WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY 2014

Just a quick note before heading home from work -

Brenda - We share a birthday! You are now the 4th person I know that has the same date as me!

February is a hard month for food. My DH's birthday is Feb. 10, my sister is Feb. 12, Valentine Feb. 14 and mine Feb.18. It's a killer week. The past two years my DH and I took a cruise to the Bahamas to celebrate both birthdays and Valentine's Day. We want to make it a tradition but this year we have an older doggie that we didn't want to leave alone for a week.

Will check back in later.
Tina from Maryland

Will someone please send some snow to Houston? Our weather is so warm, humid, and boring! I love snow!!

Joyce: It sounds like you and Charlie are working though things that require learning new habits & strategies, & that learning takes time. DH and I are still working on a few issues that are unresolved from his stroke a year ago.:flowerforyou:

Pat in OH: Don’t be discouraged. When you do all the right things, stay within your calorie goals and don’t lose weight you’ve arrived at a plateau. We’ve all spent time at plateaus and so many of us were the Plateau Queen at one point it was suggested that we can all be plateau princesses. Be patient and keep doing the right thing. Weight that comes off slowly is more likely to stay off. Sodium can be a problem by causing water retention. Make sure you’re drinking enough water to wash the salt through your system. That has been a sticking point for me more than a few times.:grumble:

Ginryl: When we near 500 posts you need to start keeping an eye out. There will be a link to the new thread at the bottom of the 500th post.:flowerforyou:




My computer developed a problem with its CD/DVD player and I took it in to the Apple genius this morning. It needs to have a new CD/DVD player. I’ll be able to get it in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I’m using my old, retired laptop. I’d forgotten some of its idiosycrasies. I’m sure glad I kept it, though.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:



Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


February goals:

1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Move more: cardio at least 3 days a week and strength training as soon as I am able.
3. Water: According to an article I saw on facebook, drinking water at certain times maximizes its effectiveness for the body. I’ll work toward following these guidelines:
* 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
* 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
* 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
* 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

Tina
Last night at volleyball, one of my teammates came in late, she was out
celebrating her birthday. We were born the same day and year. I'm from
Md too. Oh, Happy belated birthday.
Brenda from Md

Did 45 minutes of a stretch class today. Then 45 minutes of a step class. I always wondered why I would sweat so much in this class. At first I thought maybe it was because it was more intense. But today I realized that the reason I sweat more (and therefore drink more) is because of the high humidity down here.

Found out that the cardio class they have on Thursdays is zumba which is in the gym. I remember last time I really didn't like it in the gym. But the good news is that that means that the aerobics room is empty so I'll be able to do a body pump youtube video.

After exercise class today I went to Aldi's to get some veggies and other refrigerated things (like milk, eggs, etc)

katla - it's so nice to have a "private"lesson. Sure hope they don't cancel your yoga class for lack of participation. When I taught, even if there was only one person in the class, I taught the class. My feeling was "they paid their gym membership, they came here for a class, they are a member, they deserve a class". But the powers-that-be didn't feel that way.

Heather - that squash, lentils and feta sounds heavenly. Is this a recipe you got off the Internet or something you put together yourself?

Patty - how frustrating that your test fell thru again. But maybe it was a blessing in disguise since perhaps you will be able to take it closer to your home. So sorry about your knee

Let me chine in to everyone new. Yes, I totally agree, log every bite and drink, good or bad. At it WILL take time (excruciatingly at times), but be assured, weight loss WILL happen.

barbie - I'm sure that dance will work out great for the class. You are such an inspiration.

margaret - enjoy the movie

Renny - you talked about how you don't like soda, today while I was at Aldi's I didn't even think to look for soda for Vince. I never drink soda (well,almost never, occasionally I get a craving -- like once or twice a year.). Is there a reason why you don't have your diary open? Sounds like there's a lot we can all learn. Patty can also do aerobics in the water, in the shallow end very little impact, in the deep end, no impact.

Brenda - I can't think of a better birthday present than the one you gave yourself.What I like about those Gerber pickups is that you get a small portion, enough for a lunch, yet it doesn't need refrigeration. Good to keep on hand. What I got was just carrots. I have another small one that's just green beans. Then I have some that are a combination of both.

katla - I wish you did have your diary open, but I respect your feeling. It might very well give me ideas of things that I can make for my friend who is lactose intolerant. She's also avoiding gluten, so that makes it doubly difficult. One time I made these gluten free cookies, I thought I was really helping her out. Only she couldn't eat them since they were made with butter. I wonder if that means that she can eat gluten free cookies from a store since they probably use faux-butter. I tend to use portion control, too. For some reason, I don't have a food scale, but my set of measuring cups and spoons are, to me, invaluable. When I go to a restaurant, a lot of times I just ask them not to give me any of the "fillers" like white rice, pasta, rolls, etc.

jane - hope DIL feels better fast. I'm sure Violet will enjoy CEC. I remember one year when the kids were little. They took me "out to dinner for Mother's Day". They decided that I'd really enjoy my Mother's Day at CEC....lol

Joyce - some men just feel that they're invincible and they know what's what. Vince many times searche son the Internet when he has something, think he knows what's the story. But at the first sign of even a little discomfort, he runs to the MD. We were doing the taxes the other day. In the last year he went to the ER three times. I didn't go once.

Was up early this morning, but I know that's because I took a decongestant and it always makes me wide awake. In a way it was probably a good thing,tho because evidentally the alarm on my phone for some reason didn't go off.

Pat - wish I had ideas for you. I've been up a few pounds, down a few for the last couple of years. Actually, it seems that lately I'm up more than down. I really think a lot of it is stress, I can't help thinking and praying for Bryan, worrying about Jessica and Denise.

Jill - I'm so with you on the night snacking. Let me know what strategies you come up with, even if they don't work.

Margaret is right. Artificial sweeteners increase the desire for sweets. I was just listening to an audiobook "why we get fat and what to do about it" and it says that our bodies recognize sugar and that it's going to get calories. So when we start using artificial sugars, the body sees that it's getting sugar, but no calories. So it wants those calories. You can guess what that leads to!

Ginyrl - glad you found us

Tina - happy belated birthday to you and dh

bluesky - hope you feel better fast

katla - I'm on my laptop right now, it has Windows 8 on it, at home I have XP. Some things are just so frustrating!

Michele in NC

Hi Everyone!

I feel like my body is adjusting to fewer calories. I've had a bad habit of munching my evenings away and also of grazing all day long. It has been quite a change to weigh, measure, and record everything I eat. It's only been a week, I hope I can stick with this for the long run!

I made a great pot of bean soup for dinner; tasty and filling. Fortunately, I have plenty of time to cook these days.

My learning experience for the day was ordering at Starbucks without considering the calories . . . 200 calories for my usual! Next time I'll figure out my drink ahead of time.

Some lovely sunshine today then back to rain. My three cats are hard at working holding the couch down.

Kathy T Everett, WA

Sandy in ON: Hoarding calories is a concern if it leads you to starve yourself. It is great that you’ve realized it can be a problem for you and that you’ve created a workable solution. :flowerforyou:

Michele: I hope the instructor doesn’t cancel my class, too. She is the one to decide. She offers evening classes that are better attended, but the evening schedule doesn’t work out very well with my home life.:frown:

Barbie: You’ve done a wonderful job healing from your injuries. I am always impressed with your determination and self-discipline.:flowerforyou:

KathyT, Everett, WA: In the beginning when I was having a hard time with evening munching I started eating celery. It is virtually calorie free because it takes more calories to digest than it contains, & the crunch is good. The trick is to avoid putting “toppings” on it like peanutbutter or cheese spreads. Plain celery gets boring pretty quickly so I didn’t snack as much. Tea was helpful, too. I like Sleepy Time tea, no caffeine and no calories. Alison has taught me to also appreciate warm water with lemon. :flowerforyou:

Joyce: Good luck deciding what things to watch on TV. Enjoy your daughter’s visit.:flowerforyou:



Yoga tomorrow, and then I’m going back to the Apple store to get my computer. It is already fixed. Thank goodness. I’m glad that I had a spare to fall back on, but will be happy to get back to my regular machine. Have a great evening and a good day tomorrow. Remember to log every bite and swallow, and to move more.


Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


February goals:

1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Move more: cardio at least 3 days a week and strength training as soon as I am able.
3. Water: According to an article I saw on facebook, drinking water at certain times maximizes its effectiveness for the body. I’ll work toward following these guidelines:
* 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
* 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
* 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
* 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

morning ladies,
well no snow today,but cant go out of the house since it is a sheet of ice..my poor DH left for work and put Rock salt all over just to get to the car..
going out with my friend today and out to lunch:grumble:
I have been bad lately, I am still logging,but havent really been eating well,not doing formal exercise..just feeling as my grandma would say punk..
Like I said I have gained about 3 lbs back,but havent been so regimented with eating...
I am on a mission to get rid of the extra weight and I will but I guess it is the weather,just wearing me out:huh:

Good morning All,
It's Thursday and will be a busy day here. I've worked at my job for 15 years and I am really sick of it. I don't like the added work that management has put onto the job, or that it's forced on us and tied in to performance, I really don't mind working, it's just that our roles here are slowly changing to what I feel is a collector vs an accounting specialist. I think part of the reason I don't like my job is because I hate sitting at a desk all day now. I've lost over 70 lbs and now find it hard to sit this long.

Since the shot yesterday my knee is doing much better, so I think the arthritis is the worst issue I have, vs the torn menisgus.
I worked yesterday 6 AM to 8:30 last night so I didn't get any exercise in, tonight I plan to strength train and get in some cardio. Either the elliptical and bike, or the pool.

Pat Ohio, Glad you got a good night’s sleep. Even if exercise doesn’t produce a lot of weight loss, there are other ways to judge, how your clothing feels, how you yourself feel. I am personal training a 75 yr old lady and she is very happy because she feels she stands straighter, has better posture and she feels stronger. She sees a difference in her hips and the muscles in her arms since we lift weights. So, if doctor says your weights OK, maybe striving for other changes will help you.

Jill, You are correct, strength training is very important for women and I strive to get them to understand that at my Y and to start and stay with a plan. Females will not “bulk up” by weight lifting and it really does help our bones. Congrats!

Ginryl, Jealous of that weather, send some up here to Ohio.

I hope everyone has a wonderfully healthy blessed day,
Patty, Cincinnati

Good morning ladies,

I just saw this and hope I can join in. I recently started back with MFP and have had a good couple of weeks. I haven't yet started including exercise, but with knee problems that need Ortho evaluation, I'm a bit limited on what I can do. Ok, in reality, I'm not that focused on getting exercise included yet. Not sure why, because I've been able to in the past.

In any case, I live in Virginia and look forward to reading about the day to day challenges and successes here that others in my age group live with. Makes me feel not so alone, you know?

Hope you all have a great day.
Sharon in VA

Hello everyone, and welcome to all the new ladies!

Yesterday we were supposed to get thunderstorms, but it never happened. We could use a little rain, but a storm is never fun. Especially at night. The sound of wind scares me (silly, huh?) and it's not totally unheard of to get a tornado in February, so I was glad the storm never happened.

Yesterday I took grandson to story time at the library, then lunch, then to school. Then went to my studio for a little while. The kiln wasn't cool enough to unload, so I went to the Y. Did my 30 minutes on the cardio machine, then changed for the pool, opened the door and found the pool packed with teenagers! What the heck? 2:30 on a week day? The lady at the desk said they were having lifeguard training. So I didn't get to swim. Poo! Went back to the studio, unloaded the kiln, glazed a few test tiles, then went to the grocery store and home. Not a terribly productive day. I had some tightness in my chest all evening, and it's still there this morning. Stress I think.

Hubby went to the EN&T doctor and didn't find out a lot more, but they did give him a sheet describing the test results which listed his apnea as "severe" and his Second Degree Block as "paroxysmal". I looked that up online but couldn't even understand the gibberish that came up. They want to do a second sleep test which is three weeks away. I would have thought they would be in a bigger hurry to get him fixed up. We are still waiting for word on a cardiologist appointment. Meanwhile I'm scared. This heart problem seems a lot scarier than the clogged arteries that I had. They said his heart is not getting enough oxygen at night because he stops breathing so much. So all night I laid there listening for his breathing. Finally got out of bed about 5:30.

I've been thinking a lot recently about how horrible it would be to lose him. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. I hate to nag him to take better care of himself, but somebody has to.

Now, I'm pooped and don't know how I'm going to function today. Good thing I don't have a real job. I will probably do more surfing, looking for info on his condition.

I hope you are all having a great day!

Sylvia

Alison: The weather has given you a lot of extra work, but you are a woman who always works too hard to take care of others. You need to take care of yourself, too. I hope you’ll be able to let yourself rest more often. Hugs.:flowerforyou:

Patty, Cincinnati: I’m happy to hear your knee is feeling better. Sorry about the job situation.:flowerforyou:

Anamika: I’ve switched away from sugar in my coffee to liquid stevia. A very tiny amount of stevia goes a LONG way. The artificial sweeteners have poor health consequences. I do use sugar in recipes calling for it, but since we don’t eat many sweets it doesn’t come up often.:flowerforyou:

Sharon in VA: Welcome. Several of us have knee issues, so you’ll find sympathy along with your daily Vitamin F. This group has been a miracle in my life and I’m thrilled that I found them.:flowerforyou:

Liz: I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having problems with pain. I hope you find a better solution than sweets. DH was helped by acupuncture & gua sha, a form of massage. You can see examples of gua sha on you tube if you are curious.:flowerforyou:

Sylvia: We were experiencing very dry conditions until recently, but our current storm has eliminated drought worries and I’d be happy to send you some rain. :bigsmile: Too bad I don’t have that ability .:noway: I have no idea what 'paroxymal' means but I often find useful information by googling things. There are some medical sites that might have explanations that a regular person can understand. Perhaps some of the nurses here who are medically trained can help with understanding.:flowerforyou:

DebA from CNY: Good luck cramming more content into less time. Let us know how you like the DVDs.:flowerforyou:



I finished the baby blanket I was knitting and have no sign of trigger finger! Yay for square knitting needles. The last bit involves crochet chain making and I used a gizmo I bought at Walmart to make the crochet hook easier to grip. It worked. :bigsmile: Today is shaping up. I have yoga this morning and can pick up my repaired computer from the Apple Store. I’ll be glad to have it back. This reliable old thing can go back into retirement once again.

Have a great day! :drinker:



Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


February goals:

1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Move more: cardio at least 3 days a week and strength training as soon as I am able.
3. Water: According to an article I saw on facebook, drinking water at certain times maximizes its effectiveness for the body. I’ll work toward following these guidelines:
* 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
* 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
* 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
* 1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

Hi ladies,

Did you ever have one of those days? Well, I’m having one today and just have to vent a little.:grumble:
It started when I fell on the ice while walking Milo this morning. I hit my elbow pretty hard (also my butt), and they are getting more and more sore by the minute.:embarassed:

When I was getting hot water for my oatmeal this morning in work, I dropped the entire bowl all over the floor and down the water cooler.:noway:

I just think it’s going to be THAT kind of day! :sad:

I cannot get back on track after returning from vacation. We had two wonderful weeks (one in San Diego and another in Cabo San Lucas). We had several days of all-inclusive in Cabo, and boy did we eat and drink! Upon our return, I weighed myself and wasn’t surprised that I had gained six pounds. But I didn’t realize how hard it would be to go back to eating normally. I don’t know if it’s the weather or what, but I feel especially tired all the time, and craving sweets like crazy. I can’t seem to wake up in the mornings, and by the time I get home from work I am wiped out.:yawn: I have been going to bed around 9:00 (when I usually make it to 10:00) and never feel rested. My exercise routines have been hit or miss at best, and today I came downstairs all ready for exercise, and promptly fell asleep on the couch! I woke up just in time to get ready for work. :huh:

I read this book on Will-Power while on vacation (there are lots of books entitled “Will Power”, and I don’t think this was the good one). I was so distracted from all of the spelling and grammar errors. It also didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.

I think I am my own worst enemy when it comes to setting goals and keeping them. I overthink things too much, and then give up because it all seems so overwhelming.

I’m not saying I’m giving up, just having a hard time sticking with the program. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!


Previous and Current Goals:

Consistent logging (Could be better)
Drink at least 9 glasses of water a day (40%)
Find an exercise class I enjoy (NOT YET-STILL LOOKING!!!)
RUNNING OUTDOORS (Not in THIS weather!)
LOWER SODIUM FOODS (Not lately!)
STOP OBSESSING ABOUT FOOD (Hmmmmm…..)


Congrats to all on their success, and (((hugs))) to all who are struggling.


Hugs,
Lucy in DE.

Hi all! Just a quick pop in to let you know that I'm keeping up with everyone even though I'm not necessarily posting. I'm having a real struggle with life right now and working on head stuff. Eating has been clean since Monday. However, it's 10:30 a.m. here and I still have yet to eat anything today. My stomach is growling but, at the same time, saying don't dare put food into me because I will upchuck in a heartbeat. The brain wouldn't shut off even though my eyes were so tired I couldn't hold them open last night. I probably got no more than three hours of sleep. I've been awake since around 3:30 a.m. except for dozing for about fifteen minutes before the alarm went off. Since this is a public forum, I can't say much, but I found out last night (for not the first time, but the worst time) that I am the subject of speculation and gossip within a group that I should be able to trust. I'm unsure of what to do. I would just shrug it off but it involves someone else. Anyway, thanks for "listening" to me vent a bit. Keep up the good work and hugs for those struggling!