WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2017

Peach ... I try to stay low carb also. But I also add a day or two of more moderate carbs. My trainer (when I went to one) called this "food confusion" for your body... it never know what you are going to do next. It worked very well for me when I initially lost a lot of weight and I'm doing it again with success.

I'm up too late... my son ... against his dad's and my advice took his dad's truck out tonight to go and play basketball at the church gym. He's not back yet and the roads are getting bad. I'm unable to go to bed until I'm sure he's ok ...

Beth near Buffalo

Lenora - just watched the typewriter artist. Wow! Love these stories.

Cathy - my sweet husband used to bring me ice cream and Snickers bars. He could never understand why I can't eat just a serving and be satisfied. And... I let him bring me that stuff for years. Now... he brings it home "for Mom" my mother (90) who lives with us. She doesn't need it either. At least he started buying the little individual serving size cups of ice cream. So if I indulge - it's not too bad.

Becca - the soup looks good. I need to make dome cabbage and ground turkey soup. My sister made that for years and it was always so good.

Praying for those of you facing winter storms and storms of a personal nature. Be safe. Take care of yourself.

Goodnight!
--Ginger in Texas

Well, I am back after a few yrs. break. I fell on the ice and hit my head on my cement steps and had a concussion with TBI ( traumatic brain injury) that knocked my (ANS) Autonomic Nervous System 'wonky' Dec./13. There have been ups and downs (which most people have) and difficulties regulating my B/P and Pulse (AP) which are controlled be the ANS. My problems are :1- (POTS) Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia ( tachy/brady syndrome) which means my heart rate varies from fast with minimal exercise to very slow at rest and also drops from fast(130's) to very low(40's) after 2-7 mins. activity. 2- Postural Orthstatic Hypotension which means my B/P drops when I change positions. Doing therapy to gain stamina and try regulate vital signs.

I have started back with my dietary plan, but the inability to tolerate activity/exercise is frustrating! I did Leslie Sasone walking programs previously and did very well with that.
Well hope to get back in the "swing".

Glad to see a few familiar names here.

I made tuna and carrot patties for supper and they were good! I wish I knew how to share our 'recipes' we enter and use here on MFP. .

My schedule is still odd, between the 'dysautonomia' s/p TBI and my having worked 12 hr. over nights as an RN for close to 30 yrs. my system is all messed up. I am trying to get on a 'days' awake schedule but my body is not cooperating!

Well the temperature has come up to a 'balmy' 18* F (haha), it was -3*F with wind chill of -32*F yesterday. We are under a N'oreaster watch for the next 36 - 48 hrs. with potential snow fall of 12"- 20"s. No generator so hope no power outage for long time. I have been lucky since I moved near to center of local city vs where I was in the country. and have had very infrequent outages and the longest was about 16 hours. Usually only flickers or is out less than 3 hrs.
Everyone in the storm path stay in and stay safe.

Well going to snuggle in and see if I can get some sleep.

Oh, I go by Mae from Maine

:flowerforyou:

Kate UK

Good morning Ladies!

Well let the games begin! It started snowing here in MA, the beginnings of winter storm Stella. I have packed a bag in anticipation of staying with friends who live 10 min from work rather than try to brave the 30 miles home. My son and his family who live with me will keep the home fires burning while I am away. Work will be a challenge as I am responsible for getting trucks to and from their destinations.

This morning the scale is not my friend. Although I have followed my plan as usual, the scale showed a .8 lb. gain yesterday and .4 lb. gain today. No rhyme or reason that I can figure out. After consistently losing without a gain since January it is a mystery and is not making me happy. Many years ago, when I was unsuccessfully trying to lose weight, these gains would make me throw up my hands and reason that no matter what I did I could not lose the weight, and I would give up. After losing 45 lbs. (before the unfortunate gain) I will not give up, just stay away from the scale for a few days and let things settle down.

Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming, I got encouraging news last night in regards to what I am working on. I hope to share good news with you in the future.

Things working well on the dating front. This man may be working toward PB (Potential Boyfriend) status soon. We spoke last night, he is a very kind and gentle man with a good sense of humor. He said he feels like he's known me forever and can't wait to see me again. Conversation flows easily. Snow removal permitting, he is supposed to meet me at the local mall to join me on my walk tomorrow evening. I have told him how important exercise is to me.

Look at those gorgeous eyes Olivia has! She gets her beauty from her mother. So nice to see she is improving.

Bea is a delight!

DJ, you look beautiful!

Ginger, 3 lbs! You go girl!

I have to go and face the challenges of the day.

Stay safe and warm every.

Chris in Snowy MA

Good morning, I find it so interesting how many of us live quite far apart yet we are experiencing similar weather today. It snowed last night and more is expected. I hope I can get to work before more comes. I live about a 12 minute drive to the hospital where I work but it is part country road, highway and small town roads. Funny, my country road is better taken care of than the city.

DJ You look absolutely stunning! You have a beautiful, warm kind smile , and your kindness is reflected in every one of your posts!
Lois Please don't be so hard on yourself, it is the 90/10 rule and I am sure 90% of the time you make healthy choices. The lesson here is not that you cheated or did something wrong; it is that you get back on track and recognize that you are a human. And an awesome one
Paula Y sounds like an awesome trip, can't wait to see pics!
Joyce I have been drinking Celestial Seasoning sleepy time for years. It is part of my night time routine. I make it almost every night right after supper, around 6:30 and sip on it until bedtime.
Hi Mae Nice to meet you. Wow you have been through a lot, glad you came back and I look forward to reading your posts!

So my first day at a lower calorie target was hard. I was going to have a rest day from exercise but needed those calories. That is because I ate lunch in a restaurant. When it is all my own food it is much easier to get a better calorie deal as we all know.

I had a fit after I weighed in yesterday. (Literally yelling) I was home alone so don't worry Every other time I lost weight, at the beginning I always had a few weeks where I would have large weekly losses and I found that very motivating. This time, it is like pulling teeth to lose a half a pound in a week and not so motivating. I know I keep saying this, but I feel like there is something wrong with me. Anyway, I will see my doc in April and get things checked out. I worry if something is wrong, what is it and if there is nothing then how on earth will I get this body in shape at this snail's pace! I do have a bit of a cancer phobia as my mother and father both died of it and now my brother has an aggressive form of cancer as well. We think my mother had ovarian cancer which at the time of her death was still largely misdiagnosed. Because a swollen abdomen is one of the symptoms but it is mostly known as the silent killer, I can't help but worry about that from time to time. My stomach seems swollen and bloated whether I have just eaten or not and no amount of diet or exercise seems to shrink the tire around my waist even though I have lost 13ish pounds.

Wow I really ranted but I finally put out in words my fears that I haven't been able to say out loud to anyone and now I have tears in my eyes. Sorry for this. None of you need more sadness. One thing I know for sure is that whatever comes my way I will handle it and I will never give up trying to be the healthiest person I can be!

Take care everyone, love y'all! (That's my Kentucky mama speaking)
Sarah in cold and snowy Ontario

Hello from the blizzard zone! Well we will see if the ny metro area really gets the 2 feet some are predicting -- I think it's a little overblown (pun intended). We are all tucked in the house cozy- no plans but relaxing and shoveling, relaxing and shoveling.

Ginger I think your meal plan looks incredible.

Karen what a great progress report for Olivia, fantastic

Kelly I was wondering if Pi-baby was going to be punctual. All the best to you and your family as you wait for his healthy arrival.

My dear friends' family I've been worried about, is getting hit from all sides, every generation is facing a health crisis of some kind, but saddest of all their 15 yo daughter is not responding to therapy for mental illness- my dear friends, send up all your prayers, strength and reiki to this beautiful family.

Stay warm and safe everyone. NYKAREN

Kate UK

Stronglift Workout A
Squats-1X5X 55/65/75/85, 5X5X 90
BP-1X5X 45/55/65, 5X5X 75
BR-1X5X 75

Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squats-3X5X 30
Russian kettle bell swing-19X 10 X 30

40lbs loss by May 27 Challenge
Nicer weather today! Just getting ready to go on the first of my 2 mile walks today! 2-2 mile walks!

I lost another 0.4 lbs yesterday! The keto diet is fantastic! Today I am having cheese curds and deep-fried mini pork shanks dipped in ranch dressing! This is not a diet for me it is the way I love to eat! Eat fat burn fat and cholesterol drops! Unbelievable!



Mary from Minnesota

Heather: Butternut is one of my very favorite squashes. That said, we've pretty much abandoned it in favor of sweet potatoes because they're also nutritionally powerful & much easier to prepare. Lazy me. This is from American Insititute for Cancer Research:

A: Pumpkin and winter squash (including acorn, butternut and hubbard) are in the same plant family, and their nutrient content is similar. As with sweet potatoes, the deep orange color of pumpkin and winter squash signals that they are very high in compounds called carotenoids. In laboratory studies, carotenoids function as antioxidants and aid in controlling cell growth, which could mean they help reduce cancer risk. Human studies link higher consumption of foods containing carotenoids with lower risk of some cancers. All three vegetables are also packed with potassium, which seems to promote good blood pressure control. All are good sources of vitamin C, too, with sweet potatoes containing the highest amounts. Sweet potatoes are richer in natural sugars and starches than most vegetables, making them higher in calories. One-half cup of sweet potatoes has about 90 calories compared to 30 to 40 calories in one-half cup of pumpkin or winter squash.
Many recipes with these vegetables include so much butter, margarine, sugar or syrup, they become quite high in calories. However, those additions are not necessary to enjoy their wonderful flavor. For a quick-and-easy way to boost nutrients and color to your meal, add puréed frozen or canned winter squash or pumpkin to soup, stew or even smoothies. (Just be sure the canned pumpkin is pure, unsalted pumpkin and not sweetened pumpkin pie mix.) Cubes of fresh squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes are delicious in stir-fries and stews, and mix well with many different flavor combinations. All three choices are also terrific roasted in the oven, either alone or with other vegetables, drizzled with just a bit of olive oil; and you can cook them by steaming as well.

We do not add sugar or syrup to our squash or our sweet potatoes.
On another topic, I love your reminder, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." I need that right now.

KJ: I hope your daughter has an easy birth and healthy baby. :flowerforyou:

Lisa: I've never seen tape like that before. Let us know how it works out.

Karen in VA: Good news about baby Olivia. Yay!

NYKaren: I'm so sorry that your dear friend's family is having so many health issues. Sending good thoughts. :flowerforyou:

Carol: Enjoy your meal with friends.

I didn't sleep well last night due to upset over a neighbor who is messing with our landscape. I didn't appreciate her critique or messing with my plants. Calling the Homeowner's President later this morning. AGAIN.

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

"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James