WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR SEPTEMBER

Good Morning ladies,
Thanks again for all of your help and comments. I went yesterday and gave my blood sample. Doctor will call next week with results. I think I told you guys that already. Foggy mind is one of symptoms. LOL.
Spent a couple of hours last night at hospital emergency room. About 7pm I started having pain in my lower left back. Felt like when I had bladder infection, so decided I would go to doctor in the morn. Well went to bed about 9pm and the pain when I lyed down was horrible. about 9:10 decided to go to urgent care center. Well they close at 9pm. So went to hospital. We have a wonderful hosptal but we avoid emergency room at all costs. Not because of hospital but because you never know who or what is going to be there on any given day. On the way I really felt better so told hubby to ride by and see how many people were there. There was no one else in waiting room so we went in. They took urine and all vitals and it was not bladder or kidneys according to them. They gave me pain pill and two shots for muscle relaxation and sent me home. I slept so well and today no pain. I am sure medication has not worn off yet. I take very very little medication and when I do I can actually take half of what is needed for the job. Anyway been trying to figure out how I hurt my back. Felt like I was crazy cause I really thought it was bladder. Poor man next to me was having anxiety attacks after his mom died last week. Felt so sorry for him. He knew what it was but still had to come in to make sure nothing more serious. Anyway that is my drama for quite a while I hope. One good thing hubby says we will go buy mattresses this weekend. We have been putting it off for a while. Sorry so long winded. Hope you all have a good Friday. Great job on weight losses and those who are discouraged just keep on going. WE are here for you.
Vicki M

Hi Ladies,:flowerforyou:

Yep, getting to the gym and doing something is better then nothing. I spent about an hour on treadmill and stationary bike. Just kept on keeping on I guess. Love the encouragement we have here. So glad I stopped feeling sorry for myself. Hey, as many have said on here. We all fall. It's getting back up is the hard part. Thanks so much.

That's right Christmas is just around the corner. OMG.

Now going to have my first oil change on my new Jeep. It is my big toy my hubby bought me. I just love it. It makes me feel young. (Well, getting up onto it reminds me how I have to keep my weight down) Not a pretty site when my face gets all red and are afraid that the Jeep might tip.:noway: :laugh: Only kidding. :happy: Not kidding about losing the weight though.

I have logged in my food AGAIN.

Kathy

While we are still on the hysterectomy discussion, I'll go ahead and tell you the rest of my story: My doctor started telling me I needed the surgery 4 years before I finally gave in and did it. At the time I was doing all the cooking and cleaning for my parents and just didn't think they could do without me. THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE! :grumble: If I had the surgery then, it would have been a simple procedure and could have been done vaginally. Perpetual tiredness, constipation, a leaky bladder and extremely heavy periods had become my normal way of life. My belly was so swollen it was not uncommon for folks to ask me if I was pregnant.

Finally one day at work, when I was on my cycle, I stood up and immediately was wet to my knees despite the super tampon and night time pad I was wearing. :explode: That was the last straw ~ and when I went home to change clothes I called my doctor and made an appointment for the very next week. Turns out I had put the surgery off so long my uterus was completely distended and had pulled some other organs down with it. So instead of a simple surgery and 3 week recovery, I ended up having to have an abdominal hysterectomy AND vaginal suspension. I have a bikini-line scar that is at least 8" long and it took me 9 weeks to even BEGIN to feel human again. But honestly, I felt better 5 days post-op that I had in years. :flowerforyou: So ladies, if your doctor recommends a hysterectomy, LISTEN and don't put it off like I did. :flowerforyou:

On the weigh loss front, I have lost another pound overnight. :happy: I began a 10 day detox diet on Monday and am amazed at how much flatter my belly FEELS. I hadn't mentioned it up till now because I wasn't sure what effect it would have, but so far its all been good. After a month long standstill, this is VERY exciting! Not to mention the fact I WAS only losing a pound a week!

Detox is very simple really. ALL you can eat is fruit, nuts, and non-starchy veggies. No salt or sugar, sugar substitute or caffeine. Water or herbal tea to drink. Olive oil is the only acceptable fat. Take milk thistle with every meal. (This is not something I found on the Internet, but the same diet my best friend's wellness doctor put her and her husband on. She is now a size 6.)

The first day I REALLY missed salt, but have not been miserable even once. I've learned to make some killer veggie stir fries and season with onion, ginger and garlic. I've learned that eating an avocado or some nuts kills my hunger quickly, tho I doubt I'll ever become a permanent vegetarian. IT has convinced me to severely limit my salt intake tho. On day 11 you start adding back in lean protein and complex carbs. If anyone wants all the details let me know and I'll message the plan to you.

BTW, did you know that spicy foods stimulate your metabolism?

Well I am focusing my program to try to break through this 20 pound plateau. :grumble: :grumble: It seems that I lose a couple of pounds then gain a couple of pounds. I haven’t been exercising as much due to a flare up of my “bad” knee. I had surgery on the right knee and it is so good but the left knee is really getting worse so I am doing the footwork to have the same surgery on my left knee. Last week I worked out and walked but it became too much for my knee and now I am paying the price. :explode: :explode: I got two exercise cds. Sweating to the oldies and the 1-4 mile walking one. I want to try them out but must wait a while longer. For now I am going to the gym at the university (where I work) and riding the stationary bike for my exercise as that doesn’t hurt my knee.

I am going to share more often, talk about the exercise I am or am not doing, continue to track my food only better and keep track of my water to be sure I am getting all I should.Drinking water as I type:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Looks like we were both posting at the same time. You can do it!:flowerforyou: I just came off a month long plateau, but now the scale is finally moving again. :happy:

Susie I wanted to ask you how the cidar vinegar is going. In the book I read Robin reccommened this. Says she drinks it every day. If you still do take it can you refresh my memory on what kind you get. Thanks a bunch. Vicki M

Bragg's Raw Unfiltered Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

And yes, I still take a teaspoonful after every meal. (Then chase it with a glass of water. It tastes nasty.)

OK it is 6:40 eastern time. I have done all the eating I should have today. Thank God I have stayed in my calorie zone. Now, comes the weekend when my hubby wants to go out. :noway:

I had a great afternoon. My cousin visited my parents and left pictures of them and old letters my Uncle had written from Guam in 1945. He was about 22 and in the Navy at the time. What a great time we had. My Dad and I took turns in reading them. The last one was about the time my grandmother had passed. My Dad was 13 at the time. He started to read the letter, it was about how my grandmother loved her garden and toying with her flowers, and wanted my Dad to take care of the flowers as their mother had. When he got to that part he could not continue. He just began to cry. It was a very special moment for me.

How lucky I am to have both parents. I know so many of you have lost yours. I can see through my Dad you never lose the love.

My thoughts and love go out to all who have lost loved ones dear to them. Sorry I got to so sentimental. I just wanted to share.

Lots of Love

Kathy

One day at a time.

Good evening ladies,
Thanks Susan. I will get some tomorrow. I have Great News today. Heather is pregnant again. For those of you who forgot or dont know. She is my daughter. She found out she was pregnant in May with her second child and had a miscariage 3 days later. She has already been to the doctor had an ultrasound, and things look fine. She is about 5 weeks. She is due May 25 the day before my 55th birthday. We are excited. Please pray for her and baby that things go well this time. See you tomorrow.
Vicki M

:flowerforyou: I hope all of you dealing with illness & discomfort find relief soon. :flowerforyou:
I'm looking forward to a day all to myself. Hubby left early & I slept in, I'll try a new workout video (now that I know how to work the DVD player) & then sew for the rest of the day!
:bigsmile: It sounds heavenly. :bigsmile:
It's still 100 degrees here & too hot to walk outside. I'm tired of the bike & I think I need to switch up my workout anyway.
My 35th class reunion is tonight. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not. It may be an early evening.

:flowerforyou: Happy Saturday to all...I still haven't gotten on my bike:sad: But I am doing Leslie Sansone 3 mile everyday and even adding some 10 min stuff I found on Comcast On Demand I love this channel I did 3 diifferent 10 min workouts in addition to the LS 3 mile. One was a disco Abs, one was ab buster and the last one .....now don't laugh..:laugh: .It was Carmen Electra striptease...yeah you read it right...thank GOD no one came in while I was doing this one:laugh: I bet I looked pretty funny. A 54 year old, 182 pound women trying to do this very provocative routine (they didn't really strip). It really did give me a good workout though:happy: It is a little chilly here today (sweater weather) leaves are starting to fall off the trees already.:noway: I can't wait to weigh in on Monday to see if all this extra exercise is going to pay off. Spent the night at my daughter last night and didn't get much sleep. Think I will Take a shower and go to bed:yawn:
:flowerforyou: Congratulations Vicki, I will keep Heather in my prayers. My daughter is due in January, she has a 2 year old and has had 2 miscarriages. So far pregnancy is going well, baby just won't cooperate so we can see what it is:frown:
:flowerforyou: Barbie and Barb hope you had safe trips
:flowerforyou: To everyone Hugs:blushing: and prayers for all who are in need, Rosemary
:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Hi everyone:flowerforyou:

Hope you are all doing well. We are having a wonderful "retirement" vacation. I have included a photo of our trip to Mount Rushmore. Our first time visiting this beautiful area and we enjoyed it immensely. We also visited the Little Bighorn National Monument. Absolutely amazing both of them:bigsmile:

As you can see from my photo I have not let the torn cartilage in my knee keep me from experiencing all I can:noway: My walking stick has been a very valuable walking companion:laugh: From there we have travelled thru Iowa, Illinois and now Indiana. The weather has been just beautiful. As far as exercising I have been trying to get in as much walking as possible. I am holding my own with the scale, bringing it along in our travels has proven to also be invaluable...frustrating sometime but mostly beneficial...my DH couldn't figure out why I was bringing it along but interestingly enough he has been keeping close tabs on his weight too

It has been great catching up on the posts when I can. Keep up the great work everyone. Remember you are so worth it:bigsmile:

Marie

Last night was my class reunion. :ohwell: It was better than I expected.
Usually the people I want to see the most don't come. Our class has had a reunion every 5 years. :noway:
But it was nice to see some who don't usually show up last night.
(2 old boyfriends at a table with hubby!) :huh: pretty weird:drinker:
I had a beautiful outfit - a smaller size that I've worn in a long time. :blushing: I bought long pants to go with the top, but it was just still too hot, so I found some pants in my closet that I bought last spring without trying on & then they wouldn't even come up over my knees. :sad:
But I kept them anyway because they were on sale & I had faith... :bigsmile:
Well, I wore them. They were tight in the waist, but looked great with the top. I'm excited.
I ate mostly salad from the buffet, only one glass of wine & lots of water.
:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

:drinker: Have a good Sunday, everyone. Log your meals, work out & drink your water!:drinker:

Again, a quick hello:happy: I tried to get back to work on Friday and left at 1:00. I was so stiff and achy:frown: I think it's my sciatic nerve:frown: After being out sick and sitting for long periods of time, it tightened up and then kind of turned into aches in my buttock:embarassed: and down the thigh to my knee. I was treating it with Heat, as I thought it was a strained muscle, :noway: but looked it up online. All the symptoms , for sciatica, were exactly what I was experiencing! It said to treat it with COLD not heat:noway: which is what I was doing!:noway: :ohwell: Boy, I'm having trouble diagnosing myself lately:laugh: :laugh: Anyways, I called the chiropractic center to set up an appointment for an evaluation this coming week. As I said before, one of the reasons I was hesitating was because I haven't had an incident....so why go? God certainly draws straight with crooked lines and if I was looking for a sign....I got it!!!
I went (or limped) to my grandson's BD party last night, REALLY FEELING LIKE A MEMERE!!! and my food was exact! No wine, though :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
So the food and the water have been perfect, but I miss the exercise. :ohwell: They say with sciatic nerve, you rest it, you don't try to limber up with exercise it just agravates it!!!:grumble:
Again, I am reading the posts and say a big hello.
Sounds like there's some real great vacationing, partying, getting into smaller clothes, losing weight and overcoming some obtacles! CONGRATS!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

I cannot write too long because I'm not suppose to sit too long:laugh: :laugh:

Have a great day! :flowerforyou:

Thank you for all the greetings, I send my hearfelt thoughts to all of you!:flowerforyou:
BirdieM:smooched:

I was so busy suggesting to Birdie how to keep her sciatica in check that I forgot to give a little Woo Hoo, as I am down another one, that makes 7 lbs, so far, since August 30th. As I explained to a friend, "I am not running down the highway in record time (in terms of the speed of my weigh loss) but I am not sitting by the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck, either!!":laugh: She laughed loudly at this analogy.

I mentioned going to Seattle on Saturday, and I did. The weather was perfect. A little overcast on the morning trip up, but by afternoon, it was beautiful, a few puffy clouds in the sky, temp in the mid 70's--a perfect day to sit in the sunshine in the small dog area of the Warren G Magnuson Park and watch Mai Li growl at every pooch that came to say hello to her !!:laugh:

Oh my but my little girl woke up on the WRONG :grumble: :mad: side of the bed on Saturday! She would not settle down in the car. She was mad that "grandpa" AKA my dad, was sitting her accustomed spot on the front seat. Usually she will settle in in the back and be content to sit next to my mom, but NOT yesterday. It seemed to annoy her most when Pepper sat in his usually spot on the pillow atop the console between my bucket seats and played "navigator" as he usually does. At our first rest stop, I relocated him to the back so she could come up and sit in that spot, thinking it might improve her disposition. She wouldn't move to that spot, :noway: but sat is such a way that HE couldn't get back there, which seemed to make her the happiest, relatively speaking, that she had been all day!!:laugh:

I dropped off my parents at my aunt's, (you may recall from a prior post that she decided having my dogs there made hers too "anxious" so we couldn't stick around too long--otherwise I would have stayed to see her too, but we do most of our visiting on the phone, so it is not like I never talk to her) As usual, the traffic in Seattle is for the birds ( at least THEY can fly OVER it!!:laugh:) There was NO Seahawks game played there on Saturday, NO Mariners game (they were in Toronto, where Ichiro got tossed from the game, as I understand it, for "drawing a line in the sand" with his bat--apparently a big no no to umpires:laugh: ). The Huskies were busy playing at Stanford. I checked all this before trying to go up for the day.

Even one of these things could have fouled up travel through Seattle, because the nitwits who decided on placement of I-5 back in the late 50's insisted the road HAD to go through downtown. Heaven help anyone whose destination is NOT downtown, as there are now so many lanes to nowhere that in places only ONE lane is marked as for through traffic. Not surprisingly, thanks to the number of people who now live and drive in the Puget Sound area, all it takes is a normal Saturday and it can take an hour, as it did for me, to travel what ought to take about 20 minutes.

I finally arrived at the park, which is sited where a Naval Air Station used to be located, but is now a parks and rec facility with athletic fields and 9 acres of fenced off leash dog park. After we located the small dog area and settled in our chairs, I pulled out my subway sandwich, took one bite, and noticed Pepper was not nearby. I looked over and found him standing by the gate trying to get someone to let him out!!:laugh:

We had been there a whole five minutes and he didn't want to stay!! I called him, and was ignored, as is his custom in ANY doggie park, I have discovered. So I handed my sandwich to my friend, went and retrieved him, suggesting he go play with some of the other little cuties that were prancing about in this area. He ignored me. I managed one bite of sandwich, before discovering him, once again, standing by the gate. :noway: Again I handed off my sandwich, which by now was getting worn out from handling!!:laugh: --retrieved Pepper, and this time put him on the leash, thereby defeating the purpose of an off leash area:ohwell:

I managed to finish my lunch, despite several little canine visitors coming over to offer any "help" I might require:laugh: I soon discovered bringing food to a doggie park works about as well as bringing a toy for YOUR dog and figuring they will actually get to play with it. The one and only time I brought something, hoping to encourage Mai Li to be a little more active, another faster critter took off with it, and that dog's owner and I had to chase it for several minutes before I could reclaim it from the opportunistic canine "thief!":laugh:

As all this was going on, Mai Li sat in the shade next to me and if any other dog came close enough for me to pet them, she would growl, so not surprisingly, they didn't stick around.

Pepper, had adopted a new tactic. He walked over to the benches near the gate where other dog owners were sitting. I had already gotten a few laughs from them due to having retrieved him from the gate 3 times so far since our arrival.

Now he seemed to be going to each one, sizing them up as if he were about to say under his breath, "Hey whatta ya say..can you help me break outta this joint? PUHLEESE?" It reminded me of a sign my neighbor has on her front door " Do not let the cat out--no matter WHAT he tells you!!:laugh:

After he could find no prospects for escape, he wandered a bit and came back and laid under my friends chair. We visited for awhile, and then it was time to think about going back to my aunt's. She told me she had fixed up a place in her garage, which is right off her kitchen, where Pepper and Mai Li could stay while they were there. It was actually quite nice, a large piece of carpeting. It was cool and comfortable and well lit--but that didn't stop Mai Li from telling us how unhappy she was to be out there instead of in the rest of the condo with us. She proceeded to do this with GREAT gusto throughout dinner!!:laugh:

Anyway, my friend suggested a walk before we parted company, so I went to gather up Mai Li and Pepper and get them back on leash so we could leave. Mai Li was no problem, If she chooses to be unhappy, she is flexible--she can be just as miserable on or off leash!!:laugh: Pepper was quite another matter. All afternoon, dogs had been coming to interact with him and after a sniff or two, he blew them off. About they time we were ready to go, two dogs arrived and for some reason, HE decided he had met his two BFF's and started running around in a game of "doggie tag" :noway: All the other owners now had a new reason to laugh as I tried without success to corral him in order to leash him up so we could leave. I finally did catch him ,but now instead of eagerly heading for the gate, he had to be dragged out of the enclosure!!!:laugh: Just like a toddler!!!

After we dropped our gear back at my car, our walk was a short one. The first shady spot we came to, Mai Li put it in park and refused to budge!! Pepper soon followed her lead. So much for exercise. So we talked a bit longer, and then I headed back to my aunt's, a really good ham dinner, with corn on the cob, other veggies, a salad, and complete with a little apple pie and ice cream for dessert. The drive home was much quieter, as both doggies slept like little angels for the entire trip home. The silence was golden!!:happy:

Despite no exercise yesterday, I still lost, so that is 39 pesky pounds gone forever!!:drinker: :drinker:

Have a great Sunday, everyone!!

Barb

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
I am home safely from my quick trip to Seattle. My ride picked me up at 1:30 and I was home again by dark on Saturday. I had worried about leaving Jake home with back problems and dogs to walk but they did great. Actually his back problems had gotten worse just before I left. He decided on Friday morning to move the little red car farther over in the garage and did something to his back that sent him on a emergency run to the chiropractor. Since the women who were giving me a ride were the two women who work in the chiropractor's office, I was afraid that his visit would make them late leaving the office but all turned out well. Jake did so well while I was gone that he didn't just walk the dogs, he took them to the dog park on Saturday.

Since the trip was supposed to be Jake's trip, I had very little idea of what to expect and the added burden of wanting to take good enough notes at the sessions to be able to share what all the presenters said. Since it's really his business, I wasn't nearly as interested in what was being said as he would have been and I had a hard time sorting out the important and new from the unimportant or stuff he already knew.

I was part of a three member team handling registration so I had something to do and didn't have to worry about standing around making conversation with people. Discussion with people as they arrived and we checked to see if they'd pre-registered or had to pay, kept me busy and involved for an hour and a half on both Friday night and Saturday morning. I learned a lot about business and nutrition and didn't fall asleep during any of the sessions even though I didn't sleep well Friday night. Getting up early Saturday allowed me to shower, fix my breakfast, and walk on the fabulous treadmill in the fitness room for almost an hour before I had to be at the registration table. Since I'd brought my easy to eat lunch, I had another 30 minutes for the treadmill at lunchtime.

:flowerforyou: Barb, we were at the Hilton in Bellevue which probably wasn't too far from where you were but since I had no idea what the schedule was for the day, I couldn't have planned a rendezvous with you even if we'd known we were going to be close to each other. I'm trying imagine you walking into the Hilton looking for me with Pepper and Mai Li on leashes. :laugh: :laugh: We're bound to come to Vancouver sometime and then we can plan a get-together. Congratulations on the weight loss.

:flowerforyou: Marie, you have been visiting a part of the U.S. that is very special to me. The two extra large t shirts that don't fit but I still wear are from Mount Rushmore and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. We've been to Little Big Horn twice and spent quite a bit of time walking around there. Your trip sounds great, as does your walking stick.

:flowerforyou: Kathy, your letter reading event sounds so special. My parents have been gone for a long time but I was blessed to live only two miles away from them for the last years of their lives. Your focus on your food and exercise sounds great, as well.

:flowerforyou: Vicki, that is great news about Heather's pregnancy. You will have all of us thinking positive thoughts about her and her baby. Congratulations on the size 12 clothes. It's a good thing you didn't buy too many because it won't be long before you'll discard them in favor of some size 10's.

:flowerforyou: Jeannie, I admire how much you are able to accomplish while raising a high maintenance teenager. You deserve extra hugs.

:flowerforyou: Rosemary----doing "striptease" workouts is only one of the reasons that working out at home is best :laugh: :laugh:

:flowerforyou: Georg, congratulations on your smaller clothes and great eating behavior at your reunion and sharing a table with hubby and two old boyfriends.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

:flowerforyou: Birdie, ice is your friend. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a return to the exercise track.

Time for me to get on the exercise bike.
hugs to all
Barbie

Hi everyone,

Had a good week-end. Went to a event on Saturday that included going out to dinner with friends Saturday night so I was soooo mindful for breakfast and lunch so that I could have a guilt free dinner. Breakfast and lunch were under 300 calories so then dinner with broiled halibut and a baked potato without the sour cream and a lovely salad with 1 tablespoon dressing was well within my 1200 calories for the day. I had some healthy snacks to get me through the hard spots and drank lot’s of water.
Today I kept it pretty light and my knee felt good enough to exercise to the Leslie Sansone walking at home cd. I put in 4 miles and got 9,500 on my pedometer. Wo Wo
Tomorrow my knee will be fussy but I can live with it until I get it fixed.
Drank water:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: , stayed within my calorie limit and ate nutritionally satisfying food that is packed with good stuff.
Congratulations to those who lost weight and I’ll keep hoping to see the same on my scales real soon.