WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MAY

BirdieM

Yikes!!! :noway: Page 5 and I haven't even read any posts yet for this month!:embarassed: I went on retreat this past weekend with 40 lovely ladies. It was a blessed time for all of us:):flowerforyou:

I will have to go back and try to catch up. I'm not sure how I did with my weight this past week:ohwell: as I didn't have a lot of control over the preparation of meals for several days. I tried to make wise choices but DID sneak in a brownie here and there.:blushing: Tomorrow I'll get weighed and post how I did. I CAN say that on Friday I exercised for 70 minutes on the treadmill (400 calories) and Monday morning I did the treadmill for an hour (another 400 calories). Today I did 55 for 333 calories and my food has been disciplined yesterday and today, so here's hoping for the best.:drinker:

Although I am not at my goal weight (within 10 lbs), I am slowing down because I'm starting to look drawn.:frown: I want to exercise more and lose slowly....even if I just lose 2 lbs all month....I'll take it!:bigsmile:

Welcome to all the newbies!! This thread is just the best! Women from all parts of the world sharing this journey together! How cool is that!!!!

Got to go and I'll try to catch up on the post!!

Have a great day and a great month!!!:smooched:

BirdieM

weaklink109

Good morning,

Donna--Glad you checked in. I wondered where you had been for the last day or two. Thank you for your kind words, also.

Ainslieglen--See, all that angst about the silly old scale and then it turns around and confirms you are on the right track after all. WHOOPEE!!!:drinker: :drinker:

Patty--Welcome. This site can change your life.

Laura--I like that phrase "wish I could wear" clothes. I still have a bunch more of them, since I found clothing from my twenties that it will be a long while before I can wear again, but I am going to keep them. They are my "just in case" (I ever get that small again) clothes.:bigsmile: :bigsmile:

The weather here is still going bonkers. Some snow in higher elevations this morning. A little sun, some clouds, rain, wind. Basically, you name it we've had it.

A few days ago, a small sinkhole appeared right next to the creek that runs at the edge of the condo property a short distance from my backyard. Because the creek is part of the storm water management system for the city, I called them and they came out yesterday, and said they were sending someone else to take a look. This morning the second guy came out and told us there had been a "den" dug into the creek bank by a nutria and the result was a collapse. Nutria are a non-native rodent, about the size of a beaver.

They were brought here in the 1800's by some misguided fools who thought they would raise them like mink and make big $$$. Instead, there was no market for their pelts, so this idiots released them into the wild and they have plagued waterways since--making a big problem instead of an economic boom. We used to have a few in our creek, and some of my misguided neighbors thought they were "cute" and fed them, so of course, they invited their friends. Fortunately, the city began a trapping program to eradicate them, and we were able to dispatch all of them a couple of years ago.

This den has been there all this time, and I guess all the rain we had weakened the earth above it, so we had a small cave in. It could have been much worse. I was afraid we might have a drainage pipe that had broken and was washing earth out from close to our buildings toward the creek. This problem can be solved with some elbow grease (not mine:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: ) and a few wheelbarrow loads of dirt.

The creek is really nice to have. The amount of water is controlled, so flooding isn't an issue, and we usually have baby ducks.

Well, I have to get going. See you all later.

Barb

donna56

Patti


Goal:
To drink at least 2 glasses of water a day
To exercise 60 minutes or more 5 times a week


Patti - I don't know if 2 glasses of water a day was a typo or what, but you really need to drink more water. Eight glasses is recommended and if only drink 2 glasses, your body will retain water. You need water to get rid of water. If you don't like water, like me for instance, try putting some crystal light in it or a lemon. I can't stand water so it is alot better when I add something to it for some flavor. Just trying to help

wizzywig

Patti - I don't know if 2 glasses of water a day was a typo or what, but you really need to drink more water. Eight glasses is recommended and if only drink 2 glasses, your body will retain water. You need water to get rid of water. If you don't like water, like me for instance, try putting some crystal light in it or a lemon. I can't stand water so it is alot better when I add something to it for some flavor. Just trying to help

:drinker: Hi Everyone

:noway: Thanks for this reply Donna, it may sound stupid, but I didn't realise that you retain water if you didn't drink enough of it. I mean I knew it was important to drink plenty of it, but wasn't sure of the reasoning behind it.:embarassed: Now I know this, I'll try even harder to drink more than a few (large) glasses of water myself.

It's been a very busy day at work for me today, I've really missed Jane (on hols) and with Max gone (made redundant) I have had to do everything :frown: It's been really hard, I hope it's not as busy tomorrow so that I can catch up on things, there's been quite a lot today that I just didn't get time to do because of telephone interruptions/enquiries etc. 'Found myself reaching for the chocolate - realised just in time and ate just one finger of Kit Kat instead of the whole 4 fingers Managed to keep within my calories but must admit to having a few choc chip cookies as well today, so lots of empty calories :ohwell:
I'm going to think of healthy meals for tomorrow and enter them to get back on track :bigsmile:

Well it's getting late :yawn: so I'll get myself off to bed, I was going to dye my hair tonight, but by the time we got back from our dog walk it was a bit too late. I'll give it a go tomorrow maybe or the weekend. Must remember to phone the "Hair and Beauty" shop and make an appointment to get my eyebrows waxed. Unfortunately I take after my dad and have inherited his bushy unruly eyebrows :laugh: :laugh: and I am useless at plucking, threading is too expensive, so I have them waxed. They always look so neat and tidy when they have been done. :bigsmile:

Sorry nearly forgot - welcome to Patti :drinker:

Take Care & BFN
Viv

vickim26

Good afternoon ladies,
Did good on my food again today. Went to the gym this morning and burned a lot of calores. It is about time I get off my lazy butt.
Patti just keep reading and posting and you will learn some valuable info. there is a lot of info and you just have to sort and try and find what works. Drinking water is top priority though. I can feel the difference if I do not drink my water and I drink a LOT of water.
Barb, Again you make me laugh. Nutria are native to my part of the county. People even eat the little critters here. But cute, I have never ever heard of them being cute. They are actually a huge RAT. Good luck with them and your sinkhole. So glad you decided to keep posting.
Have a good evening
Vicki M

caminogirl

Hello Everyone,

It's been a good day here - certainly no snow like in Edmonton - I hope it melted quickly Ainslieglen! The joys of living so far North!

So a small triumph to report, after 3 days of trying, I've managed to make it through to the end of the day without going over my calories in - not to jinx this, maybe I should go to bed early!! :happy: Perhaps it is because my DH is out this evening and I cooked only for myself, or that my DD is at class and not, like last night, skyping me at 8pm wanting help with forms and cover letters and resumes and wanting advice but not hearing it at the same time!! Grrrrr!! :explode: :explode: It sent me running for the mint chocolate chip ice cream ... ah the siren call of ice cream :devil: so soothing for the savage Mama! It was only a half cup but truly I'm such an emotional eater!! :embarassed:

Barbiecat: I took your advice and wrote down everything I wanted to eat today and stuck to it – okay, I changed it up a bit at lunch – but I was faithful and recorded it all. I had thought of eating out all the bad stuff from the house but your wise words kept me from doing that!! Thanks!

And yes, I even let the rest of the ice cream melt away in the sink and didn’t pick out the chocolate chunks that remained, and even though I was mighty tempted I thought that it would be a new low I could now do without!

Interesting posts about water consumption Donna and Vicki M - I will have to work on that next. I'm like you Patti, I thought that a little was better than none. I'm going for lemons and limes and maybe a teaspoon of cranberry juice to pretend it's Sangria. :drinker: :laugh: :drinker:

Cheers,
Caminogirl

exermom

Well, we took PJ to the vet. He's down to 12#. That means he's lost about 1-1/2lb since the last time he was there. His blood sugar was very very low. They took more blood and are going to have it tested to be sure that the thyroid isn't acting up again as that can interfer with the diabetes. Right now we're not going to give him any insulin and just wait for the vet to call with the results of the blood test. dh just watched him eat. It seems that he's in the room with the food, so we just assumed he was eating. But in reality, he seems to go up to the dishes but not eat. He tried giving PJ some soft treats and he didn't take them. We're thinking that he's having trouble chewing. We're going to take him to the vet today (Tues) for a radiograph. At that time we're going to mention this to them. Oh, got the results of the blood work, seems his kidneys and liver are fine, which is good.

MacMadame - big congrats!!!!

Alice - never heard of that Jillian DVD. What does it concentrate on mainly, lower body? When did she put out this DVD?

Terri - That's great that you had to restock your closet! Hope you donated all the other clothes to make room for the new ones!

I would like suggestions. Here's the story -- we're planning an outing for this group that we are members of to a baseball game (minor league). There will be around 30+ people there. When we've gone to the game previously, it's just been us and another couple, so I've always brought in my own snacks. Not that I'm cheap (well, I am, but that's not the reason) but more because the only food you can get there is greasy, high fat, etc. etc. Remember, we're in the south where it's called "fat" in the meat, no "marbeling". Well, I'm going to feel a bit awkward in front of that many people bringing my own apples, etc. Any ideas of what I can do short of not eating?

It's Tuesday, yesterday I did an hour of a downloadable workout on the spinning bike, today I did an hour of Jari Love's Extremely Ripped DVD. Boy, was I sweating. You know, I can't quite be sure if I'm sweating because I'm working hard or because of hormones. Tomorrow I'm going to do the deep water workout.

Welcome Patti.

Hope everyone has a great evening!

Michele

weaklink109

Michelle--

Regarding feeling awkward--"DON'T" Most of the people there will be too busy eating all the fattening stuff to notice what you are doing. If anyone is tacky enough to ask, tell them you are on a restricted diet. They will assume your doctor put you on it. If anyone is even tackier and wants to know more. Tell them you don't like to discuss personal health issues while eating, or that it is a private matter, and that should end the questions.

Regarding PJ--Has the vet checked his teeth? If there is a problem with them, like gum disease or an infected tooth, that will definitely keep them from eating. I hope they figure it out soon. I can never rest when one of my "babies"is ill.

I am at my parents'--just got on here to post some food and stopped in to read. Have a good evening all.

Barb

RebelRenny

:flowerforyou: Good evening from Victoria, BC, Canada, my adopted country. Today was Navy Day in our city. Celebrating 100 years of Canadian Navy. The parade went right by my office building. I keep a Canadian flag by my desk, so I was out there at the side of the road cheering them on. It was memorable.

:flowerforyou: Tomorrow - May 5th - is when "Freedom Day" is celebrated in the Netherlands, my home country. 65 years since WW2. DH is there to witness the commemoration. Many Canadians come to my home country to participate.

My thoughts also go to the looming disaster down south. I appreciate those who have gone to help. :flowerforyou:

:flowerforyou: ainslieglen - I am so happy that the scale moved in the right direction. You will see fluctuations no doubt. Don't give up. I find I am gaining some ground in the "inches" department. Even had a comment today that I look thinner. I can certainly feel it in my clothes. I lose pounds slowly. I have started to switch my thoughts to health and wellness, not just losing weight.

:flowerforyou: Birdie. Interesting point about slowing down even though you have not reached your weight goal. I think that speaks well about how you read your body. What a lesson.

:flowerforyou: Caminogirl. I like that you celebrate small triumphs. That is one of the keys to success. Don't you just learn so much from your MFP friends?

:flowerforyou: Patti. You have found an amazing group of lovely ladies. I am with you on the goal to exercise.

:flowerforyou: Michele. I know that people can be less offended by us bringing our own snacks than we think. You gotto eat, of course. I actually have no idea what to suggest. :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I have had some good days for food and exercise. I know the scale will move eventually.

Love y'all
Rebel

P.S. I just ate a Glutina no gluten pizza. Not crazy about it and 480 calories AND 1000 mg of sodium. Oh well :ohwell: It'll do.

msh0530

My goals for the week are to try to post on here every day, until Sunday when I am off on a trip to see my mama for Mother's Day. I have got to find a way to slow my life down and find time for all of you! I played my final orchestra concert for the season tonight, so no more band rehearsals until June. Hopefully that will help.

Loved the goat story - even read it to my husband. :laugh:

Hopefully, you will hear from me tomorrow! Here's to smart choices!

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: fourteen months ago when I had just started this journey I brought my own food to an event and found another woman there with her cooler eating the lunch she'd brought.....she was a woman I'd known for a long time and knew that she had lost a lot of weight.....she gave me the courage to do it again...since then I have brought my own food to dozens of events and discovered other people who do the same thing and some who wish they had and have taken the lead from me....I urge you to stay true to what is best for your health and worry less about what other people might think.

:flowerforyou: caminogirl.....the journey to weight loss begins with a single step and each step should be celebrated.....congrats on your success

:flowerforyou: all that talk about not trusting the numbers on the scale got me thinking about another measurement that I have considered sacred

---

10,000 steps a day on my pedometer

---

for years I've given myself a sticker on my calendar if I walked more than 10,000 steps----what I realized was that some days I chose walking around the house over pilates, yoga, wii sports, or my exercise bike, just because I wanted the steps and the sticker

---

for months I've had yoga and pilates for my goals and for months I've failed miserably at doing them regularly and I finally figured out that if they are my goals then I should reward myself for doing them.....so starting today I gave myself a sticker on the calendar for doing yoga, pilates, wii sports, and the stationery bike....my pedometer recorded fewer than 7,000 steps but I exercised in a lot of ways that have been neglected in the past.

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: oops, it's getting late, gotta head for bed.
hugs Barbie

donna56

Good morning everyone How is everyone doing? I feel alot better today, going to try out my zumba dvd's today, well atleast the basic one for beginners :laugh: Well I was doing great on my eating yesterday until the other half decided to bring me a saucer full of cheese and olives! :grumble: That is my weakness. I can pass on all the sweets in the world, but when it comes to that snack, I am a gonner. I didn't even log it in because, 1) I had already finished my food diary and for 2) I really didn't want to know what damage I had done :sad: I have to get really going on the excercise today, I haven't done any for a few days because of not feeling well. Today is a new day and I plan on getting on with it. Well I hope everyone has a great day :flowerforyou: I am going to go look around on here for a few minutes and then get busy doing something around the house.
Donna

smelliott

Good Morning everyone,

I can't believe how many posts there are here already and I've only been away a few days. I have read them all. I had a really great weekend but it was a total disaster on the diet front :blushing: Never mind, I was back on track yesterday and am hoping that the scales won't be too unkind by Saturday. I did my run / walk thing on Sunday (6.2miles) so it could have been worse. I have until the next Bank Holiday at the end of May without any trips so temptation :devil: shouldn't be so difficult to resist. My goals for this month are to exercise more, to get into the 150s and to drink more water.

Have a good day

vickim26

Good Morning ladies,
Michelle, I have noticed that most people dont even notice what or when I am eating especially in large groups. Just bring you some snacks or even food that you would eat and when everyone else eats just eat yours. they probably wont even notice. If they do just say you dont care for ballpark food. I have found if I dont make a big deal about my food habits most other people dont either.
What part of the south are you in. I am a southern girl born and raised and yes we do have terrible food habits and choices but I find now we have really good choices most places that I go. Just wondering.
I plan to have another good day of eating and getting in some exercise. Hubby just emailed and he probably wont be coming home until sunday or monday. time alone was nice at first but really missing him now.
My prayers go out to all in Nashville TN on the flooding. We are planning to go there for music fest again. Hope to be able to help economy when we visit. There are so many different things going on around our nation and the world. It is kind of creepy. Not one thing at a time like it used to be. So many conflicting disasters. Just keep praying and keep going on I guess.
Have a great Cinco D Mayo Ladies. I think I spelled that wrong.
Vicki M.

barbiecat

:laugh: Well I was doing great on my eating yesterday until the other half decided to bring me a saucer full of cheese and olives! :grumble: That is my weakness. I can pass on all the sweets in the world, but when it comes to that snack, I am a gonner.
Donna

:flowerforyou: Donna, my hubby offering food to me was one of my biggest challenges......even though he was watching his eating, he couldn't resist offering me food......I made a rule for myself that that I would eat only what I had planned ahead of time and decline any food that was offered to me......I don't know how many times I told him that.....his response was "I offer things to you out of love"......so I learned to smile and say "No, thank you" and eventually he stopped offering.
Barbie

heartrw

Terri - That's great that you had to restock your closet! Hope you donated all the other clothes to make room for the new ones!

I would like suggestions. Here's the story -- we're planning an outing for this group that we are members of to a baseball game (minor league). There will be around 30+ people there. When we've gone to the game previously, it's just been us and another couple, so I've always brought in my own snacks. Not that I'm cheap (well, I am, but that's not the reason) but more because the only food you can get there is greasy, high fat, etc. etc. Remember, we're in the south where it's called "fat" in the meat, no "marbeling". Well, I'm going to feel a bit awkward in front of that many people bringing my own apples, etc. Any ideas of what I can do short of not eating?

...Michele

Thanks Michele...I ALWAYS have a large bag "working" for goodwill/thrift store donations. Everytime a put something on and it's a couple sizes too big it goes in the bag. I will still wear them if they're just a bit baggy, although the clothes that actually fit do look much nicer!

About your snack problem with the baseball game attendees...take your apples...they'll all be so busy concentrating on their nachos and beer or brats and hopefully the game...no one will even notice you quietly munching on your apple!!

Yes Louise, that's me at my "styling" best somewhere between 1 and 2 years of age (as far as I can tell by the picture).

Hope everyone has a good day and makes good choices. Where is Cindy? Haven't heard from her in quite awhile!

rjadams

I am having an awesome week so far. food has been great. and exercise has been off the hook. I am donw 1.6 pounds since Friday. AND I FEEL GREAT!!!!! I plan my meals for the whole week. Its my roadmap for fueling my body. Its well balance and controlled. I only eat what is on my plan. Feel free to look at my diary if you need ideas (I can make changes if I have to but it is definately a choice I make and I make sure it fits the plan) I have really been focusing on sodium and I have gotten the lowest every this week and it feels great. Friday is my spurge day because of the wine but that is the only thing that puts me over my 1450 calorie range. For water, I just always have a glass handy and if it has been awhile since I drank any I chug one down. I always end up over 12 glasses a day. I don't have many obligations in my life so now I exercise. yesterday I did so for about 5 hours total. Spread out thru out the day. but its either that or sit on my keister and wallow in self pity. I choose not to do that.

Have a great day all and make great choices.

ainslieglen

Hey all....

This is going to be a great day for everyone, I think. I read through the posts and found loads of positives! My brother's granddaughter(4) will be at the door for a visit soon, so this is a rush post.

I appreciate all of you, and love being a part of this group.:flowerforyou: Ainslieglen

BirdieM

Just dropping in to say that my weight stayed the same this week. Given that it was NOT a very disciplined week :blushing: and last night I went a little bit over my calories.....I am satisfied.:flowerforyou:

I really believe that if this change in my eating habits is going to be permanent (and by the grace of God ...it WILL be), then I need to learn a new way of looking at food and how I deal with it. FOOD :devil: IS NOT THE ENEMY!!!! My THINKING...in regards to food.... is the culprit! My PORTIONS of food were off! :ohwell: I wasn't accountable for WHAT I was eating.:frown: Accountability has been a real eye opener!!! :flowerforyou: I need to be totally HONEST about my eating habits. :flowerforyou: Awareness and accountability have been invaluable to my journey. :bigsmile: No one has ever put one morsel of food into my mouth. It got there because I chose to put it there. Ouch! When I eat too much or find myself comforting myself with food (which I still do at times) I admit it, try to think of another way to deal with this feeling , person or circumstance that I'm eating over(for me moving away from the problem, like taking a walk or picking up the bible and start reading it etc.), and then move on....works for me!:happy: . I've learned that we will always be human and slip, but IT'S NOT THE SLIP THAT DESTROYS US.....It's NOT moving on!
I thank God for the progress that's been made and try to have a grateful heart....one day at a time! Hey...it works!!! And if it works...then I'm going to keep doing it!!
I STILL haven't had time to read all the posts:blushing: ...but sending out cheer and good wishes for everyone for a great day! :smooched:
BirdieM

Laura80111

:flowerforyou: Half way thru this week!

BirdieM-glad you had a good time at your retreat, they can be so refreshing:flowerforyou: Good for you adjusting your goals, there is nothing worse then loosing and then looking awful because you lost too fast

Barb - Wow! glad the sink hole wasn't bigger.

Viv- good will power not eating that chocolate:drinker: I have a candy dish on my desk (I know many can't understand how I can have it there and not eat it) I have a post it on the back that says "These are Empty Calories":bigsmile: and it keeps me from eating them.

Caminogirl- :flowerforyou: Small victories lead to larger ones - Congrats on not going over your calories.

Michele - Glad that the tests on PJ were negative, hope the not eating isn't anything serious. Going to the Ballgame, take your own food to munch, tell them about all your friends here at MFP (they may be inspired to join too) and that we will want to know how the game was!

Renny - I just love Military Parades too:bigsmile: probably has something to do with having had all three of my sons in the Military (2002-2009) and now only my #2 son is still in.

Donna & Denise - Be not discouraged everyday is a new beginning!:flowerforyou:

Robin - You inspire us all:flowerforyou: You could be the MFP Poster Woman on how to make MFP work for us!:drinker: :drinker:

*****

Mom called me yesterday all excited because she is going to move to the Adult Foster Home, I had to rain on her parade that she isn't being moved for several weeks. Because she can get herself out of bed and has walked 187 steps (once) she thought she'd be moving this week. She still has several more weeks of Physical Therapy before she's moved and all the right people say she is ready to be discharged. I'm glad that she has accepted that she's not going home, now I have a lot of things to work on to get her moved and it will involve another trip to Oregon and seeing about getting her house ready to sell:grumble: it wears me out just thinking about it. Actually more then wearing me out it depresses me as my hubby was trying to be encouraging last night in forcing (helping?) me make some decisions about how to get all of this done...being the only child as an adult is NOT all it's cracked up to be:huh:

I've been so late getting home from work the past few days exercise is the first thing to be dropped,:blushing: I'm just so tired when I get home and it's past time for dinner and by the time the dishes are done it's time for bed...I'm sure that sometime soon life will start to settle down..I can hope:ohwell:

It's been so windy here that just going out to the car I get dirt all over my face, up my nose and in my eyes...but at least it's just wind and not water like they are experiencing in Nashville:sad: I feel bad for all of those that have a hugh clean up ahead of them.

I have to get back to the messy desk. Everyone have a good day and evening:flowerforyou:

Laura