WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY 2105

The Allbran recipe

I cup Allbran cereal
I cup dried fruit. It is nice if there is some peel in it.
I cup self raising flour
Half a cup soft brown sugar
1 cup semi skimmed milk.

I reckon that comes to just over 1600 calories. The cake slices into about 10 pieces.

I also add a teaspoon of baking powder to lighten it and spices, like ground ginger, ground cinnamon, mixed spice etc.

Set oven to around 340. Well grease a loaf tin.
Soak the Allbran, dried fruit and sugar in the milk with any spices you are using for half an hour.
Mix in the flour and baking powder. Mix well. Pour into the greased loaf tin.
Bake for around 35 mins, testing with a skewer, which should come out clean.

Leave to cool. Slice and freeze portions so you don't eat it all at once. I butter DH'S, but not mine.

Call me crazy but I love to see other people happy and succeeding.

Good morning to all you lovely ladies.

Jp, great poem. Did you write it? So talented!

*Carol, sending good thoughts your way to feel better real soon.

*Showdoggy, welcome. We are happy that you have joined us and look forward to seeing you often. I have recently cut out diet coke and was surprised how easy it was. It’s just been replaced with water. I do weigh every day but the real rewards for me are seeing my clothes get bigger on me. Good luck with your journey.

*Carey, Congrats on your 1 month and your weight loss. (*)

*ReNae, “Oh yes and lose 25 pounds”? I’d say that is a pretty big, oh yes. Congratulations and keep up the good work.

*jehzimom, Welcome. And you are so right, MFP has all the tools we need. And you will find this group of wonderful ladies to be both supportive and informative. I hope you visit often.

*Sally, good luck with finding a dress you like. I can’t even imagine being too small to find something. It has to be a great feeling although frustrating. 3.5 million steps? How long did that take? That is amazing.

*Bobbi, yes we always have room for one more and you are more than welcome. So good that you are doing something about you weight with only 8-10 pounds to lose, unlike so many of us. Come often and join right in. We were all new one day.

*Joyce, I hope Charlie doesn’t overdo with the snow/ice work in the yard. Most men are not real good to listening to their bodies. (or their doctors)

*doccnm, welcome and you have just joined, as all it takes is to come here. OMG you sound like the poster girl for good eating and health. Good for you and oh that more of us had been like that from the beginning. To answer your question, I don’t think it’s asking too much to want a body shape like before menopause but don’t expect it to look like it did with no clothes. You may have to resort to some weight training and there are people at nearly every gym that can help set you up on the right workout. We are happy to have you join us and look forward to your progress.

*angles46, Welcome to our group of wonderful ladies. When reading your post, I was reminded of one of the quotes from our dear leader, Barbie. The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want the MOST for what they want at the MOMENT. It does take some willpower and changing of habits. I have been able to cut out so many things that I use to eat, just because I stop and think about how badly I want to lose weight and how badly I want to put that yummy, fattening, calorie filled snack in my mouth. It has been so exciting for me to fit into smaller clothes and feel better, that I usually (can’t say always) chose the opportunity to forego the calories. Maybe you can chose to do something other than snack, or chose a healthier snack. One thing that has definitely helped me is to purge my kitchen of things that I don’t need to be eating. Not that there aren’t still a ton of calories calling my name from time to time, but I try to choose the better choices when I must snack. If you find you must snack, try to plan something healthy and sit down at the table and have your snack, then move on. You can do this, just keep telling yourself that. Good luck.

*Carol as I recall from when we lived in Atlanta, the weather forecasters there, are no better there than anywhere else we’ve lived. LOL We are getting frozen light rain and last night they said we’d be around 40 by mid-morning. Now they say we won’t get above 32 all day. I don’t think they have any better idea than we do. I’ve come to the conclusion that I just have to wait and see what each day brings.

Welcome to any Newbies that I missed. Come often and join in the chat. This thing works!! Please sign your post with what you want to be called. It makes it easier for us to respond to you. Also a location is great, be it specific or general. We are happy to have you join us.

About dusk last night when DH took the boys out to do their business, they all went running to the fence at the back of the yard. (well not DH, just the dogs) We back up to a small forest and there were 3 large deer grazing. They ran away quickly with all the barking, but this is the first deer we’ve seen in a number of months. There is almost no place left for them with all the developments around. So sad.


I love all you wonderful ladies and I wish you all a very happy and healthy day.

My word #1 is savor. I have to slow down and savor every bite.

#2 is opportunity. Each day offers new opportunities for good health and happiness if we just look for them and choose them.

Janet
Myrtle Beach, SC

Good Morning Ladies,
Wow! Did we get snow and ice here. I was off work all last week and was a very bad girl. I stayed home and sat on my backside and crocheted all week. Except for the times I got out and walked the dogs and fell in the snow on my bad knee. I would have busted my face too but my boobs broke my fall. After that, my hubbie walked the dogs. I am hopping around on the bum knee now and can't take the anti-inflammatory meds because of an upcoming medical procedure this week. Awe, life is grand isn't it? Always keeps you guessing. Anyway, I am back on the wagon AGAIN! Posting and trying to do better. But the snow is still lingering. I am at least back at work. That seems to help keep me on the straight and narrow during the week. Here's a little peak of the world from my office window. We are melting slowly, but there is at least 1/2 inch of ice under that snow. Its beautiful but oh so cold.

Yanniejannie:

Happy Tuesday ! ! !

Katla - sending good thoughts for the needed combination of direct and tact. That is difficult for me, too (especially with loved ones). Barbie - I empathize with your struggle, too. I never intend to hurt anyone, but sometimes my mouth moves faster than my brain.

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful recipes for healthy muffins and breads. I look forward to them keeping me in control when I return from El Paso. As it stands now, it looks like my kitchen floor will be replaced while we are gone, so I need to leave as little as possible in the refrigerator. DS will be "staying" with my Dad, so we don't need to leave him much food.

Barry Manilow is sick, so the concert is postponed until next Monday. Tomorrow evening is "Forms and Fees" night at H.S. for spring/summer sports 6-8pm, then DS has baseball practice 9-10pm, so I told him we will spend that hour between events in the H.S. weight room. He said he will invite his friends to lift with him. I will hide in the corner riding a bike, or leave (it's embarressing to work-out with your mom when you are 14). He plans on going out for Track & Field, and Baseball. He has already been working out with the track coach, who is getting him ready for Pole Vault. Just picture, the kid that flies through the air on his bike (or self-propelled just because he can), will be doing it in an organized manner soon. The kid scares me and makes me laugh every day.

The cookie dough is officially gone, so today is the day to start over. I already bought the extra soft tofu, so that will be my dessert from here on out. All healthy foods for lunch. I really want to remove all the excess water, plus about 3 pounds, before we leave next Thursday (I want to feel comfortable, not packed into my clothes). Color roots this weekend, and work-out every day, so I have good exercise habits during the trip.

I have used shiritaki noodles, but struggle with the fishy flavor, even if I rinse them for a long time. Does the coconut milk take care of that? I love coconut, so any recipes would be appreciated. I think someone mentioned coconut chips? How do I make those?

Hugs to Everyone ! ! !

Terri in Milwaukee (where it is all the way up to 18 degrees today)

jmkmomm wrote: »

Michele, could you have some mold issue in your condo from the upstairs water fiasco? that could be a cause of your hubbies allergies. Thanks for the info of the brownies.

Cynthia, I just looked on my iPad and on the app I can't find community but when I go to Safari and look up MFP it looks exactly like the screen here. I have it book marked on Safari to make it easier for me

Carol, Ga, I think the kind of grieving you are talking about is the grieving of lost opportunities. I had it at first when my MS was diagnosed. One day in choir at church I just burst out crying. I finally figured out that my grand kids would never have the opportunity to actually know my Dad. Sure we talk about him, have pictures and share stories but they can't sit on his knees and have him love them.

Sylvia, your bowls are wonderful. I hope their teacher is letting them know that people are donating these bowls so they can know and appreciate community service and volunteering.

My daughter finally got date of my grand daughters musical. It's 8 PM this Friday. But that means a late night for us. By the time it's over it will be 1 AM before we get home and it's supposed to be raining. Oh well, what we do for our grandkids! Some of our yards look like ice rinks. Ours is fine. Charlie spends time out there each day cleaning more of it off. 2 years ago when he had his heart attack his doctor told him not to do this stuff in the winter and have it hired out. MEN

Joyce, Indiana

jmkmomm wrote: »

Michele, could you have some mold issue in your condo from the upstairs water fiasco? that could be a cause of your hubbies allergies. Thanks for the info of the brownies.

Cynthia, I just looked on my iPad and on the app I can't find community but when I go to Safari and look up MFP it looks exactly like the screen here. I have it book marked on Safari to make it easier for me

Carol, Ga, I think the kind of grieving you are talking about is the grieving of lost opportunities. I had it at first when my MS was diagnosed. One day in choir at church I just burst out crying. I finally figured out that my grand kids would never have the opportunity to actually know my Dad. Sure we talk about him, have pictures and share stories but they can't sit on his knees and have him love them.

Sylvia, your bowls are wonderful. I hope their teacher is letting them know that people are donating these bowls so they can know and appreciate community service and volunteering.

My daughter finally got date of my grand daughters musical. It's 8 PM this Friday. But that means a late night for us. By the time it's over it will be 1 AM before we get home and it's supposed to be raining. Oh well, what we do for our grandkids! Some of our yards look like ice rinks. Ours is fine. Charlie spends time out there each day cleaning more of it off. 2 years ago when he had his heart attack his doctor told him not to do this stuff in the winter and have it hired out. MEN

Joyce, Indiana

Hi friends,

Still looking out at strips of ice and snow! Don't remember it ever being like this. They still have not opened the schools because the neighborhood roads and rural areas remain slippery. Our system is huge (85,000 students) so if even one area is bad it keeps all the kids out of school. No real equipment or $$ to remove this stuff. Tennessee - love the taxes but the services suffer!

Got to the doctor yesterday. Had a hassle getting my prescription - computers went down at Walmart just as I was ready to check out. After an hour I finally got out of there, came home and ate cheese, pretzels and frozen yogurt for dinner! Ugh! Back at it today..... I hope I will feel like exercising tomorrow.

Janet - great job on the after vacation weight loss
ReNae - awesome new habits
Pip - 940 days! Yeah!
Kim - 35 miles of hiking! Weigh to go!
Sally - 3.5 million steps! WOW!!!!!
YOU ALL ARE SO INSPIRING!

Sylvia - love the bowls. I bet the kids will do a good job decorating. Such a good project
Heather - enjoyed what you shared about habits. It sounds like you have a plan to continue the writing. That's great!
Allison - so exciting to hear about your remodeling. You are really moving right along!
jb - enjoying your poems
Carey - love the Carol B. quote. I admire her so much. Thanks for reminding why.
Dr.Katie - YEAH for the new fitbit! I know you were watching for it!
Bobbi - There are some other active and retired teachers here. I just retired after 32 years of teaching elementary grades in private and public schools.
Yanniejannie and Cynthia - enjoyed the stories of the hoarding pets....so sweet (DD will have to give Gemma that hat, YJ!)
Selena - thanks for the words of wisdom - inspiring

Special (((((hugs))))) to -
Cynthia - job; Meg - knee and DD issues; Sharon - custody case; Vicki - rocky "road"; Tina - off track a bit but you can do this, girl; Lesley - Mildred Beagle loves to hear your voice. Keep talking to her as you work through your grief. Often I talk to the loved ones I've lost (after 35 years)

Reminder to all - please sign off on each of your posts with the name you want us to use for you. My aging mind feels embarrassed when I can't remember it.
WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE JOINING US ON THIS JOURNEY.

TNToni - taking this OPPORTUNITY for a day of rest, healing, and healthy eating

Good afternoon everyone,

Thank you for the support. Managing to stay on both my new exercise regimen and accounting for calories. Lemon water really goes a long way to satisfy snack attack feelings. Trying to hold off to 3:00 to get my apple snack. So far so good.
I love some of the encouraging quotes and the poems. They really help a lot.

Snowdoggy
Baltimore MD

Hello everyone, just got back from swimming! it is so nice to be able to do that in the winter time. It may be only 20 degrees outside but the pool was 80 degrees and felt so good! We do about 40 minutes of laps then walks across the pool for 10 minutes. It is very refreshing! This is my free day, because, my DSIL likes to go out for ice cream afterwards. That is usually my treat for the day and I count it as my calories or lunch.

everyone have a great day!

Good afternoon dear ladies!

Katla: Thanks for the Nordstroms suggestion for the MOB dress. I have three possibilities bookmarked on their site waiting for the thumbs up from my DD and her godmother before I order them. They have a great return policy, so I will just order a few sizes and then return the rejects.

Jb in Portland: If the “D” word works for you, great. For a lot of us (me included) it really is a four letter word.

Janet: The 3.5 million steps started some time in July, shortly before I found MFP. It is totally weird having trouble finding clothes because I am too small for the off the shelf stuff. I have been heavy since I was 3 so this is completely uncharted territory. Glad you enjoyed seeing the deer. We still have a lot more than our share. Rotten things will take my fences out.

Doccnm: Welcome. What happens to your “pot” is dependent on a lot of things. In my case, the pot itself is mostly gone, but there is quite a bit of loose skin (singularly unattractive). It does appear to be slowly tightening up with more core work. I have also been treating the loose skin with the oil that is supposed to help with pregnancy stretch marks. I have no idea if it helps, but it does keep the skin very smooth and healthy.

Angles46: Just get yourself out of the house in the evening. Go for a walk, visit a friend, volunteer, whatever you can think of to keep busy. If the weather is really awful, try de-cluttering your house or knitting or even reading. Anything to keep your mind / body occupied until you can get past the need to nibble in the evening. I train dogs. I am either at class or one of the training buildings 4 nights a week. There just isn’t time for munching. I also plan into my schedule a bedtime snack. It is usually a hot herb tea and a bowl of cereal or a handful of nuts. It lets me shift my thinking from “not ever” (hard to do) to “not now – later” (much easier for me). The bonus is that I sleep better if I am not hungry when I go to bed.

Bobbi: There is no magic collar to stop a dog from pulling. The martingale collar that Gemma is wearing is proportionally wide so the dog will not damage their trachea while they are pulling. Unless they sold Yanniejannie a hidden prong martingale which has the prongs from a prong collar sewn into the fabric. (I don’t think you can get these at regular pet stores.) Then it is a prong collar. The prongs close/tighten on the dogs neck when they pull. A prong collar will help a lot with pulling, but you should be actively training the dog while they are wearing the collar, because it has to be properly fit and used or the dog can be hurt. It takes two to pull… if you want the dog to walk nicely at your side teach the GSP the art of walking nicely on a leash. If you would not let a horse drag you, use similar methods to teach your dog.

Lesley: Take your time mourning dear Mildred. There is no rushing grief. I lost my heart dog, Smokey, a couple of years ago. For the last year of his life he need to get up and go potty about 3am every morning. It was really hard on me because I was not getting enough sleep anyway, but I did it. For at least 4 weeks after he died, I would catch glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye. I could feel that he was still there. After about 4 weeks, I got up at 3am just like I had been doing for months. I looked out the window and there was my sheltie walking down the driveway away from the house. He turned and looked at me. Then he trotted down the driveway (he had not been able to trot for a long time) and over the ridge not looking back. It was like he was sure we would be OK now and he could move on. I still miss him every day, but I can look at his photos with joy in the time we spent together rather than just mourning his loss. You will get there, too, but take your time.

Well my running buddy Talga did something to his shoulder again, so he will have to rest for a while. I will need to run by myself for at least a week. His shoulder bothering him could be why he wanted to quit on my during our Sunday run. I haven’t run without one of the boys before, we will just have to see how it goes without a pacesetter.

Looking for the joy in every day, just like my dogs.
Remember to breathe…

Sally W.
Oregon