WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2015

On the topic of charitable gifts,chickens in Africa, etc I think this is a great idea for like minded people, but you are right that they aren't well received by many. There is a woman in a church organization to which I belong who did not want a bunch of presents for her 80th birthday party. Instead she asked for chickens, goats, etc from Heifer International in her name. The women in our organization threw a "get her goat" party for her.

Good morning all

I am sat in my classroom as today is first day back. I have a full teaching day today but should be good fun, we are doing Jack the Ripper and also Britain at War. The kids will be excitable and want to talk about their Christmas gifts and will take a bit of time to settle.

At home my hubby is now suffering from depression and I am finding this hard to cope with as I am not sure what to do so any advice gratefully received. He has been through a lot last year, having found a cist in his stomach the size of a grapefruit, he then had to have a minor op to have it removed but got blood poisoning so was in hospital on a drip and morphine for more than a week. Although it has gone now he seems to have taken the whole really bad. I am a 'get on with it' person so struggling to understand.

He has also decided to grow a beard, which is awful, so am working on getting that idea out of his head.

On a brighter note my kids are great with him, my daughter works with dementia patients so has a lot more patience than me and my son is very sweet giving him lots of hugs.

I lost a pound over Christmas which I was pleased with, and am sticking to the diet as best I can, I am walking for 45 mins on the treadmill each night and swimming. I have a back problem so wondered if anyone had any tips about how to tighten my tummy without having to strain my back.

I realize I have less problems than others but do really appreciate your support and love reading all the posts.

have a great day.

Heather (Northampton UK)
xx

Great to read all the motiving and supportive posts from everyone. I have been on my new lifestyle path for 15 months now. Down 104 lbs as of today from my heaviest. I am so close to dipping below 200 (at 203 this morning) I can taste it! I have not weighed less than 200 since college.

What I have noticed thus far this year is that I really have created new habits. When I first embarked on this journey in sept 2013, it was so hard. Now, what I do is a way of life, its not a chore and I don't feel like its a diet. I am so relieved to have realized this. It makes me actually believe my goal or reaching 175 is attainable!

I love reading all your posts about getting healthy after 50. Thanks everyone for sharing and letting me be a part of the group! My word for 2015 is PERSEVERANCE!

Trish from Kentucky

Upper 20's when I fed my birds; snow just north of us. DD came home with a terrific cold last night; fed her on paper plates and plastic utensils, gave her Nyquil, sent to her room and told to stay there, sprayed her bathroom with with Lysol like a maniac. She insisted on going in for an 8hr. lifeguarding shift then supposedly on to barn work; won't be surprised if she comes home early. Still have some junk in my own chest from the Christmas crud; don't want another.
On a much brighter note; major news:: she was called yesterday for a vet school interview.....so, here we go again on that rollercoaster. Maybe the second interview is the charm!

Sylvia........I completely agree with Joyce that the "foggy" thinking warrents checking out; could be lots of things but does need checked.

Kim..........Love, love, love seeing you back here!!! OK--Mimi......where are you?????

drkatie......I think your "get her goat" party was fantastic! How neat!! Believe me, if I ever venture into doing something like that for a gift again, it won't be a surprise for the recipient!!

heathermach........Is your DH being treated for his depression? Sounds like he's been through a lot and the uncertainty of what could have happened is now hitting him maybe. It's great that your kids are so good with him. All I can come up with is time and treatment if it's bad enough. On the beard.......I like them; my DH had one when we married.

Trish.......Major congrats on your success; you are right, that 200 is around the corner. Soon you'll be looking at it in the rearview mirror!

Hunger is not an emergency.
Determined.
yanniejannie
mid-Atlantic

Hello Heather, I too have a back problem, and had to spend 3 months in bed. As you can imagine, when I could get up I was very weak, and my first exercises were Pilates. I am now heaps better, walking a little every day, swimming, and pilates once a week. I also hope that losing weight will help prevent a recurrence. Good luck to you, and everyone else. Nutty, from Bath

Good morning! It's a brisk 20 degrees here this morning. Tomorrow morning it's supposed to be 4, so we'd better be happy with what we have, I guess. (I know you Canadian ladies are laughing right now.) I just picked the kids up and took them to school. They were so happy to be going back. It's been a long break! They were all happily wearing their new boots and sweaters, so I was one happy grandma!

Got to the studio and popped a mug in the microwave to make tea. When the timer sounded I went to get it, and looked in the refrigerator instead of the microwave. Stood there for a couple of seconds wondering where it was. Oops! Yet another senior moment.

More warm welcomes to more new ladies!!!!! More fresh faces! Tell us about yourselves! You will be surprised how much we all have in common.

This morning we had a doggie sing-along in our living room. It's was hilarious. Molly and Bruno never EVER howled before Spot came to live with us, so he has taught them a new skill. They were all throwing their heads back and just howling like wolves. I wish I'd had my camera to get it on video.

Taking the girls to the basketball game last night turned out really well. They had such a great time. DGD#2 (second grade) was really interested in the game, and it was cute when she saw one woman pass the ball like a bullet to another woman who was halfway down the court and said "I could do that". (She can't.) She said she would like to play basketball when she goes to college, but she still wants to be a vet so she didn't think she could do both. I explained about basketball scholarships and she was much relieved about that. DGD#1 (fifth grade) didn't care so much about the game, but she was interested in the cheerleaders and the dance team and their outfits. She wants to be a fashion designer, or a nuclear chemist. One or the other. There is another home game on the 14th, and they already want to go to that one too. I thought it was important for them to see powerful women at work.

Well, gotta get to work. Have a great day everyone!

Sylvia

My mom turns 80 today,we`re having her party,on sun.
My friend`s family were called to the hospital this am.waiting to hear.Does`t sound good.Prayers welcome.
hugs jane

Good Morning y'all! It's chilly in SC but our freezing temps don't get here until tomorrow. Thursday won't be above freezing all day. burrrr for us.
I absolutely love all the posts. I hope you all keep it up.

*Heather in UK, I like your idea about the Christmas gifts. At Christmas time all the charities are begging for donations and I hate buying a gift for someone that needs nothing and already buys anything they want. That being said, I do love to get a gift that I know the recipient will enjoy. Those I buy throughout the year. I'll always give a little something to only daughter and DH always says he doesn't want or need anything every year. So I'm with you. Thanks.

I also have back troubles and it's hard to work on the tummy. Even trying to do easy Zumba with tummy work, hurts my back. The best I have found so far is isometrics like tightening the tummy muscles as I do upper body exercises. Will be happy to hear other suggestions.

I have a few friends that suffer from depression. My heart goes out to you, because it's not easy to be around. Is he on any kind of antidepressants? They really help.

*Barbie in Wash, I like your word, "Now". No matter what we have done, now is the time to start doing it right. I always laugh to myself when I see or hear people say they are going to start doing it on Monday or tomorrow or the first of the month. What about NOW??

*I hope Mildred gets better soon. Keep us posted. There is nothing worse than a sick fur baby because they can't talk to us.

*Joyce, Indiana, so sad about the little one. My prayers are with her.

*Kim, So glad you have been found. Welcome back. You can do this.

*Viv, how scary about your GS. Prayers and good thoughts are going his way.

*Sylvia, glad you are on the mend. I think the gorilla story is interesting. Thanks for sharing.

*Trish from Kentucky, Congrats on your loss and I know how exciting it will be to get under 200. I'm a pound away and so looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing about your lifestyle now being a way of life. That will be another milestone for many of us. Keep up the great work.

*DH has his colonoscopy today. Gosh he can be a big baby doing something like the prep. LOL And he will probably lose 10 pounds from this while I work hard for every one. Now I get to go sit in the hospital for 4 hours with all those germs. Might take my laptop so I can see what's going on here. You have all become such an important part of my life and journey. Thank you all for the wonderful support.

Welcome to all the new people. We love having you with us.

Have a great and healthy day to all of you. Got to get to my exercise or it won't get done.

Janet in Myrtle Beach, SC

Lesley - so glad to hear Mildred is doing a little better, hugs to you and a tender pet to your fur baby.
- Jenny

Hello Ladies,

I have been away from this group for awhile, but I haven't forgotten you! The holidays were busy, but I love them. Hubby and puppy Brian are wonderful. Old pug girl is hanging I there, sleeps most of the time but that is good. She is always getting stuck between the furniture or in a corner, poor girl. I gave my big brother the drawing of our grandmother and he loved it. It is still on my profile page if you want to see it.

I am successfully maintaining my weight loss. I joined MFP almost one year ago and am so glad. Wishing all of you wonderful ladies a Happy New Year.

Hugs,

Cindy in OK

Sylvia: I wondered if my brain was working right and so did my family. They jumped to the conclusion that I was in danger of Alzheimers. I realized that I had to make some changes to see what was going on. Kim pointed me toward an AARP article about sleep deprivation and its impact on memory. So I focused on it and also quit alcohol altogether. I’m doing much better. I owe Kim a lot for pointing me in the right direction. You, my friend, have been under a load of stress. Are you getting enough rest?

Sally W: I love the multiple tickers!

Karen in WY: I had a huge problem with portions, which is how I gained all the weight. I followed advice from people on MFP and bought a food scale and also restaurant style dishers. They’re “ice-cream” scoops of different sizes and help me to stay honest with how many potatoes, or cheerios, or-- I have actually put into my bowl. You can simply use measuring cups and do away with the expense, but the dishers do make serving easier. Bottom line for me is portion control, and I’ll always have to monitor how much I’m serving myself.

Barbie: I can’t believe you walked without the dogs! I’m proud of you for taking care of your health, with or without their company.

Gail: I’m glad to see you back and am also curious about your medical leave.

Barb form South Louisiana: I love your quotation! It will make a wonderful mantra.

Kim: I’m happy you’re back, which I may have said before. I can’t imagine heating with wood and being faced with no burn days. Sixty to sixty three is chilly, to say the least.


Time for yoga. I haven’t finished reading and responding, but this is my first day with the new teacher and I don’t want to be late.


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


January Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep.

My scale bit the dust today so I'm flying blind for now. Maybe that's a good thing.

I'm on a Facebook challenge to declutter too. Toss 1 thing on Jan 1, 2 things on Jan 2, 3 things on Jan 3, etc. So over 31 days you get rid of 496 things. We just moved in June and did a big purge then. I'm sure I can still find more to get rid of. It is just crazy how much stuff we accumulate!

Diana in Northeast Indiana

Good afternoon all! :flowerforyou:

This is the 4th day I have done my typing. I am proud of myself and feel much happier. :bigsmile: (creating new good habits)

Margaret - I remember you are interested in fermented food. My new book has just arrived - REAL FOOD FERMENTATION by Alex Lewis. Exciting! I was going to buy a sauerkraut fermenting crock from Amazon but they are now out of stock.

Sorry for all the backache people. Yoga is good, but you need the right teacher. Ours is superb as nearly all of us are over 60 and some nearer 80.! When I got to yoga this morning I was having a lot of rheumatism aches and pains and told the teacher I felt 95. :grumble: At the end I was happy to report I felt 60. (My rheumatism is worse in the damp weather) She accommodates all kinds of limitations.
Before I lost weight I had backache, ankle ache, hip ache, knee ache etc etc etc. I still get them occasionally, like today, but they are 300% better. Keeping moving is the key. The only problem with yoga is that it doesn't burn as many calories as my machines etc, but I treat it as a rest day and to bring some variety. I also love the women there.
I am not going to the WI meeting tonight as they are showing a film, Philomena, and I prefer to watch films at home by myself. :ohwell: Also the chairs there are soooo uncomfortable that they make my back ache. It is a primary school. :laugh: That will be 2 months I have missed. Last month it was a trip to a brewery, the last thing I need. :noway: My son is the manager of a brewery! ! ! !
I'm doing easy food at the moment - I've gone off cooking. It's ragu from the freezer with frozen spinach. Jacket potatoes for DH.

Love to all. Hugs for Jane.
My DH is on meds for depression and anxiety and so is my son. The right meds are life savers, but my son had trouble finding the right one. He is good now. My DH is feeling so much better he is gradually cutting down. Very gradually.

Heather in gloomy Hampshire UK

Joyce in Indiana, my son is 30 and sounds a lot like yours only he has 1 son (5 yrs old) and the mother takes good care of him. My son texted my DH at 2 am last night saying he is done with everything. That is all he wrote. Panicked both of us. He then txt me the problem, which is a fine for non-appearance, a suspended license, car inspection, car insurance, and registration all of which is due by the end of the month. He txt in a panic. Made for a non-sleep night for me!

Kim in CA, I have bought a couple of stocking stuffers for next year as well so you are not alone!

Trish from Kentucky, you are an inspiration! Making the process a lifestyle change rather than calling it a diet is what I am also trying to do. I am at my highest weight ever and have to get it under control!

Back to work for me!

Thoughts, prayers, and hugs to everyone!

Rita from CT

Words for the year:
Determination and Moderation
January Goals:
1. Fix TN house and sell
2. Taxes
3. Exercise 20 times this month
4. Lose 5 pounds
All to get to my year end goals of Financial stability and lose 50 pounds.

Like others, I find midlife and the I set of menopause at 53 came with a gift. An unwanted one of 35 pounds in the past 1.5 years.
Just had a physical. While basically ok, I need to work on weight and blood sugar so as not to become prediabetic. And cholesterol crept up a bit, too.

I am having a stuck point on my life after a decade of non stop business activity. So suddenly motivation to exercise disappeared. Hopefully some others will help me along whilst I cheer you along.
Goal= 125 lbs, but 130 is ok. By end of year.