WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2015

Chris in Ma. - Read books then dance. 2 splendid activities.

Karen Central Va.- Yes, wouldn't that be nice? I have a couple of people that are sapping my energy. I force myself to smile and focus on enjoying those others who make life worth living.

Alison - Glad you treated yourself to a mani/pedi. Massage next?

Janet - I wonder if it is just a "man thing" to be become less social as they age? I seem to have gone the other way.

Vicki - Having your husband's first wife stay in your house will be uncomfortable but you are a strong woman and will take it in stride. Been there, done late, didn't really like it.

Beth - My heart goes out to your son in his suffering. I used to get migraines so bad that I sometimes had no memory of how I arrived at place. Doctors are working on his case so hopefully they will come up with something to ease the pain.

Jane- Love the name, Mackenzie Mae. Good sized baby. Enjoy.

Joyce - I applaud your courage. Yes, speak up and we need to all speak up so that things can improve. I was in a wheel chair for over a year and it really opened my eyes to problems you can have. I've been known to knock on the window of a car and explain to them what handicapped means. Pet Peeve!

MminMD -It's nice to have support and someone to cheer you on. Who better than a sister.

Good morning everyone!

Sylvia: so glad to see you! Take it easy.

Sassy: I only know about fostering from a friend. She just loves and cares for the dog and gets him or her used to the basic stuff like being on a leash, learning its name, coming when called, sit, being petted, stuff like that. Of course you could do more if you and the dog both like it. Length of time varies.

Hope we all have a good day.

Cynthia :flowerforyou:

Joyce, Indiana: the hotel is called "the Colony" and is located in Kennebunkport. I have never stayed there but have heard it's really nice. The hotel is just down the road from "the Bush" compound.

Gail: I am sorry to heard your sister is so ill. Special thought to you and your family.



I have to give myself a woo hoo.... I lost 1.8 pounds this week. I broke through the plateau I was in.

A lovely sunny Sunday in slower (southern) Maryland. The ice on our creek (a tributary of the Chesapeake) is just starting to melt. In 35 years here this is the first time since the early 19890’s that the creek (which is salt water and 1/2 mile across here at our house) has stayed frozen for more than a couple days. First time I’ve ever seen it frozen enough that snow stays on top. I need to plant tomato seeds today!

I’m interested in your experience with activity trackers. I have a bad knee and foot, so don’t walk a lot. May get the knee replaced this year. Plantar fasciitis in the heel I think. But I would like to track real cals used during stationary bike, simple aerobics, what walking I do, general cooking and cleaning, and cals burned from weights.

Beth in Kennebunkport – I visited Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago and was blown away. I learned quickly that drivers can’t see coming out of side roads, and have to stick their noses out - and that everyone has to be aware that’s happening and let them do it. Plus many roads don’t accommodate 2 cars passing anymore. Hopefully this will be the week the melt starts for you.

Janemartin – assume the baby is your granddaughter? Congrats, she is beautiful.

Sassy: I’m 5”10”, 56, and have been over 280 for 20 years. I started this round of MFP in late Jan at 295. Ugh. I am targeting (and hitting!) ~1350 net calories a day; generally about 1600-1700 + 200-400 cal of exercise. I’m losing about 1 ½ lbs/week. Hit 15 lbs today! I would like to do more exercise but I have waiting too long to start this journey and have damage to knees and feet with pain. I’m working to find a way around those excuses and do stationary bike or strength training, and need all the encouragement I can get. Like you say, “Choose Your Hard.”

Lillian – some of my Canadian friends and family (mostly in NS and PEI) curl in fun leagues. I myself prefer watching hockey. Lets go Caps!

Gail – instead of YOYO for dinners where each is on her own, we say that tonite we are just going to “graze.” The kids knew that as code for “I’m not cooking”

Dia_nruf: Woo hoo to you too! That’s a great loss this week.

Goals for March:
Exercise at least 5 days a week.
Eat 5 fruits and veg a day
No snacks or drinks after dinner (stick to that 12 h eating window)

Goals this week: Add back some convenience foods that are healthy, lower in cals , fat and carbs. I do Panera breakfast sandwiches sometimes, there are a few under 300 cal. I think I will try one of their new “broth bowls” – umami flavored broth with low fat protein and veg, mostly around 300 cal – for a dinner this week.

Todays word for myself (well 2 words): No whining!

Cindy in SoMD

pipcd34 wrote: »

fanncy- welcome o little one to the wonderful world of pipville, you should be honored to be accepted into my elite world of pipness

A woman with her own kingdom...you go girl!

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

Good Morning Morning, ladies.

Michele, feel free to show us pictures of the sweater you aren’t sure about and “maybe” someone would give you an opinion. Glad you found such bargains. My favorite quote to DH is “It’s not what you spend but what you save.”

Joyce, I love your idea of the Facebook page when your mom was in Hospice.

Pip, “you’re a pip:. I loved that. LOL Tell Yogi, I’m sorry I called him a her. He’s a little bigger than my Maggie as she is only about 65 pounds.

Sassy, good luck with the foot surgery. Always something to look forward to in life. I had asked my Dr. about the calories and they met with the MFP suggestion. I’m 5’6” (or used to be?) and I am allowed 1200 calories a day. I don’t add back any for exercise. When I began, I thought I’d starve on that few calories, but I looked at all the things I like and chose the foods that are lowest. That way, I can have a full cup of some veggies to go along with my 4 oz of protein. I am rarely hungry and eating so much healthier than ever before. OMG, I went a year or two where I had a rather large Cinnamon Roll for breakfast every morning. (400 calories! Yikes.) Now I also look for items with the lowest calories when I want something like bread. Your calorie limit sounds high to me, but must be right for you if you are averaging 1 ½ pounds a week. That is a great rate!

Dia, Toot toot for you on your loss. It’s so nice to break a plateau after no movement for a while. I like your quote.

Lillian, I like your meal planning. My DH is so easy to please and is happy to eat leftovers and/or the same thing for a few days. Isn’t it nice.

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.

I happened to watch the Joel Osteen sermon on TV this morning. It was about being happy and satisfied with your current situation. Not that we can’t strive for improvement, but more to me about not wishing your life away. It does seem that so many people in life are always looking forward to “something” in their future, like that is going to make life better. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that life is here and now and always will be. I hope we can all embrace the here and now and make the best of it. Like the MFP journey, Life is a marathon and not a sprint. The only real destination is when we meet our maker.

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 (Sunny and high 50's today )

Good morning. I had a rough night. Didn't sleep much. I took a small dose of milk of magnesia at bedtime and all night I was sick at my stomach. Never did produce any " results" though. This morning I forced down about half a cup of skim milk and a slice of toast. It is right on the cusp of coming back up. I'm afraid to take my am pills for fear it will push me over the edge. It's 10:30 already, since it was spring forward time last night. That's going to take some getting used to. Still have not had a shower yet either.

Good grief, I'm a downer lately. Gotta crawl out of this hole and get moving forward again.

Here is yesterday's joke of the day. It's a rerun, but we have a lot of new people who might not have seen it yet, so here goes:



A mean lookin' cowboy was sitting by himself in a Saloon. He was a pretty intimidating sight, so no one bothered him as he downed a few whiskey and beers. After chugging his last drink he slammed some coins on the tabletop and got up to leave. Right after he left though he came storming back in and said,

"Listen up you mangey *kitten*" and everyone, terrified, immediately fell silent.
"Someone done took my horse. Now here's what's gunna happen. I'm gunna order me another drink, finish it, and when I walk back outside this time my horse BETTER be there or else I'm gunna do what I did in Texas... and believe me, I don't want to do what I did in Texas!"

Like he said, after he finished his drink he walked outside and sure enough, someone had returned his horse. He was getting on it when one of the bar patrons ran up to him and sheepishly asked,

"Sir I don't mean to bother you but I just have to know, what did you do in Texas?"

The cowboy looked at him square in the eyes and replied,

"I walked home".



I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Sylvia

Good afternoon all!
Our clocks go forward the last weekend in March. But it is already so much lighter!

My stats: I was 5ft 5ins, so I'm using that as a base. I've probably shrunk! I started at 195 lbs in June 2013. It took me 18 months to get down to 140 lbs and I have been at maintenance for over 14 months now. I stuck to the MFP guidelines and ate back all my exercise calories. Now I use a base of 1200 and eat back all my exercise cals, which are currently 600 a day, except on yoga days which is 236. I don't count mall shopping or anything like that, but if I went for a walk I would count it. So on 1800 delicious calories I am managing to maintain. I still log almost every day.
My exercises are mainly on 3 machines we have in the spare bedroom, elliptical, rower and recumbent bike. I do 536 cals on those. Then I do 20 mins strength and flexibilty training for 64 cals.
I like the outline of my shape that all this has given me and I am a UK size 12 (USA 8) As I am 65 I don't like my saggy skin so I prefer to cover myself up with fitted clothes. My weak points are one knee, my feet, which have pronation and my hips which are a bit arthritic. Running and dancing are out for me, unfortunately! I wake often in the night with various rheumaticky aches and pains, but, on the whole, I feel so happy to have achieved this state of health. I am a breast cancer survivor and still wear an arm sleeve every day for lymphodema. That is a nuisance but not half so much a nuisance as being dead.

Hope that has explained myself a bit to the Newbies!

I've just got back from the supermarket with all the ingredients I need for entertaining my nephew and his wife on Friday. DH isn't thrilled, but that's too bad. At last night's party I also organised for my brother and his wife to come over on Good Friday, so I will get my dinner party fix for a bit!
This Friday we are having, Double Salmon Wheels (freezable), Goulash, (also freezable) and a new to me Filo pastry tart, which has pears, blackberries and soft goat's cheese in it. I will freeze that as well, though I'm not sure about it. Very moderate portions for me, but my nephew and his wife have very good appetites and are very overweight. The wife drove me home last night as she doesn't drink. She also wanted to know where I lived!

DH has been doing a marathon prune in the garden.

Tonight is jumbo prawns and peas in homemade passata spiced up with chilli. I will have shiritaki noodlles, DH tagliatelle. Broccoli to go with.
Will cook Friday's food tomorrow.
Love from Heather in the UK.

Pipcd: We also have wood floors. Next time I replace flooring I’ll choose some ceramic tile with a bit of texture. The wood doesn’t bother my younger dog yet, but the last dog had trouble when she got older. Our stairs are carpeted, thank goodness.

Beth in ME: I love your picture. What a beautiful beach!

Bwcetc: I am impressed that you’re so far along with your taxes. We aren’t.

Gail: I’m sorry your sister is in the hospital. What is BC?

Mary from MN: My ticker code is quite different from what showed up on your page. The words “weight-loss-ticker” don’t show in your post but they’re part of my code. I see that you’re already working on this issue. Good luck.

Sylvia: I’m so glad you’re home! Our dishwasher is a Kenmore with a stainless interior. We’ve had it for a number of years. The interior is not bright and shiny anymore. It shows a lot of soap scum. The good news is that it doesn’t rust. Dishwasher soap is a box of chemicals, and I wonder what they are. I hope you enjoy your choice, what ever you decide. Getting your doctor’s recommendation on prescription combinations seems like an excellent idea, especially if you see several different specialists. I evidently missed some information on new dietary instructions.

Lesley: Grief has its own timetable. When our previous dog died unexpectedly from a bee sting we were devastated. I was working full time & had a long commute and DH was home alone. We set about looking for a new pup immediately so he wouldn’t be alone 10 to 12 hours a day. You’ll make a good decision when you are ready.

Michele & Mary from MN: I am always amazed and impressed with the cooking that Michele does, too. I’d never be able to stay out of the treats.

Sassy aus Austria: It sounds as though you are making excellent progress. Congratulations!

Dreamwriter: On the question of men getting less social as they age, I think DH is more social than he used to be. He thinks so, too.

Peachstategal: I’ve been doing more exercise and it has helped my arms, but it is a long, slow process. I’m enjoying the exercise and that is why I’ve stuck with it long enough to improve. I like yoga.

dla_nruf: Congratulations on the weight loss! I love the image you posted.

Chris in MA: You are doing a fabulous job managing your weight loss, exercise and eating. Congratulations!

Sylvia: I’m sorry you’re in a rough patch. I hope you start feeling better soon. Love today’s joke.

Heather: You are a champion!


My history here at MFP is similar to Heather’s. I’ve also been here a long time and lost over 70 lbs. I’m currently maintaining at just under 140 lbs. I was fat, miserable, and lost when I started this process. I had no idea what to do to change my situation, so I Googled weight loss. Two sites came up and I chose MFP. I have learned so much! One of the biggest lessons for me is that change takes time and sustained effort but doesn’t require perfection. If I blow it on a particular day, I make sure that I stay in my calorie limitations the next day, and the day after that. I also learned than I can “buy” extra calories by doing extra exercise. That has been very empowering for me and saved me from “going over” countless times.


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. 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.

Taking a break from the box/stuff moving going on in the basement. The sun is shinning so beautifully!! But I have to go back to the basement and move some things so that DS#1 can help me move the heavier stuff when he stops in. DH is still struggling with the back pain.

Later everyone
Lillian in West Central Saskatchewan

Hello, everyone, a quick one this time. Made it to gym breakfast, then home, then out again for the timing of the kids race........whew, I might not be a runner but I can put up and tear down a finish line with the best of them! Just got home and settled here for a minute or two.

Ok, stats and story for the newbies. Age 63, height 5' 3". Grew up very skinny (below 100lbs.), could eat anything. Never very active (except at work-nursing), a bookworm. Hit 119 (!!!!) at 42 and dieted down to 105. Started trying to lose again when in the mid 150's about 10 yrs. ago. Got down to 123 on another site........blew it over time. Started again (MFP this time) at mid 140's and reached 118 summer of 2013....goal had been 120 and I was soooo pleased!!! Started creeping up last summer and been courting the mid 130's since fall. Jan. lost 5 lbs.; Feb. blew it,have not been on a scale since Jan. I eat 1200 (when I'm behaving) and pay no attention to exercise cals. as my activity varies so greatly. I do tai chi, yoga, a womens light aerobics class, treadmill, rower, eliptical, and walk with no set sched..........and, sometimes, not too often; I know this is my downfall. Due to rather severe osteoporosis anything with impact is OUT. Also have a cardiac issue with a complete left bundle branch block.

Got to go do something around the house.
yanniejannie
mid-Atlantic........sun and mid 50's with a strong cool breeze

Stats for them days:
Jog- 44.19min, 6.6-7.3sp 8.53ap 5mi

We went for a Sunday drive yesterday, Sunday. Felt so weird NOT having Mildred in the back of the car. We drove to Sheffield and walked round all the murals there and had lunch. Many new murals from summer.
Rained last night but sunny now. I am washing our bed sheets and changing bed linen, plus vaccing, sweeping and dusting.Some gardening this afternoon, much needed
I dragged the WiiFitPlus out for cardio before breakfast and truly enjoyed it again. Jeannette's circuit B for weights soon
I am "sharing" my friend Betty's puppy, all I need for now
Lesley in Tasmania

Did about 40 minutes of Stephanie Huxabee's Power Fit DVD. The plan for tomorrow is to do some yoga (a new DVD I got), hold my plank, and then take the extremepump class.

Mahjongg here tomorrow night. I'm TRYING to do two rows/night on the Christmas tree skirt. Didn't do any last night as I watched Downton Abbey, maybe I'll get to more today.

Mary - to make the chocolate bran muffins, take 3 cups of wheat bran (lately, I've been using oat bran), 1 egg for the binder, 1 box of low fat brownie mix (Betty Crocker is the only one I've found who has this, but someone said they found it at Trader Joes) and 1-1/2 cup water. Mix it all together, put into greased muffin tins (full sized, not mini-muffins), and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Be warned -- they are low in fat so don't use paper muffin liners as they'll stick. Spray the muffin tins with nonstick spray. As for the texture -- it's hard to say. Not like a granola bar. I guess I would say like a muffin. I do find that I can usually drink 24oz of water with one. No, no, no, we don't set the clock back, we set it FORWARD. You know, Spring ahead. I love when we move the clocks ahead. I love the extra hour of daylight.

Sassy - I try to get in 1253 calories/day. I'm 5'1". That's what I came up with when I used the Harris Benedict equation. Good for you losing! My weight seems to range in the mid 130's. There was one time I got below 130 and I looked and felt like c*** so I decided "never again". Never fostered a dog, only helped Jessica train a service dog but that info doesn't help you any. Now we have some friends who fostered a cat, tho. When Vince found out that they were foster a cat he said to me "so, how long do you think it'll be before they adopt it?" And sure enough, they did adopt it.

dreamwriter - Vince seems to have gotten more social as he gets older. Maybe it's because now he has more time, who knows? I'm just glad that he is being social

peachstategal - what is an atomic clock? Arizona and Hawaii don't change their clocks.

dia_nruf - congrats on that loss!

One clock I totally forgot to change was the clock in my car! How many remembered that one?

Cindy - how did you determine the calories you needed, or did you let MFP decide for you?

Chris - oh, no, Filene's Basement went out of business! Bummer, major bummer

Janet - I've decided to keep that sweater. There was a pull in it and I wasn't sure that I could pull it thru. But I was able. It matches these green pants that I have, and for $7.80 I really can't go too wrong. my dh feels just the opposite from your dh. He feels "do we really need to spend that money". I will pay full price ONLY if I really really love something and it fits me really well and I need it. Otherwise, it's Salvation Army or sale racks for this gal

Chris - awesome loss! I'm impressed. I don't care at all for no fat foods, sometimes, tho, I do have low fat foods. but I do have to admit that they are usually higher in sodium and/or sugar, so it's really a tradeoff. I agree, the full fat versions of foods are more satisfying for a longer period of time

Liz - you did 30 minutes on the treadmill and didn't make 10,000 steps? I'm surprised. Do you maybe take your fitbit off when you exercise? I used to take my pedometer off when I took a step class.

Michele in NC

Sylvia: healing prayers to you!!!