WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2016

Okay - I'm new to this site and I have never done this before, so bear with me, please. I've read a lot of the posts here and I'm really hoping that with your help, I can get the support I so desperately need to lose this weight. No resolutions here, just a few January goals:
Enter every morsel of food that goes into my mouth, no matter how guilty it makes me feel.
Walk at least 15 minutes every day on my treadmill and another 15 with my beautiful dog.
Empty my file cabinets (like a grammiekb is doing) and make them more manageable.
Smile more.
That's a good start for January. Here's hoping and Happy New Year to all of you.

Vicky - yes, small world. I grew up in Sioux City but live in the Des Moines area now.

Kristina - Glad to see another Iowa girl in the group. What part of Iowa are you from?

Becca - Sorry you are not feeling well.



Linda/IA

I'm new here, too, and starting rather small. January goals: enter my meals at least 5 days a week. Get 10,000 + steps a day. Drink more water.

Adele, I'm so sorry about the loss of your pup! Several of us here completely know how devastating that is. Talk about the loss if you need to. Have you considered getting another dog? When my elderly whippet passed it was about 6 months before I could think about another dog, but then saw a picture of a puppy on Petfinders and soon Bruno was part of our little family. He doesn't take the other dog's place, but he has his own personality and make us laugh. A lot!

Renny, we've missed you!

Sylvia

I also wanted to chime in about the book I've seen mentioned in this discussion "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up"....I'm a VERY organized person with a well organized home (well, there is always room for improvement) and I love reading organization books, so I bought it, but I'm going to be honest and say that I think the author of this book is a little bit nuts....anyone who was organizing her family at five years old has some issues and some of the things in the book were just plain stupid.....No...I am not going to thank my purses for doing their job and NO, I am not going to not ball our socks and NO, I'm not going to take every piece of clothing we have in our home and pile it on the floor......IMO there are better books out there. I gave it away.

I bought this book ten years and I still get it out once in a while to re-read. Peter Walsh has written many other also.

amazon.com/gp/product/B000N2HCP6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000N2HCP6&link_code=as3&tag=dghebooklist-20&linkId=TAYGW3VTXMPO6HDR

Susie from the PNW and all Newbies: Welcome! There are several of us in Oregon & Washington who stop by here regularly as well as women from around the globe. You have found a good-hearted group of women who are working on getting healthier.

NC Carol: Good luck to you regarding your job search. I hope your son gets his educational plans straightened out promptly and they include housing outside your home.

Sylvia: I agree with Miriam. It has been a rough few months for you and I hope you won't beat yourself up because of it. It sounds like your eating will be back on track in no time. Be patient with the time it takes to get rid of pounds. They didn't reappear all at once & it will take a little while to eliminate them. We'll be cheering for you every day. :flowerforyou:

Becca: I have some of those grapefruit spoons! They don't get any use, though. :embarassed:

Penny: Perhaps you and your DH can do separate things together. DSIL and DBIL go to the gym together, but spend their time using different pieces of equipment. It is one big room so they can be together and do their own thing all at once. I hope you enjoy your son's family.

Miriam: Thank for posting the losing 100 pound piece from facebook. It is full of insight. :flowerforyou;

Jane: Sending prayers for your MIL and your whole family. :flowerforyou:

Renny: It is great to see your post!


I had a lovely riding lesson this morning, but must have used my knee harder than usual because it is now a bit tender. I had my phone in my pocket so DH could call me, but I didn't call him until I was done riding and he was a bit grumpy about it. I've been very spoiled by my teacher. I pay for an hour riding lesson and then have had the opportunity to keep riding for an additional hour or more while she is teaching others. I was very lucky when I found her! I am not planning to buy a horse. I am thrilled to have a morning once a week to ride, and I do not hove the time to care for a horse. I'd need to be able to spend that kind of time several days a week, and I don't have the time available. So I am pleased and grateful for the blessings I have.

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

January Goals :
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. Work on flexibility and back strength.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep. Try to average 7 or more hours of sleep nightly.

barbiecat wrote: »

I am currently reading Marie Kondo's book and realizing that some of her ideas are exactly what we did when we moved in 2004 and 2011. We are far down the road of decluttering. I am a fairly organized person but want to do even more to simplify our home. I found the book you suggested in our library catalog and have placed a hold on it so sometime next week I'll be reading it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Barbie

I hope you find it helpful. The author used to be on that organizing show on TLC called "Clean Sweep" and I always loved his approach to helping the homeowner de-clutter, he was firm but kind in helping them realize the problem and come up with a solution.

Kristina

Happy New Year everyone! I'm not one for resolutions but am continuing to log what I eat and walking on a more regular basis on the treadmill instead of outside. Looking into functional fitness or bodyweight exercises, would like a dvd to follow but can't find one that isn't crazy hard... need a beginner to moderate one.

Did 1 hr of the South Beach Diet Supercharged Workout DVD. Not very intense, but sometimes it's good to do something without a lot of intensity. The plan for tomorrow is to do the Jeanette Jenkins Core Stretch DVD.

tuliplor - welcome back!!!!!

Welcome everyone new and those returning. You've come to a great place for lots of support

Lillian - you know, I don't think I've ever heard of Leslie Sansone Tone Every Zone DVD. I'll have to look for it

Joyce - have a wonderful Christmas. Every year we ask the kids for a Christmas list and we send them one. At least everyone gets what they want/need.

Lisa - best of luck on your job interview

Heather - you're so lucky you don't have to do that prep and then have a tube stuck up your butt. I seem to remember doing something once where I sent a sample of my feces on a card to some place. Just don't recall what it was for, tho.

A little confession -- I opened a pack of the Fit & Active Fruit Strips. Only something happened and this time they had two strips in the package. I was SOOO tempted to just count it as one strip, but I was honest and counted it as two. You gals reminding me "you're only fooling yourself" kept echoing in my ear

Sweets - if you need any "hints" on how to get hubbys to eat healthier without them knowing it, I have lots of hints. I am married to one of the pickest eaters on the face of this earth. Like today, I made him mashed potatoes. If he ever knew that I used sour cream in them instead of the milk/butter, he'd never eat them. So I "forget". You know how it is..... Besides, I need to use up the sour cream and sour cream is good for your gut too

terri - we are members of Sams club, but not so much for the food. You have to buy such large quantities and for the two of us, it just isn't worth it. We'd be eating until it either goes bad or we get sick of it. However, we are members for the gasoline discount. I figure in buying gas there, I've certainly saved the membership fee. I'm constantly amazed at how after having been on a healthy diet, when I have something not good for me, I feel so "yuk" or worse, sick.

DJ - I use my Wii first thing in the morning. Haven't done any exercises on it in a while, gotta get back to that. Been doing different DVD's

Carol in NC - sending good thoughts your way. I totally understand, we love our children but they also need independence, not relying on us for everything. They need to be able to do things for themselves, because one day we won't be here to do it for them. I commend you.

seashellseek - at first you may find it hard to log everything, but in time you will and then you can easily see where you need improvement in your diet. Anyone here will be more than glad to give you suggestions.

trublutopaz - I exercise at two gyms and sometimes at home. When I go to a gym, I need to look better so I usually wear an exercise top along with short/slacks (as the weather might dictate). I have found that I do prefer the workout tops that are a blend of cotton and spandex to the ones that are a blend of nylon and spandex. Unfortunately, most of the tops are nylon/spandex. When I'm working out at home, I just wear a sports bra, underwear, socks and sneakers. No one sees me anyway. Bad part is that I can see all the flab.

pip - what a generous family you have there!

Sylvia - awesome loss. You really should have something on your stomach before you go exercise. Many times I'll just have 1/2 cup of grapes or an apple, but have something on your stomach otherwise your body will burn muscle instead of fat.

Becca - you sure do know how to make me drool

Pam - congrats on reaching your goal. Now for the hard part --- maintenance

Pole Penny - your posts are always so very interesting. I had to look up ptarmigan, never heard of it. Now I have. Thanks

Miriam - what a great story your son wrote. He looks like a totally different person after losing the weight. Which UNC does he attend?

Jane - (((HUGS)))

Michele in NC

Happy new year! I consider myself a newbie, although I joined MFP a couple years ago. I guess I haven't been as ready as I thought I was to make a change, so I am re-committing in 2016 Hope to regain fitness and lose 50-60 pounds.

So many cool women posting here! I'm in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, but want to give a shout out to our Iowa pals--my DH family is from NE Iowa (Elgin) and I love visiting the great midwest.

Freezing here today--37 degrees--but we had a great 4+ mile hike in Mc-Dunn forest.

Cheers, All-
Tracy

Becca I have the same cold you have. In general feel pretty rotten. My nose looks like Rudolph, just a little too late. My eyes are as runny as my nose, chest hurts, head full, ugh.

But, after driving through, rain, sleet, fog and snow (literally) we are here in AZ and I'm going to get outside in the sun and enjoy every minute of it. 69° and beautiful, gorgeous, lovely sunshine.

Janetr okc

Hi gals,

I had company over the holiday and just can’t seem to keep up!

Tracie in Green Bay welcome back

Katie bug – I smiled at the comment about never storing anything under the bed, as my bed came with drawers under it… I do use them 

Heather – we have poo sticks too – the first time I got them I could not believe that the instructions were correct. But was too embarrassed to leave them for the post man to pick up, I took them to the post office and dropped them off…

Jane sending good thoughts to you and your MIL

Pip – cute covers

Barbie – thank you for re-starting us for another month – it means a lot to me to know that even if I am away you have kept this group together.

So smiled reading the clutter/declutter stories… I am pretty neat, but as I run my business out of my home, clients are in and out and that seems to force me to kept it up. I have found a helpful way to move things on is to find a charity second hand shop supporting a cause you really like – and then thinking about an item as which would make me feel better, having this or supporting my cause… works for me.

I had my mom here for our Christmas which is always on New Years Eve – we had a nice time and I was really spoiled with gifts. This is new for me and is a delight, but a bit odd. For years and years I would get one or two small items, usually from a thrift shop – and then would be told of all the high end things she did for my siblings. But for the last 2-3 years I have gotten showered with gifts, - she is being much more even handed – and it feels so much better; I am not a parent, but am sure with multiple kids you bond with some more than others, and I do know I have been the dependable one, but felt that she was “buying love” with the others and knew I would just accept what was given. Being treated evenly feels better.

Because Christmas is not over until after New Years, I had not even begun to think about taking down the decorations, but will need to get to that this week.

I totally ate too much snack-y stuff so dinner tonight was good and tomorrow is back to logging.

I did replace my fitbit, someone mentioned getting a off brand – my first one I got second hand from a MFPer (I lost it) and the this one I got from ebay, used. It was a great deal and no trouble to get registered with fitbit.

Kim from N. California

Hello, I'm new to this community. I just turned 50 in November and really need to get in shape for my health. I need to lose about 45-50 lbs. I suffer from back pain and muscle aches (arthritis perhaps?) and have just recently started having irregular heart beats. For health reasons I need to take this journey seriously. I'm very busy working full time (10 hour shifts) and have college aged children at home. I find it extremely hard to get motivated after working all day....and feel lazy on my days off. This need to end.
I know I will feel so much better, mentally and physically, if I can shed some pounds and get active! It's the start of a New Year and time for action!

Goals: control intake of sweets, track my eating on my fitness pal so I stay within my daily range, drink my water and start getting more active. I have a dog and hope to do daily walks. I would also like to go to my local gym a couple days a week.

bskts4ver wrote: »

I also wanted to chime in about the book I've seen mentioned in this discussion "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up"....I'm a VERY organized person with a well organized home (well, there is always room for improvement) and I love reading organization books, so I bought it, but I'm going to be honest and say that I think the author of this book is a little bit nuts....anyone who was organizing her family at five years old has some issues and some of the things in the book were just plain stupid.....No...I am not going to thank my purses for doing their job and NO, I am not going to not ball our socks and NO, I'm not going to take every piece of clothing we have in our home and pile it on the floor......IMO there are better books out there. I gave it away.

I bought this book ten years and I still get it out once in a while to re-read. Peter Walsh has written many other also.

amazon.com/gp/product/B000N2HCP6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000N2HCP6&link_code=as3&tag=dghebooklist-20&linkId=TAYGW3VTXMPO6HDR

I believe I read somewhere that It's part of Japanese culture that our things have feelings.it explains some of Marie Kondo's strange (at least to us) suggestions. I think she would embrace your decision to give her book away if it was not bringing you joy. LOL!

I have to admit I do find it interesting that you did not like her suggestion to pile all your clothes on the floor at once and go through them, yet that is exactly what Peter Walsh would do with everything in the house on his show Clean Sweep, and his book is the one you suggest to read instead. I'm not being critical, I just think it's funny. I loved his show, but I haven't actually read his book. Doesn't he also have one about the connection between disorganization and weight? Something like "Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight"? I haven't read it yet, but I really want to.

I love all books about organization and usually find things I can use and things that just aren't me in all of them.

Just for kicks and giggles, here is a picture of some of my Kon-Maried drawers and closet. And no, I didn't put everything in the middle of the floor at one time either. I did it by category, one drawer at a time. Notice my folded (not balled) socks. I have to admit they don't get as stretched out.

Drkatiebug - I love how organized you are!