WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR OCTOBER 2012

Happy Sunday!

Today is the first meeting of our dinner club for the winter season. :happy: We don’t usually meet on a Sunday afternoon, but last night the comedian Lorne Elliot was performing in town (it’s a Canadian thing) and since most of the dinner club had tickets we decided to postpone the dinner. The theme is “Australian” so I am expecting beer and grill. We shall see. I am going to try to stay very close to the calorie mark instead of giving myself a day off. See below for explanation:

Permission to whine? :grumble: Thanks.

I am just over 5’ tall and my goal weight is 120. I gained 3 pounds over the summer and went from 123 to 126.:noway: I can’t seem to get back into the rhythm of loosing. I’ve been bouncing around 124-6 for six weeks. :explode: Perhaps some of the problem is that I don’t feel the same urgency I felt when I weighed 160 lbs. I look OK, I feel strong. But I’m not finished yet. I’m not done. When I look in the mirror honestly I can see that I still have a good bit of padding around my hips and a jiggle in my belly. What to do, what to do...

Lila, glad to hear your conference went well, I guessed you were at St. Eugene!:happy: Did you manage to get the leaves bagged for the garden waste pick-up? I could get DH to stop by on his way to Trail (he has meetings there often) to throw them in his truck and haul them away for you. Dead bear? :noway: Whew. Better dead than rampaging, though.

Ah,books. Amanda, I have a clear image of you curled up in your window seat reading.

We are all readers in this family, even J’boy has been observed with his eyes glued to the paper page and not the electronic text. DD is working on a Master’s Degree in creative writing. :ohwell: How’s that for living the childhood obsession?

Congratulations, CSueB, on getting in an early morning run and on being close to your goal. Cake and beer?

Wesscg – no worries! I am glad to read you enjoyed your visit with your brother.

Jolene! “the fluffy girl escaped”! What a great image. My fluffy girl is fighting her last battle with Mrs. Slim and Trim.

Hasta pronto,

Nancy


October goals:
Try a different drop-in exercise class at the Rec Centre.
Re-start New Rules of Lifting for Life
Go for a walk with Buster-the-Dog four days a week
Stay positive when folks get negative at work, surround myself with positive people.
Count my blessings!

bump

Hey everyone. Happy Sunday. What a gorgeous day here! Lots of sunshine for those yard chores! My trip went well; I got taken to breakfast Wednesday by some people from another publishing house, then lunch with the author team for this book before our meeting. Then of course we had dinner at a great Asian Fusion place. The next day we had a meeting all day until 4 when I had to leave for the airport. So needless to say; my eating was awful. Most of the food was pre-chosen; you had a choice of 2-3 things. Everything was very rich, so although I didn’t eat a lot in quantity, I’m sure I made up for that with just plain calories. Then last night we went out with some friends for prime rib. I was pretty good, cut my piece up into what I thought was 4 ounces and only ate half the other stuff, but then I had about 4 glasses of wine. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Sooooooooooooooo my week of bad eating is done and over with and now it’s time to get back to more healthy ways! Speaking of eating…(you’ll love this one) DD#1 made tuna helper without the tuna. When questioned, her only response was “I read the directions.”. Good thing I wasn’t here because I would have smarted off and said something like “Why do you need directions to know that tuna goes in tuna helper?” :noway:

Philly is a beautiful old town that is great for walking. I just wish I had time to get some in. We did walk both days from our hotel to the publishing offices, about 10 blocks each way. So at least there was that. It’s flat and I guess built in squares so that makes walking, biking, and taking the subway easy to figure out. The meetings were so long and detailed…I just can’t believe they put that much effort into it….what color should the title of this feature be in? What paper should we switch to this time? It’s so competitive that any little change seems to have enormous repercussions. They survey both users and non-users of the book and of course all that was discussed in great detail. We looked at each feature, each ancillary item and went over it in that painstaking detail. By about 3 on the second day, my face was numb…literally. I finally stood up and said “Sorry, but I’m done!” They all laughed; I guess they were too! :bigsmile:

Next time I’m going to ask for an afternoon walking break both days. I’d rather go longer than sit straight through lunch and everything else (the second day we had lunch brought it and worked through it). I might even consider staying over that last night too so I can sight see or at least not have to run to the airport (there’s a planning meeting for each edition of the book). But I learned a ton and I am glad I went and am being given this opportunity.

Laura: your story reminds me that the other day I picked up one of my cats who seems to weigh a TON and put him on the scale. He weighs 18 pounds; the exact amount I have lost. I too was struck by how heavy that was and felt like yeah, no wonder I’m stiff and sore, and out of breath! It feels good to weigh an entire cat less! :laugh:

Texas gal and I guess Amanda too: I am an avid reader too. Last week I was trying to get a web link for an article I want my students to read and asked the librarian for it. She didn’t get that I was seeing the article in a real print journal and kept saying “Just copy the link you used at the top of your page!” I finally walked the journal down to the library and showed it to her and she said “Oh my gosh…a real print journal. That is so quaint!” Maybe I’m a dinosaur, but what’s the world coming to! :glasses:

Lila; I hope you got your raking in! I did complain about the internet charge to no avail. Strange, the cheap hotels/motels all have free internet, but I guess the 5 star Hyatt can’t afford to comp it!

Glenda: your conference sounds very interesting. Good for you to have lost that weight! Keep it up!

Barbie: sounds like you are getting lots of exercise in. Good for you! I missed the stinky dog story, but my hubby used to walk our last dog at about 5 in the morning. One morning I woke up at 5:15-ish to the sound of the bathtub running and had just thought “what is he doing? He never takes baths, he likes showers”…..when my nose was assaulted with skunk. We had two cats at the time and our dog loved them. Well apparently she mistook a skunk for a nice kitty to play with. She got a full-face spray at about 1 foot! UGH :sick:

Liz: I’m glad someone else does deep cleaning. I have a 2-year schedule LOL Each room gets it once every two years. They need it more, but that’s the best we can do.

Michele: your pool/yard saga continues! When will this all be done and ready for you to enjoy?

Wessecg: don’t sweat the extra cals. In a week or two you won’t know the difference. I really believe that there are times we can go “off wagon” and just enjoy the pure experience of eating and keeping company. Of course I fall for that way too often!

Jolene: I don’t know the story of your foot, but I sure hope it is getting better. Don’t fall prey to the self-loathing demon. I know for me, that got me into more trouble than just saying….well, I’ll know better tomorrow. I try for the philosophy that if you are going over your calories, enjoy every bite and don’t waste them on stuff you really don’t want or like. Just keep on your path!

Linda: your chili sounds good. I need a good healthy chili recipe because I think that will be on next week’s menu!

DeeDee: now you really have to post a pic…tiara AND curls!

M: Here’s hoping you feel better today!

Well time to get to work. I want to get enough done that I can watch baseball tonight! Tomorrow begins another round of getting up at 4:30 for a 10-hour clinical day, this time with the accelerated students (my normal batch) on the coronary care unit. Take care, Meg

DeeDeeDarlin',
Thank you for being bold enough to share your story with us! Between that and the Rainbow Bridge poem, it has been an emotional morning for me as i read through the posts. :blushing: :brokenheart:

I too, want to thank you and the group for your encouragement. I realize i'm not very good about posting, but i DO read them faithfully, and say a little prayer for you all~ you have helped me in more ways than you know! :smooched: :flowerforyou:

i haven't lost very much weight yet, but i hope to stick with it~ i've GOT to get healthy!

Take good care of yourselves, y'all~ we tend to spend most of our time & energy on our loved ones, and not on ourselves....
it's OK~ we're WORTH it!

Hope you all have a BLESSED Sunday and a great week! :flowerforyou:

Please say a prayer for my Uncle Arvle~ he is having surgery in the morning to remove a cancer from his lungs. Thanks.

and..... drink that water! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Janie :flowerforyou:

Happy Sunday!!
The wind died down and brought a heavy frost (I think it’s called a killing frost) and this morning the golden leaves are falling continuously in the yard. It’s hard to walk away from the window, sort of like falling snow, where you get fascinated watching each one fall and swirl. You can hardly tell where I raked it into all those neat windrows yesterday, oh well, it felt productive at the time.

Meg – sometimes the higher the price on the hotel, the less free amenities it seems. Probably down to the point that they don’t need to compete too much. People seem to have quite a loyalty to specific chains of hotels. I have those “membership” cards to a whole bunch of the big chains so I do get the freebies and upgrades when I book. Your session sounded really interesting, but you’re right, they need to consider the health of their attendees and balance it a bit more. I personally hate working lunches because I really do need the break to move about and get the blood flowing and refresh my poor little brain from all the recycled air. Maybe you could give them your feedback on the meeting structure before the planning starts for the next one. It’s a shame they didn’t give you a half-day to get some sightseeing in but maybe they expect you to arrange an earlier or later flight in order to do that. The stinky dog story was that one of mine rolled in a dead bear with a bonus of coyote urine on it – I don’t think it was as bad as skunk though, just grosser.

Nancy – your dinner club sounds like fun – how do you set the themes? My family members are all avid readers as well. We have a Christmas rule; everyone gets at least 1 book, one musical or art related gift, one set of new pyjamas and one gift that reflects their passion. We never determine who is doing what but it always works out – it’s cosmic! Some of us get quite few books at times. Thanks for the hubby offer but I doubt he’d appreciate standing at our landfill emptying each bag (yes, even if they are compostable). Our works crew does a Friday/Monday special garden waste cleanup run both spring and fall. After looking at my tree, I probably will have most of the leaves down and bagged by next weekend. Your whine really wasn’t a whine, just a frustration explanation. I’m sure lots of the women here will respond with some ideas of what worked for them for that last 6 pounds.

Texas girl – Oh, I wouldn’t be looking at the leaves over the winter, just the 2 feet of snow on top of them (but I would have to do the soggy clean up in spring – lol). I think we all wish Barbie were local and available to do the line dancing thing with us!!! And thanks for the great graphic!

Jeannie – my heart aches for you and your son. Prayers for you and that he will be safe and reconcile (and for a computer for you).

Robbi – what a great idea for a baby shower! I kept all my kids’ favourite books so they have them when I finally get grandchildren. My girls asked me to cancel the cable when they were in junior high, didn’t want the distraction and neither of them have it now either. I think they occasionally watch things online though.

Amanda – love the “copper spangle” – sometimes children have the most expressive use of words. I still remember when my Caitlin had to describe her parents at pre-school and she said her mom was a counter – you know, those people who play with other people’s money. I loved the Narnia books, so did my youngest and Toad and Badger were lovely childhood companions. I think my driving habits devolved from Mr. Toad. I’m not sure I would want to be around any stags in rutting season – you’re brave.

cSueB – wow, what time did you go running?

Liz – glad you got a good sleep, unfortunately sleep disturbances are sort of normal for ladies of a certain age – lol. A Gamers’ Weekend doesn’t sound very interesting to me, however, to each their own. Sounds like the male-bonding thing is important to them though.

Glenda – global leadership conference – sounds very interesting. I would have thought the food choices would reflect food sustainability leadership. Treadmill is ready to go, seems a waste to use it yet when I can be out in the fresh air instead. It’s really for those rotten times in winter when I just can’t handle the snow and cold for the length of time needed for the walk. We’re really hilly here and stomping up and down hills in boots on icy walks with dogs on leashes gets a little challenging sometimes, and downright dangerous at others; hence the treadmill addition. I saw a show somewhere with a dog on the treadmill – can’t imagine Rex agreeing to that. I also think that face-to-face would be cool, maybe someday we’ll have a conference weekend for all of us here on the post. V8 with Tabasco sounds really good, will have to try that. I’ve heard that Lethbridge is fairly windy, or is that Red Deer? I’m really only familiar with Calgary and Okotoks. Congrats on the 15# since January, that is something to be proud of, consistent continual loss = good thing.

Barbie – your living is truly a living room, not a room for show. I love the idea of the bike in the middle of it.

Mary – sounds like you have a great farmers’ market available. I wish we had more – there is one in the next town but really it’s about crafts and other things more than actual vegetables and produce.

Wessecg – she who regrets is a fool twice (old Russian adage) – get back on the horse (hee hee) and forget about the fall. Sounds like the brother visit was good.

Jolene – ditto to above post. And I love the image of the fluffy girl escaping.

DeeDee – the hail looked like inches of little white pebbles on the ground, not nice fluffy snow – but it melted really quickly so I did get an awful lot of work done.
You spend the time to curl your hair, and I spend mine straightening it – life is curious sometimes isn’t it?

M – my children collected the Potter figurines too – Jemima Puddleduck was the favourite for some reason. They are packed away with the books in totes in my basement – waiting to be brought out to be treasured by a new generation (someday). The hail was really dense, but not really forceful so nothing was damaged. We are getting some very odd weather in funny spurts and it’s probably just a sign of things to come.

Kate – how nice about the size changes. And the colour thing – I find I’m much more colourful the smaller I get (no necessity to blend into the background anymore). Good luck with the costumes – what about just renting one? As for the hamster on the wheel – maybe you need jb’s profile picture.

Well, this turned out to be a mammoth post – sorry all…..
Maybe I am just postponing the yard work waiting for me out there. I’ll call my sister and have a natter then get out there and get working by noon. I should be ready to have a quiet night reading up on my homework for the Heart-Mind Inquiry course starting tomorrow and I still haven’t finished that darned book and the book club night is tomorrow too.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday
Lila

:flowerforyou: It's been a beautiful Sunday here in Denver,

texasgal- congrats on the loss and hoping that you were able to get in those steps that you wanted:drinker: Wow you are ambious wanting to lose #15 by Christmas....but then again so is hubby he wants to lose that much too...I'm sure it can be done if you apply yourself:drinker:

Lila-do hope the hail stopped long enough for you to finish your raking. Hubby did our yards this am and you can't even tell he did anything, but that's what you get when you have a hugh cottonwood tree:ohwell:

Glenda-a workout in a cold pool:noway: there is no way you could get me in a cold pool, hubby has a hardenough time getting me in the hot tub during the winter as it is:ohwell: Congrats on that #2 loss and the over all #15 since January I'm sure it made your Doctor very happy.

Barbie-I'm sure you will be logging miles a day with that bike in your living room:drinker:

Liz-I love when I have a productive Saturday, they just make you feel so good afterwards, then it's just fun to sit and look at all you accomplished around you:flowerforyou:

Mary- how was that sweet potato? I've never heard of that kind before:huh:

Michele- I can't wait to try that receipe...it sounds wonderful:flowerforyou:

Wessecg-never beat yourself up for a day of indulgence, it's if you don't get back to the program then you beat yourself up I'm sure your time with your brother was wonderful ...now back to the real world:happy:

jolene-I've been having talks with my hubby and sons lately about how much we are like our parents (Jane and I talked about it too on our lunch) Just yesterday Son #1 was telling me "he has become his dad" and then told me what he'd done which is just like his dad:happy: I figure it's the highest form of compliment to our parents.

DeeDee-I'm sure that you didn't really look a mess, it's just that hair curled is so different than straight:flowerforyou:

M-how awful to get a stomach bug when you had such great plans to work on the costurme. Hope it didn't linger and that today was better:flowerforyou:

Amanda- it's hard to believe it's been two years since those grandtwins were born....how time flies

Jeannie-so glad you were able to check in, Hoping the next few weeks are better and that your son will see the light and stop blaming everyone else for his actions...I know it's hard to live through but eventually they do grow up:flowerforyou:

Nancy- I hear you about those last few pounds, when we took our long weekend to Las Vegas the beginning of September I was so close to my goal and it was so hard to get back into the routine...I sure did love having the time off...but YOU CAN do this it's not that much we are cheering you on from afar:drinker:

Meg- tuna helper without the tuna:laugh: I think that's called noodle cassarole. Last night hubby and I were talking and I told him I had lost 3 Peanuts as Peanut weighs about #10...sometimes that feels like to much:ohwell:

Kate-Last minute costumes were always the norm in our family. When the boys were young it seemed like they always waited until a few days before and I would be up sewing at midnight the night before completing the costume ...boy am I glad that time is over:huh: good luck with your last minute creations.

Janie- will be praying for your uncle, so hard when our loved ones have illness:flowerforyou:

lentigogirl-Bellydancing:noway: I'm just not quite ready to try that one....so how did you do?:huh:

*****

Hubby has gone to a movie and I'm finishing up my work breakfasts and lunches for the week, getting everything organized so I will have all my ducks in a row.

I remember when I started to love to read was when they found out that I needed glasses when I was in 3rd grade. After that Mom would take me to the library every week and ever since I've always had a book handy. Hubby and I just love going out to lunch and reading, I'm sure people seeing us think we are pretty rude to each other but we both love to read and so we always have a book with us whenever we go out.

It was beautiful here so we did a bike ride at the Resevoir, I won't get too many more of those this year as by the time I get home from work it's getting dark and by the time we would go and do our bike ride we would be coming home in the dark...so if the weekends permit that will be the only time.

Everyone have a good evening. Remember to log your food, drink plenty of water and move your body:drinker: as we develop these new habits for our new bodies.

Laura80111

Hello delightful ladies - I've read through all your interesting posts. I was busy at one thing or another today---I spent quite a bit of time reading a book that needs to be returned to the library soon. Like so many of you, I love books. I have kept just a very few books from my childhood though. I've gotten rid of tons of books---I know I cannot keep them all (my house isn't big enough). I try to get many of my books from the library now. No *keeping* involved there. Ha.

Wishing everyone well this week.

Lin

Sunday evening, :flowerforyou:
I felt like a train hit me today after my killer workout at the gym yesterday.:huh: So, I just took it easy and just did some walking while at Wal-Mart. I did some housework and laundry. The sun never came out here today, but the temps were still warm. The clouds gave us -not even a little drizzle. I had to laugh when the newscaster said “when will this wet storm move out of the area?” What are you crazy! OH, well at least it is better that the 100+ degree heat. I have to make a Costco trip tomorrow. I never go there on the weekend. Time to stock up on the essential etc. I did buy a pair of work out pants at Wal- Mart today, size l-XL. I have not tried them on yet, but I will let you know if they fit. :bigsmile: They are stretchy black, so there is so give! :laugh:
Time to get ready for bed, it 11:12 pm. I aspire to become a morning person one of these days too! Lol
Sweet dreams and here’s to a healthy week for all! Hugs, Linda

DeeDee- like the story about curling your hair…….. You made him notice! :drinker:

JB- I read to my girls all the time when they were little. Now they are reading textbooks for school they have no desire to read a pleasure book. My oldest just realized that she is a slow reader and this is a disadvantage for her in High school. I need to find a speed reading class for her to take over the summer.

Texasgal22- that is a great goal to work on until Dec 15th. I think it helps if one has something to strive for , you know that competitive spirit in all of us :happy:

Nancy, how did the Australian meal go? Curious to know what is Australian food?

Meg, your trip sounds very interesting and very long days! I bet you were really glad to get home after that trip. My DD would do the same with cooking; she seems to miss a few ingredient when she is baking! One day , they will get better! Hopefully! I like the idea about deep cleaning every 2 years. I need to start doing this, but it feels so overwhelming that I have not even begun. :frown: :grumble:

Kate- congrats on the smaller sized pants; You sound like you are very busy. The hamster wheel was a good description :laugh:

Janie- just stick with it and the weight will come off. Slow is the healthy way to go. I know what you mean about it being slow. I have been feeling a little discouraged also, as I want the weight to come off faster. I have to just take one day at a time and do what I can with my healthy eating, because my exercise is limited. You can do this, yes you can! :drinker: :drinker:

Lila- I love the Christmas rule that you have. That is such a creative rule. :bigsmile:

Lentigogirl- When I lived in the Middle East I was able to see some belly dancing shows. Yes, they are quite curvy and voluptuous women. I know that the idea of what is healthy in the Middle East is a bigger woman. Not twiggy! Belly dancing is quite an art form and I am sure that it must burn a lot of calories! :laugh: :laugh:

Laura80111- good for you making your lunches and breakfasts for the next week. I find that one my one weekend off I am so exhausted that I don’t feel like doing much, Going to lunch or for coffee and reading a book sounds heavenly to me! Enjoy the bike rides on the weekends! :bigsmile:

Michele- what was in the pumpkin soup? Glad that the lighting spacing is ok. I think what you said about being 5”1 and feeling comfortable with 130 is marvelous! I think how you feel is more important than the number on the scale, or trying to be “the book” weight. I was 5”8, now I am 5”7 and the doctor told me that 180 is a good weight for me. If I got too thin ie 160,I would always be struggling to maintain it. Good for you! :drinker: :drinker:

Lin, I agree with you on the books. I bought a kindle for my daughter, but I have been using it. I like the idea of not having to store so many books. If I really like a book after I have read it, I can always go buy it! :flowerforyou:

Liz- nice that you had a good family weekend. You r church sounds like a great church. One big family! Food addictions I think are the worst, as we have to eat to live. The other addictions – you do not have to do in order to live. It is too bad that the medical community is not more on board about food being so addictive, they still think it has to do mostly with self control!

Amanda- love your profile picture. So, inspiring when I see your photo. It makes me feel that I can do this, especially those days when I realize how much weight I have to lose. Those days can be overwhelming if I look at the long haul. It makes me wonder where I was at when I gained all this weight. Thank you for posting the picture as it gives me hope and inspiration. :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :drinker: :drinker:

Hello Friends,

It was great to read your posts. My schedule is in the process of changing and I am struggling. I need to get myself back into my exercise.

Our weekend was great. It was busy with fun activities and the weather was nice overall. I cooked ahead for the week and have laundry finished so I feel ready for the week. Today is an organizing work from home day (love that). I do have to have an ultrasound and a GYN appt this morning. I look forward to everything being fine and not needing any further treatment or surgery.


I am looking forward to getting back on track this week.
Have a great Monday!
Sally