40+ Club: Hop Into Spring With A Fit Bod

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!! The Easter Bunny didn't leave me a basket full of candy BUT he did get me a kettleball... How sweet was that.

Sing... Your an awesome person! Thank you for always being so supportive.

Swiss... Happy Anniversary

Happy Monday Everyone:

I hope you all had a good holiday.

Well, I ate a big salty meal yesterday. I definitely worked off the calories, lets hope the salt gets out of my system quickly before my next official weigh in!

Happy Monday!!!! :laugh: :drinker: Weekend was great as far as spending time with family, especially with my granddaughter. Oh my, she is a handful!! :laugh: But she does much better with me alone than when her mother is around. :noway: Eating was horrible, of course, but Hakuna Matata, it is in the past... :laugh:

Sing, you are so right and I am going to adopt your "Tony Horton" attitude. I appreciate your motivation, support and words of encouragement. But I cannot let my guard down or I will go back to the weight I was 2 yrs ago... My plan right now is to increase my workouts and increase my protein intake, also cut down on my coffee consumption and replace it with green and/or white tea. I still have no desire to log in my foods. I am not sure if that is very smart but I will continue testing this approach.

Zebras, focus on drinking lots of water and limit salt intake the next couple of days...

Tron, great for you!!!! There are a lot of articles and kettlebell workouts in the internet. :drinker:

Julia, WTG on your weight loss...you are doing great!!! Are you still not exercising? What are you doing to lose the weight? You always report weight loss...

Have a wonderful day!!!! :flowerforyou:

I really have to make up for this past weekend. Way too much of a good thing. I did, however, ride my bike for the first time yesterday. Went about seven miles.

My daughter, her husband and their two children moved in with us on Friday. They lived in Kentucky. My daughter already has a job and we are hoping her husband finds one soon.

mkwood, you have 30 days and only 5 go 6 pounds to lose. Don't give up hope. You can do it and be a wonderful example for the rest of us.

I am so grateful for this thread. I have looked over other ones and have not found what I need. A lot of them seem to be not trying at all and the only update they give in on what soap opera they have been watching.:laugh:

I did well today. Stayed within my calories, rode my bike to strength class and then home. Fortunately, I got home before the storm hit.

sing, you are right...we are better educated about our health and how to properly eat in order to live healthy. I hope that we all stay on course for the rest of our lives. Now, does anyone know how to get teenagers to eat healthy????

I believe that once again I am back on track. I need to lose the pounds that I have put on over the past two months and am getting a good start at it. Does anyone know if I can tell how much of my weight gain is due to more muscles? I am sure that some of it is. I really do see and feel a difference with my muscles.

Hello everybody! I hope you're all enjoying the same beautiful weather that I have here in windy Kansas...........but maybe without the strong wind?:laugh: :laugh: It's in the low 80's right now and beautiful, but nasty thunderstorms are starting to pop up. Hope they hold off until I get home tonight or my poor dog will be a quivering wreck in the dog house!!:noway:

Just spent over an hour walking all over campus delivering packets to members of an advisory council.....what a beautiful way to get in a good walk.....75 minutes in all and paid for all of it :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Thank goodness I keep a pair of running shoes under my desk - it's quite a hike across campus, and lots and lots of stairs involved too!!!

Alf and Sing.....I hear you both on the out of control snacking, but I've found a way that seems to work for me.......... take a specific portion, put it into a bowl/cup/plate, close the the original container, put it away in the cupboard/fridge, and leave the kitchen area!!!! It works for me!! That way I know in advance how much I'm going to allow myself to have and I'm not as tempted to get more if I have to actually get the box/container back out and open it back up......

Stiring........keep looking at different styles of bikinis............there's got to be something out there you'll feel good about yourself in! Myself, I suck it up every year and buy one new Victoria's Secret suit. Yes, they're expensive, but they fit well, the tops are almost all available in bra sizes, you can buy tops and bottoms separately and they last forever!!! I've got a couple of suits that are 4-5 years old, and they get used every weekend of the summer at the lake. I'll admit the bikinis didn't get worn last summer, but I was able to buy a couple of tankini tops that coordinated with bottoms I already had.

Swiss, check with your local health department or county extension office about getting a body analysis done. You may be surprised to find that you can get one done fairly inexpensively, especially if there's a college near you.

Hello to everyone else - I'll get a chance to read back thru the posts one of these days and catch up on everyone.

singfree, I love how you said in your post that health and fitness should be a mindset, not an obsession. For me, too often, I cross the line into obsession, and it isn't good for me. I, like you, don't want this to consume all aspects of my life. It was my New Year's resolution to figure out how to make this work in good balance, and I'm still trying to figure it out.

Because, like you alf, when I choose to 'treat' myself, I go way overboard. I could make your list of foods from this past weekend look like a clean eating diet day if I were to outline some of my days over the past few months. :blushing: The strange thing for me is I've never been a binge eater, so this is a new phenomenon for me. I'm thinking I've carried the deprivation thing too far, so I'm swinging the other way as a result. That's why I'm implementing a maintenance diet. I really think that maintenance diet is all about changing my mindset and not really anything I'm eating on a normal day. But I'm going to let myself have a sweet every day if I want it (a couple hundred calories). I started that this week, and I had a little chocolate on Monday when we were in Seoul. And that's all I wanted. And I've thought about having some over the past couple of days, but I didn't have any strong cravings or feel like I needed any, so I didn't. I'm hoping that giving myself some things I enjoy a little more often will cut down on those binges. I'll let you know if it works.

Swissmiss, getting teens to eat healthy is a challenge. I listen to alot of podcasts and read alot of books on health and nutrition, and this is often a topic of conversation. The first thing, of course, is to keep as much of the unhealthy foods out of the house as possible. Of course, teens are going to find their own food, so that only goes so far. But, by and large, most 'experts' say that you should never really mention weight to kids because they rebel when you do that. If anybody watched last season's Biggest Loser, Daniel was a good example of that. So I don't think there is an easy solution to the teenager and healthy eating problem. But you work as a good example to them, and I think that is the best thing you can be doing.

Thanks alf and mkwood for your recommendations on bikinis. The one I tried on was meant for somebody 30 years younger than me, that's for sure. But I'm going to keep looking. I haven't been in a bikini since I was a teen. I've only been in a swimsuit a couple of times since then, so the sheer notion of shopping for a bikini is quite new for me. But I'm going to keep looking, and if I need to get one in Hawaii, I'll get one there. Thanks again for the help in trying to figure out the best way to buy one/best places to shop for one.

I'm having a pretty good week, though I feel a bit tired this week. But I did a good cardio kickboxing workout this morning. We are finally into spring now, and I went for a long walk this afternoon to enjoy the weather. My eating has been good this week even though my schedule has been a bit unpredictable. I'm definitely not going to be in my best shape when we get to Hawaii, but I am going to be in MUCH better shape than I was when we were there three years ago at this time (and two years ago when we were there again at this time). I have one photo of my husband and I from three years ago on my computer, and on those days when I start feeling a bit down about how I look, I pull up that photo and it serves to remind me how much weight/size I have lost. I should probably post it on my fridge because maybe that would keep the binge eating at bay!! Probably not....because when I'm in my 'I must have peanut butter and chocolate' mode, I'd probably look at the photo and say to myself 'I looked darned good!' and then dive head first into the Jif jar. :laugh:

Hope everybody has a good day!

Good Morning All. Mayor Sing we are enjoying the same warm weather you are. Wish I didn't have to be at work all day!

Stiring: Land's End has the mix and match 2-piece bathing suits, most of the tops are the tankini style with more coverage, but they have at least one shorter top that gives you a little more coverage than a string bikini, and some really attractive fabrics. I haven't been able to wear a bikini since I was 12. I do love the whole tankini concept though because it makes wearing a bathing suit so much easier. Its a pain to get in and out of a one-piece!

Sing, If I lived in your area of PA, I would never be able to change my eating habits! I remember Lebanon Bologna from when i went to college there. Then years later, when my Mom and I were visiting the area, we got free chocolate from the Hershey's tour, then free chocolate from Hershey Lodge, and we ate at the Good N Plenty. Ironically I was one of the few freshman who lost weight instead of gaining weight.

Sing:

Yes, I did. Didn't last a year, though. It was a beautiful place to go to school. During pledge week some of the guys even brought a horse up the stairs in one of the dorms. When I was there, we were lucky if the football team ran the ball in the right direction. I have some fond memories, I just wasn't meant to be in college at the time.

Buenos dias!!!!! Busy morning already! My son is in therapy right now so taking some time to post... the ChaLean workout this morning kicked my behind!!!! I still feel it!!! I have been doing well with my eating since Monday but it is too early to tell if I will keep this longer....that did not sound too positive. I need to have more self confidence...

MK and Stiring, speaking of bikinis, I just got my VS swimsuit catalogue. I like getting ideas but I really dont like buying clothes or shoes online or throuh a catalogue. I would hate to have to return it and pay shipping fees. Stiring, I know you will find a nice bikini in Hawaii!!!! I bought my last ones at Old Navy. I do want to say that I like shopping for swimsuits now and clothes in general.

Swiss, how about getting older kids to eat healthy???? My daughter is 25 yrs old and eats very badly. And unfortunately, she feeds the same to her daughter!!!! She once told me that I fed her the same foods when she was younger. Ouch!!! That hurt!! And it is true...but I told her that I did not know any better then and that I do now. And she sees that example now...I guess it will take time. All I can do is be patient and I think she will figure it out on her own.

Sing, I totally agree with you. It is incredible the kinds of foods that are being served in schools. They really lack on teaching children to eat healthy and to take care of their bodies physically and mentally through exercise. Many schools nowadays do not have PE everyday. And yes, it should be a shared effort with schools and parents.

Well, I'd better go now...

Have a wonderful day!!!

Hi all! Bluebonnets, Indian paint brushes and mexican hats are blooming herein north Texas. Azalias in the front of my office building are blooming. Not sure how long they have been in bloom because it has been dark when I have gotten to work every day the last two weeks. Have had a parade of consultants who need to be bay-sat into the evening... Ugh! Have missed the trainer three weeks in a row now. Must get into gear for river aerobics and London this summer!

Regarding swimming suits, my days of bikinis are long gone. I wear a cheap tank suit from Walmart with a sports bra under it (much cheaper than buying a suit with adequate support on the top...) and I wear running shorts over the suit. Works great for me.
I need to get new water shoes for this summer. Probably get some real ones at a sporting goods store.

My mom was looking at two piece suits through LL Bean, but they were expensive. We bought her a running tank top with a built-in bra and running shorts with a built-in pany at Target last year. She loves them for doing her Silver Sneakers water walking classes.

I was proud of Easter dinner: spinach and strawberry salad with raspberry vinaigrette, yellow cherry tomatoes with fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, roasted turkey breast, steamed broccoli and asparagus, made from scratch mashed sweet potatoes with orange zest and ground pecans and angle food cake with strawberries and blackberries topped with a little no fat strawberry yogurt.

Need to go! Take care all! TxMs

:mad: I have something to say about the food at the schools.:mad: They actually have soda pop machines there now. And instead of having the meat, potato and veggie lunches that I had in school, they have what looks like several unhealthy snacks. And they call it "lunch" ? Last year I packed for my girls but then I found out that they were throwing most of it away. So, they are back to buying whatever the school offers.

Doing very good at staying away from the Easter chocolates. I am also not missing any of the classes I am signed up for at the Y.