women 40+ would like to share progress

Just out of curiosity what kind of nuts are you eating for snacks? Everything I see is so high in calories I tend to shy away from them. How about any kind of trail mixes. I love these but again the calories seem to be high. Anyone found some low cal ones?

The calories are high but good calories. I feel it is much smarter to eat 130 cal of this than chips or chocolate. At least the calories have nutrients. I just buy various nuts (peacans, walnut, almond sliver, peanut) without salt, raisins, cranberrys, etc. Weigh them - add the calories up and then divide by total weight. I just made a batch and it came out to 133 cal per ounce. I will just weigh an ounce or two each night for my snack - depending how many calories I have left to eat. I couldn't find a store mix that I liked without extra salt or other chemicals.

My mother-in-law is bringing me her food dehydrator to try tomorrow. I can't wait to make some other healthy fruit to put in the mix.

I am taking a little road trip so I weighed in this morning and I am down 1.6 lbs My first 15! I celebrate every five.:laugh: I have been doing good with my water and pretty good on exercise.

Missou: I know it is frustrating not to be able to do things you normally can because of an injury, but take it easy on your knee and it will pay off in the long run. In September I sprained my ankle while hiking and I still feel it from time to time to remind me that it still isn't healed all the way. You are doing great, be good to your body so that you can enjoy your trip.:flowerforyou:

pinbotchick: WOW! 20 lbs. Happy Dance!:laugh: We make fresh fruit leather in our dehydrator when apricots and such are in season. I know a gal that never buys herbs and seasonings. She dries her own chives, basil, all varieties and flavors of peppers, etc. Have fun making yummy, healthy food.

makeitallsue: I sounds like we have the same shopping list for Christmas:laugh: :laugh: We are leaning toward getting our son the camera he wants. If I can pull the funds together I want to get the wii as family gift. Our friends laugh until they are about to wet their pants watching each other do the hula hoop. Our kids did the boxing against their kids and had a great time. It really gets everyone moving. I love things we can do together as a family. I hear you on the pricey.:noway: ouch!

tigermom: almonds and pistachios are both heart healthy and they satisfy me longer than yogurt or chesse.

Everyone have a great weekend.

Hello!!

Yesterday afternoon I walked for an hour and a half on top of my Gazelle and I was awaken by some knee pain around 3am... Was only able to go back to sleep at 6 :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:

When I woke up a little while ago, there was no more pain :happy: I am suppose to leave in three hours. I could go on the Gazelle around 11ish. I am going for supper at a freind's house and we are going to have a really nice time.

Have a nice day everyone!!

I lost a few more I'm at 168.2 yea me.:happy: :happy: But like I said Thanksgiving is almost here:noway: :noway: .

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Great Job! Congrats on your loss! Okay...that just sounds weird, but you know what I mean! As far as Thanksgiving goes......I am worried too. However, I am doing the cooking this year, so I am going to include some low cal. stuff and then hopfully be okay! Have a great time on your trip!

I was invited for dinner on Friday and Saturday. I was also invited for lunch on Sunday. I did not gain much, I was able to be reasonnable This morning, the scale was at 158.6 I guess I definitly have to forget about reaching 155 by Thursday I went on the Gazelle on Saturday and I decided to put on my ankle weights. It didn't cause any pain in my back and it made me sweat a little more. This was a good idea!!! I didn't do a thing yesterday and I haven't done my Pilates in a few days... I have to do the Pilates again!!! I am now at 12/14 I'll have to work extra hard in the nest 3 days to compensate

Have a nice day and a good week everyone!!! Take care!!!

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted in this thread in quite awhile, but thought I'd peek in & see what's up.

I hope you in the States survived T-giving weekend!

I think today is the day Missou leaves on her cruise - hope her joints have calmed down a bit for the big day!

I saw some successes in the thread - those are so inspirational to hear about!

DH comes home from his business trip tomorrow, so beginning Wed I can get back on track. (It was hard without him - the best time for me to get my walk in is first thing in the morning, but I don't want to leave our 8-year-old at home alone, understandably! Plus I was . . . well, sorta missing him, so I over-indulged in comfort food - not horribly horribly, but topped up my calorie max by a couple hundred each day.)

Anyway, since I seem to only be able to manage an average of a pound a week, I've decided to reward myself for every 2-3 pounds lost. There's this really silly thing I've been wanting, and when the scales hit 217, I'm going to go buy it. It's a silly indulgence that I've not allowed myself to have because it just seemed too ridiculous. You know those clip-in hair pieces that blend with your own hair? I'm not talking about those glossy, non-realistic things you see at Claire's. These are either made of human hair or very good synthetic hair. They make your own hair look fuller and lusher. I see them at this salon sometimes and always wonder what they'd be like. I've always rather liked my hair, always thought it was one of my better beauty features. But with age, my hair isn't as thick as it used to be. So I said dad gum it, if I can get off this ridiculous plateau that I've been on for 2 weeks and beat my weight down to 217, I'm going to give myself permission to make this crazy beauty purchase.

Any of you ever tried those things? How well do they work?

Keep encouraging yourself Little Sister :flowerforyou: We are our own best cheeereleaders! My daughters have used the clip in extensions and love them. I think you will have fun with them!

This week I start again with the goal of 4/7 days of real exercise. Today i get to go horseback riding. I don't think I get to count that: :ohwell: I will be out and about and Not eating!

Here's to the start of a good week to all! :drinker:

HoosierM

Good morning gals,

booboogroom: I did have a nice little road trip thanks. I know you are concerned about all the Thanksgiving food and desserts, but you have been doing great that one day will not blow all your progress. My plan is to concentrate on small portions not just smaller but small so that I can have some of all the traditional family dishes. For pie I plan allowing calories for one or two pieces but I will take a sliver of different flavors to make up those pieces so i don't feel deprived. In the couple of months that I have been logging food I have noticed that I am full sooner and I am taking longer to enjoy each bite instead of inhaling and not sure if I tasted anything:laugh: :embarassed: You will do fine. Enjoy your family, that is so sweet that Grandma loves your cooking. It must feel so good knowing you are bringing her such pleasure.

Little Sister: I am with you on a new little something (that is not comfort food related, which would have been my choice not so long ago) that is rewarding. Since starting MFP I have two new CDs:happy: You will make that next goal.

Hoosiermomma: Somewhere it seems that I have read calories burned for horseback riding. I will see if I can give you an exact post. I definitely think it should count. You have a beautiful family. The gorgeous bride looks like she takes after her mother.:flowerforyou:

DeeDee: Good job on taking yourself into getting back to the gym. Hopefully you will get your full strength back quickly. You are looking great.

Safe travels to each of you this week. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday with so much to be grateful for! Enjoy and concentrate on small portions and drink lots of water.

Hoosiermomma: horseback riding is listed here on MFP under exercise. You put in the amount of minutes, for what intensity. Lucky you!

For the most part today was a great day! I think I fell in love with excercise again!!! All day today I have had the energy and stamina that I needed! I did take a short nap this afternoon knowing that today and tomorrow are serious food packing and giveaway days at a Mission that we volunteer at. Today we did over 1000 bags and tomorrow it will be even more.

Don't you hate it though when you reach for food instead of a drink? That was my one mistake today. I knew that pizza would be part of the day and planned accordingly. I did great until that 3rd piece of pizza (they were cut small)...I should have had water but instead took another piece! UGH! I am really only over by 38 calories but still!!!

Hope you all had a great one, too!

DD
PS...I keep thinking about horseback riding!!!

Good morning everyone - it looks like everyone is doing well and has good plans for Thanksgiving. I am glad mine is over. We celebrated over the weekend. I tried but was 1000 calories over Friday - didn't bother to count Sat and was even for Sunday. Even with the extra exercises there was just too much great food. I wish everyone the best of luck.

Hello everyone!!!!!!:happy:
I haven't been on in a few days...having a bit of a set-back:explode: , do any of you just get tired? Tired of trying to do all the right things to get the perfect combination to see results?!?! I guess I just got tired.:mad: :sad: . I stopped tracking calories for a few days:frown: , but I didn't eat any different, so I hope I'm ok, I backed off on the intensity of my exercise program and instead did some fun types of exersice, walking my favorite pal, Bella instead of the elliptical, belly dance instead of thousands of push-ups with p90x, gentle stretches instead of 90 minutes of yoga. I hope I am doing enough...I just needed a break. I have been working my tail off this year, I started in January and have only taken a handful of days off and in total I have lost and kept off around 32 pounds...that doesn't sound llike much to me and I don't know I guess with the stress of the holidays I just have been feeling a little blue and tired.:ohwell:
Reading your post has helped, I will track my food again, starting now and I might want to get in a few more intense exercise sessions before the weekend hits.......
Have a super weekend everyone, my oldest is coming here with the 2 young grand-kids, it will just be my 3 babies and 2 granbabies plus DH and SIL, small and cozy dinner ...I am going to run into town today and rent some wii games to try, I thought that might be fun for everyone, it might be to cold here for a walk but if we can fit it in....I'm going to have everyone go with me:happy:
Stay safe everyone!

DD, glad your back in the gym and feeling better!
Dominique...so sorry I missed saying good bye, you lucky girl...so happy for you,
Happy Anniversary!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
Boo-Boo, I'm the one that is always requested to do the cooking too, I feel it's a mixed blessing too, I mean, I do feel happiness in knowing that I am giving comfort with the things I make/bake, etc...but sometimes I just feel like...."Man, can we focus on something else besides FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!:mad: " and then I am fighting myself the whole time not to take "test bites":embarassed: I have had success with chewing gum while cooking, it does help
Pinbot, love your positive attitude, I have been beating myself up, but you make me feel like it is ok.
Snowflakes....not sure if I said Great Job on your 15 pound loss....but GREAT JOB:flowerforyou: :happy: :flowerforyou: :happy: !!!!! Your doing great!
Hoosiermomma, My oldest worked and rode horses for years and it really kept her trim, that takes work managing those big animals! I'm scared to death of them, your sweet potatos sound yummy, I'm the only one that likes them here.
I need to get off of here and I think today I'll do an older firm video!
sorry so long winded this a.m.

Snowflakes, Thanks so much for taking the time to respond and yet on such a busy day!
I agree my training has been pretty intense the last 11 weeks, I just hit this stand still where I didn't even lose 1 pound from April thru Septemeber, 5 long months and I didn't lose a pound. I had really cleaned up my eating early in the year so I didn't think it was that, so I thought maybe I was doing the same exercises and that's why I hit a stand still, so I started running and then I seen p90x. I'll be honest, it is a lot of strength training, but I was hoping my DH would like it and we could do it together. He did like it and stuck with it the first 5 weeks, but work and overtime really didn't leave him much time, (he's skin and bones and eats everything in site...so he was more just doing it to support me), I don't know why, but I just got really tired of working out and not seeing the scale move! I thought maybe I was building muscle...but geez, I need to lose the weight too, I hate being over 200.
I had a weekly goal of 1 pound a week, but I was quickly getting discouraged, so I took the advise of a gal here and decided I would go every 2 weeks instead, but that puts me with weigh in this Friday and since it is right after the holiday and I had such a bad start this week I'm thinking I should go another 2 weeks and then weigh in.

Thanks so much for the encouragement, I really was feeling so blue....so not like me. I did work out today... to an old favorite, the Firm VOl #3 with Sandahl Bergman, have you ever heard of it? I worked out with this video back in the early 90's along with a stationary bike and I took off 73 pounds, kept it off for 2 years, then had baby number 2 and put it back on. I know these struggles are what makes me ....me, I just need to embrace it. Thanks again for having take me take a look at 32 pounds gone for good! That is something to be proud of and I can do 40 push-ups in a minute and I can run 3 miles in 30 minutes and back in January....I could not do either of those things.... and I am 43 years old!
You have a super holiday!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone - enjoy today, give your family extra hugs and dont worry too much about the food.

Here is my advice based on Celebrating last weekend - enjoy yourself and don't worry too much about the calories. Shoot for a goal of staying even for the week so that if you eat 3500 calories (1 pound) over you will be even for the week - that is a lot of extra calories in one day. Don't panic like I did when the scale shows a huge gain the first few days after Thanksgiving - it is most likely water weight from the added salt in foods you ate. It has taken 4 days of returning to normal eating for this to come off. I really could have used my own advice Monday Morning :blushing: I am happy to have maintained and not gained after all of the great food.

Missou - enjoy your cruise and we will see you next month.

Makeitallsue - 32 pounds is fantastic - WOW - and you have maintained it for quite awhile. Go to the grocery store and look at 3 10 pound bags of potatoes - you have lost that much weight - where did it used to sit on your body... You are my role model. I can barely jog for 3 min without a rest and you can go 30 min. I will get there with the c25k training. I have only been on this journey for 9 weeks. Thinking of maintaining starts to overwhelm me - but this is a lifestyle change - I can never go back to eating/drinking like I was. Maybe you could weigh-in this morning (1 day early and avoid the holiday food problem)... I am glad you're taking it easy this week. Life is too short to stress out too much over numbers - I bet if you took time to write down about the positive things that have happened since April you would be surprised. In the 9 weeks I have been here - I have sooooo much more energy, feel more confident, am happier, am standing straighter, am in less pain, am spending more time with my mother, my clothes fit better, and I feel prettier.