WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE

mynyddisamrs

:flowerforyou: Good evening All ...and welcome to the "Newbies".
I do hope you all had a good weekend and have started the week ...as you mean to go on!!
Quick post tonight. I managed to escape for an hour:happy: and I've been to Zumba ...but have swapped to the beginners session!! I did actually enjoy it this time as I could keep up! Anyway ...all duly logged and I am just in the calories. I owned up to the chocolates I ate:ohwell: ...Dh's Father's day gift!! and my "Oh mayaswell" snack was .....salad (Not logged though) Weight was the same again ...fingers crossed for the scales tomorrow.
Not much else going on to write home about!! I've read all the posts and amazing reading it makes too. I still marvel at how all of you drink all the water and do all of the exercise and lose those pounds.. As you must have seen by now ...I just poodle along and enjoy the scenery so to speak.
:drinker: Must go now .....have a happy Tuesday folks.
xxx
Jackie

tiarapants

It's eleven thirty in the evening here and I've just got in from the hospital. Dad had taken a funny turn again and they think he may have an embolism so it's been a bit of a rough day. I nearly made a total fool of myself when I was talking to one of the doctors by my dad's bedside. I suddenly felt hot, dizzy and as though I was about to pass out. The doctor got me a chair and some water, but I was extremely embarassed. I know it was because I hadn't eaten since lunchtime and I just can't do that anymore - I really need to eat regularly and normally carry a little snack in my bag (soya nuts or something similar), but hadn't had time to restock. Also, I had two half litre bottles of water in my bag and managed to finish them off before seven pm. Hospitals are often so dry and hot.

Anyway, I've left him in good hands. I hate leaving him but I need to take care of me sometimes too.

I was really annoyed with my brother. I sent him a text from the hospital to explain what was going on with dad and his response was, For goodness sake, what's he up to now!!

Time for bed now I think, I've got a busy day ahead of me and I have a feeling it's going to be a 'cry myself to sleep' kind of night.

Take care one and all xx

AHealthierSuzyQ

Last night we got a good soaking rain which apparently settled whatever was in the air that was giving me such fits. I woke this morning before the alarm went off actually breathing through my nose! I had a wonderfully productive day. I spent the cool of the morning outdoors planting the annuals I bought LAST week and the afternoon deep cleaning my office. Who knew my desk actually had a wood-grain finish... its been piled so high so long. Tomorrow I will have my 15 yr old niece for 3 days so I'll have someone to go walking with this week.

For the record our son called his Popa last night. Didn't talk but 5 minutes, but at least he called. His sister more than made up for it keeping him on the line for about an hour. We had an enjoyable evening with the in-laws honoring the Dads.

I've enjoyed catching up on what you've all been doing. Like you, The accountability and encouragement of this group keeps me going.

Its been a long busy day, so I'm calling it a night.

msh0530

I was really annoyed with my brother. I sent him a text from the hospital to explain what was going on with dad and his response was, For goodness sake, what's he up to now!!

I can so empathize with you - last week when I called my brother to tell him Mom was in the ER, he said "Well, I'm going to go take a nap now." How can they act like that??

jam0525

Hello everyone,

Just a quick post to all of you with family issues - take a deep breath or two. You can't control what your relatives do. All you can do is choose how you react to it and how it effects you. Agree with yourself to disagree with how they are behaving. <- I hop that makes sense to you all.

I started the day with the gut N but, walked the old dog for 20 minutes in cool of the evening and just got off of the stationary bike (30 minutes).

Jeannie

exermom

SuzyQ - thanks for the info about grilling the squash. Only thing is (right now, anyway) the temp is expected to be in the 90's all week so I have a feeling we won't be grilling. But I did read on the net that you can eat it raw (wonder how that is???). According to MFP, raw it only has 25 calories for a cup. Can't wait for this heat spell to break, I want to grill some veges, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, now I can add the squash! Also, some chicken breasts. Update: had some of the squash raw. It reminded me of zucchini raw, not a whole whole lot of flavor. But not bad, either. Would probably do well with a dip of some sort.

Oh, and thanks for the link for the recipes. Sorry, I don't remember who posted it, but thanks.

Linda - I just can't believe your father says such things to you. Seriously, maybe he doesn't realize what it is he is saying. ((((real big hug))))

Welcome BC1! Even tho I've been logging my food for quite some time now, I still find that there are times when I'm really surprised at how high (and sometimes low) the calories in certain foods are, also I've become more acutely aware of the sodium in foods

Well, it's Sunday. I did go a bit over on the calories (only by 67), mainly because I had to have a piece of Vince's father's day ice cream cake. But I did give him the chocolate part. Well, it's only one day.

Tomorrow I'm going to do a step DVD at home, then we have a meeting at this gal's house. I understand there is a farm near her so I want to check it out before the meeting. We discuss things like misleading labels, healthy substitutions, coupon websites, vitamins, canned food concerns, toxins in our homes, emergency ingredient substitutions among other things. Really, what I should do is have our dinner all ready to just put in the oven when I get back. I'm going to take these zucchini muffins with me along with some pork/cheese balls that I want to see what everyone thinks for an appetizer if I ever need one.

Linda - I've toyed with the idea of going vegetarian. However, all the vegetarian recipes that I've found just give the recipe, no nutritionals. I really like knowing what I'm putting into my body, there are hidden salts and other stuff in lots of things. Are you able to get recipes with the nutritionals, and if you are, where do you get them? Isn't it a bit of a pain to cook two different meals? I know because so many times I need to cook something different for Vince, or I have to modify what I make for him. He's not on any special diet, he's just a VERY pickey eater, and I do mean pickey. I hate to say this, and I would never say it to him, but I blame his mother for this. She really didn't do much cooking, her idea of spices was salt, pepper, ketchup. I remember once I went out with her and she had chili with this orange stuff on top. I don't like chili so I had something else. Anyway, she commented to me "what's this (the orange stuff), it's good". I just said "I have no idea" because I knew that if I told her it was grated cheddar cheese, she would suddenly not like it.

Now that ds is staying with us for the summer, lucky me gets to make two dinners (or at least modify one), plus have his food in the refrigerator. I can't get over how much food he wastes! I have to admit, he is a very good cook. Very much like my father was -- a good cook, but EXTREMELY messy. I swear, he thinks we have a magic sink where you put the dirty dishes/pots/silverware in and they magically come out clean....lol When he was in college he complained one time that he was the only one in his apt who knew how to take out the garbage....lol

One slight problem I have is that I don't like beans (red, kidney, black, pinto, etc) if they're whole. Now ground up (like chickpeas in hummus), that I like, just not the whole bean. For that I blame my mother. She didn't expose me to beans when I was little. When I was little I didn't eat mushrooms or beets, yet she exposed me to them and today I eat them.

LHNichols - your meal sounds wonderful and tasty!

Faye - Normally, I prefer to make my cakes from scratch. But I knew I was going to be decorating this one special, and at the last minute Jessica told me her bf liked red velet cake, so that's why I got the mix. When I make something from scratch at least this way I know that I'm not getting a lot of preservatives. The downside is that the scratch things don't have the shelf life that something with preservates has. I've gotten around this, tho, by doing things like when I make brownies, I cut them in half and freeze half. By the time Vince finishes the half that's out, I bring out the frozen half and by the time it defosts it's like I just baked it. Say, is there any way you can send me that recipe for the red velvet cake that you said is reliable. My email is exermom@gmail.com. Thanks

SuzyQ - when does that apple cider vinegar start to kick in? After having some of Vince's father's day ice cream cake, I had a few of these double chocolate chip cookies. Ok, not many and I make them SMALL. I only had 3 but that put my calorie count for the day a bit over 100. So....when does that vinegar kick in? I really didn't want the cookies, but I had them. Then, after having them, I wished I hadn't.

I have three of the insulated 24oz water bottles, and I love them. Being here in NC, at least the water doesn't get boiling when I leave it in the car in the summer. I don't mind drinking warm water. But I really do like my water bottles, especially since I can put them in the dishwasher. Also, there is a thingy that you can take out of the stopper so that water flows more freely. Honestly, I find that sometimes I just can't be bothered so I just take the top off. Got it at D*c*'s

Did an hour of step DVD today (Mon). Tomorrow I'll probably do Jari Love's Extremely Ripped DVD.

Welcome to Red Hair Chili Pepper (is that the last word?). It is difficult to get started exercising, but once you get into the habit, it almost becomes where you almost can't do without it. Birdie is so right when she says "if you screw up, just say "oh well" and pick right back up." That's very important. None of us is perfect, this isn't a perfect world, there are going to be times when we have dinners that really do us in. But the important thing is to get right back, not let that be a way of life every day.

You know, Birdie, actually a turkey sub from Subway isn't all that bad. As long as you don't have the cheese and condiments, it's really not that bad. I'm constantly amazed that each time I go to Subway they always say "what cheese would you like" and when I say "none", I get this amazed look.

Went to that farm before my meeting. Even tho the corn was picked yesterday, it was pretty decent. The other corn that I had down here was nasty stuff -- I actually had to throw some out, I couldn't eat it.

Here's something interesting: Researchers have found a link between sugar and unhealthy levels of blood fats. “There’s an association between added sugar intake and what we call dyslipidemia -- higher triglycerides and lower HDL ("good") cholesterol, says Rachel K. Johnson, RD, MPH, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association (AHA).

from Web MD

tiarapants - ((((hugs))))

Going to bed now.

Michele

RebelRenny

Regarding going vegetarian:

:flowerforyou: Barb (Weaklink) - thanks for the info on Fish oil. Very informative. I will investigate further. I am taking supplements but need to know what will be optimum. :flowerforyou: Ainslieglen - I checked out the Mayo clinic website and will go back there again. :flowerforyou: Jeannie (jam0525) - Good suggestion. I am thinking my approach will also have to be cutting back rather than cutting out meat cold turkey (pun intended). I want to cut out eggs for now, red meat, pork and seafood such as shrimp. :flowerforyou: Viv(wizzywig) - I appreciate you telling me about DD.

#2 son arrived back at our house late Sunday night and is helping his dad in the shop. DH made hamburgers at lunch today and I gratefully declined. Each patty was 340 calories!! The patty only, then of course the bun. Had my squirrelly cream cheese sandwich with lots of veggies on it instead. For dinner I made sweet and sour chicken and (brown and wild) rice. Old family recipe, which is beyond yummy. With a big salad and some red wine. DH and DS loved it. Did a ton of hard core cleaning today!! So I stay within calories. I use "http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calorie-calculator.asp?action=submit&quot; website for estimating calories burned for activities not found on MFP.

☼ Tomorrow going out with DD. Yay.

Goodnight and thanks again for the tips on the subject of vegetarian. (((hugs)))

Rebel

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: DH had a great Fathers Day.....his son called in the morning, his daughter e mailed him (she had already sent a fabulous card filled with photos) and the cats and dogs treated him like he was the king.....I was gone most of the day so he got to watch a movie he liked and when I got home I watched the rest of the US Open Golf tournament with him....while I was gone I shopped at a grocery store out of town that has several favorite items that our local stores don't carry so I had a treat for him when I got home....I had made pumpkin apple soup for him so he that to eat while I was gone and at bedtime he made popcorn for himself and the dogs.....this morning he played golf......I ate out with my friends at a Vietnamese restaurant and ate sensibly (veggie and tofu Pho and a veggie spring roll with peanut sauce)

:flowerforyou: Barb, thanks for the info about low sodium diets and iodine......I went immediately to doing some label reading and found that my multivitamin has 100% of recommended iodine and the Isagenix shakes (I have two or three most days) have 40% so that along with moderate sodium, it sounds OK for me.

:flowerforyou: I've considered eating vegetarian but when I realized that it would mean no lamb at Passover and no turkey at Thanksgiving, I reconsidered :laugh: I mostly avoid red meat and eat chicken once a week or so....when I ordered the Vietnamese Pho with veggies and tofu someone asked me if I were a vegetarian.

:flowerforyou: Birdie, you wrote such a fabulous explanation of how to get started on this weight loss journey and how to stick to it........I hope everyone read it twice like I did.....you have such a great example and we can all learn from you.:bigsmile:

:flowerforyou: tiarapants, when my mother was ill at the end of her life she told me that she was sorry that I didn't have siblings to share the burden and responsibility.....in retrospect I realize that I was better off with DH helping me and no siblings to fault find with what I was doing....you are being a great daughter and continue to come from a place of love.

:flowerforyou: Rebel, my cholesterol numbers have been high all my life and in my 50's I began taking medication for it........losing weight and the medication and careful attention to diet and adding Omega 3's (fish oil capsules and eating fish) has helped keep the numbers in a healthy place.

Hugs to all of you who are facing challenges...take it one day at a time and remember we all care about you.

mimi7grands

I’ve been away for a couple of days and there’s a flood of posts! I’d like to say “Hi” to each one of you, but then I’d never post, and that would be a disaster (for me!) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I joined the gym a couple of days ago as my daughter’s nanny (!). It works out great. Just $30/month and I can leave the kids for 2 hours in the Play Place – a wonderful, safe, big room filled with play equipment. They also have an outdoor area. 2 people are dedicated to watching over the kids. When Sooz (DD) has taken her in the past, Kate has often come home with her fingernails painted. She loves to go. After I work out (me…working out!), we can all go swimming in the big family pool. The temp’s in the mid-80’s so I don’t mind going in. Although I do mind being seen in a bathing suit. Oh well.

I exercised today on the elliptical for about 2 minutes (I don’t know how people can use that machine) and for longer on the treadmill and exercise bike. Then my DD showed me how to use some of the weight machines and do a couple of free-weight exercises. I may be sore tomorrow, but I’m feeling good tonight! :happy:

Linda, your post touched me. I’m happy for you finding a husband who truly loves you and seeing your children repeating that wonderful pattern. Overcoming our origins is true success. Terri’s post and so many of the others' were right on.

My dad tends to be critical sometimes. Mostly I handle it well these days – by just ignoring it. (In the old days, I’d argue every point!) During the last couple of years, we’ve started having breakfast together every month or so, just the two of us. Those are the best times I’ve ever had with my dad. He’ll often reminisce about his childhood. I’ve heard stories I’d never heard before.

I took it as a true compliment when he noticed I’d lost weight and said, “Good for you for losing some of the heft.” Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Ainslieglen, I’m impressed by your taking charge of your own future so your kids won’t have to. The living trust is a great thing. My neighbor died recently at the age of 89. He’d told his daughter he had a living trust. She searched high and low and never found it or even a will. Going through probate was time consuming and expensive…a shame too because it was so unnecessary.

On top of that, it took her about 2 weeks of hard work (she flew here from across the country) and hiring someone for another couple of weeks (!) just to clear out his accumulated stuff. :noway: I’m gradually getting my stuff sifted out, having gone from a larger house to a small place. My kids will appreciate it and it makes me feel good now too!

Tiarapants, I hope your dad does well. You have your hands full – and with your brother too! You are doing amazingly well with your walking. What a difference! The smaller size (the bargain, too) is a nice reward. It’s hard dealing with a critical parent. I hope for healing for you from those very sore wounds. One reason I’m doing well losing weight now is all the support, (never criticism), from this great bunch.

Faye, Woo hoo. That’s a good, solid loss. I’m happy for you! Thank you for the recipe. I’ve been eating more eggplant and needed a new way to prepare it. Congrats on savoring that first bite. That idea has made a big difference for me. It’s true, the first bite is the best bite!

Hi Rebel. Keeping your healthy focus (food and exercise) is a great thing to do for yourself. Any way you look at it, the changes you’ve made are all for the good. I’m not a vegetarian but I’ve gotta think the tons of fruit and veggies and other minimally processed foods I eat now are what’s having a good effect on my cholesterol – it’s by far the best it’s been in 10 years. I also eat salmon and avocadoes, which have good fats in them. Increasing the proportion of fruits, veggies, and minimally processed foods is definitely worth a try.

Welcome back, Karen. I know what you mean about reading all the posts. I missed just a couple of days and am having a hard time! Also, welcome to the new folks. This is an amazingly supportive group.

Nice curves, Robin! You have done a wonderful job. A week doesn’t really count anyway. A month gives a truer picture. With the good diet you have and all the exercise, you’re on the right track. You’re amazing really, making all the changes you’ve made, including quitting smoking! Kudos.

Susan, thanks for sharing your memories of your dad. He sounds like a sweetheart.

Mary, I’m glad you got a break. Nobody deserves it more!

Kackie and Jackie, I’m laughing about your continuing the conversation about “piddling.” I’ll never think of it in quite the same way again.

Barb, thanks for the interesting info about calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Along those lines, I saw an article recently about Vitamin K. It made the point that calcification of the arteries is as big a problem as fatty buildup. Here’s one paragraph in the article: “Imagine a vitamin that could keep calcium in bones and out of arteries. In so doing, that vitamin could stop heart attack and osteoporosis at the same time. Sound incredible? Maybe, but research shows that vitamin K does exactly that. It works by regulating calcium. Bones need it, arteries can't stand it. Vitamin K accommodates both.” The link is http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/feb00-report.html.

The water bottle you mentioned sounds awesome. I’m going to check it out. Anything to get my water consumption up a little. That’s a challenge.

Barbie, thanks for your commitment to the group. I always learn something from you.

Birdie, thanks for checking in. I value your advice.

Michele, the problem with having “just a few” of those highly refined, sugary carbs is that they are addicting. I do often have a piece of chocolate each day but I usually limit myself to 100 calories or so. When I start eating a little of this and a little of that, it makes me want MORE, and that’s not okay with me! It takes just two days for me to get that hankering for refined carbs out of my system. I used to think it was impossible. Now I know it takes just two days and I can handle that.

Once again, MFP has kept me up past my bedtime. Talk about addictive...MFP (in particular this group) is addictive. But it's a good addiction!

kcfva122

Good morning! I've been glancing at the many, many posts. They are all so interesting but I don't have time to read them all! I'm in the throes of finishing up and packing up my room at school, plus still teaching, and trying to get ready to leave for Nova Scotia on Friday.

When I finally get there and have some leisure time, I'm planning to go all the way back to my last post (was it really November???) and catch up on everybody and on all the new folks.

In the meantime, still keeping within my daily goal but not losing right now. I'm planning to take healthy snacks for my 21-hour drive but don't think I will be able to keep a real close watch. I just might have to have a Starbucks "skim, no-whip, extra-hot mocha" or two to help keep me from getting drowsy while driving. I have lots of audiobooks, too.

Have a great day!

Karen

tiarapants

Good morning ladies.

I'm feeling a little fragile this morning - probably lack of quality sleep. The first thing I did when I got up was went on the treadmill as I have no idea what today will bring. I've spoken to the hospital three times already and there is no real news. I can't visit until after 3:00 this afternoon, which works out quite well as I have an appointment with my own doctor at 1:30. By the time I've battled through the traffic (Wimbledon tennis is slap bang between me and the hospital, so the driving will be awful) I should be able to see him. I've also got to try to squeeze in a visit to my mum-in-law. As I've mentioned before, that's in totally the opposite direction, so I may have to leave that until I've seen my dad. If I don't make it to see her then so be it.

I had a chat with my sister by phone this morning. In fact I ended up in tears. I was trying to explain to her that my life is completely governed by my father. She just said that she can't do anything to help as she has children at home. You know something, that doesn't wash with me any longer. I really need to organise a family pow-wow with my siblings to try and sort something out. I hate sounding selfish, but I am fed up with putting everyone else before myself. Just for once I'd like to have a holiday that I didn't have to return early from or a night out which wasn't cut short by having to rush home to look after someone.

Linda, I totally know where you are coming from with how your father treated you - my parents were exactly the same to me. I will never know why I was treated differently to my siblings, but it was glaringly obvious that I was never good enough for them. In fact my mum always used to say to me before I went to bed, try to be a better girl in the morning. I have searched my memories to try to work out why I was bad in their eyes. I was studious, got A grades in all subjects and was definitely not wayward. My biggest joy when I was growing up was to read - something which has stayed with me all my life. Maybe it was because my mum had a hard time giving birth to me. I'll never know.

I'm making sure I eat well today so I don't have another incident like last night. I've replenished my soya bean snacks containers and put two of them in my bag along with some mini low fat cheese. I have a kids lunchbox which fits in my huge bag. It's a cooler bag and is just large enough to hold a bottle of water and my snacks.

Well, I hope everyone has a good and healthy day today. Kia Kaha everyone xx

AHealthierSuzyQ

I was really annoyed with my brother. I sent him a text from the hospital to explain what was going on with dad and his response was, For goodness sake, what's he up to now!!

I can so empathize with you - last week when I called my brother to tell him Mom was in the ER, he said "Well, I'm going to go take a nap now." How can they act like that??

I feel you. We were raised by the same parents; its hard to understand how they can be so detached. When Moma fell and broke her hip 5 weeks after my hysterectomy/vaginal suspension my brothers didn't even make an appearance. I ended up back on bed rest from spending so much time on my feet. Come to think of it, they each only came ot see her once that last 16 months of her life. And then when she died on a Tuesday two of them wanted me to postpone her funeral until Monday so they wouldn't have to miss but one day of work! I don't get it either.

What I've learned to do is to not waste my energy on fretting about their bad choices or expecting them to change, and instead focus my attention on people in my life who actually care. Stress will make it virtually impossible to lose weight or sleep well, so its best to find a way to let those feelings go.

AHealthierSuzyQ

I'm thrilled to have some energy again. I'll have to work hard all week to catch up on yard work and get my house good and clean again. Both great calorie burners. My lawn looked like a jungle and you could almost plant a garden in my office.

Seems lots of us are dealing with parenting our parents. If this is not you, feel free to skip the rest of this lengthy post.

I'm feeling a little fragile this morning - probably lack of quality sleep.... I had a chat with my sister by phone this morning. In fact I ended up in tears. I was trying to explain to her that my life is completely governed by my father. She just said that she can't do anything to help as she has children at home. You know something, that doesn't wash with me any longer. I really need to organise a family pow-wow with my siblings to try and sort something out. I hate sounding selfish, but I am fed up with putting everyone else before myself. Just for once I'd like to have a holiday that I didn't have to return early from or a night out which wasn't cut short by having to rush home to look after someone....

I've learned folks generally make time to do the things that are important to them. I dealt with apathy from my brothers the entire time I cared for Moma. I hope your family pow-wow helps, but if it doesn't, look for help elsewhere. Ask his doctor to recommend options.

:flowerforyou: For all of you out there struggling to take good care of aging parents here is a checklist Moma's doctor gave me when she got to the point she needed roucnd the clock care:


A family is often faced with the difficult decision of when it is the right time to move a loved one to a care facility such as a assisted living or possibly a nursing home. Each family situation is very different and it may help you to answer some of the following questions when considering this decision:

Can your loved one move about safely in home including negotiating stairs, getting in and out of bathroom and narrow doorways?

Have frequent falls become a problem recently and if so is she/he willing and able to use an assistive device such walker or quad cane?

Does your loved one have and use necessary safety equipment such as raised toilet frames, bath tub seats, and personal emergency devices?

Have any accidents occurred recently with appliances in home such as the stove or forgetting to turn it off properly?

If loved one smokes, has she or he had any accidents such as burn holes in clothing or bedding?

In the event of a fire, do you feel your loved one would follow appropriate emergency measures including calling 911 and leaving premises?

Is your loved one bathing regularly and able to maintain adequate hygiene including grooming such as hair washing, shaving and oral care?

Is your loved one changing clothes daily or has he or she developed the habit of wearing the same dirty ones over and over again?

Has your loved one become progressively dependent with more ADLs recently? (eating, dressing, bathing)

Does you loved one allow outside help when needed to come in and help with personal care, housekeeping chores, and meal preparation?

Are you able to find qualified home care assistants in your area to relieve you of some care giving responsibilities?

Has he or she or become easily threatened or suspicious of others, taking medications, or eating certain foods?

Is your loved one eating properly, suffered recent weight loss, dehydration or simply refusing to eat become a problem?

Is your loved one taking medications on schedule, following correct dosages, and willing to use an organizer/reminder device if necessary?

Has your loved one gotten lost or unable to remember personal information such as address, phone number, contacts that enable them to return home?

Are your caregiver duties causing you to be sleep deprived, miss a lot of work, or be unable to manage other household responsibilities?

Is the amount of home care assistance needed likely to become so great that it is not an affordable option for your family?

Is your loved one willing to participate an adult day care program to relieve some of family care giving responsibilities?

As a primary caregiver, is your health at risk or neglect of other family matters causing serious problems?

As a primary caregiver, do you have the support you need and are others in your family willing to help out?

Answering yes to some of these questions does not necessarily mean that your loved one must be relocated to a care facility. However if you determine that many of your answers are yes, then it is possible that having your loved one remain at home is no longer a viable option.

BarbieCat1

Silly food question... how does one log in "Grazing on samples at Costco"?

I decided it was impossible to do an accurate count, so I guestimated 400 calories [probably on the high end, but better that than kidding myself by going low] and counted that as lunch. It may not have been nutritious, except for the whole grain baked tortilla chips with salsa, but it was a fun break from salad and water pack tuna. We bought one of their great rotisserie chickens to use in meals for the next couple of days... minus the skin, of course. I sliced and weighed out 4 oz for supper and had 2 veggies. Yay, me.

I wound up the day pretty much on target.

Today, before breakfast, hubby and I joined a very fit 75 year old friend for an early one hour bike ride.

Let me tell you all a bit about my biking. 3 years ago I tore the meniscus in my knee... pain !!! After appointments with the orthopedist, hobbling around on crutches, he suggested I should get surgery to repair the damage. He also sent me to a physical therapist for a few week's sessions.

My therapist was a wonder... and tough with me. The PT got me on a stationary bike for 10 minutes the very first day, as well as doing other exercises, massage and such. I saw him 3 times a week. After I'd been going to PT sessions for awhile, I told himabout the doctor suggesting surgery. He pointed out that with therapy and biking, I was walking without crutches or cane and the pain was diminished. He suggested, since I was motivated and had stuck with the program, I might ask the doctor if surgery could wait, and continue with therapy and segue into exercise.

To make a long story short, the PT was right. The doctor was probably hoping for a surgical patient, but had to agree that it wouldn't hurt to wait awhile. I never went back, but I keep up with biking to this day.

My hubby and I bike 28 or so miles every week, sometimes more. We've gone on biking vacations where we bike every day. Now that it's getting hot here in Florida, we've had to modify our program a bit, but even today, when it's supposed to reach the low 90's, we got our bike ride in.

We have an extensive bike trip planned for Sept... and while I can ride, it is obviously much easier if one isn't peddling extra weight, and besides, lycra bike pants are not flattering on a big butt, which I seem to have acquired over this past year. Where did that come from? Ah, all that unconscious eating, it's so obvious now that I've finally started to keep track.

So...a reachable goal... I hope to lose 20 pounds by early Sept.

BC1

caminogirl

Hello everyone! We were away Saturday night to visit friends in the lovely Niagara peninsula – wine country! :drinker: Yummy but not so good for calories – although I didn’t do too badly as my DH and I went for a nice long walk early Sunday morning before everyone was up (lots of hills) so that helped! I tried my best to eat mindfully.

:flowerforyou: Big hugs to those dealing with ‘family’ issues – it is difficult to maintain a balance sometimes and I really admire all the patience that shows through in these posts. My DH and BIL are saints on this front when dealing with their Dad – my SIL not so much, she’s run far away from it all, but there you have it. I get annoyed with her sometimes but then realize that there isn’t much point; perhaps karma will pop round to bite her in the butt. :grumble: :grumble: Until then I hold my piece and do what I can for my in-laws. My own parents are relatively healthy for now and hopefully they will stay that way.

It is a big lesson to us all though, as the better health we are in at this stage, the better off we will be in the long run. Seeing what is happening with DH’s parents has really opened our eyes. They didn’t plan well for their future – either financially or health wise – so we are in crisis mode now. This has become a huge motivator for me and my DH as we only have one child, and she is the only one in the whole family, no cousins to help her at all! She’ll have aunties and uncles to worry about plus her parents so I’m making sure we won’t be a burden to her!!

Ainslieglen your post sparked a very long and proactive conversation – thank you so much for sharing.

Rebel – I’m easing us into being vegetarian – DH is a red meat and potatoes guy but I’ve over the last few months moved him off the carbs (rice, potatoes and pasta) and on to more and more veggies – now that he’s figured out how best to bbq them, he’s forgotten all about the rice! :laugh: Now I’m starting to add more fish (salmon, tilapia and snapper) to the diet – again via the bbq and he hasn’t complained. Didn’t even fuss about the turkey burger in a whole wheat pita, instead of a traditional beef burger on a bun, so I figure by the winter I’ll have him eating bean casseroles. My issue is that a lot of vegetarian recipes seem to rely on bean/rice combos and cheese as the primary proteins and those are my downfall foods.

Michele – Try the crook neck squash on the bbq – like a zucchini I slice it lengthwise, spray it with olive oil and sprinkle either Chinese 5-spice or a no-salt veggie spice mix on top and bbq until tender but not mushy.

Robin - Woot! Great stats!! Way to go!!! :flowerforyou:
Welcome to all the newbies!
That’s it for now – I hope everyone has a great day!
Cheers, Cathy

rjadams

good morning all,

So many posts that I can't reply to all and that makes me unhappy:sad: but I am a big girl and I will cope.

Father's day was nice. DH heard from both of his sons (one hasn't called for almost a year and he is only 21) And both of my daughters called him which always makes him cry that they love him so much and "they aren't even his" I taught my kids that family is feelings and is not blood. It is a concept that Doug is just now starting to understand since he doesn't speak to his sisters and his Mom is a real jerk. We went to Safeway on father's day to pick up dinner and they had a cakewalk in the bakery. Doug won:drinker: . I made him take the cake to work yesterday.

I ma a daily weigher and there hasn't been any real change lately. I am retaining water because of high sodium meals and going into an even more intense weight training phase in ChaLean Extreme program sO I am not expecting a major loss anytime soon. I have cut down to around 2 and half hours a day instead of 5 last week and this week but I may go back to insane hours next week just to get things moving again.

Mimi - the gym sounds great. I wish I had someplace to swim but then again it just isn't warm enough.

Reb - I was a vegitarian as a teen. I enjoyed the life style and how it made me feel but now I really enjoy my meat. (that sounds kinda nasty:blushing: ) I just do eat alot of vegies and nuts and stuff too.

To all of you dealing with parents I admire you all so much. I wish I could have been with my mother when she was ill and passed but it wasn't in the cards since they lived in So Cal. Now my dad does live close so when the time comes I will be there.

Welcome to the newbies. I love these women and they are all so supportive. Its the best thread on MFP.

I hope that you all have a Tantalizing Tuesday!! :flowerforyou:

jam0525

General comments regarding:

Cookbooks with nutritional data - Better Homes and Gardens has some really nice new specialized ones that have all the information in them. I see them in the front 'sale' tables at Hastings and Barnes and Nobles (bookstores) all the time. I have their 450 meals in less than 30 minutes one and I love it!

Biking - The orthopedic surgeon and rehabilitation specialist my daughter went to for her surgery convinced me of how wonderful using an exercise bike or biking is and now low impact it is if fitted properly on your joints. They recommend an upright bike and we love the one we bought used through Craig's list.

Recipe ideas - I bet there is a vegetarian recipe forum here. If not, I bet it would do well once started. I love the crock-pot forum. It has a lot of vegetarian ideas in it.

Ladies, I have to fire the lady taking care of my parents. I have known her for 30 years or more and trust her dearly, but she is doing less and less and still collecting her usual hours. My DD has taken over the house cleaning for the summer. I have taken over 1 set of showers, grocery shopping and helping with the laundry. She has crossed the line in taken advantage of our friendship and last week she refused to bring Mom shopping for yarn. It would be too much wear and tear on her car. I pay her a decent hourly wage and mileage! That was the last straw. Mom cried because she was out of yarn. Still, it will be hard to do as we do trust her. I am going to try an agency called Comfort Keepers and hope to have them in place by mid-August when the kids go back to school. I can't fire her until I get replacement plans in place. Nothing like a long and drawn out stressful situation for the summer. :sad:

I feel strong about it and confident that it will not lead to stress eating, but to more exercise on that wonderful bike I was talking about.

Jeannie

barbiecat

:sad: Jeannie, sorry to hear about your mother's caregiver......we had to fire my mother's live in care giver (not a family friend, but a woman who had gotten very involved with our family) because she was getting more and more argumentative with my mother....it was a horrible time for all of including the part where we changed the locks on my mom's house.......I wish you the best on this latest bump in your life.......I know your are counting your blessings and exercising and using all your spiritual tools to avoid the temptation of emotional eating.

:flowerforyou: my dogs like Rodney Yee......they relax on the couch while I do yoga.....this morning I did 20 minutes of yoga and 20 minutes of "Gut 'N' Butt" while DH was gone taking the care for service......I played a yoga workout while I did the exercises so the dogs (and I) would be soothed by Rodney's voice...it worked like a charm....I have revised my floor exercises to include some pilates moves and I'm loving it.....using the yoga mat is comfortable and since I'm already on the ground for yoga it avoids the roadblock of getting on the ground a second time:laugh: :laugh:

:laugh: :laugh: my reason for starting to use the stationery bike was simply that DH insisted on buying it and putting it in the middle of the living room so since it was there I tried it and liked it enough to do it again (and again)........I've recently increased the amount of time I spend on it......I often use it more than once a day......if we watch something on TV I ride through 20-30 minutes of the show.

mynyddisamrs

:flowerforyou: Well....Good Evening Everyone...

:glasses: We've had another lovely sunny day here. I managed to wheel Mum down to the shops ...we sat on a bench while we waited for her prescription to be ready. We just ...HAD ...to have an ice cream didn't we!!! :bigsmile: But silly me didn't think about such a thing as money in my purse!!( Who do I think I am ? ..The Queen?:laugh: I chose two cornettos ....not ..... now sing - alonga - Jackie - ..."Just one cornetto ...give it to me!" I hope you have the same Wall's ice cream advert over there in the U.S.!! if not ...apologies! Anyway ...the lady behind the counter asked if I was going straight home as there was a special offer on ...a box of 6 cornettos for cheaper than two separate. When I said "No ...we were to eat them now" we came up with the idea of opening the pack ...taking out 2 and leaving the rest in her freezer while we shopped.Brilliant ...until she said they wouldn't take my card for £1.40. Bless her ...she paid for them out of her purse and I'm to take in the money tomorrow.

Very much a "Carers" reply today!!........

So ...so far so good with Mum. The nights have been good, the Carers are good and DH and I are still talking!! We haven't dropped her yet when "Hoisting"!!!:happy:

Tiarapants ...sorry you are struggling with your Dad. I know what it feels like to not have actual support from other family members. My sister does give moral support but my brother ..well! doesn't even know she's out of hospital.Do you have a local carers association? Try googling carers.org for anything in your area.Good luck with the "Wimbledon" traffic ..:grumble: .nightmare. It surely must be like when DH and I drove back from London and hit a brickwall of traffic at Twickenham. Yep! ...we'd forgotten the rugby Four Nations was on!! Just noticed the Latin with your goals. Haven't had to translate any since going to grammar school in Chertsey! I was never any good and only got marks for my homework 'cos I was dating a boy from a nearby boy's school ...he used to do my homework while we were on the train!!:bigsmile:

Jeannie ....What a shame about your mum's carer. I think I'd do the same as you in the circumstances. No point in "Having a dog (Not that she is one ,I may add!) and barking yourself.

SuezzQue .... What a great list to determine whether someone needs to be helped. The criteria certainly don't change from country to country do they!.

Mimi ....I love the way you're getting to know your Dad. I can't say I know my Dad...or my mum really. I got a short glimpse when Mum first came to live with me . War time escapades, little snippets from her childhood in London etc. These are gone now as she can't hold a conversation now. I envy a few friends who are able to "Do Things" with their daughters and also others who have sisters who are close too. As said before ...arms length was our family motto!!

Budget day in UK today ...looks like tighten our belts time UK ladies. !! good job We've found MFPal! !How are things in the U.S ?

Veggie recipe?..... Anyone tried Parsnips "Molly Parkin"?? No? ....Try it
Gently sautee rings/slices of peeled parsnips 'til lightly golden. Then...in an oven proof dish...layer the parsnip with slices of tomato and spread of tomato puree plus grated cheddar cheese. Season well. Top with more cheese ...You can use low fat hard cheese. Cover with milk (can add... sshh...cream ...too! ) Bake in moderate hot oven 'til browned and parsnips soft.

So ...must go now. the carer will be here soon to help put mum to bed. DH is working and then I'll finish watching the tennis.
I can't say what the scales were this morning ...forgot to weigh! Fingers crossed for tomorrow then
BFN
Take care all
Jackie