WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE 2013

NO time to catch up. "She who will not be named" is back in full swing and that's that. Our "on the move" challenge starts today at work so I need to get in 12000 steps but I am working a 13 hour day today so I am not sure when that will happen. I also got out of the car this morning and something pulled. It is a little uncomfortable walking.

I hope you are all doing well.


Robin, Bodi and the Rit Bit.
PNW

Hello, Everyone- Happy Monday!

I was in a tizzy because I could only find the first board. I was panicked, but, I finally found the second board, whew! I thought I had said something really stupid and gotten banned! ( I have been known to put my foot in my mouth on several occassions)

Anyway- I did get back to the pool today. The sinus stuff seems to have migrated to my ears, but there's not a whole lot that I need to hear so it's ok. I figure if it keeps migrating, it will go away soon! (How's that for positive thinking!)

I am so impressed that the women on this board are so open and honest about not only their weight loss journies, but their lives. You are all amazing, and I am so grateful that I can be part of this group.

There are a ton of chores to do today, so I had better go and get busy. Take care all & love yourselves lots and lots!



Joyce- Good job at Steak and Shake of revamping their meal to make it "your" meal. Nice, creative thinking!

Cheryl & Connie- I was raised in an alcholic family (father's side) and, of course, married one. (Way long ago and it's safely over) I am right there w/ both of you. If you need support/ an ear/ or someone to vent to.... I certainly am right here.

Rori- Oh, that poor little kitty on the bottom of your posts! She is going to work her way down to nothing!

Tigress- Awesome job w/ the 3 pounds!

Good Monday afternoon ladies,

This was one crazy weekend! We had torrential downpours on Friday. Of course, I had to pick that day to take Milo to the groomers. When they called me to pick him up, I left in a hurry because I wanted to stop at the grocery store and pick up a few items first. I forgot to bring a towel and realized I’d have soaking wet dog in the car, but when I went to put the groceries in the trunk I saw a blanket. While spreading it onto the seat with wet hands, I realized that this was the blanket we used for the beach on Memorial Day weekend. Now I had sand all over the back seat. WET SAND. What a mess! The groomer gave me a towel to clean it up and we got home soggy but clean. While putting away the groceries, I slipped on the floor with my wet flip flop and a large can of olives fell onto my foot! It instantly became black and blue, and boy did I see stars! Story of my life…. Anyway, I had a bridal shower for my nephew’s new bride-to-be on Saturday, and a HS graduation for my nephew on Sunday, so there was a lot of eating out this weekend. I did fine on Saturday, but Sunday was another story. We had dinner at an excellent seafood place around me. I got broiled mahi mahi with a crab cake (so far, so good). I decided to order a grapefruit crush…..not too terrible. But then…..DESSERT!!! Four of us split a Mud Pie. It was a HUGE concoction of a hard chocolate candy base with coffee ice cream (one of my favs) and whipped cream. It was heavenly! I ate way too much and paid dearly, as I guess my stomach can’t handle all that ice cream anymore. But it was so worth it! I tried to log when we got home, but my computer is acting weird, so I didn’t bother. I was so exhausted that after returning some phone calls, I just went to bed. But I’m back on track today. I think if I eat within my calories 80% of the time, I can splurge the other 20% and still maintain. Anyway, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

We’re supposed to go to an Italian Festival tonight that they hold every year in downtown Wilmington, but the weather may not cooperate. They are calling for scattered thunderstorms throughout the day with heavy downpours possible, so we’ll have to play this one by ear. ***Update: It's been cancelled for tonight, so hopefully we can go tomorrow night.

:happy: Sue in SD – Good for you taking on the insurance company! You gotta fight for your rights! I hope you get an answer soon. Yes, I am the one who recently started back on the Premarin. I am also on a low dose and can’t believe the difference it’s made in how I feel. I know that I can’t stay on it forever. It really sucks that something that is so bad for you can make you feel so good! Sure hope the menopause symptoms take a break soon.

:laugh: Suzy in DE – Your post about gardening made me laugh, as we put in tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and eggplants. For some reason, something ate JUST the eggplants! We even tried putting new ones in and they ate them again! Nothing else was touched, so we just gave up. These critters are picky!

Juanita – It seems like a lot of us are having the same problems with pedometers. Mine survived being run over in the street, but the clip did not. Now I can’t use it unless I have pockets, but when I walk on the TM, I wear yoga pants, and they don’t have pockets! We all need to unite and demand better clips!

Michele – Thanks for the info on the shirataki noodles. I haven’t had a chance to look yet, but we do have a Genuardi’s and I will get there to check it out soon.

:drinker: Lorain – Congrats on drinking all your water! I can tell you from experience that it gets easier.

:grumble: Tere – I wish I could just send Milo out to “do his thing” in the rain. But he’s such a diva and needs to be walked! When I first moved into this house, I thought that since it has a fenced in yard, I’d be able to just put him out in bad weather, but NOOOOOO….he just looks at me like “what do you want me to do again?” So walking we go, even if it’s a torrential downpour! GRRRRRR…..

Brooke – Glad to hear your plateau has been busted! A little tweaking is sometimes necessary to achieve the results we’re looking for. Hopefully, the Phillies will play better than they have been these last few days. They definitely need to get moving if they want to get back above 500.

:laugh: Pat – I would just love to see pictures of you and your BFF at the water park! Since I’ve gotten older, I don’t care as much about what people say if I am acting (or looking) silly. It’s all about creating memories, and anyway, you’re probably never going to see those people again, right?

:flowerforyou: Joyce – I never took my measurements before starting MFP either, but the way your clothing fits is a good indicator of losing inches (which is much more important than losing weight). Congrats on your restraint at the restaurant!

:brokenheart: Liz – I hope whatever it is that is causing your stress gets resolved. {{{{hugs}}}}

Heather – We tried a tea made with hibiscus flowers when we were in Mexico and bought a package to take home with us. I normally do not sweeten anything, but I do need to add a little splenda or it comes out a tad bitter for me. It was very sweet when we had it in Mexico, so I imagine they use a lot of sugar. Will be watching for your one year post.

:noway: DeeDee – The east coast sure has had our share of rain this year. I wish Noel would teach Milo how to avoid the puddles because he has to walk in circles on the sopping wet grass for 10 minutes before he seems to find just the right spot!

:flowerforyou: Yanniejannie – Congrats on the NSV! It feels good to have your hard work acknowledged!

Eileen – Glad your dishwasher got fixed in time for your company.

Cheryl – Glad Jackson’s doing better, but if he never asked and no one ever told him what happened, I would leave it alone. I have had some experience in these matters and denial is a very real part of addiction. If he isn’t ready to face it, sadly, there isn’t anything you can do.

:ohwell: Connie – My granddaughter just got on Ancestry.com and has been asking me about our family history. It’s really interesting to see all the things you can find out about your family. She even found out occupations! I hope you can resolve your log in problems and continue with your search.

Annsan – I have one word for you….patience! Weight loss is a little slower after 50, but with persistence, the weight WILL come off. Hang in there…we all have had similar experiences and are here for you!

Deb A – Welcome back and feel free to pop in anytime. No pressure to compose a long post. We’re just glad you’re here.

:noway: Joy – Thanks for sharing that amazing pic! Proud of you, girl! I got butterflies in my stomach just looking at it, but I’m sure it was worth it! That view!!!! WOW!!

:flowerforyou: Meg – Congrats on increasing your steps! It’s always good to focus on the positive changes and work on one thing at a time.

:yawn: Rori – If you slept 8 hours, your body must have needed it. I find that my will power is much better if I get enough sleep.

Viv – Sending {{{hugs}}} your way for a better day tomorrow.

:happy: Tigress – Congrats on your 3 pound weight loss! That’s the way it works sometimes. Just when you think nothing’s happening….viola! Results!

:flowerforyou: Amanda – Happy Birthday and enjoy your day off!

Tried to get through everything, but ended up skimming at the end, so if I didn’t get to you, know that you are all in my thoughts. I appreciate all of my Vitamin F Friends on this thread. Have a wonderful day and be good to yourselves!

GOALS FOR JUNE:
Increase weights for circuit training to 5 pounds each.
Consistent logging
Drink at least 9 glasses of water a day
Find an exercise class I enjoy

Hang in there ladies….we are all in this together and we can do this!!!


Hugs,
Lucy in DE.:bigsmile:

evening my friends,
well today it is raining,and going to rain and thunderstorm tonight..
GUESS WHAT I GOT?:bigsmile: :bigsmile: my fit bit flex, I am soooo excited, I think I even have it synced to my fitness pal too..
im one happy camper..got up early so I am tired.that's what I get for reading in bed at night:grumble:
went over on sugar and sodium today,but have calories left over ,so that's ok...
I so wish we all lived closer to each other that we could have a get together:bigsmile:
I know what we could do How about plan at least for us in the U.S. a MFP cruise? doesn't have to be a long one but that way we could all get together and enjoy ourselves too..
just throwin that out there is all

Well, now I have time to post my story. I need to get this off my chest. It is really bothering me. I went for a walk with my dogs yesterday and as I walked up to a neighbor's long drive, I heard a noise like a tractor so looked up the drive. Well, there was my neighbor with his repaired tractor. I was about to go talk to him when I noticed his brother sitting on the tractor, so I stopped. The brother proceeded to yell " What are you looking at you f****** GD spy?" Well I just looked at him and started towards the man to confront him but changed my mind. I just shrugged my shoulders as if to say "what are you talking about?" and kept walking. When I got home, I was unnerved about the whole thing and told my DH about what happened. He called the police. Well now, I've got 2 police cars parked in my yard and my next door neighbor gawking. The police agreed to talk to the nasty neighbor and told me I should find a different walking route. I went over to the gawker and explained what happened. Not much sympathy there but I wasn't expecting any. It's a sad day when you can't even walk around the neighborhood!

Well on a good note, I met all my goals Sunday and today. The scale was nice to me too! I've read up to here and will pick up again tomorrow. Have a great evening everyone!

Rita from Cookeville, TN (Thompson, CT originally)

Yanni thanks for the ideas. She eats her meals in her room and she has made an a** out of herself the whole 7 years she has resided there and that's the reason they keep her in a private room.

Hi ladies. It finally is sunny and gorgeous today. It started out misty, foggy, and cold! But by mid-afternoon the sun was peeking out. I went to water aerobics today. OMG I was the youngest by at least 20 years! I loved watching all the “old gals” work it! But here is what was so funny, I always thought older ladies were very modest due to the era they grew up in. Oh my no! The locker room was a bevy of yakky naked old ladies! It was all I could do to keep from laughing…not at them, but at their audacity and total comfort with their bodies. No one cared! It was great. What a wonderful bunch. I hope I am just like them when I get older! The workout wasn’t all that great, but the stretching was good and it felt good to go. Looking forward to Friday when I’ll go again.

Rori: that was quite a nap!!! I love the Bonefish Grill .

Molly: your peonies are awesome

Kathy: you’re getting rain too?

Alice; sounds like you will have one busy summer!

Viv: hope the rest of your day got better and you are no longer cranky!

Jo it sounds like your part of the world is beautiful! My DD#1 is wired differently…unfortunately with her language barrier, no one is willing to do cognitive testing on her. So we don’t know what would help her. Trial and error isn’t cutting it!

Grandmallie: yay for breaking that plateau! I love the cruise idea and if we go the Atlantic route, we could pick up all the folks in Europe, England, Wales, etc. The Colorado ladies got together once I recall.

Heather: let us know how the garlic comes out. I was thinking of trying some next year. Smoked mackerel sounds delightful!

DeeDee: I do love that fitbit. It’s silly but I love it’s little messages.

Tigress: hooray for the weight loss!

Jb: thanks for the herb tips. And thanks for printing the recipe again. I did write it down….my dog ate it! LOL. Seriously I wrote it down, made it, fed it to company to rave reviews and now can’t find it! It was delish so thanks again!

Laura: have a wonderful vacation and post when you get back!

Katla: I’m having a mental image of you scrutinizing your undies to see what the mystery is!!!

Molly: good news about the sleep. I have no idea what that is like!

Robin: UGH Shewhomustnotbenamed! What happens if you say her name….do you turn into a pillar of salt???? Hope your muscle pull is better.

Lucy: hope your foot is better. Sounds like you had a great time and I agree with your 20/80 story!

Joyce: deep breath! I didn’t hear you say you were stress eating….that’s a big VICTORY!

Rita: holy cow that man sounds unbalanced. Lucky he didn’t’ come after you or something!

Yanniejannie: hope the tornado stayed far, far away from you! Living in NE we get our share.

Dianemduvall: why can’t you eat cereal? I may have missed one of your earlier posts. That’s what I eat almost every day and I watch my carbs. Cheese toast or peanut butter toast is also good. I try to have some carbs and some protein at breakfast. I stay
full longer with the protein, but I’m with you on not wanting to eat eggs daily.

Well, it’s getting late and I have some chores to do. I won’t make my 6000 steps even though I gardened, so will have to make it up this week. I’ve been getting over 7000 so I think I can do that. Take care everyone, hugs, Meg from Omaha

Am so glad I looked at this message board!! Thanks all, I enjoyed reading all the posts!! It gave me support, I have not had!! Thanks again!!!!

Wow! I haven't been on since Saturday. It took me a while to catch up. I'm still hyperventilating over Sunshine's picture. Oh, my goodness. I am proud of you. No way could I do that, but it was beautiful.

Rita, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience just trying to walk in your neighborhood. In our neighborhood it is dogs that can ruin our walk. They bark, get out of their fences and chase us, DH got bit by two different dogs from two different houses in the same week! At least with dogs, you can kind of excuse them because they don't know better. That guy sounded crazy!

The funeral of the young man in our church is tomorrow. For those who are so inclined, please offer up a prayer for the family. The grandmother, especially, is having a hard time. Suicide is always a tough one.

I'll be tied up the rest of the week with the Methodist Conference - food will be an issue since I'll have to eat what is there, but at least I will be far, far away from DH's candy dish. Thanks to all who have sent me suggestions for dealing with the sweet tooth. I have been working on eating more fruit and drinking more water. That usually works fairly well. I am also going to try the fudge pops, suggested by Sunshine.

The more I think about it the more I like Yannis idea of regular floral arrangement. What woman wouldn't want to have a floral delivery to her room every month! She has had to learn to trust us in our purchases since she can no longer get in the car.

I need to give up my nightly bowl of cottage cheese and pinepapples. It's not the calories, it's the sodium. So my daughter suggested plain yogurt instead of the cottage cheese. So I bought one single container tonight at the grocery store. yes, after we shopped till we dropped for his Mom then we had to go back and go grocery shopping. So I will see how that goes and then see if I can find a larger container of yogurt light. So far all I saw was regular. But a lot of the shelves were kind of bare.

yanniejannie - for the longest time, I didn't want to go to Golden Corral. then we went one time. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that there were quite a few decent foods. Some not-so-good (ie: fried) but there were quite a few decent choices, too. Glad you had such a good time.

katla - I have a recipe for sweet potato muffins (probably the same as yours). I made them once, and they were quite good. when sweet potatoes are on a good sale, I think I'll probably make more

Jo - sounds like you had an amazing weekend. I do believe the landscaping will look nice once it's finished. Only thing is, I have this sinking feeling that it'll never end...like housework...there's always something else. But I'm happy. Can't remember what the backyard looked like at this time last year.

Amanda - let us know what the MD says about the bleeding. Don't recall anything at all like that. Happy birthday to you! Have a great day. What a wonderful daughter you are

grandmalle - yea breaking thru that plateau

Heather - happy anniversary! How will you celebrate?

DeeDee - you don't have to go back to the acupuncturist? For some reason, I thought that was an ongoing type of thing. Does insurance cover it? My ankles swell, especially in summer. It's really more of a pain than anything else. Yup, the rain is back. But...little to no rain tomorrow and Wednesday

brooke - the beet green raw, do you also eat the ribs? Like kale you don't. I bet they're going to be real good in my salad. Now I can't wait for next week's farmers market so that I can get some.

Did about 20 minutes of yoga today then the extremepump class for an hour. Tomorrow I'm planning to do the program that I found in *Fitness* magazine which is an incline/resistance interval workout on the treadmill. It kicked my butt last time so we shall see this time. It's not raining here right now, hopefully it'll dry out some so that we can put down more of the riverrock

jb - I had some basil from the farmers market that I froze. Vince didn't like "that green stuff", probably because he isn't used to fresh herbs. To me, they taste very good.

Terri - Vince grew up with a dishwasher, I didn't. So when we renovated the kitchen of our first house, he wanted a dishwasher put in. It took me a couple of years to use it, now I wouldn't DREAM of a kitchen without one Good luck to you

Robin - sorry "she's" back. Can you maybe get a stepper to put under your desk and get your steps in that way?

Kathy - I have heard that zumba can be hard on the knees, but I wouldn't think that the water zumba would be. How I wish we had it! I think that would be loads of fun. Hope your knee is ok. Isn't it amazing how much they charge for a bottle of water? I've had to buy one one time, and I couldn't get over how much it costs!

Lucy in DE - what a day you had! I'm sure the 80/20 rule is appropriate. I just couldn't see not splurging once in a while. Sometimes ya gotta do something to make someone else happy. I know that it would bother me if I went to the trouble of making something/taking a person out and they flatly refused to eat anything. I remember going to the Italian Festival. I remember going to this one restaurant -- gosh it's been so long I can't think of the name of it -- I think it was mamma something. It was in a row house, but the food was very good. Now it's gonna bug me until I remember (or ask Vince or Jessica who was with us)

grandmalle - I know you'll enjoy your fit bit

Rita - is this the first time this happened to you on your walk? I'm sorry that happened to you.

jmkmomm - if your MIL has been so bad that she needs to be in a private room, then maybe sending a fruit basket once/month to the nursing staff certainly can't hurt. Excellent suggestion yanniejannie

Meg - I think it is so wonderful to see some of those older ladies in a water aerobics class. You're right, they're so comfortable with their bodies, and the insight they give you! I love it!

Went to mahjongg tonight, didn't maj at all. Tomorrow I'm having rumikub here while Vince goes shooting

Michele in NC

Michele: DH is being treated for a chronic disease, MS, so he has ongoing appointments with his acupuncture doctor. (She really is a MD as well as a DAOM.) For the last couple of years that was the only treatment he received for his MS and it did improve his symptoms. The new MS doctor DH is now seeing is very open to acupuncture for his patients even though they are also getting conventional treatment. The conventional MS treatment can slow or stop the progress of the disease. The acupuncture can only address symptoms. Our plan is to go forward with both. It sounds like DeeDee had a specific problem she need to have help with and was able to resolve it. I think acupuncture can be ongoing, or injury specific. I have an ongoing case study of one--my husband. I'm no expert.

Katla in Beautiful NW oregon

Well I tried my yogurt and pinapple and it just wasn't the same. One problem is that when I eat it with the cottage cheese I put the juice from the pinapple in. So that's what I did with the yogurt and it just wasn't right. I think it needed texture. So I was thinking of adding something like granola to it?????? Any suggestions of what kind of granola? Remember I am kitchen challenged here. Or is there something else that would give it some texture but still taste good.

Joyce, seeking in Indiana

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY :flowerforyou:

Today it is one year since I started my ‘diet’, as I thought of it then, so I thought I would give all my lovely Vit F friends a summary of my journey so far.

This time last year I was invited to my brother’s 60th birthday party. I refused to go in fancy dress, I sat at the back and hid myself and when I did get up to dance my knees could hardly support me. I weighed 14 stone 1 lb. That is 197 lbs. I am 5ft 5ins tall. I was 62 years old. I had never weighed so much in all my life, though I had put on weight and lost it several times. Each time I had sworn I would never put it on again.

Five years previously I had developed breast cancer and had had a lumpectomy with lymph gland removal. Chemotherapy followed. I put back all the weight and more that I had lost the year before through comfort eating and not being able to walk very far. We then moved out of London and I discovered the joys of country life, including baking! Although my DH had bought some gym machines, and I was using them, I continued to put on weight with all my delicious patisserie and breads. I made my grandson’s two tier christening cake along with croissants, chocolate roulade and macaroons to rival Paris! I even thought of starting my own baking blog.

But the night of the party I had had enough. Even my knickers did not fit me. Nothing fitted me anymore. I looked like a sausage in the few things I could squeeze in to. :sad: On Monday 11th June I began.

At first it was a diet. I did not have very great hopes of getting ‘slim’, but wanted to at least get back to the 13st 4 lbs, 186 lbs, I was before I started baking! I managed that OK quite quickly, so thought I would like to be the weight I was when DH asked me to marry him – 12 st 7 lbs, 175 lbs.

When I got there I found I was amazed at how much my mobility was improving. At my worst I could hardly struggle out of the car, was out of breath walking on the flat and was full of aches and pains. I had high blood pressure (taking medication) and every night had swollen ankles. I could hardly tie my shoe laces and had to sit down to put on my trousers. I had to come downstairs one step at a time, holding on to the banister rail.:sick:

All this was changing. It was about then I discovered MFP, but not yet this wonderful group. Of course I was still using the machines 6 days a week and going to yoga one day a week, so that will have helped a lot, and I had more energy and my clothes fitted! But I was still way behind the other ladies at yoga who were a decade older than me.

I thought I would like to be the weight I was when I got married, as I had managed to take a bit off before the wedding. I remembered feeling very good at that weight – 12 st 2 lbs. 170 lbs. I got there and was feeling so much better that I thought I might aim at the weight I was when I met DH in 2003 – 11 st 7lbs. 161 lbs. I had felt very good then, with lots of confidence!

I must have discovered this group round about then, because it began to dawn on me that I could, at 63, be FIT as well as slim. There were things called dumb bells that ordinary women lifted and I could do press ups and planks and all kinds of wonderful things that I had never dreamed of. I began to get very enthusiastic and enjoyed finding out every day how my Vit F friends were doing.

I went still lower. I began to find out about BMI and BFI, BMR and TDEE and got very excited at all the new things I was learning. At this point the weight loss slowed and sometimes it got a bit disheartening, but my fitness improvements were so astonishing that it didn’t matter so much. I could walk up hills, I could do things at yoga that the others could not do. I could walk fast. Clothes began to look good on me. I am now so nearly at ‘normal’ BMI I can taste it. :drinker:

Today I weigh 10 stone 13 lbs. 153 lbs. I do not want to lose much more because I don’t want to risk osteoporosis or looking haggard. A few more pounds would be ‘the icing on the cake’. Not a real cake, I hasten to add. :laugh:

I do feel as if I have been born again. With the help of my lovely DH and my Vit F friends I have a new life. On Sunday I went fast walking for an hour and later did an hour’s hard gardening. Just one of those would have put me in bed for a week once upon a time. But I felt fine afterwards and not at all tired. If somebody had told me a year ago that at my age I could have got so much stronger, with all my dodgy knees and hips, feet and ankles, I would not have believed them. I thought my deterioration was inevitable and irreversible. :bigsmile:

So, to all my Vit F friends, thank you so much and, if some of you are struggling at the moment, know that, if I can do it, then, most certainly, so can you! :flowerforyou:

Heather, from rainy Hampshire, UK.

PS. If any one wants to see the new me I had a photo taken today and uploaded it to my profile. It is the third one. The second, sideways one, was taken on my recent holiday.

Good Morning All You fabulous fantastic Ladies :flowerforyou:
Wow!! just WOW :bigsmile: all the positive and inspiring posts!

Rained here all day yesterday and finally cleared this morning-BUT more potential damaging storms on the way.
Even in the mountains that wind gets through.Last year this month when we lost power for 4 days(we were lucky I guess) a lot had no power for over a week.That was a horrible time.But it made me realize just how precious all the little things are in life.

Now to something positive.Going to begin a class this morning and hope I make it through
My fabulous 11 hours sleep yesterday was a very pleasant surprise now back to 5-6 hours.(sleep apnea)

Thank you Meg :flowerforyou: I love all kinds of flowers but peonies are my favorite.
Looking at the time have to go get this *party* started.

Hang in there Ladies.
Molly in sunny WV (for now)