WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR FEBRUARY 2016

Sylvia - when I started getting so stressed about my move I decided to go on maintenance until the move was over. It helped me through the time by giving me a greater number of calories per day to stay within while maintaining my hard earned weight loss. Now that I'm moved and not dealing with all that stress I am ready
to go back to losing again - and just as soon as I find my scale and weigh I will change my calories to expect a 2lb loss a week again.

KJ- I love dancing around like nobody's watching! My favorite exercise! Sometimes I'll rock out in the car when a great tune comes on and my grandsons think I've lost my mind! But I DON'T CARE!!!

Hi,
My name is Joanne and I'm from Australia. May I join this group? I am 53, married, 4 grown children, 3 grandchildren and am 154 cm, so a shortie. I currently weigh 85 kg. I put on a lot of weight after having treatment for breast cancer in 2013. All my recent scans are clear thank goodness. I am starting to put myself first now, deciding that being healthy is my number one priority. Thanks in advance.

Morning ladies~
well it snowed last night then turned to rain which froze on contact...so i was worried about Jean getting home from Florida went to sleep once she was in the air, and I woke up around the time she was due in.. and she was at the gate so went back to sleep.. hoping she got from the airport safely home..Faith said to me last night .. Jean asked me to pay you.. and I said we are family.. none necessary..
Got Tom's lunch and dinner set and will get laundry out of the dryer... get in the shower and then get the dogs outside without killing myself...
Rain will be coming in later this afternoon heavy rain and wind.. swell. so I will be sweeping the basement when I get home.
Oh well...
Michelle~ hope Vince is better and you enjoy Daytona..
Katla~ good luck with hubby and surgery..
well I am off and running...

Good morning, all! Happy Tuesday! I am feeling really good this morning! I finally got my kitchen faucet taken care of! Whoot! All that work on decalcifying the pipes so I could turn off the water helped (thanks for the tip about vinegar, ladies). Got the water turned off and began to take the faucet apart and the handle actually snapped off in my hand! Insane! A beautiful tuscan bronze fixture and it has a plastic stem/core?? I feel betrayed! Anyway, no way to fix that, so I had to buy a new fixture and I couldn't afford the tuscan bronze at this time. So my replacement is a Moen white fixture with the top mounted hot/cold arm and the extending hose faucet that alternated between spray and regular flow. It's nice...I have decided, on recommendation from a friend, to name this fixture. (She believes appliances last longer if we name them. lol) So I have named my sink faucet Delilah. She has tempted me to purchase her and like her with her smooth, white, curves; but I am sure she will betray me and fail me when I need her most.

First chemo/radiation treatment went well for my sister. Tears were minimal during the time at the office. She slept most of last night. I know the worst of it is coming, but we will put our capes on and use our super powers and fly through this together! Super sisters!

Sylvia- Not sure how long your grands will be with you or their ages, but maybe they would like to plan and help fix a meal. There are some cute ideas for kids meals on pinterest. Many of them have gotten my daycare kids interested in cooking. Grilled cheese roll-ups are super easy and the kids love making them!

Joanne from Australia- Welcome! This is a great group of ladies! Very encouraging and supportive. You will find we talk about all sorts of aspects of our lives and get support for healthier choices in food, exercise, and other areas of life!

Barbie- what kind of flowers do you have coming up? Are those crocus? I am a four seasons girl! I love winter; but this winter in Michigan, the weather has been so wishy-washy and not a lot of snow coverage; it has been disappointing and I am finding I am ready for warmer weather!

Well, I got three new pairs of running/working shoes. Two Asics and one Brooks. Walking is easier, but I think it is a plantar faciatis flare-up, which means I need to get into a pool to work it out. Going to start hitting the high school pool three nights a week. I don't know what it is about swimming, as opposed to other forms of exercise or therapy, but it gets rid of that stabbing pain faster than any other thing I have tried.

Well, hope every one has a great day! ttyl KJ

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Beth time to look back at your logging to see why you may be gaining rather than just maintaining. I know myself, I am stuck on a plateau and am slipping in being really accurate (okay, I am lying or omitting when I log!!! ) So, combine all the stress you are going through, the toughest part of winter and maybe a few too many holiday nibbles, or extra helping of comfort food and voila, the scale is moving again in the direction you don't want it to!!!

I am only saying this, cause I need a boot!!! Went to the grocery store and bought a cauliflower to make something creative, I don't love cauliflower but I hear it is tasty when you roast it, and I love roasted brussel sprouts so I thought I would give that a try. I am remembering my goal to be one size smaller at dd high school graduation and looking at the calendar for inspiration, and yes, a little more motivation cause spring is a coming no matter how cold it feels right now, she's gonna be marching down that aisle and I want to feel and look fit and trim as I cheer her on!

I am working from home alone this week, I like a quiet house, I like puttering, slept in fits and starts without DH but I get to keep the thermostat where I like it 68o and not touching it! Whoohoo, it is very comfortable, my DH loves a super hot house, I mean like 78o crazy hot, I have to wear a t-shirt, shorts and barefeet in the winter!!!

Karen from NY

Katla- prayers for your DH today. You are right that he needs to get it done. (((Hugs)))



Mary from Minnesota

Just popping in for a moment. Yesterday I was feeling lousy so stayed on the couch all day which I allowed myself since it was a crazy busy weekend. I'm getting back on track today and am about to go do my exercise then prep for two phone interviews today.

I'm reading the latest book by Christiane Northrup and wanted to share a few quotes from the book:
"The anti-aging prescription is to love life, try new things, and savor your experiences."

"Agelessness means you make your decisions based not on a fear of looking foolish, but on feeling comfortable in your body and being keenly interested in the world around you"

"There's no better way to suck up your vital energy than to try and prove to everyone that you are a good mother, good neighbor, good daughter and so on. Accept yourself absolutely and unconditionally. It's one of the most radical acts you can do in an insane culture that actually profits from your self-loathing".

Kimses in MA

I too, am being "unfaithful" to myself in tracking. Time to get myself back to where I was and track everything that passes through my lips. Life has not slowed down any for me - working full time, caring for my elderly mom and MIL, and now DOS and DDIL have went to TX for the next week due to her step-dad's critical illness. Of course, we have the 4 and 5 year old grand-daughters. That's okay because I love those little gals!!!

I do wish that I had more time to plan my meals. That is the key for me to stay on track!! I remember an old WW group leader telling me long ago "Fail to plan, plan to fail." Truer words were never spoken.

I keep telling myself "I think I can, I think I can"! And I can! But I have found that 10 years older makes a lot of difference in my stamina. The good thing is I have heard that 55 is the new 45! hahahaha

Have a wonderful day!

Donna in cold, wet, rainy, snowy WV

MORNING peeps -

love the snow pics, I wish I had some here!

well, the tree limbs and stuff that were there are gone. a guy came over to give Kirby a bid and he took him up on it and now it's gone. the fence is being worked on. who knows how much I will have by the time I get home today. Kirby is off for the week, he is close to maxing out on vaca time so he had to use some up.

in march they are scheduling a procedure to work on his frozen shoulder, first some sort of manipulation while he's under and if that doesn't work, while he's still under, they are going to do something to remove the scar tissue that has built up (from what I understand). that should hopefully get his range of motion back. right now, pt isn't working for that. so as soon as that is done (on a Monday) he will be in a sling for 2 days then right back to PT 5 days a week. they want it to be aggressive therapy to get his shoulder back.

the spine thing is just a matter of time, there is nothing to be done, they say it can improve in 1-2 years or it will be something he will just adjust to and live with. he's more concerned about the shoulder he says.

my shoulder on the other hand I think is going good. I wish I had this pt person from the get go. she said it seems like all the others were working on my strength instead of my range of motion first (I agree). I am scheduled with her for the rest of the time. she knows her stuff, been doing it for 34years. she says I would benefit if I did another month (end of feb. is supposed to be it). when Kirby starts doing pt here I'm doing to see if I can get him scheduled with her.

it's getting close to that time to start raising money for the MS ride again. I don't know what distance Kirby will be able to do, it may be the shortest one but that's ok, we usually do the 80mi route the first day but depending on how he progresses, it may be the 22mi route this year. it's ok, no big.

type to you later.

welcome new peeps

Hi Ladies
Just a quick note from Key West...the first pic is of my son and I and the second is my best friend and sister in law and I. Funny that most people assume we are a couple, especially as we are here over valentines! Been logging everything and ex resizing a bunch which has given me ample room with my calories. Today we are going to use adult tricycles (sorry Pip I am not steady enough on a two wheeler to maneuver through sidewalks w lots of pedestrians and the traffic is very busy and people are gawking so I don't feel safe riding in the traffic lane either) to do a ten mile loop which is HUGE for me as I don't bike at all but we will take our time and stop at vistas. Yesterday we walked over two hours and swam laps for half an hour.

Sylvia my heart is with you as you strive to rise to this challenge for your loved ones.

HAPPY BELATED VALENTINES DAY LADIES!

Love
Mindy from Boston usually but now in the Keys

I need some motivation today, trying to be a team player with my exercise class. The leader is a young mom who is very fit except for a little pooch that she cannot lose. Another woman in the class is more my age, also thin with a little pooch. I am fat all over. Perhaps I would still have a pooch after losing the rest. I don't know. I have a pretty good shape now. My stomach is not particularly bigger than anything else. My biggest problem is that my upper arms are disproportionately big for the rest of me. I have been happy with the results I have gotten already and am pretty into what we have been doing. Others in the class are in varying stages of fit.

Well. Our leader has decided that we need to suspend all weight training for two weeks and work on core. She's been reading some kind of science that says the reason she and the other lady still have their pooches is because they aren't breathing right and paying attention to their core and pelvic floor. So we are doing these exercises that concentrate on breathing. We are supposed to imagine picking up a blueberry with our nether region (sorry, TMI) while inhaling and exhaling. This week we are doing one exercise with the stability ball, glute bridge, clams, and leg lifts, concentrating on when we breathe and lifting and putting down the blueberry. We are doing 3 sets of 10 reps and that is it! We are allowed to walk, but not run or lift weights, not that I ran anyway.

Am I wrong to be unhappy? I don't see how this is going to help at all with my back fat and upper arms, but of course continued weight loss will help.

Thoughts?

Been missing Lisa and Irish Terri.

Just done a BIG shop for the DGC. Phew! Hope I've got enough stuff! Although I had made a list I was wandering around a bit lost with my brain racing. They are 4 and 2. I'm out of practice. They probably won't have any room left for food after they've eaten the biscuits we're going to make!
For the adults I am being easy on myself. Two dinners to plan for. First night it's Chicken in Black Bean Sauce with Chinese veg stir fry. Egg noodles. Then my blood orange and Aperol sorbet that I made before. DH liked it so much he's asked me to make it again. Will do it tomorrow. I have bought prawns for the adults to nibble with olives while the kids are having their tea.
Then DDIL and DS are off after croissants for breakfast to Brighton for a night in a hotel. They are scouting out suitable places to live so I suggested they make a night of it for their last treat before the 3rd baby is born. Back on Saturday. I have blinis with sour cream and salmon for nibbles, then Guinea Fowl with roasted vegetables and mushy peas. Dessert is a bought Creme Brulee. :noway: This is unheard of for me, but I am practising my mantra DON'T LET THE PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD. :laugh: Of course, I will have moderate portions of protein and vegetables and maybe a taste of dessert. I mean a teaspoon. I will have some wine but will be careful.

Norwegian still going well. I can now say, " The man doesn't love me. He loves beer and dogs. The dogs don't eat many vegetables, they like meat. I am reading several books and eat fish and love the teacher." :laugh:

Heather UK