WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY 2013

Hi!!!
Yes I am over 50, I am a senior and I am 66 years old.

My June Accomplishments was I lost 5 pounds.
Tried to do more exercise as I have bad knees and arthritis in my hip and spine. Degenerative Arthritis.

July Goals:
Stay 50 calories below my calorie Goal
Drink my water, 9-10 glasses of water.
Try to increase my walking and work on exercises for my Abs.
Keep sodium level down.


Phyllis
From Springfield, Mo

HI!Happy Thurs.
Got some exercise hauling some of our yarn bins to another location.Sorted thru bins.Ended up with more yarn for projects.
Had a nice lunch and visit with my 3 ladies.
Beautiful day,low humidity and low 80`s.Nice to have the windows open and give the air con a break.
HUGS

Hi – just a quick drop-in to see what everyone is up to. I’m listening to a con-call . . . I can multi-task, right?

Suzy – have a grand time at the beach! It’s funny, the foods I used to *have* to have (NOLA Jazz and Heritage Fest is a major contributor) are not so much of a temptation these days. I think it’s in my nature to be able to say no much more easily than yes – and that’s not always a good thing. Hmm. Anyway, I hope you have fun and enjoy every bite, er, moment.

Joyce – congratulations on your blood sugar – it’s down again, right? And the inch. I bet next way in 200 lbs will be far in the rear view.

Tere, your spirit seems so bright! I love reading your posts. Jealous of your goodie-box – my garden is being stingy on its production right now, but I’ll have cucumbers shortly (have several about 4 inches long). I’ve been extremely fortunate to have exes with whom I get along just fine – on both sides. I also seem to get along with my ex’s wife, but it wasn’t always a smooth path. Definitely get an ipod – you might be able to find one for fairly cheap now since everyone uses their phone as a mp3 player now. I have an armband and LOVE listening to music as I’m walking. DH hates it though – he wants to talk. I listen to all sorts of music, but it tends towards folksy-bluesy – and depends on my mood for the day.

Sandy from ON – I feel your pain on not sleeping well. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I can vouch for the fact that increasing my exercise considerably has really made a significant improvement in my ability to get a good night’s rest. I still wake up once or twice per night, but it’s not every couple of hours like it used to be, and usually the second time is when I’m getting up anyway (to my cat alarm).

K in Kitsap, I don’t think it’s silly at all to be afraid of meeting up with a bear! Your goals are good ones.

Altygirl, I don’t think you’re eating is that far out of bounds. How many grams of protein are in your shakes? It feels like a lot if you’re eating regular food too . . . and if you’re working out you need some carbs (not a lot, but at least 30-35%) to give your body extra energy.

Janie, wow, busy day. Congratulations on the smaller shirt size!

Meg, FB was alive yesterday with Tesla’s birthday, and someone posted a mural that was painted on the side of a manufacturing facilty/office in Lincoln of Tesla’s life/accomplishments. It made me feel proud to know people from there. I feel your pain on the household shopping trip too:sad: . I’m laughing about getting a mister for cooling off – if I were to get a new one, it wouldn’t be for cooling off . I love zydeco – have a wonderful time!

Oh, Amanda – I’m so sorry your siblings are so self-centered . Please take care of yourself and don’t put your own health at risk!

Elliemay, welcome and what a wonderful reason to get in shape!

Katla, that’s great news for your DH.

Heather, we have a similar pudding, but we bake ours and call it a cobbler or bread pudding. When I make a charlotte or bombe I use ladyfingers and some sort of creamy filling in addition to the fresh fruits. It’s yummy. That’s good news on your DH.

Lucy, sodium in processed foods is staggering, that’s for sure:grumble: . Even canned beans have a huge amount. I think it’s necessary for preserving and processing, really. You know the answer even if you don’t want to hear it – start making more for your evening meal and take left-overs the next day for lunch, or simply plan something on the weekend you can make and take during the week (we do egg salad a lot). I also keep unsalted almonds on hand for snack. Even cottage cheese has a lot of sodium (well, it’s cheese, so duh!). My downfall is the need for something crunchy/salty. I’ve finally just given into that need and built it into my day in the form of tortilla chips – but I count them out the way some people count squares of chocolate lol.

Brooke, glad to hear your back spasms are easing up. Enjoy those days – it will be cold before you know it!

Robin, I’m so glad you’re moving out of that job. Happy day!:drinker: :drinker: :flowerforyou:

JaneM, that sounds like a really nice day.

Joyce, might the headaches be related to barometric pressure? I get them when storms are coming in. But yes, if they’re there consistently and not easing up it’s best to get them looked at.

So as I was typing I started hearing this clicking noise. It continued long enough for me to go look to see what the cat had gotten into. As it turned out, a little lightening bug had gotten caught in a spider web and was letting me know how seriously unhappy he was with that. Too bad. I live and let live with the bugs in the house – including any wild kingdom life and death scenarios.

OK, I think I’m going to go for a walk tonight – drag DH out with me too.

Have a wonderful day – Cheers!

M.

Hi there from scorching humid buggy Maryland!

Joyce: you will be in onederland permanently in no time!

Suzy: I am in Elkton, it’s near the border of Delaware east of Baltimore. Thanks for the Skin So Soft tip. I found some on Amazon and ordered it. It has great reviews and also has sunscreen in it, so yay! Have a great time in Ocean City!

Sasha: I used to travel to Vancouver and Surrey quite a bit for work several years ago. Is that anywhere near where you are? Gorgeous over there!

Pat: chin up, it’s can be a new start every second, so you can turn things around as fast as you want to!

Yanniejannie: I love having the chickens, although they are not pets. They poop constantly!

Helen: Yes, I live in a rural area. Nearest neighbor is about ½ mile away. The chickens are definitely bothered by other animals as in eaten by them! I lost a few to a fox a while back. Now, I don’t let them have the run of the property. They stay in their coop with an attached outdoor protected run. Chickens are basically prey for all kinds of other animals… fox, raccoons, dogs, hawks, etc. Sorry to hear about your English cat.  It’s so sad when a beloved pet passes on. But I’m happy to hear you have other pets to love.

Grandmallie: I’ve been eating raw string beans. Maybe I’m just desperate, but they crunch like chips and help me when I’m feeling like I want to eat buffet.

Mwheatcraft: Thanks for the tip on Skin So Soft. I ordered some, it has great reviews, so I’m looking forward to it!

Sandy: I used to have sleep apnea until I lost a bunch of weight. Those sleep studies are a trip! My sleep doctor wanted me to go through a study again to confirm I no longer had apnea. In addition to having lost over 100 pounds (many folks lose apnea after about 50 pounds) I have solid evidence I don’t… a guy who sleeps next to me and says I don’t. LOL.

Terewilliams: I listen to 70’s disco when I really want to kick butt on the elliptical or arc trainer. It makes me MOVE. I have an ipod nano but also I have an even smaller one called a shuffle that just clips right onto my shirt. When I use the nano, I just put it in my pocket. Another song that makes me go crazy on the Arc Trainer is Runaround Sue… before my time, but it gets me going!

Joyce: I have to try the Pandora 80’s cardio station! Sounds good!

Meg: never had a cavity?! Wow! There are different ways to cook the steel cut depending on how you like them. I would search for some recipes online. I use a simple method: 3 cups water to 1 cup oats. Bring the water to a boil and then add the oats, reduce heat and cook 10-20 mins depending on how chewy you like it. Cover and remove from heat and let stand for a few mins. Some folks also cook them ahead of time in a crockpot, I haven’t tried that. Also, you can put some salt in the water if you want, I don’t add salt when I cook.

Linda: I am jealous of your berries! I have what looks to be a patch of blackberries growing along the lane through the woods… I’ll see if it amounts to anything, lots of little red ones so far.

Lucy: I agree on the ridiculous amount of sodium they put in stuff, I just don’t get it. I don’t buy it anymore, I make just about everything. I grill a week’s worth of chicken breast outside and then package it in 4 ounce little baggies and it’s around whenever I need it, no fuss. I also make my own soups now. Not this time of year, but it’s easy and convenient to do in the crock pot and then I just freeze portions. It’s as easy as opening up a can, but a lot more healthy! The problem with packaged food too is that if it’s low cal, it’s probably high sodium; and low sodium often has more sugar. I even cook my own beans now.

Brooke: I did it! I made the appt! Yes! Did you make yours? Hope your back is better! What kind of dog do you have?

Robin: sounds like you are free now, should feel like you just lost a ton of dead weight: your old boss!

Jodios: congrats on the NSV, it’s wonderful when clothes have become too large, a true sign of progress! Too bad it happened at an inopportune time though!

I am pleased to announce that I did make a dentist appt today! It’s for next Wednesday. And I went to the gym again today… that’s Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday so far. So, I’m doing well in my goals for this month so far. Yes!

In addition to being on conf calls all day (I work from home) I finished refinishing 2 outdoor benches and put together an aluminum one tonight that I ordered from Amazon. Tomorrow I have a hair appt to get rid of the damn gray. I wish they would invent something that would color it from the inside out, like a pill or drink I could use instead of the stinky hair dye. Of course, the heavy gray areas are right around my face. I tried growing it out, but it’s just not me… so dye I do.

On the pet front, I have 2 cats (Jazz and Fritz) and one morkie dog (Jackson). He is a year old and about 15 pounds, my first dog ever in my adult life and I wonder what I waited for! He really helped me get more active because he is a ball of energy. I also have a small flock of chickens (7 hens and 1 rooster) but they really are not “pets”. The live out in their own coop with an outdoor protected run and I think they just like me because I feed them. They eat almost anything in addition to their regular feed. I hardly put anything down the garbage disposal, I just walk it out to the coop.

Have a great evening and a wonderful day tomorrow!
Kat in Maryland

Good morning ladies and once again, thank you for your continuing support.

Well, the doctor didn't let me leave the hospital yesterday as I had a fever and he convinced me that I would be of no use to my father. DH went over to sit with dad last night and my daughter is flying over from Germany later today for the weekend. Bless her, it's costing her a fortune to get flights at the last minute - I almost feel like sending the bill to my siblings! Anyway, I should be home on Sunday if I am improved enough by then.

The truth is, my brother and sister are actually both lovely people - they are just both so wrapped in their own lives and their immediate family that my dad is of no real interest to them.

Anyhow, I'm off to drag my drip around the corridors for a while now - still need to get my exercise!

Have a great day my lovely friends.

Love to all.
Amanda x

morning Ladies,
well I was gonna go to the gym this morning, ready to walk out the door, and decided to go for a walk instead, it appears to me i burn more calories walking than anything else. we shall see how my left foot feels later this afternoon....
wow. amazing hitting your goal 106 lbs.. how long did it take you? I am struggling to get a lb off here and a lb off there.
working 10 -5 and tomorrow 7:30-noon ,i work 2 saterdays a month because no one else will work them.

Good morning Vit. F friends!

Amanda- Glad you are following the doctor's advice and that your DH and DD are both helping out with your dad. Take care of yourself!! Prayers and hugs are coming your way.:flowerforyou:

DeeDee- I feel the same way about the scales.:grumble: My weight has slowly crept up, but fluctuates wildly from day to day. I think a lot of it is water weight. I am very sensitive to the heat and humidity, but I hate the numbers I am seeing. I am pushing lots of water, but not getting as much exercise as I would like. I feel very lethargic with the heat and humidity. Trying to push through. Hope they get the cameras fixed.

Grandmallie- Hope your foot hold up to the walking. I broke a foot and tore a tendon almost two years ago and it still bothers me at times. Walking barefoot on the beach must not be good for it. It still is hurting since my trip to Maine a few weeks ago.

106 pounds and at goal!! Fantastic!! Let us know what you did and how you maintain the loss!:flowerforyou:

On Tuesday we kayaked for three and a half hours on the Black River. It felt great!! It was a little cooler on the river than at home and there was a breeze. It was good exercise and a great chance to spend time with a group of people we only see when kayaking. Lots of fun!!

Yesterday I spent the day on a lake with friends from work.(2 have retired already). Another very relaxing day. Today I need to get some work done around the house. Our new refrigerator doesn't fit where the old one did. This has lead to some much needed remodeling. We will be busy with that for a few days. I also need to start my "spring cleaning". As a teacher, my springs are just too busy to get it done, so I usually need to do it in the summer. It is also time for me to start reviewing and preparing to teach geometry, trig, and precalculus. All new courses for me and ones I haven't done much with since college.
I also need to get in my workout with weights and a ling walk. Better get going!!

Have a wonderful day and stay hydrated!!

Deb A in CNY

Hi everyone,

Amanda- glad some one is helping you out. Rest, rest and more rest is required after such an op. :flowerforyou:

Dee dee - hope your day improves. That pesky scale! I am still impatiently waiting to get into healthy BMI. It wont play ball:grumble:

Jodios - how great to have a DD to go shopping for smaller clothes with. But it did feel bad to get so little money for my "best" dresses when I sold them. They were gorgeous. I haven't rung them recently to see if they've all sold. Must do that. Like you I am finding that my size is a bit smaller now than I was at the same weight before. Especially on the bottom half. That used to be my biggest bit proportionally, now my waist is out of proportion and the hips and thighs have shrunk. I can hardly believe it's me when I look down at them when I'm cycling. I used to have "saddle bags" even when I was a skinny teenager. Buying pants was a nightmare. Now someone stole my saddlebags.:laugh:

It is great in this hot weather to be able to wear sleeveless tops. I hated my arms so much. I have a lot of wrinkly skin, like someone let a balloon down, but they are not great big legs of venison any more. I have even been able to leave my lymphedema sleeve off occasionally. Some of my tops are quite skimpy :blushing: :blushing: though I did put a shrug on to go food shopping this pm. Don't want to scare the natives!

I have made my Summer Pudding and just hope the juice soaks through the bread. You have to balance weights on top of it. I can't wait now for visitors so we can eat it.:drinker:

Still waiting for my new wedge sandals to arrive. Every time a van goes past I think it's them!

Tere - I listen to BBC Radio 4 when I'm doing my gymming. DH and I do it together sometime between 8 and 10 for about an hour. We usually catch a bit of news and then an informative programme, so I feel my brain is being exercised along with my body!:laugh: Sometimes, I have to admit, it is a little boring.:huh: On Fridays it is Desert Island Discs, which I love, and the combination of interview, biographical details and the music the subject has chosen certainly makes the hour go faster! Sometimes I hardly notice the time passing I am so interested and DH and I comment on their choices. Last week it was Stephen Pinker from Harvard, whose book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, I love. All his choices of music were ones I might have made! I told DH that we ought to invite him for dinner as I am sure we would get on.:bigsmile:
When I used to go to the gym in London I did the same as Joyce and watched my favourite TV programme. Now I watch it in a state of collapse lying on the bed after my gymming. :laugh: And reading all your posts. Oh the joys of being 63 and retired!:drinker:

Love to all. Hope those in a funk or stalling in their aims soon find it turning around.

Heather in perfect summer weather in Hampshire UK:flowerforyou:

Good morning!

I've just done my last workout before flying home to England on Monday. I need to make sure I keep moving and watch log my food when I'm at my Mum's! Heather, I love summer pudding ... English berries are so good. Someone mentioned cobbler here but I think that's more similar to a crumble. I haven't seen anything very similar to summer pud over here. Now I'm drooling.

Helen in Needham, MA

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this group and although July is almost half over I thought I would post anyway, just to start the process of (hopefully) getting to know other women who are over 50 and struggling with their weight. I have gained so much weight since my hysterectomy a few years ago and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around my post-menopausal body (which is challenging since it's so much bigger than before - ha). My goals for July are/were to continue logging every piece of food that goes in my mouth and to exercise daily, and as a consequence I'm hoping to develop a stronger connection between my brain and body. My biggest challenge at this stage of life is dealing with overwhelming stress and pressures, as well as all of the other things that go along with being in one's 50s, including empty nesting, without turning to food as filler, comfort, etc. I've been doing relatively well in the last few weeks, but yesterday was not so great, which is why I'm joining this group today - hoping to build more of a community (since in my offline world everyone I know is thin and doesn't seem to have to work that hard to remain so), and increased accountability.

So hello to everyone and I look forward to getting to know you all through your posts, etc.

Michelle

Pat - I agree with you about shakes. I've used them as a meal replacement this week a couple of times just because of trying to drop a few more pounds before my trip. The best time for me to have a protein shake is as a snack after a good workout. I didn't realize you were in AZ. We had a wonderful vacation there a couple of years ago - Sedona and then Phoenix to see friends. Loved it.

I have just entered the 21st century because my new iPhone has arrived. It's not a 5 because we were able to get an iPhone 4 free with a plan and I'm completely new to smartphones. Now, how to work the darn thing .....

Helen in Needham.

Yeah, my wedges have arrived and they are great! I will no longer have to torture myself when I get dressed up. No more tottering down the road in agony! :drinker: :laugh: :bigsmile:
Heather UK

I have been looking for a group closer to my age. I never had trouble losing weight until 5 years ago. I have been fairly consistently working at 1200 calories or less per day and walking 3-5 times per week. In over 3 months I have lost only 1 lb. Very discouraging! The advice is ridiculous-eat more, eat less, change when you eat, change what you eat. Really! Something has to work, my doctor told me to try the South Beach diet so that will be my next effort.:huh:

I'm not gone - honest I'm not!!! Just so busy, can't read, can't post. I miss all the chatter. I'll be back.