40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

Hello all!!! Work's been crazy again, which is why I haven't been in MFP lately.:grumble: After spending the whole day on the computer at work, I just can't bring myself to get on the home computer at night. I keep saying I'm going to buy a laptop so I can have it with me in the living room, but there's too many choices out there.......I'm waiting until the hubby gets home!! He told me to just buy what I want, but I can't bring my self to spend over $500 without him having direct input!!!!:laugh: :laugh: Yeah, I know - that dates me as old, but that's one of the reasons our marriage has survived almost 28 years - we don't do anything major without discussing with the other one first!!

Scale's down not quite a pound, which I can live with because the clothes are definitely fitting looser!!! I've walked around all day today hitching up my favorite khakis........I guess it's time to see if I can fit back in the old ones from lighter days!!!

Welcome all newcomers.............we're a bit of a crazy bunch, but we keep each other motivated, right all????:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Gotta get back to work...........scheduling lots more meetings BEFORE spring break...........what fun!!!!
Marla

String and Alf.... Have you been gaining muscle mass and maybe thats why the scale is up a bit?

Hunibun.... When you first start with WW do you stick with a certain food menu or do you pick and choose as long as you dont go over your points?

Swiss... I just noticed your new pic. You look absolutely terrific!!!

Sing... You must have better weather if your out there hiking. I wish it would warm up here I'm starting to get cabin fever.

As for me, I made my husband a nice brunch. Eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast. And of course I had some too. Now I am going to total up my calories and see how much I have to burn off. I know it hurts your progress when your trying to lose weight by not eating correctly but how much does it hurt if you burn off the necessary calories?

TRON3002-I DIDN'T HAVE A CERTAIN MENU,I JUST MAKE SURE I DON'T GO OVER ON POINTS BUT I EAT ALOT OF VEGGIES AND FRUIT,I JUST STARTED BUT THIS IS MY 2ND TIME WITH IT,IT'S GOING BETTER THIS TIME.I'M DOING IT ONLINE THIS TIME.I DO PLAN MY MEALS FOR THE DAY THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THAT HELPS TO.

Hi singfree...and any other night owls out there! :flowerforyou:

hunibun, thanks for the info on Weight Watchers At Home. This could come in handy for some people I know who are struggling with their weight but far away from home. I'm happy to hear it is working for you this time.

zebras, amazing workout!! Isn't it nice to start feeling the changes?

duffy, I'm hoping getting back outdoors and doing something will help my spirits as well. I think the sudden shift from California weather to winter did me in....plus everything else involved with a move, the holidays, etc. In light of that, I don't think I've been doing too badly. But I certainly could use a little 'lift'. The sun is shining today, though, and that in itself makes a HUGE difference in how I feel. I'm going to try to get my husband out of the house this weekend and on to the running path. We'll see how that goes.

Swissmiss, good job getting back on your program!

mk, I am again amazed at how well you are doing given everything you are going through. And I wouldn't buy a computer without my husband either!! So....I guess I date myself as well. But he wouldn't either. We've been married 20 years, and it works for us too.

tron, I wish my weight gain was from gaining muscle, but it really is from too many Christmas cookies. :laugh: While I've certainly tightenedd it up and such over the past two months, I'm not going to pretend the weight is there from increased fitness. It is there because I ate way more than I should have for about two months. The worst thing is I wasn't even lifting weights at the time, so I know it isn't muscle. Oh, well. :ohwell:

As far as your question about what you eat and losing weight....no, all calories are not equal. But, at the same time, depending on how they are cooked, the breakfast foods you described aren't THAT bad. I mean, everything there has some nutritional value. It isn't as if you ate a dozen donuts which have little nutritional value. So while there may have been more fat than you otherwise would have taken in and such, I wouldn't beat yourself up over that breakfast at all. In fact, I don't think you should concern yourself about it in the least if you've fit it into your calorie allowance for the day. Again, I might say something different if you ate a bag of potato chips, but you didn't.

hisangel, I find that eating a big salad with dinner keeps me feeling really full throughout the evening. It is 'bulk' food (few calories but filling), and that really helps me at night. That being said, though, if you are just starting out lifting weights, you may find yourself hungrier than usual for a little while. Lifting weights really increases my appetite, so be on the look out for that. So you may want to try to find foods that fill you up more (more protein, less carbs) during this time. As singfree said, look for whole food and lots of veggies to help with that. Fiber is probably the best thing for making a person feel full, so pay attention to your fiber intake as well.

singfree, the hike up the mountain sounds great. I've been talking to some friends about climbing up a mountain here in Korea. We were supposed to go in about 10 days, but given that we've edged our way back into winter, I'm not so sure that would be a smart thing right now. I'm hoping to take the hike someday. I love to hike, and I miss it. I hope you are planning on doing some good treks in the Alps in a couple of months!!!

homehealthy, if you don't mind my asking, how do you know you've fallen into starvation mode? Are you more tired than normal? Have you stopped losing weight? I ask this because there is quite a bit of...panic (for lack of a better word)....about starvation mode on this board, and I find most of it to be somewhat unfounded. So I don't want you to be too concerned about slipping into starvation mode if you are going under your calories a couple of times a week and/or are under your calories consistently but only by less than 100 (or so) IF (that's a big IF) you aren't actually experiencing any symptoms of starvation mode (decreased metabolism, increased illness, etc). That being said, if you routinely are going under your calories, try calorie dense food. One of the best post workout snacks out there is....a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain/wheat bread. Go figure. But it is highly recommended because of the breakdown of protein, fat and carbs. And...you can pack in quite a few calories with a good ole PB&J sandwich. So try foods like peanut butter or nuts or avocados if you need food that is higher in calories but still has some beneficial nutritional value. I used to do things like add walnuts (very good for you) to my dinner salads to make up calorie content. Very simple and easy to do. I am far from a creative cook (I mean....FAR from a creative cook :laugh: ) so I do everything I can to keep things simple. Hope that helps and please ask if you have any other questions.

I started my last week of the second cycle of STS. While I feel so strong, I've also been increasingly tired the past couple of days. I remember that I went through this during my last go-around with STS as well. It was at the very end of this muscle building cycle last year that I felt that I might have been overtraining. And I'm going through the exact same thing now. I am looking forward to giving my body a rest next week. In fact, I might take about five days off from working out before I tackle that last cycle. I remember I had about that much time off last year, and it really helped. The good thing is I know that about a week or two into the third cycle, my energy levels went back up....and the weight just started falling off my body without me doing anything about it. I'm hoping that happens again this time.

Off to take a walk while the sun is shining......:drinker:

He told me to just buy what I want, but I can't bring my self to spend over $500 without him having direct input!!!!:laugh: :laugh: Marla

Maria, I think it would be fun to spend $500 without my husbands input or potential bad advice, LOL. I usually do the research and find the best prices and items so he usually turns to me for that anyway. I don't part with $500 easily though but spending money can be fun.

Today I am pleased to report I am feeling more strength and flexibility in my swimming. I swam for 40 minutes and did 30 lengths. 18 lengths is equal to a quarter mile. If I can get to 36 then I am at a half mile, but I don't know if I will be able to. I don't want to add more time because it can make my skin itchy (even with oiling it afterwards) so I will improve as I speed up perhaps. Maybe the number of laps don't matter as much as the consistent time I'm starting to put in and the changes I'm seeing in my body.

I am afraid though that I may see no weight loss this week and even possibly a gain.

Sunny

machine went nuts and posted my answer twice ... sorry for the xtra post ... and hi to everyone (I didn't say that before) ... must be low blood sugar, off to eat breakfast now.

sunny

Hi everyone!! Soooo many posts, so little time to answer... :laugh:

Thank you to all of you who gave me suggestions/encouragement. It can be frustrating at times but I will continue with my program and see what happens. I do feel great, strong and I am happy with the way I look. Sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves and I guess I am going through that right now. I've lowered the calories by about 150 cals but I am still finding it hard to eat so much during the day. The healthier you eat the bigger the quantity of foods you eat. I still eat nuts and peanut butter everyday and other denser foods. I am still struggling with what to eat after my Zumba class. Last night I had half of a detour bar. The last one I have and I am not planning on buying more. I'd rather get my nutrients from natural foods. I also ran out of protein powder and I am not so sure I want to buy more. I just cant get myself to eat meat late at night. Any ideas on what other protein sources I can eat around 8:30pm? It is so much easier to eat cereal or fruit late at night.

I apologize for not being able to answer to each individual post. Keep up the good work!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

JuliaSoCal.... Thats awesome!!! I loved it when people noticed too. The first 15lbs no one said anything. Then when I had a conversation with someone about my diet and how much I lost they were like.... I knew you lost some weight. Then why didn't you tell me?!!!!! Maybe they think its rude, like they are telling you that you were fat. But to me it would just inspire me to keep going.

String.... I dont do the chips thing but I do have major downfalls when my husband is home lately. The local casino is having a 99 cent steak dinner special to draw people in. The great thing about it is that it has an all you can eat salad/soup bar that goes with it. So every tuesday we go to this. Its delicious but I'm worried about the calories. Especially because I would love to fit into a smaller size before the wedding. I guess I will just have to break down and go on my very restrictive diet in order to lose the weight. I just dont want to do it but.......

Yesterday I walked on my treadmill.... Heres the thing, it states on the front that it's a 1/4 mile/400 meter track. So you would think that 4 x around the track would be 1 mile. But the read out states that you do a mile in less than that. Kinda confusing if you ask me. Anyway..... Burned off 420 calories on my treadmill yesterday. Today I plan on doing the same but I'm hoping to find time to fit some other type of exercise in too this time. I haven't eaten anything yet and its noon so off I go. Have a terrific day everyone!

just noticed we are in the 460s for posts - any ideas on what the new thread will be called - Sing

GOOD MORNING,

WELL I'M ON DAY 4 OF WW AND DOING AWESOME I CAN'T BELIEVE THE WEIGHT I LOST IN 4 DAYS I'M EATING AND WORKING OUT EVERYDAY,I KNOW I'LL SLOW DONE BUT I'M EXCITED THAT SOMETHING IS WORKING FOR ME.
IT'S STARTING TO GET WARMER HERE IN WISCONSIN THEY ARE SAYING THIS WEEKEND IN THE 40'S WOO HOO!!!

Alf: Yep these shoulders are sore - I just finished Burn Intervals and man oh man that itty bitty anterior delt was screaming. Sorry your not able to enjoy the fun of running right now. I've picked a 25K to do in May so I really need to get back out running at least 4 days a week. Although I've already made peace with the fact that given the poor weather we are most likely to have between now and then it won't be a fast race for me but at least it is a new race and I understand it is a beautiful course.

I was thinking about your protein evening question - I have a couple of suggestions
1) Cottage cheese with some fruit (not my favorite and not sure I could do it in the evening)
2) I had a running coach that was very antiprotein powders (her feeling was they are a scam and waste of money) She was a big fan of plain old skim milk and if she wanted more protein she just added a little powdered milk to it to increase the protein.
3) My favorite desserts from south beach - the Ricotta Cremes Just take 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract and 1 package of sugar substitute (you can use a drop of honey if you want to stay natural) If you want Lemon just add 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest. Mix it up before Zumba and but it in the fridge when you get home you'll have a yummy high protein snack. (about 180 calories - 14 g protein)

I like the idea of hopping - How about 40+ Hopping for a Healthy Lifestyle

Good morning!! Just a quick check in, I'd better get going... I weighed myself and I am down to where I was about 2 wks ago which it is still over my goal. But that is ok...I am still trying to figure out where I should be in terms of amount of calories I should be eating, etc. I ate very well this week. I survived two temptations at work. One day someone brought a huge homemade chocolate cake. I go in the breakroom a lot to get my meals and I kept looking at it but had none. Everyone seemed to indirectly sabotage me by telling me there was cake in the break room. Duh!! Who can miss it!!! It was huge. Then yesterday, as soon as I got to work, one of my coworkers was bringing in some huge cupcakes leftover for her birthday. I am proud to say that both times I had none!!!!!!!!!!!! And today I know there will be some breakfast tacos because they have them every other Friday. No, thank you!!!! :laugh:

Stiring, I will check out the info you shared. Thanks!!! For now, I will continue to trust my HRM but at the same time listen to my body. I had a good workout this morning but I also felt tired... I am eating my post workout snack only about an hour or less before I go to bed. I get home around 8:30pm and I am usually in bed by 9:30...Last night I didnt even have the cereal I had planned because one of my students brought me an energy drink from Mona Vie? and since I stayed longer at the gym I drank it. I didnt even check the ingredients and calorie content so I decided not to eat anything when I got home, almost at 9pm. That is probably the reason I was so tired for my workout this morning. And that is another dilemma, I usually workout very early, 5 am, so I work out on an empty stomach. :noway: It "works" for me most of the time but other times I feel weak and tired. Ugh, it is an everyday struggle!!! :noway:

I'd better go get ready for work...getting late. Hopefully I can check in again later...

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Hi Friends,

I went to the pool today for 35 minutes (did aqua jogging with extra resistance booties on my feet). I have to limit time in water to 35 minutes so I don't get a skin reaction (and then I oil up after the shower).

I am up 0.4 pounds ... boo hoo. But I am hoping that next week will be better. I would have thought I would have lost this week. I do feel more fit, stronger, standing better, nicer posture, etc.

I also did the new Wii Walk It Away (I think that's the name) yesterday and walked about 3000 steps. Adding in land based work is a goal but one I am slowly adding in because of knee issues. It is a fun program, even my husband did it with me last night for a little bit of time. I am building my environment as I gain points for stepping to the beat of the music. Fun,

Have a great day and send encouragement, I need it today.

Sunny

Friday Check In: Well my weight is holding steady - I'm noticing even more muscle definition and really enjoying the Lean phase of CX although I'm totally zapped most days. Like Stiring - I may need to up my calories a little (for me probably carbs because I'm back to running 4xs a week) Yes, Stiring I am planning an October half right now my schedule is a 25K and a 7K in May, a 10 miler in August and a half in October. So I really am right now just trying to make healthy food choices without obsessing on calories.

Have a great weekend all - I'm splurging with a little bubbly on Sunday to celebrate the Oscars!