WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR NOVEMBER 2012

I was actually replying to AnnasGrammie's post. Doesn't make sense without that reference. I'll BBL to talk have to get ready for golf girls brunch.

Hi all! I'm Linda & just started with mfp but have been trying to lose weight forever. I'm 62 years young, married & animal lover with 2 dogs & 6 cats. I live in a very small town in SW Iowa called Gravity.
I've been doing well with mfp & a trainer. Just trying to get a new habit formed to exercise/workout everyday.
Happy to be in this group of great sisters!!

Good morning everyone! The storm rolled in with a vengeance last night – I thought we had another hurricane the way the wind was howling! It’s tapered off this morning, just dreary. It’s a good day to continue my quest to get my house scrubbed clean. Unfortunately, the weather also seems to have kicked up my elbow tendonitis a notch – it’s really sore. I took some ibuprofen – hopefully will start working soon.

Nothing terribly exciting to report here – DH is still in Germany so I’m going to try to take my sister out to dinner one night this week. She’s had a tough year and deserves some TLC.

Lila, about the calories/exercise thing: I would recommend eating a bit more if you’re not tracking the exercise or keeping your calories too low. I wore my HRM for several hours yesterday before I worked out (good intentions, late workout) and discovered I burn around 100 calories/hour just by sitting and typing. If I’m burning 2400 calories a day just by existing, any movement on top of that is going to push up my energy requirement. I keep my calorie “baseline” set at 1200, but if I work out (which I do most days) I really need to eat those calories too. I’m still working at a 1200 calorie deficit, which is plenty, but I don’t want to go below that or I risk either starvation (plateau) or failing because I’m just too hungry. I discovered while I was traveling last week and didn’t have access to my kitchen that I really do get hungry! I had thought I had my eating under control, but what I’ve really done is learned to listen to my body and eat when I’m hungry, not when I’m bored. It’s a great feeling, I tell ya!

Kathy, keep trying to have something healthy on hand. I keep cottage cheese in the fridge and try to remind myself when I’m reaching for a cookie (grr) that I’ll be fuller if I eat that. You can pick anything you like texture/type wise – an apple, some almonds, yogurt – I find I need to consider calorie and saltiness (I crave salt like crazy). I also find when I eat something sweet it’s too easy to start craving it all the time, so I just don’t.

Hi, Meg, and happy 20th to your daughter! That is a lot of emails – and unnecessary ones? You need a filter lol.

DeeDee, I love your picture! You really look great. I hope you get the shoe thing sorted out – I find if I’m really trying to adjust to new shoes it takes a while, but it might also be the surface of the track you’re on?

Sue, 27 pecan trees?!? That’s a lot of pecans! Do you sell them? How sad that your dad didn’t consider moving the clothes line rather than get rid of the horse. Have fun at your brunch!

Laura, sounds like a fabulous weekend.

Robin, Good luck with the exercise - maybe the puppies can pull you out the door more often? It really does help.

JaneM, good luck on your interview! You’re such a caring person, I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’m sorry the company is kind of jerking your DH around on his hours – that happened to my sister with the same company. I agree on the gratitude of having a job but hope he has time to keep looking for something better. I read that they’re changing their benefits structure yet again – grr.

BJMCQ, good for you for getting outside with your dog. You’re right, it doesn’t take long for it to become a little easier, then a lot easier, then reaching for more – and it’s a great feeling!

Michele, is the loop stitch to make it appear like something to hang the coaster with? If so, I would say it’s where you make a big loop with your thread/yarn, then anchor it down with a stitch at the base of the loop (on the coaster) – you can make more than one loop before anchoring if need be. I keep imagining how hard it must be for you to resist a lot of temptation with all the yummy baking goodies you have around!

JB, I’m so glad you’re enjoying yoga! I can’t believe what a difference it’s made in my overall strength and flexibility. You’re doing a great job adding in those various exercises, and they’ll all work at making you so much stronger and fit! So keep it up. Your lunch sounds yummy too – something about fall days and soup just go together .

Joann, if your family isn’t too crazy about the carrot soup you could try it with roasted pumpkin or butternut squash too – also yummy.

Chris, good luck with finding something for dinner. Sometimes we wind up eating popcorn on nights like that . Fortunately, we don’t often have to worry about feeding the kids, just ourselves.

Liz, most diet plans insist the single biggest factor in a successful diet is eating breakfast, and quick on the heels of that is eating a lot of protein because it will keep you full longer. I can’t eat eggs by themselves (need a carb to go with them), but I’ve been having protein shakes on my resistance days and oatmeal with raisins on my cardio days and it really does help.

MaryC, Thanks for your service, and for continuing the tradition from your father as well. It is sad to see a parent who has gotten lost in the quagmire of Alzheimer’s. It’s so sad.

Barbie, thanks for all the sage advice and support, as always .

Amanda, it’s very confusing for our older citizens – and I’m sure paranoia is a side-effect of that confusion. He may also be magnifying his already anxious nature. Poor guy. If we all did what was good for us, none of us would be here, right? . I hope your neck feels better – a warm, damp towel wrapped around your neck/shoulders might help (it helps me), as will those microwave wraps filled with corn. I hope you find your earring!

Lynn, great reminder!

DeeDee, back again – are you loving the warmer clothes? I always love getting out sweaters to wear (when I know I didn’t outgrow them over the summer :laugh:).

Carolyn, that’s great that you can still get out on the bike! I was looking forward to walking, but not in this rain. It might stop later today though.

Nanna – I hope your health continues to improve. Come back soon and often!

Jolene, lol at posting while trying to look like you’re working . Also about walking in the cold without snow. I agree about the wind too – I almost won’t go out if it’s windy but I force myself if it’s just cold. I agree about the snow blankets. Love the Proust quote!

LindaJ, (we have three Lindas now) welcome! I wonder if I almost drove through Gravity the other day – DH and I got lost on the way to the Omaha airport lol. Exercise is, imo, key. The more you strengthen your body the more it will respond to whatever else you try to do. I’m kind of obsessive about it these days .

JB, love your Thoughtful, Tranquil, Triumphant and Tasty Tuesday idea! I’m also a big soup fan – so in return, here’s a corn chowder recipe that’s fairly simple and tasty too (and meatless, of course):

Corn Chowder:
2 cans of corn or corn from 4 – 6 ears of corn or 1 bag frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled and diced or (as I did) 1 finely minced jalapeno chile
1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 large white potato, diced into 1/2 “ cubes
1 sweet potato, diced into ½” cubes
¼ cup flour
1 -2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp sage
1 tsp cumin
1 quart veggie broth
2 cups low-fat milk
Saute together oil, onions and celery until wilted, add peppers and continue cooking. Sprinkle with flour, continue cooking for 1 – 2 minutes. Slowly add broth. Season with sage, cumin, salt and pepper, add the potatoes and corn and continue cooking until potatoes are soft but not mushy, about 40 minutes. Add the milk at the end just to heat. If you like your chowder a little thicker you could add some extra flour and oil with the sautéed veggies, but mine was delicious as written.

Well, that’s about it for today. I have kittehs curled at my feet (they missed me) and another pair of loose pants and a sweatshirt on today. It’s definitely a fireplace day. My NSV while I was out last week was discovering the clothes I had bought for my trip to France are way too big now. I put on a really cute blouse I had bought that I couldn’t even wear while I was there and it was too big. I felt like a bag lady when I had to go into the office in pants that were falling off. I can’t wait to do some shopping soon!

Cheers,

M.

Good Morning All. I would like to join your group. I'm 59, my husband is 72 with parkinson's. We've committed to eating right and working out. We checked out our local gym yesterday and they have a trainer there that has a special program for parkinson's patients. We feel like this was meant to be as we only come here, Tubac, AZ in the winter/spring months. We are originally from Twisp, WA where we maintain an insurance agency year round. Our daughter helps us with the business so we can have this wonderful life style. I work the summer/autumn and she has time with her children and animals. All in all, it's a great fit for us both.

We are following the blood type diet; we are both O+. So using that food group and using a 40/40/20 diet plan we hope to peel off some fat and add some muscle. At our age, it's getting harder to do things and I know it's from lack of exercise. We check in today and have a consultation with the trainer to find out what our base line is. Great way to get a jumpstart and we are worth it.

Looking forward to being part of this group.

:flowerforyou: Happy Tuesday all you lovely ladies,

I've finally caught up from the weekend and now have no time to really respond...maybe tomorrow:huh:

Joann-so sorry for your loss:flowerforyou: {{hugs}} coming your way.

Janehadji-off to Mexico again...:glasses: I'll wear my glasses so you can't see the green eyed monster behind the lenses. 9days away would be just heaven.

Viv & Cheryl- How are you doing on the 30DS? Viv I was surprised to read that you are moving on to Level 2....I haven't even looked at it:blushing: but maybe tonight I will. I had upped my weights and found that some of the exercises on Level 1 with heavier weights just aren't working so I have been mixing up the weights with the exercises some get #3 and some get #5. As for seeing changes in the body....about the only one I really see is in my arms ...little muscles are showing up

****
Hubby still hasn't heard anything about the promotion so we continue to wait. He's lost a couple more pounds and that's keeping him on his straight and narrow of losing and eating better. He helps with making lunches on days that he has to work so sometimes my lunch salad is already made for me

So far I'm maintaining my weight loss and I'm thinking that it may be the exercise that helps...well that and continuing to eat better meals. I continue to watch Barbie & Amanda to keep this all in line as they are both the best of examples that I can see...so Thank You:flowerforyou:

My boss has returned from his hunting trip...got skunked so we won't be eating BBQ Elk burgers at the office this next year. The phone calls have increased so we can tell he's back:sad: and the increase in the work to do...so I best get back to it.

Let's keep up our logging food, water (need to drink plenty to lose) and get in that exercise:drinker:

Laura80111

Happy Tues.
waiting for Violet to come.Star the job Thurs eve.It`s a couple nights a week,for a few hours to start.
Thanks for the love and support.
Enjoy your day,will catch up later
HUGS
jane

Good afternoon beautiful ladies:flowerforyou:

Carolyn I hated to see the warm go too:frown: , it was so pleasant the last few days walking outside, today I had the big coat with the hood and gloves on. Good for DH and DD#2 to choose a place with good options for you!!! They exchanged my shoes today!

nannabannana Hope you`re feeling better soon:flowerforyou: ! Pop back in and chat with us!!!

Jolene Thank you for those kind words! You may not think you have anything interesting to say, but I bet we all would enjoy it! Pop in and say hello so we don`t worry about you!!!! I just love "pointless to endure the cold without something beautiful to show for it"!!!! Of course with me...you can have the snow and I`ll take the cold! Love the quote by Proust!!!

ljoynes-Linda Welcome to the group, come in often and chat with us!

Jb YUM!!! Love the Tuesdays!!!!

M YUM again!!! Looking forward to making the corn chowder!!! Isn`t it wonderful to put on clothes and wala...too big...I love it!!! Well most of the time, problem now is I don`t have very much to choose from and I`m tired of wearing the same thing all the time, and I really don`t want to buy too many things just yet. I have had to go buy new bras...again:blushing: , the band size keeps changing and they feel so uncomfortable:sad: , it feels like the straps are the only thing holding the girls up and they`ve started digging in my shoulders , it`s the first thing I want to take off when I walk in the door!!!

bjmcq Yay for you commiting to getting your exercise in indoors!!! I have to do it too when the weather is icky!!!

Donica1953 Welcome to the group!!! Sounds like you`ve got a good plan going!!!!

Skeezicks2 Welcome back!!! Come in often and chat with us!

Laura80111 You have a fabulous hubby!!! Boss got skunked:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: . .

Janehadji Wow, that`s a lot of calories for fish and orzo:noway: !!!! Diet gremlins:devil: , those nasty nasty little creatures!!! They lurk around my house too, whispering in my ear when I was sending cake home with DD and SIL, for me to keep some for myself, I just smacked it off my shoulder and told it to shut up:laugh: !!! I just try to ignor them or drown them with hot tea!!! I exchanged the shoes today!!!

JaneMartin Congrats, congrats, congrats for getting the job:flowerforyou: !!!

Californiagir Hope your day continues to be fantastic!!!!

I took the shoes back to the store today and another lady helped me, she told me the shoes were too small, and the other girl should have known that, she says she always goes up an entire size in those shoes, she put me in a size 9 and they work, I tried them out walking the dog and YAY no numb toes!!!! I also did a bit of shopping today for Christmas ornaments...I decided to redo the colors of my tree this year, it`s going to be gold and red with some white snowflakes and a few clear glass sprials, lots of gold foliage and beads and baubbles, now I`m ready to decorate, but I will wait till after Thanksgiving!!! Dog is dancing around I must go before I have a puddle on the floor!!!

Hugs,
DeeDee

Good evening Ladies, I have had quite a day, my second day totally "on plan". I had my usual breakfast of oatmeal then a soft-boiled egg at 10:30 for snack, a big beautiful salad for lunch with 2 oz of chicken breast and vinegar and olive oil for dressing. Then I took my neighbor to the doctor and when we got back I was hungry, so I heated a cup of the Ginger Roasted Carrot Bisque and had that for a snack. Not sure what supper will be but I am sure it will be "on plan". I am excited to have two days behind me that I can be proud of. I hope you all have had a good day too.

Yesterday was a sad, sad day here. I finished up the last of the red okra and the last of the purple potatoes. No more until the next farmer's market. <:(>

jb - does rosemary grow into a really big bush usually?

ChrisHenselma - I like to do my cooking on Sundays (or Saturdays, depending on my schedule) and then just heat it up, this way I don't even have to think about what it is I'm going to have. Hope you feel better fast.

Liz - fortunately, I only had one wisdom tooth removed. One never came in, but I still have two more on the left side of my mouth.

AnnasGrammie - welcome! You've come to the right place for encouragement, that's for sure.

We probably won't do any work on the landscaping today. It rained and we want the dirt to dry out so we don't track it on the concrete. Tomorrow is the general meeting for the Newcomers and then senior bowling. Did 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill backwards and then 30 minutes on the elliptical that is part of the AMT. That's very interesting machine. Really worked up a sweat!

genalace - these aren't ornaments, they are coasters. There's a bow at the top and two ornaments on either side.

barbie - I watched DWTS last night after I got home from mahjongg. I'm surprised that Shawn Johnson's partners let her do that dance, I didn't see practically any samba in it. And I'm no expert, that's for sure

Amanda - don't you just hate it when you lose an earring? I do, that's for sure.

Lynn - thanks for sharing

I'm thinking that I may go to mahjongg today. Mainly because this one gal is usually there having lunch, and I haven't seen her in a while. Which means -- I should get going.

nannabananna - welcome, glad you're feeling better.

jolene - I'm still leery of eating on the right side of my mouth. Especially since the stitches are still in.

Mini-rant ahead - there is that "mahjongg secret santa". Well, I went to mahjongg today mainly to see this one gal who is usually there, only she wasn't there. Anyway, while we were there the person who I have as a secret santa mentioned that she won't be at the secret santa reveal lunch. Now previously I'd suggested perhaps having it after the holiday since the question came in that we might not be abale to get a restaurant because of holiday parties (really?). Anyway, I was told that it's always been in the holiday season so they'd like to keep it that way (not even the week between Christmas and New Years). Well, it works for me in that the person I'm the secret santa for won't be there. I'll do it after the holiday, maybe take her out to lunch or something. Anyway, she was telling Pat all about her plans, when she was leaving, etc. So I asked Pat afterwards. Pat tells me that she really doesn't know, only that the person won't be at the lunch. I'm not real crazy about going out to lunch, there's just so much to do before the holidays. I think I'll have "unexpected guests". Don't really understand why Pat is this way, even Vince said that she's changed. She used to go to all of the general meetings, was activities coordinator, now she just runs canasta. Someone suggested that maybe we need to change the day from Tuesday to Monday and asked if that posed a problem. Pat said "we play canasta on Mondays", I just said to her "Newcomers only plays once a month", she told me "no, we've started a game". Never invited me or anything (really, not that I'd want to go, but it's the principle)

Linda - welcome!

jb - thanks for the recipe. Sounds really yummy.

M - get better fast! The loop stitch is supposed to be at the top of the ornament to make it look like an ornament. Hey, shoppping burns calories, so you'd better get with the shopping, girl!!! lol

bjmcq - what exactly is "carb sensitive"? How do you know that you are?

Donica - so glad you're here!

Laura - I'll keep everything crossed for hubby. Hope things work out for him real soon.

janehadji - I think the "diet gremlins" get to us all at one time or another. Glad you're better today. Isn't it just terrible sometimes how things are made. Why do they need all that butter? I had vegetables right before mahjongg today. They were in some sort of olive oil. It's amazing how much oil there was! To be honest, if it weren't for the vegetables, it wouldn't taste good at all. All that oil turned my stomach.

ChrisHanselma - glad you're better. Not a fun way to lose weight. I know I lost when I couldn't eat, but I had no problem putting it right back on.

DeeDee - so glad you got those shoes exchanged!

Welcome to any other newcomer that I may have missed.

Well, going to take a shower, maybe work on the coaster some and then get ready for tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great evening.

Michele

Happy Tuesday

What a great weekend. We had a barbeque at church because a visiting high school choir came and sang. I help to run that so I got in a lot of steps. The food was great, but I didn't over-eat.

Monday was a Welcome Home party at my house for my son. We had about 60 people, but it was an open house format so everyone did not come at once. I have a former student who is a chef. He did the "snacks." His idea of snacks is pretty elaborate! He used our new built in outdoor grill and the food was all set up outside. (It was in the upper 70s here...Perfect weather.) I ate plenty, but wore it off with the cleaning before and after and just general partying. It was great to have Matt and his wife and son here for the day. (They had to go back to Arizona today.)

So...I'm pretty tired today and actually came home from school earlier than usual. No exercising, but I will probably work with my weights a little and get some indoor walking done. (The neighbors probably think I'm nuts when they see me doing laps around my living room every night.)

I did read everyone's posts and enjoy them. Maybe one day I will learn to reply to each of them like so many of you do. It's wonderful!

Eileen