WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE

Good Evening Ladies:

Mimi: I just had to say your story hit close to home for me; I am 5 ft tall and over 5 years ago I weighed 220 lbs. My oldest son was getting married and there was no way I wanted to be in the pictures at that size so I joined Weight Watchers and did really well. I lost over 75 lbs and kept it off for these years. Then last fall and into this spring my youngest son, who is in the Canadian Forces was sent to Afghanistan for his second time for 7 months and for some reason it seemed I just ate and ate as my reaction to his being there and I know now that is what I did (in reaction to my worry). I gained 24 lbs back of that 77 that I had lost. When he came home in March I was fine again so I realised it was completely emotional eating but by then my eating habits were completely out of control, But finding MFP in May has allowed me to get myself back on track and I seem to be doing well again. I have been over weight all of my life and this is the first time that I have ever taken off weight and kept it off and I was almost 50 when I started losing the 220 lbs. so it is possible to lose weight when you are "middle aged" or whatever they call us!! :laugh:

Welcome to all the newcomers, you will enjoy it here, there are lots of so many interesting people here and the support is wonderful.

ritamerlot - I hope you can find the triggers for your migraines, that might help. If it is the environment, like a lot of mine are, it makes it harder but at least you would know. I hope you can take good care of yourself at least when you get the headaches.

rjadams - don't get discouraged; your weight loss will turn around.

Anyway, to everyone else. Have a good evening and talk to you tomorrow.

Cathy

vicki - the Newcomers group is a social group, the idea is that people who are new to the area meet other people who are new to the area. That's not to say that we don't have some people in our group who have lived here years and years, some even all their lives!

Don't ask me where the day is going, I suspect that until the meeting Wednesday things are going to continue to be crazy. Let's see, I got up, went to the xtreme pump class and found out that they are no longer selling 10 classes for $40 but it's now $5 per class if you want to go. The Y has a class like this, only it's at 10:00, to me that's pretty late, after the class stopped at the Salvation Army to see if they have any unbreakable dishes -- found one and an unbreakable platter and some nice bowls, then went to a bakery thrift store (I thought I remembered they sold the hamburger rolls I like, and they did <I don't really eat them, they're for Vince>), stopped at PetSmart because Lance is getting low on his diabetic food and Jessica said I could get it there, only because it's the diabetic food they need authorization for it and the only records they have for Lance are when he got his rabies and a note that he's diabetic. I bet any amount of money that Jessica got that food from the humane society who probably said that it can be purchased at Banfield. Then bought some sardines and eggs at the store across the street along with frozen veges and some ice cream bars, came home and made one batch of the Krusteaz key lime bars. This one lady was going to make them for the meeting but then she asked me if I could find someone else to make something. By then it really was too late, so I made the bars. Lucky me gets to take the key lime bars, some fruit, and these rugelah things that someone brought to the last meeting and since we had so many snacks I brought them home and froze them. We don't know how many people will be at this first evening meeting. Then went to the free bowl, bowled 5 games, out of them I broke 100 only once but came close 2 other times, went to Sam's because they did have strawberries, but the ones I saw looked pretty bad so I didn't get them, came home and made another batch of the bars (just haven't cut them up yet, will probably do that tomorrow), put the pork chops in the oven and made dinner (I'd made the pork chops the day before so all I had to do was put them in the oven. Made these cheese meatballs to take with me to Mexican Train dominoes tomorrow night. According to the directions, you should be able to make 48 and three of them are only 148 calories. Well, I made 81! So all I have to do is put them in the oven tomorrow night before we go. Here I sit now at the computer. Just realized that I totally forgot to call people to remind them they signed up to bring a snack and to call to remind them that we'll be reserving the room and will need at least 3 tables. I don't know if we're going to use all 3, but I'm going to request they be there.

Tomorrow I'll do incline intervals on the treadmill then go to Aldi's to see about strawberries, come home and wash them, don't know if Vince is planning to go practice bowling tomorrow but I'll be ready if he does. He went to a baseball game today. He looked at the recipe for the meatballs and said "ewwww.....you're going to put cheese in them? Why would you take a perfectly good food and ruin it?" That's one reason why I take foods that he won't eat with me, there's just so much that he won't eat. It's not that he can't, it's that he won't (that is, unless he doesn't know that the item is in the food)

It's been pretty warm here lately. I've been wearing sleeveless shirts. Actually, the shirt I'm planning to wear tomorrow I bought in the junior's dept. I have to be careful in that dept only because so much of the clothes are so youthful and I'm no longer 20. However, this was a nice blouse, and to my amazement, I needed a M in the juniors. In juniors I usually take an x-l

sissy - I am soooo like you in the night time eating. I'm not hungry, but I can't seem to help myself.

Oh, Vince bought me a water bottle in the shape of a bowling pin! It's soooo cute! Can't wait to take it with me Wednesday. Believe it or not, I usually took a water bottle with me that held 32 oz, this one holds 40 oz. It may even fit into my cup holder in my car. That would be nice. The other one was just fat, this one is contoured so it just might fit.

mimi - thanks for telling me that watermelon is a vege. I would never in a million years have thought it. You said that you feel that there are people who don't eat a lot but can't lose the weight (or so they say), that they probably don't eat a lot in public. My feeling is that it's not so much how much you eat as it is how much of what. Like a friend of mine, she's a really dear gal, is severly overweight, to the point where there have been times when she's sitting talking to me on the phone, and she's out of breath. Yet, when we went bowling Sun she had these mozzarella sticks, which, of course, were deep fried. She asked me if I wanted one and I just said "no, thank you very much, I just had breakfast". The truth of the matter was that I just can't stomach things that are deep fried. She also offered me a coupon to McD's, I just said "no, thanks, I really don't go to McD's". I know that she goes there a lot of mornings to get breakfast. I try to make my own breakfast. So it's really not so much how much she's eating, she is only eating a small portion. But what she's eating! Like when we go out to eat, she had ribs (talk about fat) with bbq sauce (sugar), I usually have some sort of fish or chicken with a veggie. Since you say that the lap band was the wrong solution for you, did you have it reversed?

Welcome Geri. Look forward to finding out more about you. Hope the cardiac issue isn't anything too too serious.

Talking about parking further away -- Vince has a Genesis coupe. He calls it his "exercise car" because he won't park anywhere near another car if he can at all help it. Of course, he doesn't take it out in the rain. But he parks FAR away from the store.

Here's hoping everyone has a great evening.

Michele

Welcome Annelise.you`ll fins lots of support and friendship on this website.Good luck to you.
You can do this.
jane:flowerforyou:

Mimi,
Thanks so much for your story. What you shared helped me reflect on my journey and acknowledge my "truths" about food and weight loss. In March, when I turned 50, I decided that I needed to change my lifestyle. One of those changes invovled becoming active on MFP. Having friends like yourself and others in this group has really helped me stay focused on how to create that change.

Mary-Mimi,

Your mom and dad sound like an advertisement for the healthy powers of red wine, crackers and cheese! How lucky you are to still have your folks around! :drinker:

Annelise

Morning

Just a quick one, I have to get ready for work :grumble:

Welcome Geri :flowerforyou: and Annelise :flowerforyou:

It's a bright sunny morning here in York, wish I didn't have to go in to work today. I still have so much to catch up on at home.

Geri I take a packed lunch with me to work. I get fed up of sandwiches, so sometimes take Ryvita or crispbread for a change, today I have made a small salad and will take that. For evening meals I sometimes use my slow cooker and throw lots of veggies, meat, potatoes etc so I have something to come home to. In the middle of summer though when it's too hot I sometimes resort to either ready meals :embarassed: (trying to keep off these) or beans on toast :laugh:

:noway: Can't believe the time, better get myself organised, don't want to be late. Need to get hubby up, (hope he can get out of bed) he did his back in yesterday digging the garden, so he may be stuck!

If it's not too hot I'll go for a jog at lunchtime, otherwise I'll go for a walk along the river - shouldn't be to muddy :bigsmile:

Have a good day.

Viv xx

Just breezing in to say that I made it to Texas. My little Luke is adorable, of course. Mom was in a lot of pain when I stopped but able to visit a little. I've got to get to bed - it's 2:30 am and Luke will be here about 8:00. Good night!

Good Morning,

Sunny and beautiful in So Cal today.

@ Geri / All: I take lunch to work, it is typically left overs from dinner the night before, I'm not big on sandwiches. I used to take frozen meals from the store, it's the easiest thing to do but I got burned out on them and the sodium content is so high.

Have a great day everyone and keep up the good work!

Diane

Good morning everyone

Aim2lose - you said you didn't meet your goals for May and June wasn't looking good. Are you setting your goals too high and then they are basically unattainable and then you get dispondent. If you set a lower goal, it makes you feel great when you surpass it. My goal is to lose one pound. I've identified which pound it is that I want to lose and I'm working on it! When that one has gone, I'll sort out another one to target. If I say my goal is to lose 10lbs - while that is what I'd love to lose by the end of the month, it isn't really do-able and then I'd be dumping on myself saying "I'm no good, I can't achieve anything - what is the point of trying". I've set myself up for failure and I achieved failure. So...... one pound it is and I know I can achieve it, I know that I'll make it. I've set myself up for success and I WILL SUCCEED.

For lunch - mix it up. One day a sandwich. My fav is WW bread (because the slices are thin), a triangle of Laughing Cow cheese, 2 thin slices of proscuitto and slices of mushrooms. Cherry tomatoes on the side.

One day a salad (take the dressing separately otherwise the salad gets soggy)

One day try some fruit salad and cottage cheese

One day - cup of soup with small dinner roll or some crackers (don't have this too often unless you are making your own soup and can watch the salt content - the packet cup of soup is quite high in salt but very handy when in a hurry)

One day some veggies with a dip (again make your own to control the ingredients)

Good Morning Ladies,

I just about have the gardens complete !! I just need to get pole bean seeds and then I will be done there. I need to plant my pumpkins, cantaloupe, cucumbers, sunflowers and jalapeños at my DF’s He usually handles the vine plants anyway so that doesn’t leave me with much and I can get that done next week end. We had a wonderful week end with Emma’s graduation and we had a few people over afterwards to grill. I stayed under calorie and I gardened in the morning so I ate right AND exercised. BONUS!!! :bigsmile:

Next Saturday we have a graduation and a 50th birthday so it will be a challenging day but I will plan for it.

NOW…. Not that I am complaining ( or at least not much) But we had snow last month and now yesterday was 96 with a heat index of over 100 !!!! :noway: Today will be the same . Where did Spring go?? Where are the mild temps? Help I’m melting. It is over 80 now and it is 9:00 am . Luckily it will return to cooler temps on Wednesday 80’s then Thurs and Friday will be in the high 70’s.

Welcome Geri and Annelise.

Geri - I have made it effortless for me to stay on track at work. I know I have more freedom then most as I am the manager of my family owned liquor store. We are so small that we only have one person working at a time. I work 13.5 hours on the days that I work so I only work 2-3 days a week . I eat ALL DAY.
I get to work before 9:00am start the coffee. I just started using a sugar free syrup to flavor my coffee. My pot brews 3 cups. After I set up the till I will eat a Quaker chewy granola bar (90 cal) while I drink my coffee. A couple of hours later I will have a yogurt (80 cal) or some fruit, A couple of hours later I will eat something else and so it goes. A little something every couple of hours. I bring can’s of light soup for lunch and dinner. Progresso and Select Harvest make them as do many store brands. They have 2 servings at between 50 - 80 calories each servings so I can have the whole can and be full. I also bring a bag of Iceberg lettuce. 4 servings and 60 calories per bag I add Walden Farms dressing. It is calorie free, sugar free, fat free, carbohydrate free, gluten free, cholesterol free and it has no preservatives. I like the Sun dried Tomato, but there at others. I keep apples, cut up melons, etc in the cooler. I also can’t exercise other the stocking the shelves and cooler so I counted out the steps around the outside isles of the store and I know that if I walk 300 laps it would be 5 miles. I try to do 600. I can’t possibly do it all at once but I can certainly walk for 15 minutes at a time. So I try to get up from my computer every hour and I keep track of my laps. I don’t count the steps I take to stock or wait on customers ONLY my extra steps.
I am rushing around in the morning checking on my dad and my brother making the store deposits and picking up tobacco products I just can’t add making lunch to my list of stuff to do. I keep yogurt, fruit and water on the bottom shelf of the walk in cooler (where I will be spending most of today :laugh: ) I keep soup and bars in the office. Every two weeks I go shopping and stock up for the next two weeks this way I only have to think about bringing stuff every 2 weeks.

Better run hope I didn't get to long winded.
Everyone have a wonderful day

Peggy

Great lunch suggestions. I couldn't think much past sandwiches or soup & get bored. It seems a little forward thinking & preparation is in order.

Thank you.

Geri

Hello Ladies,
I just joined MFP yesterday. Am having colon surgery next wk and was gonna wait till after that cos my eating/exercise isn't normal right now. But decided to go ahead and join and do what I can. I'm so glad I did! And am looking forward to getting to the place of health where I can do this right. Glad to find a group of ladies in my age group!

Hope your day is smiley!

Pam

Wow - where on earth did the day go! I can't believe it's after seven in the evening already.

I went for a fish pedicure this afternoon, which was lovely. I know that there's been a lot of talk about them being unhealthy, but I only go to one particular place which has extremely high standards. My feet feel great! Not only that, but I also walked the 3 miles there and 3 miles back. Nice little stroll.

Can't manage solid food today for some reason, so I've had a couple of protein shakes with extra milk.

It's my birthday next Monday and it just happens that none of my children are going to be around to celebrate (we normally have a birthday gathering). Also, DH normally takes the day off on our birthdays, but he can't this year. Anyway, I've made an appointment for a mani pedi plus a haircut and blow dry. I may not be doing anything, but by golly I'm going to look my best on my 52nd!

My step-grandson arrived from the States today and met his baby brother and sister for the first time. I won't see him until the weekend, I wanted to make sure that they had some space. Apparently the twins are already besotted with him! Very sweet.

Time for me to cook paella for DH.

Have a good day everyone.

Much love.

Amanda x

Good morning from a bright & sunny UK. I'm aching a little today after yesterdays gym session but in a good way. I feel much better than I have for weeks now. Perhaps its also the healthier food choices I'm making too.

I have a question. Whatever weightloss plan I've tried (& there have been many!) I always struggle with lunch. What do you have for lunch? Weekends are not such a problem. Its the week days when I'm at work where I end up short of time & making poor choices.

Would love to hear your suggestions.

Geri

I'm learning from Mimi/Mary to eat lots of fresh fruit and veg. I love this at lunchtime, with lots (3 tbs) of home made yoghurt and some chopped nuts on top! Quick to make and sooo filling! (eat all you want for relatively little calories!)
By the way, I'm in Scotland! Hello neighbour!

Welcome Pam!!
jane:flowerforyou: