WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY2015

Mary – I understand you are VERY preoccupied with everything happening right now. I'm glad you are taking care of yourself. I have RA, and the flare is bad in my right wrist this time. It is huge, swollen, stiff, and painful, and nothing really helps. Luckily I slept pretty good last night, because when I am well-rested I can handle the pain better, I just want to limit the wear-and-tear on that joint, because RA is my immune system attacking my joints, and I don’t want to ruin my wrist for the future. I don’t even know if a wrist replacement is a thing, but last time I saw my rheumatologist she said both knees and right thumb are ready for replacements.

For lunch today I had a cup of turkey pumpkin chili and I added about 1/4 cup of vegan meat crumbles. I have my snacks planned, so I can make it until after baseball and make a salad at home (unless DH goes to Taco Bell, I just can't turn down the chicken crunchwrap supreme). I was able to stand the wrist pain for 8 minutes on the hand bike, and the fitness expert cheered me on the whole time, then told me he was impressed at how long I lasted. I have been trying to NOT have my third cup of coffee after lunch, but I really want a nap right now, so I think I will have one today (as soon as this personal summer is finished).

Then, 1 more day and we start a 3-day weekend. Miller employees will not be working Friday - Sunday, so we get to close the clinic. Nobody has said much about last night's explosion, except that it was 6 blocks from our location and no one was hurt (VERY thankful for that ! ! !)

Almost every store around here has sales on watermelon and hamburger meat, so I plan on stocking up Friday since I don't have to work.

Okay, time to return to my job. Hope you are all able to make wise choices today.

Terri in Milwaukee

Hello Ladies!

June Goals:

1. Do menu planning for June - Managed the menu planning and tweaked it a couple of times..did not post it on my fridge and hardly followed it at all.
2. Eat 3 meals a day - Success on this one
3. Log all meals - missed some of the meals last week while on holidays
4. Plan and Do one fun thing each week
(W1: Hot stone massage and weekend of Tai Chi with friend
W2: Lunch with a friend, going away party for co-worker
W3:Pedicure and manicure, Tai Chi in the park. Bingo with my Aunt, Lunch with a friend
W4:Trip with 2 of my favourite people (mom & dad) to visit 2 more of my favourite people (Aunt & Uncle)) - Really successful with this goal and really enjoyed it to boot.
5. Ride stationary bike 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Completed and increased my time to 40 minutes for the last couple of weeks.


LisaH: So glad that you are seeing an end to the plateau. Your photos are amazing! I have not been successful with that yet. Been having difficulty getting to the correct amount of protein even with protein drinks and protein bars.

Sorry I haven't have the time to respond to all the posts...catching up after being away for a few days is rather like drinking from a firehose! I'm still exhausted from the drive home from Northern B.C. 12 hours on Tuesday and then 4 hours yesterday. I really enjoyed the trip but have to get ready for the family reunion this weekend (we have one every year).

Thought for the day: “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” ~ Steve Maraboli

July Goals:

1. Do menu planning for July - Increasing protein to 130g per day. Do one week at a time so that can adjust as I go.

2. Log all meals - try to pre-log to get a better handle on calories for the day

3.Plan and Do - 2 fun things every week (I hope to increase this so that eventually I'll get to one thing daily)

4. Ride stationary bike 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

Carey-Edmonton

Lisa – Your goal “Weigh less than my husband by the end of July” made me laugh. Then it got me thinking. Weighing less than my DH might be a good thing for me as well. I don’t know what he weighs these days. I shall have to ask him. Most likely not a goal for July, but someday soon.

I lost 6.6 lbs. in June. Pretty darned good for a woman who gained 2.6 in the month of May.

Mia in MI

July goal:
Continue to honestly log food every day
Continue to meet PT one day a week for strength training
Start one hour a week of aerobic exercise
Stop Iced tea overload. 24 oz. iced tea daily plus 40 oz. water
Word of the month – gratitude

Well it is Wednesday morning, and the first of July already. Where is the year going?? My friend Lee called me first thing I got here this morning and she is not doing well. I am really concerned. Feel bad as I can not go over until I get off at 3. But I told her I would be there soon as I can. I just feel helpless. Thanks for listening.

Barbie--Thanks for keeping us going and for your support.

Chris--Good to hear your visit with your mom and friend went well. Sending prayers.

Allison--Glad the report is better then it sounded. Sounds like you are in for a good time with the cousins. Relax and have fun, you more then deserve it.

Carol--So glad to hear you are doing well and DD is being helpful.

Sylvia--Hope they can get your van fixed soon. Please take care and if the pains don't go away have it checked out, it could be from the accident.

Janetr--I have the flex fitbit and wear it all the time. Even swimming last year and never had any problems. Beautiful picture, that looks so much like Christmas.

yanniejannie--Sending hugs for you and your friend, Whatever kind of pet we have they have our hearts.

Joyce & Damit--We watch storage wars and pawn shop. They are so funny the things people will save or try and sell for a lot of money. And I agree the buyers are funny to watch.

Mary--Sending hugs, this waiting and getting it put off longer and longer is no fun.

We are having another hot day. I called my friend at lunch and she sounds like she has been crying all day. I get off in a little over an hour so will go over. I just wish I knew what to say or do. DH wants to ride the motorcycle out to Quaker State this evening as they have a bikers night. DGD works out there so will see what time I get home. Take care ladies.
Blessings, Vicki GI NE

Welcome Andrea !

Here's what works for me:
I have people at work who remind me to get up, or stretch, or sit up straight, or whatever. Some people on this thread have mentioned setting an alarm to remind them to get up and move a little.

I sometimes have time on Saturday or Sunday to pre-cook some foods. Usually burgers, chicken, or fish on the Foreman Grill. Plus, the Crock Pot is my friend.

At least 1 day a week I stock up on fresh produce, based on who has the best sales. I like shopping alone, to get just what I want, so I'd rather spend 20 minutes 3 evenings a week instead of 1 hour with DH.

Anything that can be frozen will be frozen, because it's so easy to pull it out and thaw in the microwave. I especially like eggs for breakfast this way. Put 1 egg in each muffin tin hole with mushrooms and/or onions and/or turkey bacon, and bake until done (my oven at 350 takes about 10 minutes). Put 1 or 2 in a ziploc baggie, then pull out in the morning to heat and eat at work. Yogurt can be purchased on sale and frozen. I also keep deli meat in the freezer, because it lasts longer, and is easy to thaw to cut up on a salad for me, and on sandwiches for DS and DH. Yes, it has more salt, but at least it keeps the carbs away.

I don't know if any of this will work in your house, but I hope it at least gives you ideas to get started.

Vicki - Hugs for you and your friend. Your heart will tell you what to do or say once you get there.

Hugs ! Terri

Vicki GI NE – Sometimes just being there and giving a friend a hug while she cries is both all you can do and the best you can do.

Andrea Long Island, New York I do not think any of your goals are unrealistic. That being said, when I am really struggling setting an actual pound goal can set me up for failure. Sometimes I need to focus on the eating and exercise and let the pounds take care of themselves. When I don’t see the scale going down I will get discouraged and go off my eating plan. You know yourself the best and you may not have this problem. I’m just putting this out there for something to consider.

Mia in MI

July goal:
Continue to honestly log food every day
Continue to meet PT one day a week for strength training
Start one hour a week of aerobic exercise
Stop Iced tea overload. 24 oz. iced tea daily plus 40 oz. water
Word of the month – gratitude

Hi Ladies! I'm brand new today. I'm really happy to have a group that I can touch base with and get motivation from since so much of dieting and exercise is a mental game with me. I'm fudging a bit by joining this thread since I'm 48 yrs. old, so please let me know if it's not okay to be a part of the 50+ group.

Decided July 1st was a great day to begin getting healthy again. I'm doing monthly goals and have a Jan. 1st goal that I would be very happy achieving. Trying to keep my weight and exercise goals realistic while still motivating enough to feel like it's moving along at a good pace. I've been a yo-yo dieter my whole life. Very thin to very fat many, many times over so I'm well versed on what I need to do. But struggle once I reach goal to keep it off and keep a healthy lifestyle going. I'm sure other's here can relate to what this is like.

I've gained a LOT of weight these past 2.5 years (almost 100 lbs - EEK!) and knew the day would come when I would finally decide to take control again since I've been keeping my head in the sand for far too long.

My July Goals:
Log my food daily
Log my exercise daily
Exercise: 25 sets of stairs at home/day (I'm in AZ so I need to be inside during the heat of summer)
Only weigh myself once a week on Wednesdays (I get obsessive about the scale when dieting so I need to be careful about weighing myself too often)
Lose 10 lbs. this first month - should be doable since I usually lose a lot of water weight the first week

Here's to a successful July for all of us!!

miako- congrats on your weight loss!

ablie- drink water! and then drink more water!

stm712015 - ain't no thang, you have my blessing to stay.. you're almost on the dark side anyway. :0)

Sylvia - vacation sounds like a fun idea. It will take your mind off of all that has been going on lately. You deserve to relax and have a good time!

Vicki- I hope your friend feels better. I also love watching pawn stars and storage wars.

Terri - I like your egg pre-prep idea.

DJ - that was hysterical!

stm712015- you'll just be one of the young ones! What do you want us to call you?

Jane - I hope your mom feels better. And I hope your arthritis pain goes away. I have it a little and my hands act up. No idea what to do to make it better.

Mary from Minnesota

Hi Everyone!

New here and glad to find this group. Still trying to figure out best approach but in general, my July goals are:

- sleep 7+ hrs per night
- adequate water intake
- clean and whole foods
- move more weak day
- buy fitness tracker ( any recommendations? ?)
- practice gratitude

Happy July!

Cat in Georgia

DJ I almost spit water on my computer :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I promised to get back with a bit about the grandchildren's visit last week. They were here for seven days and unfortunately only one of those days was sunny, and all of them averaged well below 10°C (about 55°F). But we're used to that!

Bedtime on the first night was a bit of a challenge. Our guest beds are in a loft that opens onto the living room, so we heard the entire bedtime procedure. The kids were lively and talkative after the exciting airplane journey. Dad read a story, then another one, but the kids wouldn't settle down. They protested that it wasn't night yet. Look, it was still light outside. Dad tried to explain about Earth's tilted axel and summer and winter and midnight sun, but had to admit it wasn't easy to understand. He read another book and sang a few songs. Fifteen minutes later we had to suppress our giggles when one of the kids piped up "How long have we been asleep?"

Their favorite outing is to the beach just below the house. I think we went there at least twice every day. The stream that runs down the valley tumbles over a little waterfall just before it reaches the ocean. There are backwaters and whirlpools and lots of rocks and driftwood to toss in the water, which is crystal clear. Farther out toward the salt water you can find seaweed and mussel shells and tiny crustaceans under the rocks. The kids played there as long as the grown-ups could stand it, and then some. (It definitely isn't a place to leave pre-schoolers unattended!)

One day big boy L (4½) had a homemade boat along.


Another day, Dad and the kids joined forces to construct a causeway out to a boulder in the tidal zone. Here's little sister J (3) sitting on that boulder like the little mermaid.


On the partly sunny day we walked out to the point, about 5 km round trip (over 3 miles). L walked the whole way and J walked there but rode home in the baby backpack. We stopped on the way for some apple slices. J was in charge of the snack and insisted on carrying it herself in her backpack.


At our destination we had a hot dog picnic then the kids did their best to transfer every single pebble and rock on the beach into the fjord. Since the beach consisted entirely of pebbles, rocks and boulders, they were well occupied – but unsuccessful.

Those children's brains are like sponges! One day I took a half-hour walk with L. I told him about the paths we were walking on, whether they had been made by people or sheep or hares. I pointed to where the eagles nest up on the mountainside. We found half of an eggshell and I explained that the size and the pattern of the splotches suggested it was a ptarmigan egg. We looked at alpine violets and I showed him how the brown lines on the yellow petals guided bees to the nectar.

Several days later, L and Grampa took the same walk - and L told Grampa about hare paths and sheep paths and where the eagles nest and how the bees find nectar and pointed at the place where we found a "tamidan egg".

Our son did a great job with the kids, as always, but he was "on duty" essentially 24/7. After a particularly trying day near the end of the week, he looked longingly at the mountain above the house and sighed. He said he would dearly love to get up there, but he'd just have to come back some other year. I could see he needed some quiet time, so I volunteered to handle bedtime that evening. His father could take him as far as the tricky bit and help him find the *only* safe path up past the cliff, and he could go the rest of the way on his own. And that's exactly what happened. Midnight sun can be a pain when you're trying to get kids to sleep, but it's great for late-night excursions!

Last but not least, an image from my solitary evening stroll out toward the point today. The sun came out after everyone had left. Typical!


/Penny at the Pole

July goals:
1. Maintain my pound-a-day veggie habit
2. Weigh and log food when I am cooking
3. Exercise restraint when I'm not cooking
4. "Choose my booze"
5. Exercise in some form every day

stm712015 wrote: »

Good to know I can be a part of the group - thanks!

pipcd34 - heehee, I think I crossed over to the dark side a while ago.... more fun over here.

fanncy0626 - oops, should have given my name: Sara from Arizona

Welcome Sarah. You've found a great support group here.

Mia's July resolution about iced tea overload got me to wondering... I can tell summer is approaching when I start craving iced tea. I happily drink nothing but water all winter long, but when the weather gets hot I drink iced tea by the pitcher.

Since I make herbal or green iced teas with no caffeine and drink them unsweetened, I just count every glass of tea as water. I also drink a lot of black half-caff coffee (and I probably ought to cut down, but that's a resolution for another month) but I don't want to credit myself for anything caffeinated so I just don't log it.

When sweetie and I are outside doing sweaty work in the yard, we sometimes drink Koolaid (made with a third of the sugar called for on the package, and with Emergen-C added for electrolytes) because neither of us likes Gatorade. I do log that since it has calories.

How do y'all handle logging your non-water fluid intake?

-Yvonne in TX