WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2014

Maryann, thanks so much for your input on hubby's sleep study. It helps a bunch! I picked up his one little Ambien pill this afternoon.

Today was rocky. I got a call early from my son's wife saying he was having an emotional breakdown and she was taking him to the hospital. When I got there to get my grandson, I had a chance to sit down with my son and talk. He is terrified of dying, and feels like its inevitable and what's the use, etc. He's totally overwhelmed with the kids, and financial worries, moving, plus his health. It just broke my heart. We sat down and made a list of the things that are stressing him out, putting things he could do something about on one side and things he couldn't on the other. One thing stressing him out was that he has to move stuff that was stored in the garage at his old place and has no place to put it. He planned on renting a storage unit but has no money to do that. So, he and I went to the storage office and I rented him a unit. That was an easy one. So, That was one to check off the list. Then I took the grandson to school, and picked him up after as well as his two sisters, so he could have a little break from the constant jabbering. And so he could go to two different doctor appointments. He called and said they had him start a new antidepressant today, and on Monday he goes in to have the port installed in his chest and they start the infusions on Wednesday. So, that's a couple more things checked off the list. By the time I dropped the kids off at 5:30, he seemed a little better. Tomorrow I'm taking care of the kids again, then on Friday evening they are going to their mother's again for the weekend. Hopefully he can get himself together a little better with a little rest. I don't think he has slept in days.

The A1-AT support group says that depression is a major concern after diagnosis, and he has always been prone to depression. I wish there was something more I could do to help him. I'm having a little trouble dealing with it myself. I'm scared of losing my only child. And I hate to see him hurting so bad. Some days he seems so much stronger and more mature, and other days not so much.

We had some time to kill this afternoon, so grandson and I went to a couple of flea markets. At the first one, we bought a little fire truck (he had to choose between the fire truck and a bulldozer) and later I found that the lady had given me $10 too much change, so I went back to return it. Grandson thought I was really lucky to get extra money, so I had to explain that it did not belong to me and that if I kept it, it would feel like stealing, etc. So after we returned the money, the flea market owner gave grandson the bulldozer! I thought that was sweet. I told him, now THATS lucky.

I went to the Y while grandson was in preschool, wearing my brand new size 16/18 yoga Capri pants. I felt so skinny! I hope you all had a fantastic day!

Sylvia

I'm so happy! I finally got to my doctors office and got my entry number for the 'View my chart'. I got to read all my labs and xrays from forever. It seems as if I have always been just a little anemic, no one has ever mentioned it. I guess there is a certain amount of being low that is accepted. My A1C is 5.1!!!!!!! and glucose was 101. I would love to have it to be less than 100 but 101 is OK. You can put all your labs in a graph and I looked at all my lipid profile levels and everything looks so good. I had to laugh at my Mammogram results, 'The breasts are largely fatty replaced.'. WOW, what a way to put it.

I had to laugh at reading 'marking my place'. My cat is going around the living room marking her place.:laugh: :laugh:

I am also an abstainer. But it doesn't always work. Once I get my hands on something I am deep trouble. Right now I am eating chocolate mini rice cakes. I could have brought the serving size of 13 pieces. I brought the bag. I shouldnt even have bought the bag. But they are good.

Joyce, Indiana

Marking my place. Spring is around the corner here.

A FB friend was asking me about my weight loss. I said portion control. Plus....menopause, post menopause, etc means it will take a looooong time.

Renny
From springlike Vancouver Island, BC....with cherry blossoms

BUMP. Have a great day.

Rori in the Colorado Foothills

Sylvia: Good luck to your hubby. I hope the sleep study is useful. Your plumber seems a little flaky. I hope he actually meets you on time and gets the job done.:flowerforyou:

Yanniejannie: I have sympathy for Gwen; she’s in a tough situation. She’s so lucky to have a good friend like you. I hope she lets you know how much she values your help.:flowerforyou:

Jane: Enjoy dinner with your son.:flowerforyou:

Jill in Western MA: DH looked up the Chieftans and found a lengthy article. You must have had a good time. Be careful in the rain, snow and ice. It can be a dicey combination.:flowerforyou:

Marsha in E PA: Congratulations on the lost pound.:flowerforyou:

Heather: Does HIITS have you stomping or pounding your knees? Perhaps an alternative that is gentler on the knees would be better. I am impressed that you’re getting your garden in already, and a bit envious, too.:flowerforyou:

Maryann: MY dear SIL had radiation treatment for breast cancer and then tamoxifan. She’s done beautifully. I hope you’ll do well, too.:flowerforyou:

Michele: We leave tomorrow. It will take three days to get to DD’s house, because we don’t want to push faster. We’ve made it in two days before, when DGD was born. I would rather not exhaust ourselves along the way since this is a planned trip and not an emergency. Flying is not our favorite option. We have a lot more problems with the altitude when we fly than when we get there with time to adjust. We’re at sea level and they’re about a mile high.:ohwell: :flowerforyou:

Lee in Ontario: I like your style. Your snowball fight sounds great. If you plan to be more spontaneous and then actually are more spontaneous, it DEFINITELY counts. :bigsmile:

Barbie: Thanks for posting the 5D’s for dealing with cravings again. Drinking water and doing something to take my mind off of the craving are the two that seem to work best for me. Everyone is different.:flowerforyou:

Jane in CO: I’m sorry that you took an emotional hit today. I hope you’re feeling better soon.:flowerforyou:

Meg: A dear friend of ours was literally brought back from death by the swift and persistent actions of our local fire department. The same department has helped bring DH out of two nasty insulin reactions in the past several months. I am a big fan of fire fighters and paramedics. I hope your brother will be able to attend the fire department's dinner. :flowerforyou:

Sylvia: You have a heavy burden right now. I hope that time takes care of things in the best possible way. Your son is lucky to have you for a mom. His children are lucky to have you as a grandma.


Several ladies here are abstainers and staying away from trigger foods works well to enable them to manage their weight. DH and I each have a long list of things that we can’t eat, so we have made another choice. We are moderators. For us, that means carefully measuring portions of the things we can have and staying within our calorie limits. He’s diabetic and I’m lactose intolerant. That has taken more than enough food choices away from our point of view. For us, managing our weight is all about portion control, counting calories and exercising. It has worked, we don’t feel deprived, we’ve learned a better lifestyle and we’re both healthier than when we started in addition to weighing less. Good luck to those of you who are learning how to manage your food and in the process of figuring out what works for you.:flowerforyou:

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


March 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. Find a way to have fun at least once every day.
4. 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

well hells bells I think I have a pinched nerve in my neck,with all the twisting and turning I do as a dental assistant ,must have done something.It isnt a constant pain but if I move a certain way wow it zings...
dropping Chester at the groomers at 7, then the the furnace guy is coming to clean the furnace at 8:30 then have some errands to run...was awake at 2:45 this morning, maybe a nap is in order later.... it is freezing cold and windy out here in Connecticut.. :grumble:
I want spring....

Knee awful today. Will I never learn? I certainly didn't feel anything while I was doing the HIITS, so I can't be sure that was it, but I can't think of anything else. Can hardly walk. I hope it will be a bit better by Saturday when I have to do a lot of walking.
Katla - it's just a speeded up version of what I normally do on the elliptical, but it must overdo it somehow. It could be something completely unrelated of course. This morning I managed some one legged rowing and some legless strength training. Not as many calories to eat. Never mind - it's veal and broccoli from the garden this evening, after I have been to the hairdresser's to be made a natural blonde again.

I have printed out my boarding card, so I'm all set. Just to do the dreaded packing to get a quart into a pint pot!:laugh:

Sylvia - your son has so much to cope with. Well done for helping him so sensibly. As others have said, he is lucky to have you.

We are still luxuriating in a glorious early spring. Blue, blue skies. Warrm. Scotland is forecast to be cloudy with a possibility of drizzle. Chilly. :ohwell: Sorry to hear the snow is back for some of you.

Watched Secret Eaters last night. It's a bit formulaic and I'm sure some of it is a set up, but it's still educational. Portion size is key and mindless snacking. And, WOW, the alcohol some people can put away on a Saturday night! ! ! ! I feel guilty about my 70 calories Pastis I have every night at 6 pm.!:laugh: :bigsmile: I really look forward to it and can normally manage to stick to just one. NORMALLY, but not always.:embarassed:

Love you all. Meg - have a good rest and take those days off! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:

Heather in sunny and beautiful Hampshire UK

Good Morning Lovely Ladies :happy: ;

It is a cold rainy dreary day here ...but at least it isn't snow..the ones on here that was to get all that snow..how did you make out??...Yesterday my body pained in more parts that I didn't think could hurt that bad ...I lost my Magic bags..hid them on myself :blushing: ...I could put them on my body to help at least some places...

I am still having the **gonna faint** spells :grumble: :noway: ....they are starting to be a pain ...doesn't matter if I try to get up slowly or not..that just makes the floor closer to land on :huh: :grumble:

MA in UK**** Sorry you are having so much pain..hope the shots help :flowerforyou:

Heather**** Hope your knees ease up on the pain :flowerforyou:

Dee**** Poor Noel sounds like the wind makes him nervous..one dog we used to have was the same way...we are getting heavy rains with possible thunder showers...better then snow I guess :huh: :flowerforyou:

Grandmallie**** Hope the crick in your neck gets better!! :flowerforyou:

Katla**** That is a great idea writing down the foods that trigger..would help controlling the Diabetes that my hubby has and my Hyperglycemia..:flowerforyou:

Joyce**** You are lucky you got to read your chart...as long as there was nothing there to scare me..I had mine when I changed Doctors.... when mine retired ...she told me not to read it because it would scare me...whether that is true or if she just didn't want me to read it I don't know :huh:

Sylvia**** I pray your son's worries get better...Bless his heart..he has a lot on his plate by the sound of it...:flowerforyou:

Stephanie**** Yay for you..you lost 15 lbs..that is great!!! :drinker:

Jane**** I am definitely an emotional eater...comfort foods come to mind! :blushing:

I pray you all get thru these miserable storms (rain or snow)..they can get you down....time for me to have some time with God and read my Bible...you all take care!!!

Liz fr Halifax NS {Canada}

Alison: Sorry to hear about the pinched nerve. I hope the pain eases quickly.:flowerforyou:

DeeDee: I hope your pear trees survived the windstorm. Water logged soil can make things much more difficult for trees in the wind. Get some rest if you can.:flowerforyou:

Heather: I hope your knee heals quickly. Be gentle with it but keep it moving. I bought a book called Women’s Running back in the 1970s. I was a jogger at the time, living in Track Town USA. The author was a woman, an avid runner and also a physician. She advocated ice, aspirin, (Tylenol or Advil) and elevation followed by a gentle return to exercise as soon as possible after a running injury. I’ve used her treatment plan for my knee ailments ever since even though I gave up running in favor of exercises that don’t pound my knees. More recently I had to rest the knee a LONG time after giving myself bursitis by posting during a horseback riding lesson. That is what motivated me to lose weight and lead me to MFP, so I guess I have to be grateful for it. I did finish my series of lessons, but didn’t post any more. I hope to get back to horseback riding this spring. Self compassion is a great concept. Let us know what you think of the book.:flowerforyou:

Patty in Cincinnat: I hope the shots give you lasting relief from pain.:flowerforyou:

LizPlus from Halifax, NC: Dizzy spells are worrisome. Have you checked this out with your doctor? I used to have dizzy spells occasionally and had them checked out by my doctor. In my case, I had low blood pressure, but not too low. It wasn’t of medical concern to my doctor and I learned to live with it. I still pause a moment sometimes after standing up. :flowerforyou:



This is supposed to be the first day of our trip, and I have work to do if we hope to leave here. I’ll have my computer with me, and will try to stay in touch. I always log on my phone app, so that is a given no matter where I am.

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


March 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. Find a way to have fun at least once every day.
4. 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

Good morning; it's sunny and cold after wind and rain..........I know I'm going to miss that taste of the 70's. Hope those who got snow again are not too snowed in this time.

The only place I "need" to be today is a facial appt. Already checked in with Gwen.......sounds like she's having a good day. Such a nice change!!! I did get a late evening call from one of the ladies from the mature woman's exercise class about Gin, the woman with lung ca. Gin is in the hosp. and they are refusing her discharge and trying very hard to convince her that both she and her husb. need to go into a nursing home of some type..........this other woman wants me to get involved in getting Gin back to her home and getting inhome care set up; she feels VERY strongly that they are being "railroaded". I know Gin would want to be home and it's another case of no family but at this point I'm leery of getting involved anywhere else. It "might" have something to do with that new rule from the Affordable Care Act that penalizes the hosp. if Medicare pts. return and need to be re-admitted within a month of discharge.........a good thing in many instances........but, as usual, one size does not fit all.

I'd also like to say "Thanks" for the "sounding board" aspect and support here; for many of us it's spilled over into areas other than weight loss........of course, emotional well-being has a lot to do with weight loss, so, I guess it all ties in.

Meg...........please, please, please do take those days off you have coming! Glad to hear of your brother's superb recovery.

Janehadji...........Hope the after-effects of your emotional hit are evening out and you have your balance back.

Sylvia..........Perhaps the dr. could add an anti-anxiety med for those times when your son feels sooooo overwhelmed. You were perfect in how you handled the situation IMO.

Heather.........Hope your knee improves rapidly and you can enjoy your get a way.

Some of those 5 D's are excellent suggestions, must add them to my collection on the fridge---which is a textured white one with the freezer on the bottom and only one door---so, no idea about stainless steel vs. reg.........thanks to the poster for the 5D's.

Kim..........That's the strangest poodle I've ever seen!!!

Welcome newbies.........keep posting, come back often, let us get to know you!

Wishing you all a good day.
yanniejannie
mid-Atlantic

Long day at work form me today but I’ve planned and have good food choices with me. Snow storm has passed and only have another 6" of snow to deal with but the sun is back out!

Sylvia – my thoughts are with you and your son. I’m glad you had some time with your grandson….loved how you shared a life lesson with him. CONGRATS on those skinny yoga pants!

Katla and DeeDee – thanks for the comments and reassurance, I'm already looking form my next spontaneous opportunity!


So my goals for March;
Focus on being happier every day and nicer to be with
Logging every meal, snack, bite or swallow on MFP
Move more = treadmill for 20 minutes at least 3 times per week
Get a minimum of 8 glasses of water in Every Day
Be spontaneous and do something outside my comfort zone once per week
And finally......
Hold myself accountable by referring to these goals daily and measuring my progress.... If I missed one...get at it and get it done!

Lee in Ontario

Happy thurs.Sun out,40 today,we hope.maybe the snow will melt
I too am an emotional eater.I try to eat healthy,but at times I crave something sweet.
Have a good day.
hugs
jane

Sylvia you and your son are in my prayers......
I read on a thread here for effective weight loss on limited time this is the order of priority one should follow:
!st priority Preparing nutritious food
2nd Weight training
3rd Cardio
Makes sense....... eating healthy food is more important than going on long runs

Best wishes and prayers for all over here
Anamika from Mumbai
Meg weather in India has been crazy too some places have been cold for far longer, harvests have been ruined because of unseasonal rain, prolonged winter. Mumbai has been good, so no complaints.

Good afternoon from sunny southern Indiana. Although it's only around 40* it's nice.

CSue, I love my peanut butter also, could just take a jar and a spoon and be content. So I just take one piece of bread and use 1 tbsp of my beloved peanut butter to make my sandwich. I'm kind of strange in that we were brought up eating sweet pickles (bread and butter) on our peanut butter. So one piece of bread folded over with 1 tbps peanut butter and 3 pickle chips still gives me my sandwich.

We had some now just fling around yesterday but it never did do anything, so glad. I can't remember when I have detested the winter so much. I know we have had much worse

Sylvia, how is your son???

Joyce, Indiana

Gail – Have fun at Spring Training. My team, Washington Nationals, play the Braves for their home opener. We plan on being at that game. :happy:

Meg – Sorry to hear about your brother but glad he is doing better now. :flowerforyou:

Sylvia – You offered a calm, clear head when your son needed you and I’m sure your actions helped him take a lot off of his mind. Will keep him in my prayers. How did your DH do with the sleep study or does it take a little while to get the results?

Alison – Hope your neck is feeling better. Sometimes slowly rotating your head will help to loosen things up again.

Anamika – I’m late to the party but congratulations on a fantastic run! :drinker:

CSueB – Welcome back.

Cindy – I enjoy protein bars too. Helps curb the hunger in between meals and when I’m out running around doing errands. I try to keep one with me and I avoid having to make a panic stop if my low blood sugar kicks in.

Janehadji – Hope things are better for you. :flowerforyou:

Patty – Completely understand your response to sugar. If I eat one sweet thing it just starts the ball rolling. :grumble: I liken it to an alcoholic trying to have just one drink. Friends and family will push a dessert on you but would never think of trying to coax someone to have a drink if they have a problem with it. :noway:

Carol – Glad you had a good time at the concert. It is harder to get up after a late night than when we were 20. :yawn:

Jeri – Hi, so did you get some dancing in last night?

Jill – Congratulations on those 2 lbs! Glad you enjoyed the Chieftains and how neat that you ran into the leader and was able to let him know how much you enjoyed the show. I imagine that never gets old to a performer.

Well, I am officially, totally, stuck on a plateau. :grumble: I have been up and down within the same 2 pounds for over a month. I can’t really complain because I haven’t been following my eating plan as closely as I should due to stress, weather, feeling blah, etc., so I don’t know if I can really say it’s a plateau or I’ve just been hovering . I have increased my walking and drinking water and really hope with the extended daylight hours after work and warmer weather I will get reinvigorated. I have a vacation planned in June that I need to focus on and use as my ‘carrot’.

They are calling for another chance of snow Sunday evening/Monday morning.

Sunny and windy,
Tina from Southern Maryland