WOMEN AGES 50+ for MAY

:flowerforyou: Happy Sunday to everyone..........
More "Newbies" to say welcome to ............the groups growing every day!!

:noway: Amanda ........ What a scare for you. It happened to a friend driving in Liverpool but i wouldn't of thought it would happen near you. I'm going to try and remember to lock the doors whilst driving I think. Glad you were not hurt ...methinks you've had enough on your plate!

The Baby shower went well yesterday. That is becoming a more popular American Import over here! I can say...hand on my heart ....I was good and didn't eat all the lovely cupcakes and pastries laid out. My DIL had prepared plates of fruit and veg sticks too. I did ,however, have one small slice of fresh cream sponge.....to be polite you understand!!!

:ohwell: We said cheerio to #2 son & co. and will see them next week when we drive down South....ready for our few days at Center Parcs, Longleat. #2 GDS ( 20 mnths) has had a load of activities booked for him. Nana may be a little more relaxed I think!! Maybe an art class and a massage! We will take our walking shoes as we must, must get fitter for walking in Alaska in Sept. I will try and swim too as I have been a bit braver when in water lately.I think I have finally realised I can float!! As we're self catering it will hopefully be easier to stick to a good eating regime .........hopefully. As DIL won't be drinking (pregant ....yeah!!!) the wine will not be flowing so much.

We plan to see a friend of very long standing who lives in Somerset.. DH and I worked with her back in 1969 in the Channel Isles. We've kept in touch with the usual xmas cards etc and have met only a few times over the years. It will be an interesting and very "Chatty" evening I think!!

I'm shelling out sponsor £'s to DGD who walked up our local mountain ...Moel Fammau ....today. She's raised £50 towards her dance school funds.
I know..........I should've gone with her ......but #1 son accompanied her. I've only climbed up once and that was years ago when the boys were small. I really didn't want to hold them up.

Anyway .....off to cook our chicken roast now.
I hope you've all enjoyed your weekend without any trials and tribulations!!

BFN
Jackie

Good Morning Ladies,
It's socked in here this morning and I am sick of the rain! What a damp cold winter and spring!!

Amanda: what a scary thing to happen! You and your hubby are safe and that's the important thing.

I joined MFP about a month ago ... the weight is coming off very slowly. I have about 15 pounds to lose to get to normal range where I want to be and where my doctor would like to see my weight at. Hard going! I also am having an issue with constipation for the past few weeks. The only changes that I can think of are cutting out dairy in my diet. I have an auto immune skin condition and there's some suggestion that taking dairy out of my diet might improve the condition. So.. I haven't been eating cheese, milk or yogurt and have substituted rice and almond milk. Yuck! is all I can say....I sure miss that little bit of creamer in my morning coffee .
I have been following this dairy free plan for about a month and I don't see any changes in the skin condition. In fact, I have had a couple of flares.

OK. There you have it. That's my morning crankiness! Any suggestions with my 'problem' would be greatly appreciated! I am drinking lots of water, eating more fiber, etc.

Amanda – What a terrible scare! That vulnerable feeling is quite awful; I've been there as well. I'm much more alert now wherever I am and have made changes that help keep us safer. I see you thought your doors were locked, so that was a doubly shocking experience.

BarbieCat1 – Glad you got two inches of rain; we got one. Apparently this entire state is a tinder box. We live in the far NE corner of the state – that little part that looks like it should belong to GA. We have been dealing with the Honey Prairie fire in the Okefenokee now for what seems like forever.

Yes our weather has been changing lately and I too wish people would quit trying to use it for their own desires – financial, political and social. Change happens. Greenland used to be green after all and there are glaciers that are growing as well as shrinking.

I recall reading that there seems to be a correlation between weather patterns and sunspots and as a result the slightly rising or falling ocean temps influence the el nino and la nina which influence where precipitation falls. Also, compared to the climate change a volcanic eruption can cause, anything we may or may not do is insignificant. I think we naturally as humans think we are way more in control of, and responsible for, every little thing than we actually are – but that's just me. :flowerforyou:

Mary – I'm listening to the music link you posted as I write this. Lovely music! Please send the link when another is online.

Sorry you are dry as well. It just doesn't seem right does it? Spring is supposed to bring rain and renewal. Then there are those on here near the Mississippi that are being flooded out. Ugh. The weather seems so capricious. Well, at least rain probably won't interfere with your outdoor get together today. Could be wind, dust, heat, cold or bugs but not rain! :happy:

I think I will spend the afternoon on my woodworking project. I was thinking the stain DGS picked out was too reddish but it looks good.

I've got my water bottle in hand. :drinker:

Faye (oops fixed a glaring typo)

This is the first time i saw this 50+ post and couldn't get fast enough LOL!!! I have struggled with my weight all my life and now at the time when it is "supposedly" the hardest time to get it off here i am. Thats me ever the procrastinator. No more at 49.5 yrs of age, i am reinventing myself all the way around. I am moving from Illinois to Nevada, I am exercising and eating more healthy, one day at a time and considering going back to college. Its never to late right? I am so happy to see others my age doing positive things, you are all an inspiration to me. Wishing you a super wonderful serene and successful day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

grabitt57 ... have you had our thyroid function test done?

I am on thyroid meds...

I have bad knees, can't exercise more than I have been, only exercise I can do is the bike, either outside or inside, I ride 4 miles a day outside, and do 4 miles a day inside when I can't outside... I really am frustrated, but will continue on to cycle 3, maybe not do it all, and go back to c1 early, depends on what the scale says tomorrow, but looking at what I weighed this morning, I actually put back on a pound... altho, it could be water retention from what I ate last night, fajitas (beef) .. I brought my own celery to dunk in the salsa, didn't eat the taco chips... ate the veggies with the fajitas, and had lettuce and tomato instead of the sour cream and rice and beans.. who knows, it is so goofy!
Natalie

Hmm. I live in Northern California, right? The “sunshine state.” What the heck is up with snow on May 14? :noway: A little rain is lovely, but snow?!! Most years we don’t even see any snow, let alone in May. At least the ground will be softer and it will be easier to pull the weeds up. I hear we won’t get a cherry crop up here at all due to the cold weather.

I’m not really complaining though. Our water supply is good – which is not always the case – and the weather has been manageable. We get fresh produce from "just down the hill" where it's warmer. I feel fortunate when I hear about the fires, floods and tornadoes that so many of you have been or are dealing with.

Star, what good advice, “A craving lasts for no more than 15 minutes. It is so worth the effort to make yourself be aware of what you are doing and stop before that first bite. Do something, anything to take your mind off food. Call a friend, do some computer work, e mail someone, come to this wonderful group for help. Take a walk, a shower, do a chore. You can break that bad habit of reaching for food for every little thing that happens in your life.

Now if all fails and you do start eating, you must get it under control as fast as you can. Do not feel like because you ate some ice cream at 11am you have to eat the rest of the day and then it goes into days and weeks. Forgive yourself and get back on track by immediately…”

You’ve nailed it. :happy: The cravings don’t last long. Knowing we have to resist for just 15 minutes makes it easier. I have a similar philosophy about getting back on track after being off for any amount of time. It takes just 2 days of effort then it’s smooth sailing. I can do almost anything for 2 day. :happy: The good feelings (physical and emotional) that result amaze me every time.

For me, avoiding trigger foods (refined starches, sugars, etc.) and eating lots of fruits and veggies are the keys to fending off cravings. It helps to eat the fruits and veggies BEFORE I’m really hungry. Otherwise, it’s too easy to reach for something already ready. And you know what that tends to be. Once I eat a trigger food, it triggers the desire for more.

Amanda, how horrifying. I feel chilled just thinking about it. Thank goodness you and DH are safe. Those passersby may have saved your lives. Warm hugs.

In case I forget, I’ll say Happy Birthday now to everyone with birthdays in the next couple of weeks: Jeanie, Star, Vicki, Robin, and the other Mary. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Barbiecat1 and Kackie, congrats on the 1 lb weight loss. Good job! :flowerforyou:

Kackie, two days of beach/bridge walking with friends sounds like so much fun. Enjoy.

Mary, can’t wait to hear your story about napping and the smoke alarm. :laugh: The bells sounded beautiful on this Sunday morning.

Kathy, nice to hear from you. Sounds like you’re doing well. I know how it goes keeping up with the posts. I hate to miss anything!

Jeanne, I had to smile at your “I can do anything for 15 minutes.” That’s the same way I approach getting back on track after getting completely off. Except getting back on track takes 2 days! Either way, we can do it. If you don’t already do this, you might try having a good breakfast (I like fruit and yogurt) before going to church. (Oatmeal or eggs with wholewheat toast are also good choices that don’t tend to trigger cravings.) I have much more willpower when I’m full.

Barbie, my sympathies about the rain and grey skies. They’re not catastrophic but they can be depressing. My dear friend lives in southwest Washington. She’s not a complainer (at all) but she’s feeling the drag of the drippy weather.

Jackie, you are doing so well. :flowerforyou: You are back with a vengeance! Reading your posts always puts a smile on my face.

Welcome, Janetta. Slow is a good way to go. The tortoise won the race! As far as constipation goes, I eat lots of fruit and veggies. You’d think constipation wouldn’t be a problem. Not so. A couple of months ago, I cut most wheat out of my diet. (I ate only whole wheat btw.) The constipation is gone. I don’t understand the connection but I’ve tested it a couple of times and get the same results. Might be worth a try.

Natalie, you’ve done a great job. Give yourself a little credit, girl! For me, eating lots of fruits and vegetables (I know, I sound like a broken record) is the key to losing weight. I don’t worry much about a little fat either as long as it’s healthy fat, like avocadoes. Good luck. You can do it.

Welcome, Metco. I’m reinventing myself at almost 63 and loving every minute of it. I don’t find it harder to lose weight now as I’m exercising more. Not a whole lot but some. And THAT’S a whole lot more than I was exercising before! Whereabouts in Nevada are you moving? My sister lives out in the middle of the desert in Winnemucca. The skies there are beautiful. A niece and nephew live in Reno. It’s not as beautiful but has more “big city” amenities. It’s affordable too, which is nice (unless you’re trying to sell).

Welcome, Babs. I like limejuice too. I mix mine with diet tonic. Tastes like a grownup drink without the calories. Are you a Brit too? I love that we have women on here from so many parts of the world.

Eeks. It’s hailing outside now. :noway: Good thing we haven’t planted vegetables yet. I was worried we were going to be too late but another week will be a good thing.

Go Grandma - September 22nd

Hello Ladies!

I did force myself to take a walk. I took my umbrella and thank goodness I needed it 1/2 way to the beach. I only went one way & had my husband pick me up when I got there :bigsmile: . Had a nice lunch at Chili's Restaurant after.

Hello kathy!!!! :flowerforyou: I've slowed down my walking routine, So I decided to jump ship on the Swat walking thread :blushing: . plus there didn't seem like much feed back. :indifferent:

Mimi... Same here, That's my biggest success for losing the weight, Staying away from Trigger Food's ( Like Refined Starches & Sweets) I get my sweet tooth fix with fruits & yogurt. Sweet Potato too!! yummy. And for the starch I now use Brown Rice pasta, Brown rice & the bread I buy at "whole foods" sprouted 16 grain & seeded bread .
When I gotta have my chocolate fix, I'll have sugar free hot chocolate at the end of the day,

Menopause, NOT YET!!!! Had a partial hysterectomy at age 40. YES!! :bigsmile: Emfoley2, sheesh you went through menopause early. I pray I don't gain weight, since I worked so hard to get it off.

We have wild fires in the everglades keeping me from taking my walks last week And Now it seem's to be the rain, which we So desperately need. And now here comes Summer, I think I'll be stuck on that darn treadmill longer then I want. I'm seriously thinking of stopping exercise and sticking to 1300 calories & see how that goes. I'm sick of working out :explode: . But I'll keep up with weight lifting since I don't want to sag to the ground :frown:

Okay, Time for me to get my Butt off here. You all have a nice day!!!!!!

I'm on here *again* because I had to tell someone...the sky turned dark and it's thundering. The ground is turning white from the sleet. I'm not used to this!

I do remember that, when my sister got married in Tilden Park many years ago (in Berkeley, which is in the SF bay area), right after the minister "pronounced" them, it started thundering, hailing, and snowing. And that was May 18th. My mom served up the cake as fast as she could and, shortly afterward, everyone ran for their cars. We took that as an omen. It must have been a good one because they're still married 30 + years later.

Babs, there are lots of veggies high in iron (asparagus!) and probably calcium too. My dietician sister says to beware of calcium supplements. There's some evidence they affect the heart negatively. Better to get it from food.

Okay. You've heard enough from me!

Barbie you are a wonder! Planning and persistence in action.

Afternoon all!

I feel for all of you who are living in the drought. We have had more than our fair share of rain. This is the first day I can see all of my driveway. We have been ferrying people who did not have a truck or four wheel drive, so they could get to our house. I am out to work in the flower beds.

Mary, I am not a napper either. My body hates it, I wake up feeling hung over. It's all night or nothing for me. Yet I can get up every hour or two all night long to take care of an animal, and I feel Ok.

Jackie, I appreciate your nobility and sensitivity as well as your sacrifice, in forcing yourself to have a bit of the cream sponge!!!!

Natalie, Do not give up, I am the queen of the long term plateau. Everything you're doing is good for you! So why stop?

Cherub, I am also starting the 30D Shred. My body does not remember the coordination of jumping jacks. It is a forgotten language. Yet at GPs day with my GD the gym coach brought me a long jump rope so I could show the 1st graders straight, skip and run, jumps. That my body remembers. I did restrain myself when it came to forward and backward rolls.

Mary, I am sure the day will be a success. There is nothing like a cookout or picnic however to bring on the rain.

Faye, Good luck with the stain, and the woodworking project.

Snow, Mimi! We were up to 84 here in balmy WI, we are now however back in the low 50s with a chance of frost nights.

Amanda, I am so glad to hear you are both safe. How frightening! So much for the self locking doors. Rest up and give your self a chance to recover.

Janetta, concerning your various problems. I also will suffer if I eat to many wheat products. Wheat also aggravates my eczema.
Sugar seems to upset the eczema as well. Some coffees also due to the oils they contain. My Mom went with me to the Dr.s where we were discussing my various issues. Dear Dr. told me to give up chocolate, black tea, coffee, sugar, and refined carbs.
I commented , " The only thing you have left me is sex." My 89yr old Mother responded, " I don't even have that! "

Teresa, glad to see you here thought you were gone. You will find that I do not comment often but am always around if you need me.

Welcome to all the new " young' ladies, heart felt happy thoughts to all I have not mentioned but do think fondly of. I must get out into the lovely sunshine.

Onward and upward, Alice

Theresa - there's ALWAYS room for one (or two or three) more, so jump right in!

Sally - I really like preparing my meals ahead of time, too. Actually, I've started where on Sunday I do most of the cooking for the week. There are times when I made double the recipe just so that I will have some to freeze! I do wish that I'd gotten the larger freezer, tho. Somehow I don't think Vince will buy me a new one, not just yet anyway.

Teresa - whenever there are jumping jacks on any DVD, I always have to do the low impact ones. Yes, dh stands for dear (or could be d*** depending on how you feel....lol) husband. DS is dear son, DD is dear daughter, and so on.

Did a hour of hula hoop on the Wii today, tomorrow I'll take a class called Pump It Up. Hopefully, it's not a lot of aerobics but more weights. Went bowling today, bowled 4 games. Out of the 4, I broke 100 twice. I did pretty poorly on the last game (only in the 80's). Then we bought gas for my car, came home and I fried up some pork chops that will go into the crock pot tomorrow.

Amanda - how scary! I'm so glad no one was hurt. I, too, tend not to lock my car doors when I'm driving. Thanks for the wake up that I should keep them locked

Terry - I hear ya about being bored walking on the treadmill. One of the things I do is I do incline intervals on the treadmill. I do 3 minutes (or however long you feel like) at 3%, then 6%, then 9%, then 12%, then back to 3% and so on. Another thing I do sometimes is HIIT, I'll run for like 30 seconds then drop the speed to recover for the next minute. Having to keep an eye on the timer seems to make the time go by faster.

I'm in a bit of a quandry. There's a pick-up canasta game usually around 1 with the Newcomers. Only the free bowl for our league is from 1-3 on Mondays. I'm interested in just watching the canasta, from looking at the rules on the internet it doesn't seem anywhere near as complicated as mahjongg, and if I can sort-of get mahjongg, then I figure I can get canasta. However, to be honest, given the choice between doing something physical (the bowling) and something passive (the cards), I really would rather do the physical thing. Actually, I'm finding myself making excuses why I can't go on Mondays. Is that terrible, or what? Maybe I'm just overbooking myself.

Remember I was telling you about the bunco/wedding shower that this lady is throwing? I've decided that I am going to have a bean veggie burger before I go. That's fairly low in calories and I know it fills me up quite a bit. I'm also going to take some wine that we have. I'm just not a big wine drinker, by the time I'd get to it it would be vinegar! Actually, we have two bottles and I'm not even sure if they're red or white! I know three of the bottles are red since it says "red scuppernog" on the label!

Going to make pork chops for dinner tomorrow. I didn't realize that the recipe is really a crock pot recipe, but I can put them in the crock pot before we go to the free bowl and they should be done around 6. What I used to do is have a timer and plug my crockpot into it so it would turn on at a set time and turn off at a set time. For some reason, I lost the timer. So now I need to buy another one.

Talking about cravings - I know that this is really weird, but when I get them, many times having a piece of "dark" (has to be dark) chocolate helps (maybe this is just psychological). Also, taking a swig of the apple cider vinegar.

Ken & Lynette went bowling with us today. Well, Lynette did, Ken just watched, but that's OK. I suggested that perhaps they'd like to join Newcomers. Lynette thought they couldn't since she's lived in this area all her life. But that's really not a problem, we have some members who have lived here all their lives. Actually, that can be a positive. When someone new comes here and asks a question ("like who's a good plumber, where can I get xxxxx"), someone who knows this area can give good advice like to stay away from someone or highly recommend someone. It's only $25/year so we're not talking big money here. We have people who join just to play bridge or mahjongg or canasta and don't take part in any other activity. I guess we shall see what happens.

metco - wow! You sure do have things in order. When's the move? Is there a special reason for the move, or is it just because? What will you be majoring in in college?

Natalie - can you do water aerobics? That's no impact on your joints (if you do it in the deep end)

Welcome FattieBabs! I bet you aren't that much of a fattie! I like to buy that "true lemon" in the packets and put some of that in my water.

I went to a farmer's market last weekend. One vendor had these tomatoes that were "hothouse tomatoes". Now hothouse tomatoes that you get at the food store are usually quite bland so I only bought one. But was it ever good! So when I went back this past weekend, I bought three more. Unfortunately, I won't be here Saturday. Wish I was because I'd get more.

Star - I'm the same way, put food in front of me and I eat it. The last time we went to lunch with the Newcomers and I had to be late, Vince had to order for me, he couldn't understand why I wanted a food box right when the food was ordered. Oh well....I did get my box

Hey to emfoley!

barbie - you don't need to tell me how the resistance to healthy food is very much psychological. Honestly, if Vince ever knew half of what he was eating, he'd never eat again. I've found that if I chop foods very tiny in the food processor, he can't see them. The garlic press is another good invention. If he saw a piece of garlic, it wouldn't get eaten. But if there's just minced garlic, he's still getting the benefits but he doesn't even realize it. I made some zucchini/pineapple muffins. I was dying to try that recipe, and Vince won't eat anything that has zucchini in it (or so he says) but Lynette does so she and Ken are my guinea pigs....lol

I don't know why, but I am so very full tonight. Here's hoping everyone has a great evening.

Michele

Just finished a nice big plate of delicious roasted Veggies...(Thanks, Mimi!!!) They really do fill me up and are so, so good.

Natalie: I know how frustrating it is to be on a plateau. The Scale WILL move, and you are doing good things for yourself. BUT...I know how you feel. How about mixing something up a bit? I know you have knee issues, but I have to get my heart rate UP and break a sweat to boost my metabolism, at least some days, in order to move the scale. How about a Zumba video? I don't think there is any high impact in those moves. I would try something new, just to shake things up AND it is always good to feel like you're doing something to turn things around. There are lots of options. You like to ride your bike...you could also add a second ride later in the day. I am trying to add an afternoon exercise session to my day several days a week for the same reason...mix things up and move that scale. Good luck. I know you will get there!

eotrg: Good to hear from you again. Glad JJ is doing better...hope he gets his nursing/tongue fixed.

NEW MEMBERS: So glad to have you here. Come often and let us know more about you. I wish you great success on this journey.

Didn't mean to talk, but wanted to respond briefly. Take care, Dear Ladies. I am off to the beach tomorrow. Kackie

HI!All,
so glad I happen to find this group.
Amanda ,what a scare.glad you and hubby are safe.
Hope you all had a good week-end.
lojoi-not sure what your name is I noticed you had a list of birthdays.Mine was may 2nd.I turned 55.
Have a good night all.
Thanks for making me feel welcome
jane

I will try and get a 2nd bike ride in when the weather warms up, perhaps do some more lifting my 5 lb weights every other day again, I stopped doing that... I weigh tomorrow, hope I lose something.. so frustrating...
Natalie