralds and filled with lilies sounds nice. We have been married for 26 1/2 years now: Yikes! I have been married longer than I have not been married. About to be a Texan longer than I was a Mississippian. For our 20th, we went to New Orleans and took our then 15 year old daughter and my parents met us down there. We had a great time.

Sunny: Glad you got back in the water. I have a hard time with the ankle resistance thingies. I have to really watch my posture to not over-extend my lower back. It does provide a good ab workout trying to stay upright with those boot things which want to get to the surface which can be quite comical if you are not careful!

singfree

Tip for lala: Pick up your scale, look at it lovingly and say, "Goodbye, dear friend" and pitch it out the door!

Swissmiss

Alright everyone...I also can not stay off the scales. I think that I was brought up that way. My mom was always weighing herself. She also always had a weight problem. To let you know just how much I am addicted to it, I want to buy a Weight Watcher's scale. It tell you so much information.

sing, I was noticing in another thread that some women were talking about drinking their wine (and beer). I couldn't help but think of you and your wine. I let them know that you find it a healthy thing to do.

I think that I am definitely back on the right track after being off of it for several weeks. I burned 407 calories in Zumba tonight and have stayed under my allotted calories. I am NOT eating all the calories that I burn, either.

singfree

Good evening!

Another fine night at work! This is a great shift if you can get used to sleeping during the day. My wife won't hear me snoring either!

Swiss, what kind of info does the WW scale give you? I know some "measure" body fat, but they are not very accurate or reliable. Try to go cold turkey without weighing yourself for a week. You might just realize that it's a habit and not really a necessity. About the wine, i think that an occasional glass of red wine is quite beneficial. Yes, alcohol is empty calories, but it has so many other benefits that outweighs that aspect.

For the heck of it, I was trying on some slacks that I will be wearing in Europe. The are already loose! If I lose any more inches, I will need to reconsider my wardrobe (or buy a smaller size).

My exercise today was riding my bike 16 miles. This usually yields around 600-700 cals burned, so i don't feel guilty about not strength training today.

I hope everyone has a restful evening!