WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY

Beautiful bride.

Good morning ladies - Happy Valentine's day (if you go for it!)

I'm just about to go for my physiotherapy, so this is brief. My knee is extremely painful and I've had to slow down my exercise - but no way am I stopping walking altogether. I need to keep it moving, even if it hurts.

Robin - great photos! You are a very elegant lady!

Been a bit of a tough weekend. My poor son-in-law's sister is in pieces as you may imagine. It's her little boy's birthday today and there was a party for him yesterday. My heart bleeds for her.

Today is also my DD#1's 2nd wedding anniversary and I'm babysitting my gorgeous grandtwins whilst their mummy and daddy go out for a meal this evening. DH and I were supposed to be doing our own celebration last night, but we weren't really in the mood for it and just ended up having an early night (which was just as pleasant!).

I'm down another pound and I also measured my waist this morning as DH made a comment that it was 'tiny'. This time last year it was 46 inches (wow!) now it is 26 inches. I am extremely pleased with that! I still have a fat tummy (which I think would only be improved with plastic surgery) but I at least have a small and healthier waistline.

Welcome aboard to all the newbies and hugs to everyone. I will try to get a moment this week to do proper responses to the posts.

Until then, have a good day, and a health-filled week.

Love

Amanda x

Thanks for the warm reception everyone and Happy Valentine's Day!!

I currently live in Wilmington, DE, primarily moved here 3.5 years ago for a position. My original home is Okla City where my son and his family live...including 5 grandkids! My hope is to move back home sometime in the next year - been out east since 1998. Basically I'm alone out here and am tired of living so far away from the people I love. The kicker is that I love my job...I am a chaplain and Episcopal priest. I teach a graduate level course at the hospital on pastoral care and have a part time church on top of a full time job.

I've always been an emotional eater, however over the last 20 years I've done a lot of work on my emotional and spiritual self and now am ready to bring my physical state into alignment with the rest of me! It's a spiritual journey for me. It's also about living into what I preach so passionately about....health and wellbeing.

I will say that this is the first time that eating healthy and exercising has come so easily. I'm not sure why, but am grateful. I'm being intentional to take this journey one day at a time with the mantra of "What am I capable of accomplishing today?" I have promised that I will not deprive myself or beat myself up if I stray. Walking through this one day at a time is really helping me - I have no expectations for tomorrow and no shame about yesterday.

It's all good and you are all such an inspiration to me!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, DEAR LADIES!!

And WELCOME to each of you who have joined us recently. I have been in and out...mostly out...the past few weeks due to a move day after tomorrow. I am skiing with my DH for Valentine's Day and trying to take the day off from work. HA!

Robin: I LOVE your dress...the color and style are just perfect. AND you and your daughter look beautiful! What a happy time!

I am sorry not to mention more of you...but I wanted to be sure to wish you all a wonderful Valentine's Day and thank you for being here. Even when I don't "talk", I am usually reading and getting inspiration and friendship from each of you. So I THANK you and look forward to calmer days ahead. Take care! Kackie

Happy Valentines Day Ladies!!!
Things here in balmy Minnesota are good. There is a steady stream of melted ice running from the roof and that is a very welcome sight. It is 37 degrees here and we will be in the 40's this week if not today. We still have March and April to get through which means more snow but this week is a preview of things to come. :drinker:

I have managed to keep up on my food log and I am trying to get in more exercise. This is the last week for Belly Dancing before a two week break and then it is 5 more weeks of class. Who knows, maybe I will actually learn to put a few of these moves together for a proper dance. :noway:

I am working until about 4:00 today then home to a steak and lobster dinner. I am eatting very lean today and saving my alloted calories for tonight. This is important since I over did it yesterday and I had a 3 pound loss this week and I don't want the weight to creep up.

I don't have time to remark on everyones posts just now but I did want to say a quick welcome to all new comers and Robin you look stunning!!!! Thanks for the pictures.

Have a wonderful day
Peggy

Oh I almost forgot... I am overweight!!!!!! I am no longer obease.!!!! ( doing the happy dance)

bkrbabe...LOVE your outlook....I need to see when I reach that milestone....should be pretty soon....baby steps y'all!

Happy Valentines Day
Had a rough morning, abdomiin was bloated so it hurt, and made me nausiated. Headache on that set me back in bed. I am the one to get up before six on my days off to feed the cats, they had some time trying to figure way mom said here baby up on the table, stairs, couch:noway: I could not bend very well so they had higher meals this morning. I had some warmed up prunes, and two cups of coffee, and decided that was all for now and tea for the rest of the day. Tried to eat some supper tonight just to keep my sugars from crashing, however a few bites and I could not take any more. :sick:
I'm hoping it is just that my system had some trauma and this is a aftermath of it. I could lose some weight, but it would not be healthy. Tried to get some compensation for my leave of work, called the number I thought was right, turns out it was not. The kind gentlemen gave me the right number to call. Now I have to fill an application online, before goiing to the office. So much has changed in the last 21 years.

Okay ladies that is the report for today, I must get back to bed my back is getting sore.

Love to all,

Marilyn

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone. Welcome new people. I think you will love this group. I've been very inspired by reading other's struggles, successes and weight lost!!!

Like some of you mentioned recently, sweets are my downfall. I saw the scale dropping another couple pounds last week, was eager to do my Monday weigh in, only to find that my indulging in some sweets this weekend caused an increase.:grumble: Next time, I will just donate money to the pet rescue organization instead of buying their baked goods. :ohwell:

My incredibly romantic DH took me out to a French restaurant tonight. Most of the choices I made were good ones, but I did have dessert and champagne. So I'm not logging in to my food diary ( I couldn't begin to figure out the calories of all the speciality items anyway) BUT I will go for a nice long walk tomorrow morning. Also, I only had a protein drink this morning and nothing else all day. Not a good health habit but it managed my calories for the day

A while ago one of you dolls gave me a link to a thread about using apple cider vinegar to curb that sweet tooth. I did start with it last week, but still a new habit so I forget a lot of times. It is supposed to be good for metabolism, too. I'll let you know how it goes when I get more consistent.

Good Morning ladies,
Had a good Valentine Supper with my honey. Went to outback and I had salad, no cheese or croutons or drressing, chicken on barbie and veggies light style. Was good meal and I feel good because I did not cheat. Then we came home and spent some time together. The best day because he took a day off of work. He works a lot so that was really special. We dont exchange gifts. Never did get into that trap.
Some of you asked about my plan. It is the 17 day 'diet plan. the guy was on Dr. Phil and the doctors and my godchild ordered the book and tried it so she loaned it to me. Basically his belief is that you need to change things up every 17 days so your body does not get used to one thing. The first 17 it is lean meats like chicken, fish and turkey, unlimited amounts and unlimited amounts of veggies, 2 fruits a day before 2 pm and 2 servings of probiotics (fat free or low sugar like greek yogurt, cottage cheese)
You can also have 2 good fats olive oil or flaxseed oil 2 tbsp I believe. Lots and lots and lots of water. you start each day with glass of warm water with lemon in it. He says this gets you body going in the morn. Breakfast has been the hardest but it is getting better. If you want more details just let me know and I will post or send you some sample meals. The first 3 days were hard but when I started being creative with my veggies it got better. He says you should lose about 10 pounds the first 17 days. I lost 9 first week so dont know what this week will bring. The 2nd 17 days you add a few carbs. He even has a maintenance plan which is very doable. It is basically eating healthy with a jumpstart. Hope that helps. Going eat breakfast will post later. By the way I have no cravings for anything including sugar. That is the best part.
Vicki M

I'm happy to report 3 pounds gone!!! :bigsmile: I'd usually wait a few days to see if it sticks but I'm determined to keep heading in the right direction so I'm claiming it (and holding on tight!) It feels so good to be back on track. Changing my diet is making a big difference. Eating at home helps a lot too.

Two of you MFPers also offered suggestions/ideas that are helping. :flowerforyou:

MacMadame suggested weighing and recording your weight once a week. I had been weighing but ignoring the ups and downs. No more! (I've actually recorded my weight twice this week and will again on Friday, which will become my regular weigh-in. Fridays work better for me - I usually do well during the week and get a boost from seeing it on the scale on Friday.)

Kathy (PMJSmom) mentioned that she has MFP come up as her home page. I'm doing that now. What a great way to start the day.

I'm eating in a similar way to Vicki M except that I'm not limiting fat. Absolutely no sugars (except those in yogurt, etc.) though. I made an exception yesterday and ate some chocolate. I paid for it. Good motivation to keep chocolate way down. (I don't plan to give it up entirely though. )

My inspiration for my diet is the Primal Blueprint - it's about eating as our caveman forebears did. Lots of meat, fish, veggies, and fruit. I've cut out grains, potatoes, beans, etc. It is agreeing with me.

I used to get a cranky tum frequently - no big deal, but annoying. I figured it was from lactose or all the fruits and veggies I ate. Apparently not so. Eliminating grains (which is the biggest change for me) seems to have done it. No more stomach aches since I changed my diet. :happy:

The other things that has changed (I'm afraid to say it in case it's just coincidence....) is that the skin on my hands, which cuts and bruised so easily, is better. Maybe coincidence or maybe the extra protein. I would love to have hands that didn't belong on an 80 or 90 year old body!

Darlis - just thinking about you. Hope things are going well. Chiclet - thinking about you too. Haven't heard anything lately but know you have your hands full with your mom.

Jeannie - hang in there. Your attitude is amazing in a very tough situation.

Have a good day everyone. :flowerforyou:

Welcome Tammy! You'll get lots of support here. Wilmington - wow! We used to live in Kennett Square, PA. You have a great attitude.

mimi - when Vince has tachacardia, what he has found the best thing to do to convert his heartrate back to normal is to strain (like having a bm). That puts pressure on the heart.

Mary - have a great time with your daughter. How I wish dd#3 would stay more than a few days, especially since the stores are closed on Christmas. I'd love to do something with her. Usually, I'm just so busy with Christmas Eve, then everything's shut down on Christmas day, and she leaves the next day. Can't even go out to dinner.

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Have fruit even if it is dipped in chocolate!

Did an hour of deep water today. Hopefully, I can get in some yoga. Tomorrow I have a meeting early in the a.m. at the Y then I'm going to take a spin class there, then take my car to get a new motor mount.

It's in the 60's here today, I opened the door to the porch and the cats think that's the greatest. They loved it when we went to FL last year, so I'm sure they'll love it again this year.

Congrats Peggy on your new "status".

zuback - now that you've posted here, it'll be quite easy to find us. Just go to "my topics", click on that and a link to this site will be there.

barbie - would you belive that I'm STILL feeling the effects of unhealthy eating? Here it is Tues, and I had that major carb attack on Sat. Well, it COULD be worse, that's for sure.

Did an hour of spinning today. Tomorrow I'll do an hour DVD of weights. I really like Jari Love's DVD's. Then Thurs. we'll leave for FL. I may be able to do some exercising before we leave. Bought a new Leslie Sansone DVD and Jillian Michaels Shred it with Weights. Collegevideo says that you can do it with just dumbells, you don't really need kettlebells (I don't have them), yet the reviews on amazon said that you really need the kettlebells. Maybe I'll try out that new Leslie Sansone DVD Thurs a.m.

Started today with a 7:00 meeting at the Y (which meant I had to leave at 6:30). Then took the spinning class. Then took my car for the new motor mount. They told me it was covered by the warranty but when they went to get a confirmation number, they were told that I have a $100 deductible. Hopefully, Vince has the paperwork and if we don't have a deductible, we'll get reimbursed. Then on to WalMart, had to go to a jewlers since my HRM was saying that it had a low battery & WM wouldn't change it until the battery was totally dead, then to the mall (wanted to find this one shirt in a SP, I'd accidentally put my SP in the dryer, they only had a MP, so hopefully, that one will shrink in the dryer. If not, the Salvation Army will get a donation.), went to another store at the mall looking for jeans that have a flare but couldn't find any in my size, then to Target where I needed to return a DVD that I bought (the reviews weren't that great), then home to make brownies for Vince, tonight we're playing Bunco with the Newcomers. I like Bunco, it's fast moving and you are interacting with lots of different people.

mimi - your motto might be "buy high, sell low", my motto is "buy"...lol

joylaut - I almost always just donate to the cause rather than buying the candy bar, unless I know someone who can use it. I probably could donate the candy bars to the soup kitchen, but really, if I give a donation they get 100% of the money rather than the percentage if I'd bought the candy. But I am a sucker for Girl Scout cookies. I do try to buy the ones that only Vince will eat, I won't touch the peanut butter patties so I buy them for him. He won't touch the thin mints (I know, what's wrong with him?) but Jessica will eat them.

Everyone, have a great evening. Have to log my food, curl my hair, then go to this one gal's house to go to another's for the Bunco.

Michele

Zuback, I just wanted to mention (in case it's useful to you) that moderation never worked for me. I'd always end up feeling deprived and I don't do deprivation. After many years (40?) of dieting then gaining back the weight, my approach now is working.

I cut out all refined carbs - the whites - such as things made with white flour, any kind of sugar, white potatoes etc. (That doesn't mean I never ate them but almost never.) At the same time, I started eating lots (lots!) more veggies and fruit. I learned to roast my veggies (spray with olive oil and stick them in the oven at 475 for 10-15 minutes, depending on what you're cooking. 10 or fewer minutes for asparagus, 15 for mini-peppers, eggplant, etc. These are NOT my mother's veggies! Turns out I like veggies. Who'd a thunk?

It took 2 days to get the cravings out of my system initially and always takes another 2 days any time I go far off my eating plan. I figure I can get through almost anything for 2 days.

If I continue eating a little of the refined carbs, I'm constantly craving. I do lots better getting rid of the refined foods and the cravings that go along with them altogether. The best part is that I don't feel deprived because I'm full of fruits and veggies, which have become delicious to me. (I call them my willpower because, all of a sudden, I have willpower. Easy peasy when you don't feel deprived.) Again, who'd a thunk?!

I'm doing a little variation on my original diet right now, eliminating grains and some other foods, mostly because I needed to change things up a little. But the basic plan of eliminating refined carbs worked like a dream for me. I never expected to lose so much weight. I feel like a different person. I like it!

Best of luck.

a few more pix
my girls

Brie's bouquet and a center piece

The clan (only missing one son)

me and Brie (not profile this time)
Thanks for letting me share