CricketsGirl Member

I didn't want to just disappear and have people wondering why I'm not here but I'm finding myself stretched for time to keep up. I've been juried into a big craft fair in November and panic is setting in. So wishing you all well in your journeys and perhaps we'll connect again in the future.

Thanks all for sharing your retirement stories! We should manage comfortably enough with everything paid for and I don't want to work the extra year until I'm 65. So just one more for me. I used to think 55 but life doesn't always work the way you thought it might. Part of the reason I want to be retired is to be able to…

Thanks, Katia. I posted just before you with a bit about me. I'm really looking forward to retirement. My 'good' energy is early in the day when I'm leaving for work and gone by the time I get home so I have to really push myself out the door for a walk. How many of you are retired or close to it?

Thanks, Barbie. I'm from northern BC Canada. I've lost weight off and on over the years...currently off and needing to watch my blood sugar. I'm an admin assistant in a school and have one more year until retirement. I make jewelry and art and plan to immerse myself deeper after retirement. I'm a mom, grandma and a…

Hi, I'm just starting back on MFP. I never really got started before so I'm feeling my way around. Nice to see an over 50 group. Do you still have room for another member? Liz-Anna

No lasting weight loss for me but you certainly do feel empty after that prep. I had to travel so I stayed in a motel the day of the prep and was so glad to have the bathroom about 5 feet from the bed.

It does make for interesting reading sometimes as long as you can stop yourself from commenting.

It's an interesting topic. I'm still pretty new here so I'm focusing on just a couple of things to start with to keep it simple and easy to follow. Maybe I'll start calculating all those acronyms later but for now I'm doing the 1200 calories a day that was set up in MBF and exercising if I want more than that which is…

Post menopause and yes, definitely, that belly. Ugh! I know when I lost weight the last time it was reduced considerably but not back to pre-menopause. And I really bloat when I overeat or something doesn't agree with me. I'm an 'apple' to begin with so it's possibly more noticeable than in 'pears.' I'm not sure. On a…

Awesome info! Thanks for taking the time to post it. My goal is set at 1200 but I use my exercise to buy more food cause I'm hungry at only 1200. I've only been here for 2 1/2 weeks so I still have lots to figure out, one step at a time.

Glad to see some more new faces here! Best wishes to all of you!

Try adding a generous allowance of calories into your snacks ahead of time for that day, figure out how much you'll need for meals and then do whatever exercise you need to do to make up the difference so that you can enjoy the food at your party. If you are hosting the party, you'll be able to figure out how many of those…

Great perspective!

M second week weigh-in today and I lost 2 pounds. I've been eating back my exercise calories to sate hunger and I know it's not good to lose too fast but it's hard not to focus on the long road ahead instead of the weekly progress in those small increments. Sigh. I know it didn't pile on overnight so this is the long haul.…

Hi Amber! Congrats on your progress! I like MFP so far cause it can be as basic as you want it to be which, for me, is all I want for now. I'm only counting the calories but staying aware of the balance of foods I eat and getting exercise. It's probably a good idea to track the nutrition, too, but maybe I'll go there…

Hi Denise! I'm a school admin assistant, too. So far I'm doing well with the exercise cause I'm motivated by the extra calories I get to eat back. Unless I stop losing weight by doing that, I'll continue cause 1200 calories does not satisfy me and I know myself enough to know that I won't stay on track if I don't feel…

Hi Showmm! Welcome and best of luck with your journey. I've only been here for 12 days. I'm trying to spend a bit of time in the MFP community each day to help keep me motivated and get ideas but I do limit my on-line time. I work full time and am an artist so it's a challenge to fit everything in and exercise, too, which…

Thanks, all! For now I'll just weigh weekly and feel out what's working. I know how 'they' say that it's not good to weigh more than once a week but it's different for everyone and at different times. When I'm starting out, I need the boost of bigger numbers lost, and when I'm maintaining I like the daily weigh-ins to stay…

I read a thread on this yesterday but look forward to hearing more, especially from people who have been doing this for a while. I only started a week ago and found myself eating back most of my exercise calories but I'm wondering if I should be making a habit of that. I lost 4 pounds last week but that's pretty normal for…

There are some good reading suggestions here. Some things I hadn't thought of. I was thinking of not eating back my exercise calories this week to see what a difference that would make but after reading the suggested links I think I'm going to compromise and eat back only half of my exercise when that feels comfortable and…

Thanks, Acogg!

Kate, once my weight is down further, I do check in daily as well. I can emotionally handle the fluctuation of a couple of pounds and reign myself back in but if I stay away from the scale because I think I'm not doing well, before you know it I'm dealing with 5 pounds and more and then the emotional baggage of that weight…

Hi to the new people. I'm new, too. I'm not sure if I just joined during a busy time but it seems awfully quiet in this group. Are there usually so few posts?

Hi I_See_Skinny! It sounds like you have some extra challenges. I know how time consuming school can be in the midst of a full regular life so I hope you have lots of support at home, too. I was working on my Certified General Accountancy when I was around your age and found that even bathroom time involved a textbook! I…

I enjoy craft and art gatherings with my friends, too and inevitably we have yummy food to enjoy. Home made pretzels sound awesome! I'm not really giving up any foods that I enjoy but staying aware of the cost to my body and balancing. Keeping the food journal really helps me with that. If I know my meals for the day, I…

I just started using MFP so I'm getting to know it a bit but I do like the idea of counting the macros, too. It might help keep me from sliding cause I know I have a tendency to want to eat more carbs.

Hi, I'm Liz. (I will put up a photo in the next day or two. I just got a new computer and haven't moved my photos over yet). I'm 58 and have just started on MFP even though I signed up over a year ago. This is my 5th day and so far, so good, which is more than I can say for any other efforts I've made lately. I've been up…

I'm not really sure how this works. Now that we've introduced ourselves, does someone start a group or do we just keep posting on a message board? I've had a great couple of days sticking to my plan and exercising after work. I hope I can keep up the motivation.

Hi, I'm 58 and have just started today. I signed on some time ago but didn't get started then. I have 41 pounds to lose and have been having trouble staying motivated. start 211 goal 170 ht 5'8"