50+ WOMEN FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

Beautiful sunshine here in eastern WA...in case you haven't noticed, I am just jumping right into this group...it started with the Beagles! I am 51 and have recently been transplanted to WA state. I have to say the move has been harder than I thought and also more difficult on my eating. We wanted the move back to the Pacific Northwest from CA...we had been there 5 and a half years and so wanted back up this way, but I guess I didn't take into account how attached I was to my life in CA. I had a job that I truly loved and several really good friends and although we are much closer to family here in WA I am finding I am very lonely(hard to type those words). But I have taken steps to get my life back on track. I am not trying to journal all my food each day...something I had said I needed to do for quite some time but knew I did not want to face the reality of. I love the ease of MFP's site in doing this. Sorry this is kind of long...needed to get it out in black and white.

Cheryl

thanks for understanding Diane - it was such a crazy weekend. Speaking of which:

Cheryl - welcome! I'm elli, and i'm renovating my 100 year old farmhouse - REALLY renovating so i can't even live in it. So it's been kind of like a move (allbeit just to the small house in my yard but EVERYTHING is out of my house and scattered around the countryside). Something i've learned is that i thrive in calm, peaceful conditions - what i'm used to. In all this chaos i'm CONSTANTLY having to fight from putting something in my mouth. My worst times are the weekends when we're working like crazy.....So HANG IN THERE! Just keep on trying, be kind to yourself whatEVER and when you fall "off" just pick yourself up and start over! Tomorrow is ALWAYS a new day! I'm hoping you'll get over you're lonely feelings soon - this group can help SO much! Great women, great support!

Susan Susan Susan!!!!!!!!:noway: never mind the exercising!!!!!!! Just get to the doc and get WELL! Take it easy! Quit working too hard!!!!!!! Our health always comes first - that's why we DO this! Take care, get well, we need you!!!!!!!! Oh - i have to thank you AGAIN for the cake recipe. This time i made it with vanilla and my wiring crew loved it again!!!! elli

Beautiful sunshine here in eastern WA...in case you haven't noticed, I am just jumping right into this group...it started with the Beagles! I am 51 and have recently been transplanted to WA state. I have to say the move has been harder than I thought and also more difficult on my eating. We wanted the move back to the Pacific Northwest from CA...we had been there 5 and a half years and so wanted back up this way, but I guess I didn't take into account how attached I was to my life in CA. I had a job that I truly loved and several really good friends and although we are much closer to family here in WA I am finding I am very lonely(hard to type those words). But I have taken steps to get my life back on track. I am not trying to journal all my food each day...something I had said I needed to do for quite some time but knew I did not want to face the reality of. I love the ease of MFP's site in doing this. Sorry this is kind of long...needed to get it out in black and white.

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl--

Welcome, I looked up your profile and you are living in the town I was born in!! There are two more Washingtonians (that I know of) in this group. I hail from SW Washington, and Barbiecat lives on the Olympic Peninsula. It's really hard to relocate, even if it is to someplace you want to go. Even though you have your family, it can take a little time for you to get your bearings and feel at home.

Since you figured out this thread, at times, might better be titled "Doggies R Us," :laugh: :laugh: how many Beagles do you have? If you want to get to know some of the other posters, go back a page or two under "Community and look at the April thread for this same group. There are some great doggie stories in there. I confess to being responsible for a couple of them.

I joined this site in mid-April, and it has been a GREAT experience. I am having no trouble sticking to my exercise regimen, and the food and exercise logs are a great help. As you are discovering, the people are WONDERFUL!!

I will try to post again later today. I have to get out and walk before work and possibly rain intervene.

YIKES!! Just saw the live weather map. I think "Mr Umbrella" might be coming with me!!:grumble:

Barb

Hi to you all.
I've just done a few posts here so far.

Welcome to Cheryl. I live in BC, quite similar to parts of WA.
It is hard to relocate, we did 6 years ago and just now starting to feel at home really. We are away a lot so that doesn't help, but I love the rv life, especially in the summer. Gearing up to visit a bunch of the GRANDkids next month.
I enjoy reading the posts and welcome friends here too. The encouragement and support really help.
You are right, Marie, it is a comfort.

Suzzeque, We spend a couple of years in Dallas [when my boys were young], and loved it. I found the people so warm hearted. It was right after my first husband was killed in a mva and I decided to go there to complete Bible College. It was therapeutic to live on campus since there were about 70 other single parents. Some of us still keep in touch although our kids are grown and most of us have remarried.

Well, I'm rambling now so I'll sign off.
Ellen

I ended up having to go to a physical therapist/masseuse that is inside the chiropractor's office because the one chiropractor we have in town was sick enough they had to put him in the hospital today.

It was a happy accident because this guy was GOOD! He worked on my back and neck for 50 minutes and now I feel soooooooooooo much better. He located sore spots on my lower back I didn't know I had until he touched them. Ouch! And I could literally hear the knot popping as he worked it out of my neck. He said there is no way :noway: what I did this weekend caused that kind of pain... that it is more likely that I aggravated an old neck injury. I got whiplash twice. Once when I was 16 and again when I was about 30. He also said a neck injury can cause you to be much weaker on one side of your body that the other, which explains why my left leg is so much stronger than my right one. I'll go back once a week until he gets all these knots worked out.

He said I'll have to settle for walking as exercise this week and to drink LOTS of water to flush the toxins out he loosened or I might feel like I have the flu tomorrow. :drinker: Didn't know you need to drink lots after a massage.... I've decided that if I lose more than one pound this next week I may start getting weekly toxin flushing massages until I hit my goal weight!

This evening after supper I sat at the edge of my new flowerbed and planted a row of white oxalis. Hubby began working on the raised beds for my vegetable garden. Lord willing, I'll be planting vegetables on Saturday. :happy:

BARBIE!!!!!! omg! ANOTHER 3 pounds?!?!?!?!:happy: You're up to 30 pounds!!!!!! I'm so proud of you! You are doing SO fantastic! Congratulations! Sorry about the rain - even though it's a BIG motorhome i bet it can start to feel small with you, Jake, the poodles AND the cats!!!!!!! I hope the weather will clear up for you soon! Drive careful!

Susan - i'm so glad the accidental pt/masseuse was GOOD! I know anytime i've had a massage they always tell me to drink lots of water following - it's just the miracle cure! Take it easy tomorrow if you don't feel well though ok?:drinker:

I made it to the gym this afternoon and got back on my healthy eating plan after the crazy weekend. Nothing new with my house today - hopefully before the end of the week it will be insulated though. I'm starting to think i really MAY get to move in before August!!!!!

Have a great night everyone - Talk to you tomorrow! elli

GOOD MORNING MFP'S,

KATHY, PUNKY IS SO CUTE,HE DESERVES EQUAL TIME. HOPE YOU CAN GET BACK ON TRACK WITH EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH AN INSPIRATION TO ALL OF US.

SUSAN, ANOTHER POUND GONE, YIPPEE!!!
GLAD YOU FEEL SOMEWHAT BETTER. DO YOU EAT A COUPLE OF DRY CRACKERS AND DRINK A FULL GLASS OF WATER WITH ALEVE. I FOUND THAT HELPED ME WITH THE STOMACH PROBLEMS.
I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT MOTHER'S DAY. MY MOM PASSED AWAY A FEW DAYS B/4 MOM'S DAY 3 YRS AGO AND I AM JUST NOW ABLE TO DEAL WITH IT TO SOME DEGREE.

DIANE, YOUR DAUGHTER IS A SMART WOMAN. YES, EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE WE JUST NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING WE KNOW WE SHOULDN'T HAVE. YOU DID ENJOY IT AND YOU WERE ABLE T GET RIGHT BACK TO BUSINESS. THAT'S WHAT COUNTS. SOMEONE SAID,"I ATE A PIECE OF BIRTHDAY CAKE AND IT THREW ME OFF MY DIET *****FOR 10 YEARS*****".

ELLI, I HOPE THE CALM, PEACEFUL CONDITIONS RETURN SOON. I AM JUST LIKE YOU IN THAT REGARD. DO TAKE THAT 10 MINUTE BREAK AND BREATH, BREATH, BREATH. REFOCUS, EVERYTHING WILL BE THERE WHEN YOU RETURN, IT'S ONLY A FEW MINUTES AND IT IS AMAZING HOW MUCH IT DOES FOR YOU.

MARIE, SO SORRY YOUR ARE STILL NOT ALL BETTER. YOU SAID IT, PATIENCE WILL PREVAIL. HANG IN THERE.

CHERYL, MOVING IS THE THIRD HARDEST THING TO DO. ONE, DEATH, TWO DIVORCE AND THREE MOVING. THEY ALL HAVE SUCH AN IMPACT ON US. ONCE I MOVED JUST FROM BROOKLYN NY TO LONG ISLAND NY AND I CRIED FOR 6 MONTHS. NOW I MOVED TO FLORIDA AND I FOUND SOME GREAT FRIENDS HERE AND A HAPPY LIFE. THIS ALSO TOOK SOME TIME.
YOU WILL BE FINE. SEEK OUT SOME FRIENDS ASAP. IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE FAMILY NEAR YOU. MEANWHILE, WE ARE ALL HERE FOR YOU. WRITE A BIG POST OR A SHORT ONE. WHATEVER YOU FEEL LIKE DOING. WELCOME, GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS.

ELLEN, GOOD TO SEE YOUR POST. HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR GOALS FOR MAY?
GLAD YOU ARE ENJOYING THE POSTS. DID YOU CHECK OUT APRIL? LOTS TO READ THERE ABOUT EVERYONE IF YOU HAVE THE TIME.

BARBIE, SORRY ABOUT THE RAIN.
WOW ANOTHER 3LBS. WONDERFUL!!!!!


HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY GIRLS, (SEE SUSAN, WE ARE STILL GIRLS)

ANNE

I guess I'm the only dog person who has a mini daschund - he's definitely the man in my life:laugh: I've never been into little dogs - when my son got me Hercky as a gift almost 8 years ago, my other dog was a Newfoundland (she's gone now:frown: ). Now i'm totally a little dog person, although my other 2 dogs are medium mixed breeds. Hercky's the only one who gets to sleep in bed with me, under the covers!:laugh: He's definitely my little buddy!

I don't have a beagle either. I've always been one of those folks who has had BOTH a cat and a dog. We've never had a beagle although my son inherited one when he got married. The Best pet (dog or cat) we ever had was half lab, half boxer. My son got her when he was 10 and she died while he was in Okinawa when he was 24. We still miss her "Elvis smile" and her gentle ways. Strangely enough his first trip home afterwards was the one year anniversary of her death....



Buffie lived her first few years mostly outside. Then when she was two we moved to town and she became a house-pet. Many math lessons were calculated with her head in my son's lap. Many happy hours were spent playing hide and seek or wrestling with her. She loved to try to tackle him whenever they ran across the yard. She and I walked many steps together through the woods. Her Friday doggie showers became our weekly ritual. It has been said on more than one occasion that she had the softest ears ever.

Buffie hated raccoons and everybody's cat but her own. Our cat slept with her and even washed her face. Domino had her trained to lay down when she nipped her on the leg so she could wash her from nose to the ears. She barely weighed 10 pounds and Buffie was more than 8 times larger, but she obediently submitted to the daily ritual from the time she was a pup until we lost the 'Old Woman' when Buffie was 12.

She was so sweet natured and mannerly that my Moma called Buffie her granddog. Moma often said, "She minds better than any grandkid I've got." (She had 12 grands and 12 greats) As my Mom got more and more feeble Buffie began to meet her at the car when she came to visit and escort her up the front steps so she could hold onto her collar to steady herself. Wish we had thought to get a picture of that.... We DID have a family portrait made for Christmas cards one year that included Buffie.

If she had a fault it was her fear of thunder storms. She totally lost it any time it started to rumble. Her whole body would tremble and she would get as close to you as possible. If a storm blew up and she was outside she would just run and keep on running until she found someone. One of my most fearful times was when she disappeared for 3 days one spring. We put an id tag on her collar after that.

The last two years of her life brought many changes. Her sweet old face turned white. She got to where she couldn't climb into the back of the truck for a ride to town. (How she loved to jump in the back of the truck and go - nose to the wind, ears flapping!) Everybody worked so she spent more and more time alone. I always hated that! Her boy became a man - grown and gone. His sister too... But through the years and the changes, she always recognized him when he came home no matter how long it had been since the last visit. Even in the wee hours of the night she welcomed him with sleepy eyes that turned to wiggles and squirms. Whenver Trey came home on leave she tried to tackle him like she did when he was a boy and she was a pup.

My favorite Moma/ Buffie story follows: We were making our quarterly trip from Arkansas to West Texas to visit hubby's family and had left Buffie with Mom and Dad. Growing up, dogs weren't allowed in the house to be part of the family ~ there was never much effort put into training a dog ~ so if we had one that came when it was called and could sit, that was the norm... Anyway Buffie was a member of our family who lived indoors with us and slept with my son. She had a repertoire of tricks and would heel as a matter of habit. I could walk her without a leash anywhere. Well, at the time Moma was in her mid seventies... so get a mental picture of this... when we got home we asked how things went and she furrowed her brow in concern and said, "I am a little worried about Buffie. I took her out in the backyard everyday. But I don't think she is getting enough exercise. She wouldn't run unless I ran with her!" I had to laugh as I imagined Moma out there running with the dog. I had never seen her run in my entire life!

I realize this got very long, and has nothing to do with exercise or food choices... . But seeing as how most of you are dog people you wouldn't mind me waxing reminiscent this morning about the best pet we EVER had.

Susan - thank you SO much for your beautiful tribute and picture to your beautiful Buffie. It made me laugh, it made me cry. I could identify with so many of the stories! Especially her boy growing up and moving away. That has happened to my Billy..........and i too, have grandpuppies! 6 of them!:happy:

Kathy - you're mending - i love that seeing the mama bird guarding her eggs made you smile. I'm proud of you for driving and facing your fears. Hang in there!

Thank you for the encouraging words Anne. Going to the gym - even if it's just for 40 minutes right now is helping me SO much. I'm not getting into town for yoga, but making it to the gym 4 or 5 times a week. Also if i can walk the dogs, and sit down and "chill" for a few minutes each night i'm GOOD!. My Dad is from Brooklyn and i was born and raised on LI where my Dad and his wife still live! In Northport. I grew up in Huntington Station. Small world huh?

Gotta run - electric guy is here! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

I am 53 so fit this group. My goals for the month of May are to keep on working our and eating right and hopefully get to my next mini goal of below 200. Last time I did this I got withing one pound and could not go any further. This time I will do it. Thanks for the group and encouragement. I am very motivated at this time. Looking forward to knowing all of you better.

Greetings

Still on the recovery list but I am feeling a little bit stronger and wanted to catch up on the threads. Miss a day and you can miss a lot:bigsmile:

My weight is continuing to decrease (4 lbs) and I got my tape measure out today and it showed a decrease in my hips by 1.5 inches, my thighs by 1 inch and my forearms by 1/2 inch. Needless to say I am pleased with these results:blushing:

Barbie--Congratulations on dropping some more weight:bigsmile: You go girl:drinker: Your road trip sounds so inviting. I cannot wait until we can dewinterize our 5th wheel and go on our first camping trip of the season. Thanks so much for your support and kindness and I love reading about you adventures in your RV. Keep us posted:happy:

Susan--glad that you are feeling better I would not be able to move without a lot of pain if it wasn't for my massage therapist and physiotherapist. At first I had to get over the misconception that having a massage was a luxury and not a requirement for a better quality of life for me. I go for massage every 2 weeks and physio once a week. It is amazing the results I have achieved since making that a part of my life. Congratulations on dropping another pound and keep continuing to get better:happy:

Elli--sounds like everything is coming together with the house. I bet you can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel? Good for you remaining focussed and looking after yourself. I am sure that it would be so easy to forgo the intentional exercise when confronted with so many other tasks. I am so proud of you for making time for yourself

Anne--you are a real gem and an inspiration to all of us You continue to amaze me with your wonderful spirit. Thank you and big ((((HUGS)))))

Vickim26-welcome to what in my opinion is the best group of women:bigsmile: I truly feel honoured to be included in. There is a lot of encouragement, motivation and support to enjoy and gain positive results from here. I wish you lots of success:flowerforyou:

Heather--so glad that you are doing better and making time for yourself:flowerforyou: Keep working at it and it will all come together.

Zaza--we miss you and hope you are doing well:happy:

Hope everyone else is doing great:flowerforyou:

Marie

I've been posting on the April thread...Oh, well, I am getting the hang of MFP more and more each day! It's great to have all of you here!

:flowerforyou: heathier4me...Great weight lose.

:flowerforyou: Doobiedoo...I did the same thing when I first joined MFP. It does take some getting used to. The threads are something that I had no experience with.

:flowerforyou: Kathy...One thing that they recommend is to go at full force for a minute or two and then slow down for the same length of time. This is suppose to really burn the calories. I do this when I use the stationary bike and have found success doing this.

Thanks swiss, that is great advice and I will use it. Glad to see you are doing great.

I just love this site, and all the great people on it.

((((((((Hugs)))))) Kathy