40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

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  • CHRISSYEPSON
    CHRISSYEPSON Posts: 16
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    Ok....I will give this a try.......I hope I do this right!
    I am a 46 year old female from Minnesota.....mom of 2 boys..... for so many years I have been taking care of my children, and neglecting myself......... now I need to start taking care of myself . I have lost 7 pounds since I started this program and I need help to keep going!
    Thanks
  • AnahitaCanDoIt
    AnahitaCanDoIt Posts: 448
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    Hi there, guys! A 41yo checking in. I've been on this new lifestyle since Jan 10, 2010 and I've lost over 6kg/over 13lbs.

    I started at 97.7kg (215.4lbs) and am now 91.7kg (202.16lbs). I was a size 20 and now I'm an 18 (UK)...

    My plan is calorie counting, fibre g/day: 22, cals/day 1400, 90+g of protein, lower fat and lower carbs. Not an exact science! But I'm meticulous about measuring and counting.

    Exercise is a mix of classes (boxercise, cardio/tone, aquafit (aquaaerobics)) and going to a PT twice a week for mostly strength training (Kettlebells). I'm averaging about 5 days a week for an hour but this week we're off school so it's about 8 hrs/this week. I'm still very very unfit so don't think I'm really a monster exerciser, but it's better than sitting on my *kitten* all day eating!

    I live in Ireland and I have two kids!

    Now, my goals:

    size 10UK, 65kg/143.3lbs, be firm, fit and toned, feel strong and cardiovascularly fit enough to not shy away from doing things (like walking up a lot of flights of stairs)...

    Thanks for all your posts! I really find your successes motivating and your challenges comforting.

    So, go raibh míle maith agaibh! Slán!
    (Thank you all and goodbye, in Irish)
  • CHRISSYEPSON
    CHRISSYEPSON Posts: 16
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    how do I join this group?
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Chrissyepson, you just did!!!! :laugh: Just keep posting about yourself, challenges, successes, struggles, etc. We are all here to help each other. Congrats on your weight loss!!!! :drinker: :drinker: What do you think is most challenging for you? Welcome!!! :drinker:

    Welcome Anahita!!! :drinker: :drinker: Wow, Ireland!!! You are doing a great job, congrats!!! :drinker: It is very important to set goals!

    Swiss, good to see you!!!! I got 4 huge chocolate covered strawberries from my husband. I am going to eat one every day...well, I had two yesterday. :laugh: :laugh: You get these chocolates once a year right? As long as you dont eat them all in one sitting it would be ok. Just enjoy them a little bit at a time. Save them for when you are really crave them and have been able to burn a lot of calories. That is my suggestion...

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • mkwood10
    mkwood10 Posts: 428
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    Hi everybody! Bet you all thought I dropped off the face of the earth:laugh: :laugh: .
    I haven'thad the time to go back and read posts, so I'll just say I trust that everyone is doing OK with all the crazy weather most of the US has had in the last 3 weeks!!

    At work we are in the middle of major office moves (thank goodness I'm not one of the ones who are moving) and we are getting new carpet one suite at a time. Amazingly, we all received permission to paint if we wanted to before they lay the new carpet. So.........trying to help finalize who is moving where and when along with choosing paint, painting 3+ days last week and still trying to get stuff sorted to be able to pack it up when they come to carpet our suite. In other words........work has been chaos for about 3 weeks!!!!

    Home has been stressful too - had to do taxes by myself this year......yuk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:noway: :noway: :grumble: . I FINALLY got them done and the refunds have made it to the hubby's bank account. Still have to do the youngest daughter's taxes and then file the dreaded FAFSA form............which is almost as bad as doing taxes!!! :grumble: :grumble: For those of you who don't have college-age children; you have to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) form and submit it online even if you don't intend to take the student loans they offer you. For us, we make too much for the daughters to qualify for subsidized loans (don't pay interest until after college graduation), so to me it's a complete waste of my time!. Several scholarships my daughter gets require that the FAFSA is submitted before the scholarship deadline.....uggghhhhhhh!!! The only bright side is that I only have to do it one more time, then she'll have her bachelors degrees and be responsible for her own college loans. She's planning to go to Physician's Assistant school, which will not be cheap! She knows that is going to be her responsibility to find the financing for it - Mom and Dad's pockets aren't that deep!!:laugh: :laugh:

    So.......still stuck at 126-127, and working out 3 times a week most weeks. Haven't had to shovel any snow lately - Yeah!!! With my luck I just cursed myself and Kansas will get hit with a major snowstorm in the next week.:grumble: :grumble: Today I have to leave work early to meet the furnace guys at my house - I woke up yesterday to a 63° house and couldn't get the furnace to kick on!!!!! Bought a new programmable thermostat, had a friend install it and STILL woke up to a 65° house this morning, so had to call the furnace people. If it's not one thing, it's another lately for me!!!! What the heck.....it's only money, right?????

    Later!!
    Marla
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Alf, obviously you cannot be trusted with those chocolate covered strawberries. Better send them to me for safe keeping! :laugh:

    Hi Maria & Swiss!
  • denimangel
    denimangel Posts: 85 Member
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    Hello Everyone!! I'm back from snowy MN!! While I didn't get to do my usual workouts while there I did do lots of walking.
    Wednesday before my daughter left we went to the mall and walked about 1.5 hours.
    Thursday I once again went to the mall with my son, daughter in law and granddaughter. Carried my 18lb granddaughter for the majority of the time we were there.. walked about 1.5 hours again.
    Friday I wasn't quite so lucky and didn't get to do much... except cleaning my 7 year old granddaughters bedroom... would that count as a workout??
    Saturday was the same as Friday... although I did wrestle around with the grandkids a bit...that is always a chore... but not quite a workout.
    Sunday... well I left on Sunday... stood in line at security check for about 45 minutes... then I had to walk about 1.5 miles to my gate.. only to find out 20 minutes later that it was changed and had to go back the other direction about a quarter mile... so I did get a good walk in... carrying my backpack!
    Came home very congested most likely from my cat allergy (my daughter has 4 cats!!) When I woke up this morning I was still very congested and my throat is fire engine red and feels like it needs one! But that didn't stop me... I did 2.5 miles on the treadmill, carried up firewood, and cleaned the house (while I was gone my step daughter and her family were here). So far today I have burned more calories than I have eaten!! YAY!!
    I will wait until this Friday to check in... I hope that everyone else has had a good week.!! It is sooooo good to be back!! Thanks to everyone for keeping me motivated!!

    Angel
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,791 Member
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    hisangel, sounds like you had an active trip, even if you weren't able to 'workout'. I'm glad you made it home safely, and I hope you lose the congestion soon. I, too, suffer from some animal allergies, and I hate that tickly/stuffy feeling I get from them.

    mkwood! :drinker: Soooooo happy to see you. I've been thinking about you alot lately, wondering if everything was going okay. You are half way through the deployment, right? It must be feeling like forever right about now. But great job at maintaining your weight right now, given everything you've been going through. I think that's amazing. Please keep checking in when you get a chance. I worry about people when they don't check-in for a little while......:blushing:

    singfree, thanks for your input on post workout snacks/meals. I'm working at changing my daily diet a bit right now because I think I'm beginning to understand some of my incredible craving for sweets and why I am letting myself get derailed every now and again. When we were in California, I ate alot of fruit. Well, winter in Korea is different than Southern California (to put it mildly), so I'm eating a fraction of the fruit I used to eat. The end result....my calories are down quite a bit (because I haven't replaced that food item) AND I'm having horrible cravings for something sweet. So I'm going to try to implement something of a post workout snack (at least in the afternoon). I made some nutty granola this morning (Ellie Krieger) and had a couple tablespoons of that with some plain yogurt and a banana....and it made for a nice, healthy snack that also tasted pleasantly sweet to me. So I'm hoping that keeps the hunger away AND the sweet cravings away a bit. I also figure it is a nice blend of protein and carbs, so it works for a good after workout snack as well.

    2BLean, I agree with what alf said about your dinner. There is absolutely no problem from what I can tell from eating dinner at 6:30pm or much later. Like I said in my post to alf, the whole 'don't eat after 7:00pm' thing really is just a diet myth. In other words, it isn't as if all of those calories are being turned into fat simply because of the time of day they were consumed. I think eating dinner after your workout...given the time of your workout....is the better option (over a snack) since it will then be many hours until you eat again. I know I did my workouts for years at that time (when I was working), always eating dinner after, and was able to stay thin (when I didn't eat too many sweets, of course) while doing it.

    Swissmiss, enjoy your Valentine's Day candy. I know I enjoyed the candy my husband gave me. :tongue:

    tamarads, I hear you about the sugar. I had almost completely gotten rid of the sugar cravings last year, but right now, it seems I can't beat them. Hence why I'm trying to change my diet up a bit. Sugar is my downfall, and I know if I rid my diet of it, I don't crave it nearly as much as I usually do. But, like you, a couple of desserts....and I'm hooked again.

    So I've made yet another 'promise' to myself about sweets. I'm headed to Hawaii in April, and I really do want to look good for that. I don't know if I'm as brave as alf is in wearing a bikini :laugh: ....but I'd like to think I'd look good enough to be able to wear one if I so chose. So......I'm going to go sweet-free (minus two days) for the next 75 days. That's my goal right now, and we'll see how I do. I really was hoping I could find 'balance' when it came to my passion for sweets, but that doesn't seem to be working for me. So I'm thinking the mentality I used last year (eat sweets only for celebrations....hence the two days up there) may be my very best approach. We'll see.

    I had a horrible weekend for eating, that's for sure. And I felt horrible as well, so that serves as a good reminder to me why I need to just not eat too many sweets. My body really doesn't like sugar. I suffered from problems for years and never recognized what they were. Now I know that so many of my health-related issues in the past were nothing more than my body's reaction to too much sugar. So I have an incentive to keep my eating clean....if I can just get past the cravings and this darned 'emotional eating' thing I'm going through right now. I'm hoping the onset of spring soon (at least I hope it is soon!) will help fix that latter issue.

    But I'm in my second week of the second cycle of STS and loving it....so the workouts are going well. Thank goodness for that.

    Welcome to our newcomers! Please keep posting and sharing. :flowerforyou:

    Hope everybody has a good Tuesday.
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Good morning!

    We dodged a bullet with the snow, just a light dusting. I was worried because I had a rehearsal in Hershey last night (speaking of sweets)!

    Stiring, can you get your fruit fix with frozen fruit? We buy a lot of frozen fuit for convenience. I like berries or pineapple in my protein shakes. I agree that CA is the place in the US to get any type of fruit. I'm glad you like Ellie Krieger too. We think she is great. I like plain yogurt with cinnamon and 1/2 each apple and banana. It is a great snack or light meal. Your "promise" sounds just like me! When I set a date or event as a goal, I tend to stay the course. It must be in "our" family's DNA.

    I got some tremendous workouts in yesterday. At the gym during lunch I started on the elliptical, then hit the weights hard (upper body). When I got home I did a short but intense kettlebell workout. I can REALLY feel it today! It's a wonderful feeling to know that I am getting stronger and more fit each day. Today is cardio, lower body and lower back day. I'm keeping my protein somewhat higher, although I will adjust if I am getting weak from not enough carbs.

    hisangel, it's good to have you back! I'm glad your trip was a safe one.

    mk, aaahh the joys of winter! As I said in an earlier post, if your weight is not coming off, mix it up a bit. Do something different and up the intensity. Make a few small changes to your diet. You will be amazed at your result!

    Welcome Anahita! Please stay with us. We will motivate you to reach your goals!! And we're nice people too (and modest)!!

    Have a great day!
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Happy Fat Tuesday! So nice to know that starting tomorrow those of us cutting back will be greatly increased.

    Stiring: I must be in the same boat as you in regard to sweets - for me it is my osteoarthritis that really flares up when I eat more sugar and white flour products. I watched Dr. Oz's special on Diabetes and I actually now understand why a lot better. Pretty much those sweets are like razor blades in your body slices and dices their way around and that is why there is so much more inflamation. I'm with Sing - I live on frozen fruit. Not only do I add it to my smoothies one of my favorite breakfasts is flax waffles with a cup of mixed berries microwaved until warm. Yumm that is what I had today.

    MK HisAngel -Glad to see you back.

    Welcome Newbies - Set a goal and check-in on Friday that is all we require.
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Good Morning All:

    Got some snow here today, and they said more just in time for afternoon rush hour. Isn't that always the way?

    We had a quiet Valentine's Day. It was very romantic that my husband watched the Daytona 500 all day, not!

    I am enjoying the Olympics. It was iteresting that they said the Apollo Ohno is 20 lbs lighter than he was at the last Olympics, and he certainly was fit at the last Olympics. Must have been all the Dancing he did in between LOL!
  • deb201
    deb201 Posts: 7 Member
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    Hi everyone! I'm new here - well not to the site, but to the message board. I'm Debbie, just turned 50 two weeks ago. I've been on and off of this site for the past year or so, and I know that when I stick to it, it really does work! I was about 10 lbs away from goal weight of 129 over the summer, and then over the holidays I put on almost 10 lbs. I seem to do that every year... why???! I just want to be healthy - that's mostly what it's about now that I've turned 50. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and supporting each other.

    P.S. - it's snowing AGAIN here in NJ!!
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Welcome Deb!
    and Zebras - Don't blame your husband for all day Daytona thing - blame Daytona speedway - Hello - you have 2 major races a year and you can't make sure the track is race ready.:grumble: I was just grateful that the Olympics were available to switch back and forth between.
  • JuliaSoCal
    JuliaSoCal Posts: 87
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    SOOOOO, yesterday I actually got on the elleptical..I really really REALLY had a hard time eating those calorie back. I just dont trust it... I am going on faith here....

    Julia
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,791 Member
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    duffy, thanks for the info on Dr. Oz's program on sugar. I may look for that one on line. Do you have any idea when it aired? Like I've said before, I really notice the impact sugar has on my body now that I didn't have much sugar for the better part of a year. The most baffling thing to me is the onset of night sweats anytime I eat a large amount of sugar. They start right up like clock work if I've had a dessert....and they stop the day I stop eating sugar. It is such a strange reaction, and I'd love to better understand what is causing my body to do that. I think if I understand what my body is reacting to, then maybe I won't be tempted as much to say 'It doesn't matter' and eat the cake I am craving. In other words, I want to try to figure out what my body is telling me by doing that....because, no doubt, it isn't trying to tell me something good.

    singfree and duffy, thanks for your recommendations on frozen fruit. Yes, I can get some. I just don't prefer it as much as fresh, so I'm simply not as inclined to eat it. :blushing: I probably should admit to the fact that I hadn't eaten fruit for years before we moved to California. I was diagnosed with an ulcer in my early 20s, and fruit was one of those things that I just couldn't handle in my stomach. I tried over the years, but it seemed like about three days in to eating fruit again, my stomach would turn to pure acid. But it seems once I cleaned up my diet (probably by ridding it of extra sugar) last year, I could eat fruit for the first time in 20 years. And, of course, my habits were developed around fresh fruit, not frozen. I guess I just need to change those habits. I still have an apple a day, and am now trying to incorporate a banana a day (I had my first bananas in years when we got here to Korea, and now I can't stop craving them). But with my new granola (very tasty, btw) and my yogurt, a bit of frozen fruit may become my after dinner dessert.

    singfree, Ellie Krieger IS great, isn't she? I've not been disappointed in anything I've tried in her cookbooks. I highly recommend her to anybody looking for good, tasty recipes that are relatively easy AND healthy.

    Welcome deb 201!! :flowerforyou:

    zebras, I've been following the Apolo Ohno story as well. His fitness this time in the Olympics is truly amazing. I hope he wins another medal!

    JuliaSoCal, are you eating back the calories the machine is reading that you burned? Just a word of warning....elliptical machines (more than other machines....but this is also true of other machines) do routinely over-estimate the number of calories burned during exercise. So if you are hesitant about eating those calories, then you might want to try to find a more accurate way of determining your calorie burn (like a HRM). In addition, where eating exercise calories becomes a must is when you get closer to your goal weight (when your body needs the food in order to shed the weight). If you are listening to your body, eating until you are comfortably full, have enough energy for your workouts, etc and you aren't eating back ALL of your calories, then I wouldn't worry about it if I were you right now. Again, that rule will change as you get closer to your goal weight, but, right now, I think it is best to listen to your body and as long as you are fueling it well enough that you feel good, go with how you feel.

    Off to do a back/bicep workout. :drinker: I've got one day under my belt of eating cleanly again....and already feel better. I still have to wonder why I eat poorly sometimes when I feel so much better when I don't eat poorly. It makes no sense to me, yet I continue to do it. :ohwell:
  • denimangel
    denimangel Posts: 85 Member
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    Hello everyone...

    Welcome Deb.

    Did a 25 minute upper body workout this morning..wanted to go for longer but found it hard to breath this morning with whatever it is I have. Going to the dr tomorrow... it is not good to have laryngitis when you work in elderly who are hearing impaired. My husband..bless him.. actually came in and read for me today since my voice is gone. did stay under my calorie goal for today... and I have definatly had my full intake of water!!:drinker: :drinker: it cools my throat down so I just keep drinking :laugh: :drinker:

    Thanks to everyone for the support

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

    Happy Wednesday everybody!

    Stiring, I too prefer fresh fruit, but the choices are limited and fairly expensive during the winter months. Also, I get on a roll with fruit...sometimes I like it every day, sometimes every few days. When it's frozen, it's always "fresh", especially if I use it in a smoothie or yogurt. Ellie's book actually has words? I was having a hard time getting past the cover...very easy to look at! :blushing: Just kidding, we use her recipes often. She probably has the best credentials of anyone on Food Network.

    Hisangel, I hope you are feeling better very soon. My hat is off to all who take such great care of the elderly. During her stay in assisted living, my mother was treated well by a caring and compassionate staff.

    Speaking of Daytona: I'm not a race fan, but I think that the PA Dept. of Transportation worked on the track. It looked like the potholes I see around here in the winter!!!

    OK- I'm still eating more protein and trying to limit the carbs (junk food carbs). I'm really enjoying the kettlebell workouts. They give you a lot of bang for the buck.

    Next week I am going to buy 4 kettlebells...2 for me and 2 for my wife....
    For her (18 & 26.5 lbs), and for me (35 & 44 lbs). I'm really glad that we can reap the benefits of fitness as we grow older. We take fitness seriously and we do not take good health for granted.

    Have a great day...stay warm and stay motivated!

    PS- My countdown ticker to Germany is at 96 days!
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Good Morning Sing and Everyone:

    Got my husband to workout with me last night. A major accomplishment. Its just that he usually stops after about 3 visits to the gym, and I don't know how to keep him going. I'll just keep inviting him whenever I go up, I guess.
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Zebras, that's a tough one. Keeping a spouse motivated can be very difficult. Maybe you need to try the "dangle a carrot on a stick" approach. Think of some small "reward" that you can give him if he meets certain goals...like a nice dinner or a weekend getaway. Nagging or inflicting pain or guilt rarely works on men (quite the opposite). Guys (i.e. me) melt like butter with a soft, feminine approach. Please do not tell anyone about this!!! Men take a solemn oath to act the way we do. No, it is not in our DNA...rather it's an unwritten code.
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Uh Oh, Sing, giving away the Men's Playbook! We'll keep your secret. Yes, I have realized inflicting guilt hasn't worked, I've tried. My frustration with him is that he'll go up once or twice a month and then expect results. Even though he has seen how much work it takes me to get the scale to budge at all. I'll be the first once to say it will only happen for a person when they are ready to make the change, but he complains about his weight, and then often doesn't do anything about it. Exercise is key for him because he is not really a bad eater, and when he cuts down on his food, he tends to get really depressed, and if he had a fairly easy 5-day a week exercise regimen, his weight would probably take care of itself. Sorry to be a whiner today! I love that no matter what the topic, you all give me such great support here.

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