WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR NOVEMBER 2025

Tips that have worked for me

• Put your current numbers into MFP
• 
  Select sedentary as your activity level
• 
  Choose how much you'd like to lose (i.e. 1 lb/week)
• 
  MFP will give you the number of calories to eat
• 
  Eat those calories
  ... and weigh (with food scale) and log every bite.
• Stick to it for 5 weeks, then reassess how things are going. :)

A few extra things have helped me along the way:

Exploring my grocery stores and markets to find delicious, filling low calorie foods. It's amazing what's out there!
Of course, I do much of this online because I order most of our groceries online and have them delivered. But that gives me the time to check the nutrition lists etc. I tend to get much of our fruit in person from a fruit & veg market near where I work.

Exercising as much as possible. Exercise gives me extra calories to work with so that I can have things like pizza now and then. But to keep my sanity and not wear myself out, my exercise quantity varies as does what I do for exercise.
I do a mixture of cycling, walking, climbing flights and flights of stairs, running, rowing, swimming and weight lifting.

Eating how I want to eat. This is where everyone is different ... some people prefer to employ fasting, others like high protein diets, some like vegetarian diets, some like to eat 2 or 3 meals a day, others like to graze. Go with what works for you.

Personally, if I had to define what I do, my diet is probably most similar to a Mediterranean diet with a vegetarian lean. I do an informal intermittent fasting (I don't eat breakfast and haven't since my late teens) and I'm a bit of a grazer during the time period when I do eat.
I also have to adjust what I do depending on my cycling events ... they're tricky because I need the fuel without going overboard.

10 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Exercise

https://www.verywellfit.com/things-to-stop-if-you-want-to-exercise-1231403

Machka in Oz

I wrote 400+ words this morning. First time in 6 weeks. Go me! :-)

I also changed my bed linen.

Hooray!

Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

Oh… and this is the view from my front porch this morning… Fall is finally here!

I listened to an interview with Jon Bon Jovi last week. He had throat surgery and was talking about how hard it is to get his voice back. He said he sings for 2 hours before a show. Tony Bennett said he sang for hours every day to keep his voice in shape. That’s a lot of exercise. Maybe you just need to sing more to get those muscles back in shape.

Terri—So sorry to hear of your family’s news.

I’m with those of you who don’t like big shindigs for holidays. We have said no often enough now that no one asks us. The past few years, we’ve gone out. This year, I think we’re smoking a bird. The mister will have enough meat for sandwiches for a while and I’ll get some good soup stock out of it.

Today is food prep day. Chicken filets, mole sauce, cucumber salad, boiled eggs, spiced nuts, protein bars, etc. I am increasing my protein to 120 grams per day. It will be very hard and I suspect I will make it two times a week. If I can get 100 somewhat consistently, I will consider it a win.

Hope you all have a good week.

Tina in CA

For those who have dogs that like to 'autopsy' them, Lucy has never gutted a toy, but has gutted 2 beds. No more beds for her! We had given her a box with a towel in it, she loved that, so next box I get, that will be her new bed! The toys I get her, need to have some puzzle for her to figure out. She is so smart and needs problem solving toys. That stuffed turkey is great! each little toy has a squeaker in it that she loves to squeak, and I can hide treats in the turkey! She loves puzzle toys. Again, her favorite ones are made out of empty paper towel rolls, or plastic bottles. The towel rolls, I put treats inside, make a couple of access holes in the side and lock down both ends. She loves destroying those! For plastic bottles, I simply put treats inside and put the cap on tight! A happy challenge for her. Sometimes I take a 2 liter plastic bottle and do the same, but because she can't get her mouth around it, I will put a 2 inch slit in the top so she can smell the treat. Her biggest fun thing is getting the cap off! LOL. Yesterday she had a 8 oz plastic Sprite bottle which is harder plastic than the water bottles and she discovered that if she bites hard on it with the cap off, the treat will shoot out of the bottle for her to chase. Completely accidental on my part. Funniest thing ever! PS, once these are destroyed, it is time for a new one. I don't let her eat the plastic.

Currently working the Visitor Center. The Sagebrush is pollinating right now and making my eyes sore, itchy and dry. Allergic, whether the ENT nurse practitioner says I am or not!!

Thought for the Day:

Why did Mom's turkey seasoning taste a little off last year?

She ran out of thyme.

RVRita in Roswell 👽

Mo -

I finally remembered to take a picture of my storage closet. I think I am done with all of the shelving. I still need to clean up the desk.

Okie in the TX Hill Country

Can you order a grocery delivery with cut veggies and cut fruit and some ready to eat protein that you enjoy? I personally can't eat the frozen/readymade meals because of the salt content. I start feeling sick and my joints start hurting just a few hours after I've eaten them.

Sometimes I "graze the pantry," as I call it. When no one else is home, I head to the pantry and grab some nuts, dry fruit, and a handful of cut veggies from the crisper drawer, and my meal is done. It's actually one of my favorite meals, to be honest.

But tonight I'm making grain bowls, because I have middle son home for dinner. We're having quinoa, grilled tofu, steamed broccoli, sliced tomatoes, sliced black olives, and whatever else I can "graze" from the pantry or crisper drawer. Middle son will also probably add some shredded cheese to his.

I hope everyone is well this evening.

Much love.

Flea

Willamette Valley, OR