40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

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  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Good morning!

    Welcome to all who are first-time visitors to the 40+Club. Stay with us, won't you?

    jchapple, we're glad you're here! It's true (to a point): For many people it is harder to lose weight as we grow older. Of course, our bodies change and therefore our caloric requirements also change. As much as we hate to admit it, many of us are not as active as when we were in our teens. We can't put muscle on as easily either. So what's the solution???

    Here ya go...

    This is a big secret among us 40+ Clubbers. Don't tell ANYONE!!!! I'd rather pull the tag off my matress and go to jail. Just kidding. Actually there are no magic pills, no belly buster machines or fancy diets involved. OK, enough levity... You will reach your goals by eating a "clean" diet and regular exercise. I've been doing this all my life, and I'm still struggling with eating clean. I am very fit, but I do not always put the right foods in my mouth. My problem area is in the evening. I am in the habit of eating pretzels and drinking red wine. Now, pretzels and wine are not bad things, but they add too many carbs and calories before bedtime. It's a struggle, but with a few small chages, significant improvement can be made in our bodies.

    On the bright side, we have some VERY fit people who would put a 20 year old to shame. We have marathoners, fitness instructors, bicycle enthutsiasts- you name it, we've done it. So, it can be done!!! Don't get down on yourselves, get up and get moving!!! The first step to better health begins literally with the first step. Step on the treadmill. Step away from the fridge. Do the Texas two-step. Anything that gets the old 'bod moving is a great thing.

    I'm sounding like a broken record but start TODAY. Sure, we all try and fail. We all succumb to temptations. When we falter, do a self-examination as to what went wrong and move on from there. Don't dwell on past failures, only on those poitive things that we are doing for ourselves and our families to ensure that we will be around for a long time.

    Look around you. There is misery in the form of so many unhealthy people. In my family alone, most of the health problems could have been avoided with proper nutrition and exercise. My mother is only 80, but she is bound to a wheelchair. Why??? Poor nutrition and lack of exercise. For years her only movement was to the bathroom or living room couch. She is not obese, quite the contrary (78 lbs). Even today she is in assisted living. Does she exercise? Does she eat enough? Does she even acknowledge that there is anything wrong with her? NO, NO, and NO. She is slowly putting herself in the grave, and we are helpless to do anything about it.

    My solemn vow is to live a long and healthy life, God willing. Yes, I do some good things for myself. But I need to develop a mindset that this is literally a life-or-death proposition. And I'm choosing LIFE!!!

    The Reverend Frank has now finished his sermon. Go in peace...
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Wow - Lots of posts on the new thread - Welcome to all the Newbies!

    Stiring: Sorry to hear you are struggling - I know how frustating it can be to not fit into clothes. I agree with ALF your weight is really not a big concern as your body is telling you with the return of your TOM. I'm really trying not to get hooked on the scale right now. Especially since starting back with ChaLeane - my body shape changes so much from when I'm weight training more as opposed to running more. I'm trying to focus more on the mirror. Looking for increased muscle definition and decreased winter bulges (for me it is usually in the middle).

    Sing: Nice sermon this morning - Your preaching to the choir which is appropriate for you I guess:wink:

    ALF: Hope your still enjoying another round of CX - How many days a week are you doing ab work? Right now I'm doing 4 so that I can do 2 days of Ab Ripper 100 and 2 days of Ab Burner.
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Reverend Frank, AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :laugh:

    A big welcome to jchapple!!! :flowerforyou: I am excited to see so many new members of this wonderful group! And Sing couldnt have said it better!

    Duffy, I am enjoying ChaLean but I am being cautious, too cautious, right now due to my injury. I really don't know what to think about it at this moment. I am doing ab burner everytime I do a circuit, 3x a week. I tried to do ab extreme last Saturday and it involved too much of my hip flexors so I had to stop. So doing ab ripper is out of the question right now. I am only doing the circuits on Mon, Wed and Sat. I am skipping the other workouts due to my Zumba classes.

    And speaking of Zumba, I had 13 people on Tue evening!!! I was so excited!!!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: The fitness ctr staff said that they had not seen another class that had taken off so soon before!!! :drinker: :drinker:

    Swiss, I cannot remember the last time I ate anything at McDonalds so I don't feel too bad about what I ate yesterday. I just need to learn how to say no to things like this if I really don't want to eat it myself...I have to be able to "treat" myself if I want to and not please others against my own will. It is a slow learning process...:noway:

    Have a wonderful day!!!! :drinker:
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    :flowerforyou: alf,
    13 people in your Zumba class? That is great. We don't have near that many. Maybe 7 at the most. Hope you have plenty of room for all of them. I am not very coordinated and would be bumping into everyone else.:smile: Your McDonalds can not be any worse then the omelet I am eating right now. I have mostly veggies in it but feta cheese also. I checked on the calorie count of the cheese and got quite a shock.:angry:

    sing, you made some very good points. One that I really liked was about how we are more fit than some 20 year olds. I stopped to think about this and you are right. Most of my daughters' friends are not nearly as fit as I am. A sad situation. What has happened to the younger generation? Of the three girls who still live at home there is one who is over-weight. She chooses to be this way. A lot of it has to do with a mental condition. The other two are slowly coming around to my way of eating. They still have trouble with bread that is not pasty white.:ohwell: I am hoping that my influence will help them more.

    Oh, by-the-way, after I went to bed last night it hit me just what TOM stands for.:blushing: It has been a long time for me.:laugh:
  • mkwood10
    mkwood10 Posts: 428
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    Stiring...........your body has answered your questions........too low body fat + too much stress = no TOM, which is NOT healthy!!! :frown: :frown: :frown: I went thru my teens and first half of my 20's being totally irregular because of this; and doctors told me I was lucky to have a healthy 2nd child because I'd been so irregular (even on the pill). Both of my daughters ended up being put on the pill to regulate them because the medical field has discovered how unhealthy it is for you not to have your TOM - it can seriously effect fertility (not that you're concerned about that at our age!:laugh: :laugh: )

    Don't beat yourself up - you've been thru a HUGE transformation and tranition in the past year and you're so much stronger and healthier for it!! Don't feel guilty about the new clothes that fit at 98lbs.........they're only things to cover your body with! Remember how much better you feel now..........that's your body telling you that this is where you should be!!!

    Hang in there........:heart::heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Ladies, here's a question...

    Have any of you worked out with a "kettlebell"? It looks like a black bowling ball with a large handle on top. I've been reading about it, and the workouts sound great. They say it is a good way to build strength and lose (fat) weight fast. Plus, you get stronger, not larger. As most of you know I am 5'8". If I put on larger muscles I look bulky. I prefer to have a swimmer's physique, not a bodybuilder's.
  • cardigirl
    cardigirl Posts: 492 Member
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    Found you!!! It's time for me to get back in the habit of logging my food again. I did okay during the holidays, but these last two weeks have been hard on the "lifestyle change." I might be up a couple of pounds. :sad: Plus, I've been having sinus headaches for a few days, and even though the advil seems to be helping with the pain, working out is not what I want to do. :sick:

    Stiring, it is hard to feel good about gaining weight, I know that we are all programmed to seeing the scale as an indication of good health, but you feel better at the higher weight so maybe you can use that feeling of strength to change your focus? I know that my trainer keeps trying to get me to look at how fit I'm feeling rather than the size of clothes I'm in, or the weight on the scale, and it does make sense to look at it as how much better we feel...still, all the advertisements for exercise plans, weight programs, etc, focus on the WEIGHT, and not on the health. The show is not called The Biggest Healthy Person...heh. Sure, many of us start doing this because we don't like the way we look, but hopefully we can change that focus to loving the way we are feeling instead of completely focusing on the looking part of it. At least that's what I'm trying for...

    Welcome to the newer members! This is a great group here.

    And Swissmiss, I'ma gonna be 55 this year, so I don't want to hear anymore about "old ladies" :laugh: We are 50 and fabulous!!!!!
  • 2BLean
    2BLean Posts: 2,373 Member
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    Found our new thread and I was just taking the time to get caught up on the posts! :smile: Welcome to the newbies ….. I’m kind of new myself but welcome!

    Stiring: I know that we are all here for you! I am so sorry you are struggling with this right now. You truly have been through so much in the past year and if you can focus on the accomplishments instead of the number on the scale I think it will help you through this. I know you will find a happy medium of where you are today and where you want to be. The 98 lbs is (in my opinion) just too tiny. You are already a tiny one at 107 and remember - you need that strength to do STS alone but all the other workouts you love too! Hope today is going better. Sorry I am so late in my response. :flowerforyou:

    Sing: Thanks for the sermon ~ you are really hilarious! :laugh: I love it.

    Alf: That is so great your Zumba class is getting bigger & bigger. There is a Zumba class at our community center but I haven’t tried it yet.

    Having a pretty good week. I have had a couple of “double days” of workouts and that has felt good. Going to a “strong” class tonight … (mixture of weights & cardio); this a.m. was STS - Plyo legs.

    Hope you all are having a great week!
  • Fatsoz
    Fatsoz Posts: 1
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    Hi
    Am Classed as a real Heffier these days. been 7st all my life and then after promotoion and lact of extreme excercise, balloned to 10st + ! Must Lose it By the Spring 1st March as have nice younge mare back into work and wouldnt like to put her back out. Love my babies and right now hate the body I am now in, cant sit down right. Never been like this in my life so depressing :(
  • sissygirl
    sissygirl Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi! I just started my weight loss plan a little over a week ago and I love this site. It is so helpful to see what I am eating. It is really helping me stick to 1200 calories a day. I truly believe that I will be able to reach my goal of losing 30 pounds by June. :-)
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    sing, I had a friend recommend the kettlebell and I have seen one at the store. Never tried it, though. My friend thinks it is the most fun way to burn calories.

    :flowerforyou: cardigirl, it is good to see you again. If you are up only a couple of pounds then you are doing great. I put on four pounds over the holidays. They are gone now.:smile:

    :flowerforyou: 2Blean, do try the Zumba. I love it. Such a fun way to burn calories.

    My daughter made homemade pizza for dinner. And, I ate some. But, I burned a lot of calories at Zumba tonight so I am hoping that I didn't do any damage to myself.
  • denimangel
    denimangel Posts: 85 Member
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    hello everyone... I have been part of my fitness pal for a couple of years off and on... it seems that I get so caught up in life that I forget to post here.
    I am hoping to reach my goal weight of 130 by June or before... I was at 135 this summer... but am now up to 140 again! ARGH!!!! some is contributed to not having my allergy medication for my food allergies... so I am not properly digesting my food and retaining water. I am hoping to have that medication back again by next week sometime.
    I need encouragement please... ;help me to stay on track and reach my goal... I need someone to hold me accountable and give me heck when i screw up... (is there a Jillian wanna be out there anywhere?)
    I still have my knee problems... chondromalcia in both knees which is not repairable.. so i have to live with the pain i get in my knees. I know my limitations and try to push beyond them.
    I can do this!!!! will someone be my buddy and help me?
  • ldamron
    ldamron Posts: 7
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    Yay!!! I'm thrilled to know I am not alone! My name's Lori and today is the first day of my journey to a healthier me = )
    I want to lose about 50 lbs (how did i let it get this far?) and could really use support along the way. I have a tedency to start strong and fizzle out in about the 3 - 4 week stretch. I'm excited to see the results in myself that I've seen posted here.
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Good evening!

    I'm back at work...again. I left at 4 pm and was back at 10 pm. My weekend starts at 6 am tomorrow.

    Reporting day on Friday, so here goes! Eating went fairly well, but there is always room for improvement. I've been exercising every day at the gym and a bit at home. I am feeling better each day as my strength and stamina returns. All in all not a bad week.

    Wecome to all of our new friends!

    Fatsoz, I don't think you have too much to worry about. At 10 stone (140 lbs), your weight is very managagable. Make small but significant changes in your diet and exercise. Log your food here at MFP. You will be amazed how quickly the weight comes off. Good luck!

    Lori, staying motivated is the key to success. We are here for you every step of the way!

    Hisangel, you have lots of new "buddies" here. We are like a big family. We are here to support and motivate each other!

    Sissygirl, don't get fixated on a low number like 1200 cals. The bigger picture is the Quality of those calories. If you eat good, clean food, you could easily up your calories a bit and still lose weight. Do you exercise? Let us know a bit about yourself so we can make some suggestions.


    Have a great day all!
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,806 Member
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    Hi everybody!

    Today is Friday for me....so reporting day. Had a bit of a slower week working out because I strained a back muscle on Monday. Nothing too serious, but I did lower the impact of my workouts a bit and modified my lifting. It is getting better slowly, but I was able to workout each day this week, and I'm one workout away from finishing the second week of STS. My eating was very clean all week, and that makes me feel good. So, all in all, a pretty good week. You all heard about my weight yesterday.....so I won't go there again.

    But I do want to thank you all again for your support. Today I've been focusing more on the things I did do right during the move. I mean, I didn't eat out every night (as I could have done), and I worked out (and I could have not)...so, all in all, I could have done alot worse than I did. And for somebody who is always preaching 'listen to your body', you all are right.....my body is telling me that it is better to have a little more weight on me. I just need to get used to it is all. But I am doing better today. So thank you all, once again. I couldn't be on this journey without you. :flowerforyou:

    alf, great job on the Zumba teaching!! Sounds like you are a good instructor. Keep up the great work!!

    Swissmiss, don't worry about the homemade pizza. Pizza, in and of itself, isn't really that bad.....as long as it isn't loaded with high fat meats or tons of cheese, of course. But we eat pizza about twice a month...homemade with lean meats and lots of veggies, and I love it.

    singfree, sorry you are having to work another night. That makes for an outrageously long day! Thanks, as always, for your words of wisdom yesterday. I needed the pep talk yesterday, so it is much appreciated. And I haven't worked out with kettlebells, but I read alot of fitness sites, and people love them. I've never jumped on the bandwagon simply because I have limited space for workout equipment....and they won't fit. But, from everything i know, they are very effective.

    To all our newcomers....welcome!! I hope you stick around, tell us about yourselves, ask questions, etc. I hope you stick with us.

    Hope everybody has a good Friday! :drinker:
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Happy Friday All!

    Reporting day - Another great week for exercise - and clean eating all week :drinker: I actually do much better when life is more routine. Major obstacle this weekend will be a brunch celebration at one of my friends house on Sunday. Not sure what food will be there but hoping for lots of fruits and veggies (Dr. Fuhrman would approve).

    As far as following Eat for Health update - I'm doing really well with getting the fruit servings every day but not so good with the raw veggies. I really think this program would be easier for me to follow in the summer because I live out in the middle of no where and getting to a store to stock up on raw veggies a couple of times a week in the dead of winter is really asking a lot. I am doing a lot of steamed frozen veggies so hopefully that will get me thinking veggies instead of grains.

    ALF: Your Zumba class sounds like so much fun. Definitely take it easier with your hip flexor especially if you plan to continue running.

    SING: When I was in Las Vegas, I noticed there were some gyms dedicated to kettleball work. It seemed to me that the people singing its praises were not bulky at all.

    Stiring: Great attitude about your move adjustments - Remember BALANCE was your goal for the year.
  • tracy1069
    tracy1069 Posts: 16
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    Greetings everyone!

    I just signed up with this website last night with my younger sister's encouragement.

    I turned 40 last October and was also diagnosed with diabetes last year. I have done well with adapting my diet to eat better foods and keep my carb count to approriate levels but I am struggling at keeping my blood-sugar levels consistent throughout the day. Sometimes it is a bit too high and other times my blood-sugar crashes and I MUST eat some carbs even when I am not hungry. I am hoping to normalize this aspect and lose a few more pounds.

    I have a fairly sedentary lifestyle as well and hope that I can get motivated to at least walk every day and get into better shape. The older you get, the hard it is!

    Thanks for being there and providing support!

    Tracy
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Tracy, welcome to the thread. A diabetic diet is very healthy. I actually lost 55 pounds on one a few years ago. I went back to my bad eating habits then and gained 30 of them back. You are right about it being harder to be healthy in our eating and exercise as we get older.

    I have been very honest about logging in my foods this week. I hope to see some weight lose soon. I am already down four pounds of the holiday pounds that I gained.
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Hello!!!! Check in day!! It was a really good week for me, I ate clean most of the time as planned and I did all my workouts as planned. I am back down to pre-Holiday weight, 124.6 Yay!!! :drinker: :drinker: So I am very happy that I can declare this past Holiday season as a successful one in terms of not gaining a lot of weight and having to have a "lose weight" New Years resolution. :drinker: :drinker: Yes, I did overindulged at times but that is normal. Happy to report that I had 15 students last night in my class:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :love: :love: It was so much fun!!! I already spoke with the fitness center staff about needing more space and perhaps moving my class to the basketball court. We also need better flooring in the aerobics room. Will it happen? Not sure...I always wear my HRM but forget to turn it on but last night I did after an intense song and my HR was at 180!!!! Crazy!!!! :noway: You can really burn some serious calories doing Zumba if you take it up a notch.

    Welcome to all the new members!!! The more the merrier. Tracy, eating healthier and exercising is the best treatment for diabetes. Take care of yourself. As Stiring said, I hope all the new members stay here with us. We all help each other succeed in our health and fitness goals.

    Sing, I have not worked out with kettlebells but I have seen people work out with them and they look tough. It is something different to try and I am sure it will challenge your muscles in a different way. Is there a class you can attend? I think that would be better to learn the proper way to work out with them.

    Duffy, I have not ran since my injury in mid Nov. I can say that I do miss it. My husband is kinda "waiting" for me to start running again with him but I keep telling him that my priority right now is Zumba and heal completely from hip flexor injury. I am not too sure it will heal completely since I am still exercising. :grumble: :noway: I am glad that last year I experienced the adrenaline rush you get from race running. I am glad God gave me the stamina to do a couple of 5K's, a 10K, a 10 miler and 2 half marathons!!!! What a rush!!!! I told my husband that I want him to continue running and that I will support him if he decides to enter some races but he keeps insisting it will not be the same if I am not running with him.

    Have a wonderful day!!! :flowerforyou:
  • tracy1069
    tracy1069 Posts: 16
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    You are right about it being harder to be healthy in our eating and exercise as we get older.

    I have been very honest about logging in my foods this week. I hope to see some weight lose soon. I am already down four pounds of the holiday pounds that I gained.

    SwissMiss...thanks for the encouragement! It is also kind of painful at first to log everything I put in my mouth...I am sure I am not alone here! :tongue: Good job on that 4 pounds! Keep going!

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