WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2015

Thank you K2boxkady. Hopefully. I have the courage do do this. For my over all health, I have to do it. So far there seems like alot of support here and help if you need it. I hope to make alot of friends here so we can help each other.
Noexuses118/CP you can do anything you set your mind too.

I'm dealing with a high A1C and it's so hard because I love sweets. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Go to a trainer twice a week, now I need to incorporate workouts at home. I was hoping if I got some weight off along with watching my sugar intake it would bring the A1C down.

Hi everyone.

I used to be on this thread a lot but fell off the wagon (ha! numerous times!) Even though I didn't post a lot or lose a lot of lbs I slimmed down great for my daughter's wedding in November...through diet and exercise (and an amazing personal trainer). After the wedding -- and thanksgiving... I was all ready to get back in the saddle but then my mom got sick and was in the hospital for 21/2 weeks... and then we had Christmas... goodness! Such excuses, right!? Well... I'd like to say I'm back and want to be held accountable.. so here I am... reintroducing myself. Tammy from Virginia Beach... 53, married, two daughters, one married and another in her first year teaching (1st grade!)

I used to be a French teacher, but now I substitute teach... love to quilt and read and have become so much more fond of working out since I worked out with a trainer!
Hope to get to know you lovely ladies and encourage you too!

More later!

Tammy

One thing I notice on this thread, there are a lot of "reasons" why people "fall off the wagon". lately it was thanksgiving, then Christmas, then new news, then valentines day that is coming up... you must remember, there will ALWAYS be a "reason". especially with the work potlucks, friends coming over to visit, going out to dinner, pier pressure, them telling you, "oh come on, just one small piece". it is seriously hard to say no thank you to something that you really want but if your friends or support system is around you and are there for you, they won't bother to offer it to you to begin with.

I go to this friends house once a month and she put on facebook a pic of this drink/dessert that had cherries on top, cheesecake like thing in the middle, and what looks like a graham cracker crust on the bottom w/fireball whisky in it. she asked the group; that she's been asked to make them and wanted a count of people that would have one if she made them. I replied no, I wouldn't. one person said well if you cut this and reduced this to lower the fat that she would, another said she would, another said, if you replaced the cherries w/strawberries.... one asked me (knowing that I am into my health) is it the fat that is freaking you out which is why you won't have one? I said, no, not freaking out about it at all... it's just that i'm not crazy about cherries or cheesecake and if it was going to have something I would make damn well sure that I REALLY want it to add it to my calorie count. I ask myself, do I want to waste it on that? and my answer is no. all of these ladies are over weight, I don't say anything, I just lead by example to myself, not to anyone else but myself.

don't beat yourself up over bad choices that you may make. add it to your calorie count, you will be amazed on what you will slowly cut out because you never realized what it was that you were putting inside of yourself.

small example, I had one small bag of Cheetos out of the vending machine. I saw the calorie count was something like 250 calories.. I thought to myself, no big, I can burn that... when I went to the gym, I had to RUN 3 MILES to burn that off!! I was thinking, ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? was that bag of Cheetos worth it??? the answer was NO!, haven't done that since, (probably about 6 or so years ago).

Sorry for the rant....

Rita, good to see you!

Mary fr Minn - 25 pounds in 100 days - wow! That's inspirational. Thanks for the feedback.

Fitgranny - a diabetes scare was the impetus for me to get serious. I wish you the best of luck.

Beautifulluv - GREAT resolutions! Really specific and do-able. I think I'm going to write monthly goals and keep them posted at my desk.

pipcd34 - Everything you said hit the nail right on the head. I'm realizing that logging my food and exercise will teach me how to know when something is worth it and when it isn't.

I stayed on track for lunch with a bag of veggies, a cup of beans, and a beautiful fresh plum tomato. I'm stuffed, and all for only 343 calories!

Hello! Just turned 60 and new to the discussion boards. I've come to believe that dieting has not served me well - starting with the Grapefruit diet when I was 17 yrs old and only wanted to lose 20 lbs.

Many, many, many diets later, I now have over 200 lbs (yes, I said over 200 lbs) to lose. I have the typical health problems associated with obesity - type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, etc. But I also struggle with degenerative disk desease in my lower back that has really limited my mobility. I had pretty much given up living a productive life. I could make it to my job & home, but only from shear will power.

So I'm still asking myself what made turning 60 into a big wake up call?! It started with a painfully frank conversation with myself about how my poor health affects the people around me. I don't feel like I can continue to accept the status quo because I have so many obstacles to losing weight now. A thousand mile journey begins with one step, right?

So here I am. I've made it 7 days, today. My eating plan for now is to just be very deliberate about what I eat, staying under the suggested calorie/nutrition limits set by Myfitness. I log everything into my food diary BEFORE I EAT IT. So far, it's working for me and I'm encouraged by the weight I've lost this week.

Hope someone identifies with my struggle, and is encouraged to take the first step on their personal journey.

Brenda from MD, love your quote.

Good wishes for all of those on the NE coast who are expecting blizzard conditions.

Damp cold and very windy here today. Spent the morning taking apart my steam cleaner to clean out debris. Felt very handy with my screw driver skills. LOL

I keep trying to realize how I lost 20 pounds in a year and now can't shed the 9 I have gained back. I think it is because I logged each meal before I ate and then stuck to it. Need to start doing that again.

Carol ~ GA

Brenda - so sorry to hear of the deaths of your young people. :flowerforyou: I am currently retyping my novella which was based on the death of my sister in law when I was 25. We lived with them and it was life changing. Some of it was for the good. I certainly learnt a lot about myself and grew up a lot. It also brought me closer to people.

Yesterday I was watching "Call the Midwife", which featured a stillbirth. It brought back so many memories of my stillborn baby girl that the tears were really coming. It was good in a way. The love I had for her is still there 37 years later. I so appreciate my beautiful DGD. It was a miracle when she was born.

Love to all who have lost dear ones. ♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡

Heather in Hampshire UK

PS the East Coast storms are on our news. Stay safe!

Happy Monday ! ! ! I am finally caught up on reading since I was so busy this weekend.

pip - I had an "aha" moment this past week, too, regarding calories, etc. A store had 5/$5 progresso soup. I read all the labels, and only purchased the French Onion soups. I can eat an entire can as a meal, with fewer calories and fat and carbs than 1/2 can of any other option. Or, I can use it in the crock pot to enhance a meal for the entire family. I had no idea that progresso soup (and I will read other labels better from now on) was so bad for me. Good thing I enjoy eating onion soup.

Now, to back track from my reading

Michele in NC (and all others interested in the conversation about the weighted vest) - I did not hear back from my Physical Therapist Aunt, but I did ask the opinion of my DS's personal trainer (MS degree in Sports Exercise, and StrongMan winner) . His opinion is that the vest would be much less damaging to joints, with the exception of ankles, knees, and possibly lower back. He states that if you have healthy joints, you may walk, or walk on the treadmill, or use an eliptical, but should never run in a weighted vest, because it would put so much more pressure on your lower joints. When I hear back from my Aunt, I will let you know.

Kim in N Cali - congrats on the NSV. I have much better control if I ask at a restaurant for my to-go container with my meal, and split it immediately before I start eating. I don't think I am at the place yet where I could stop eating. I admire you for that !

The PopTart conversation makes me laugh out loud in public !!! I keep chocolate poptarts in the house for DS to snack on between events (I also keep lunchables and/or turkey jerky and/or protein bars, because you never know what a 14 y.o. boy is going to want 1 day to the next). Well, this weekend his poptart got squished in my bag, so he refused to eat it, so I ate it instead. First time in MANY years. That + a grapefruit was my supper yesterday, and I cherished (savored) every moment of both items.

Heather in UK - the whole music conversation makes me confused and sad. I can't believe how traumatized I could have made other people. I have one of the "strange" brains that has music inside every second of every day. If I don't have external music, I will create internal music. I am not afraid of silence, but the internal music tends to be repetitive, so I create external music to calm myself (sometimes, that means singing or humming or whistling out loud). The only time I turn off the music at my desk is when someone asks, or when they come in with a migrane. I apologize to anyone whom I traumatized with my music. I really meant no harm.

Barbie - I also look forward to the day I am able to control the other foods, like you compared to food allergies. I would NEVER consider even trying to eat shellfish because I know the life-threatening consequenses. Yet, a few times a week, I will be weak, and eat a complex carb that is both bad for my weight and a triggerfood for my RA symptoms (white wheat, corn, and potato). Thank you for reminding me.

This weekend was full of bowling for both DS and DH again. DS struggled toward the end of H.S. bowling, and brought his fill down to 76.28%. His team is now in a VERY close race for first place with 2 other teams. He is now down to the #5 spot, so he may not qualify for State. At the Sunday Junior Gold tournament, he started strong, but left splits in the 10th frame of the first 2 games to finish with 167 and 162. Games 3 & 4 were both over 200. Game 5 crashed with a 128, then he came back with a 219 in game 6. His first 3-game series had him only 10 pins away from Qualifying, but his final 3 games he was about 50 pins out. But I am still very proud of him, because he listened to his dad the best possible, and maintained his composure even during his bad games/frames. But the big surprise for the weekend was when his cousin from Minnesota walked in and bowled a few lanes away from him. That made it more fun, and we took lots of pictures (I just still haven't figured-out how to save them to this computer so I can download them to show you all).


DH was only able to get his "girls" to win 1 game out of 7, but they all had good fills (they were up against the #1 team). He bought them pizza, and they all had a good time, so that feels like a win for him. Today they take team pictures.

Well, I see a few more people have posted lately, and I will have paperwork to do. Prayers for everyone expecting the blizzard ! ! !

Terri in Milwaukee (where it is snowing, but we are only expecting a few inches).