40-Something Chat. Happy May!
 

Just getting us started. Where did the beginning of the year go???

Today's weather forcast, instead of saying 'Rain, cloudy, windy' just says 'thunder' with a 100% chance of rain. Oh, boy! :(

Wow - already starting the 5th month of the year! Whew... looking at it that way seems lousy that i'm down only 21lbs... oh well... better now than i was at the beginning of the year - and starting to be able to wear something besides sweats and other assorted pull on clothes!

Yea - beautiful sunny day here - taking Mom and her husband to dinner (it's her birthday today!) just finished a kick butt workout - now time to shower get the shopping done for the week and maybe take a walk.

Not sure why but i feel like i've earned a steak for dinner tonight - haven't had red meat in at least a month or so..

Once the shopping is done i'll have finished what i set out to do this weekend - hope you all have a good one!! Chins up be proud of what we've accomplished!!

I'd say collectively we're all down several hundred pounds since the beginning of the year!! at least a couple hundred! wow... did i take a happy pill this am or what?

ha ha ha - later gals!

wahoooo!!!

Just weighed in - 149.8 - ok really that's 150... but psychologically it's HUGE!!! below 150!!!

I stepped on the scale today after about 2 months of not weighing myself (too scared). I found I went down from 192lbs to 189lbs! Woo hoo!

I really don't know how I lost anything - of course, it's a good time of the month for me to weigh myself. Probably in another week or two I will be bloated back up to 192.... I hope not! I really expected after gorging myself yesterday at a day long celebration that I would be pushing close to 200lbs.

So....I need to keep on track and not blow this little springboard....

Sillycat, I know what you mean...of course I am basically 190lbs - but psychologically it feels great to be in the 180s!

hi, i would like to join this thread this month if you all don't mind.

hope to get to know you all soon.

Hi Zumbachica. I am new here too. I hope May will be a productive month for me and that there will be less of me in June!

We heard someone saying that the West Memphis, AR levee broke today, but I can't find anything else about it.{ETA: Hubby found more on the flooding:(, but doesn't think the levee actually broke}. It rained a little today but most of the day was just overcast with a few sprinkles. We did some shopping, and ran some errands. {shopping being fun; errands being stuff we have to do, LOL} No workout!

Chica, welcome, glad to have you join us.

Guacamole, good job on you weightloss!:carrot:

Hello. I'm new to this forum and would love to join your chat. I've been lurking for a day or two so I thought I'd better say hi. Today marks 1 week since I started this journey. My short term goal is to fit comfortably into clothes I currently own for a couple of upcoming trips. Long term, I'd like to fit comfortably into new clothes (many sizes smaller) and have them look great.

It's crazy how much rain everyone has seen across the States. I live in Italy and usually we get the type of rain y'all are getting. So far this spring, we've been fairly dry.

I was lucky today, my husband had a work holiday (Italian Labor Day) so we spent the morning at the local market buying new vegetables to try. Now, he's working in the garden and I'm supposed to be putting away the groceries but I'm playing here instead.

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Well.... wouldn't you know it - i probably ate 3000 calories yesterday... i'm soooo disappointed in myself..

But today is a new day - guess i just splurged..

Welcome apassionato and chica!

I miss Italy - i would go there to work and live in a heartbeat! the 3 weeks i spent were so fantastic

Good morning. I hope everyone had a happy May Day.

I have been eating badly, so once again I am swearing off the bad stuff and getting back down to business. I feel like I'm in recovery for an addiction--I've heard that it takes multiple recoveries before it finally sticks. At least my weight hasn't gotten too high from my badness.

I'm going to try exercising this afternoon, instead of in the morning. Wish me luck--by afternoon I am usually tired and have no interest in working out. Hence the morning workouts.

Welcome, Zumbachica, Guacamole, and Apassionato. How about Zumba, Mole, and Vino? Spare my poor fingers.

Hi all! Just look at all the new faces!! Welcome to all!! I'm not going to type much or try to do personals today as I had a little accident yesterday. I cut a big chunk out of my left middle finger while making potato soup. It is effecting my typing.

Good weekend. Althought I ate off-plan foods, I did limit how much I ate. Had cajun food Sat. night. It was so good. Looking forward to staying on plan this week.

Exercised Sat. and this morning.

Very cool and rainy weather here and it was welcome rain.

Hello everyone! I went out to play with my son and walk my dog this morning. Beautiful spring weather! So far, I am staying clean (I am like a junkie on drugs when it comes to food!). It's only the morning, so I hope to keep doing well throughout the day. It's hour by hour as to when the cravings will strike! So far so good.

@Kittehmomma: Vino describes me perfectly. Wine... I love to drink. Whine... I try not to do it (too much :D )

@Sillycat: I won't lie, living in Italy is fantastic, although there are tons of things I miss about the States. Congratulations on your milestone!

@Guacamole: I'm sending all positive thoughts your way for there being less of you in June.

@Anniedrews: I'm sorry about your finger. At least you'll have fun showing off your injury -- or not.

@Patchworkpenguin: Try to stay dry, and happy. It's easy to let your spirits sag when the weather is yucky. Although, I do love playing in the rain with my kids.

As for me, I just made a big bowl of salsa with the freshest of ingredients. My plan is to use it on my salads in place of dressing. Unfortunately, my husband was being extra helpful and added a bunch of fennel for me. Now, it's all I can taste. We'll see what happens. Sometimes his enthusiasm for supporting my journey goes a little too far. But, he's sweet so I guess he can stay.

Have a wonderful day, ladies. In my neck of the woods, it's approaching evening and my daughter's orchestra is performing tonight. Please wish me ears luck!

@apassionato di vino: your life and the food in Italy sound amazing! I'm jealous!

Hello, everyone! Welcome, Zumba and Apassionato! And glad to see you here, Guac! Apassionato - hope you have a great time at the concert tonight and that she does well and enjoys it!

Had a busy weekend and overate yesterday (Sillycat, I'm right there with you on the higher food day yesterday, but CONGRATS on the below 150 reading!!!) ... back on track today. Tracked all the food - then went out for a coworker's birthday lunch and enjoyed Mexican. ACK. Have three points left for tonight. I can't do it on that so need to be active tonight and not delve too much into the weekly bonus points. Will go for veggies, etc. and hopefully not stray too far from program. Oops - I forgot, Vino! :) That's easier - but I like typing something that sounds passionate each day...brings a little spice to my typing! ha ha!

Annie - how's the finger? Do you need stitches??

Kitteh - Hang in there and get in a good workout - you'll be on that high for a bit and make good choices! Now for me to follow that advice, as well. REFOCUS!

PP - How's your week starting out? Rain here - again. Thru tomorrow, they're saying - and prbly into wednesday. Got up and did a pilates dvd this morning - hip was bothering me a bit so wanted to get it stretched out well instead of pounding on the treadmill. That can wait for tonight.

Now i'm STUFFED with chips/salsa/cheese enchiladas - a 17 point lunch. ACK.

CHALLENGE - 25 days until Memorial Day weekend... three and a half weeks. I've come to the conclusion that I will not have much thinner thighs in a swimsuit by then, but ... at least they're getting a bit toned.

No, I didn't need stitches, but it wouldn't have helped anyway. It wasn't a thin cut, more like a chunk of flesh gone.:(

UGH - that's going to take a while to heal. :getwell:

This afternoon is dragging...

Annie- Hope you finger heals quickly.

Welcome to all the newbies!

As of today I'm up 10lbs from last summer, I'm so depressed. I didn't feel like exercising, forced myself to do 20min. on the bike. I'm lowering my calories by 200 everyday to try and lose this weight. I did good today with calories & felt better physically by eating less. I actually think I was eating too much for a person my size( 1300-1400cal.) I felt too full & lazy, after my huge breakfast. If I cut breakfast calories down, i will be right on target with calories for the day. If this doesn't work, than there is something medically wrong or I'm just getting old!

FL-Unfortunately, I don't think age is on our side here. We just have to figure out how to stay healthy and happy while getting slimmer. How is your daughter doing?

I was so mad tonight. I bought 4 nectarines at the store, just trying to mix it up with the fruit we eat. Every single one was black on the inside.:mad:

Annie- Thanks, She saw a doctor today, they are thinking about doing an EKG since the E.R didn't do it. She goes to her pediatrician on Wed. for a follow up too. She's eating better & her blood pressure is good now, but she still gets light headed and feels like she is going to faint sometimes. I don't get it. I love nectarines, sorry yours were black. I'm always getting bad fruit, guess it's cause I buy so much of it, I'm bound to get some duds!

Annie - Hope your finger feels better. Fruitlady - sorry you are struggling, but wow, looking at the big picture your total weight loss is awesome!

I ate healthy for the most part....but then fell off the wagon with some leftover cake from my big weekend event. Totally stress related, as I am freaking out about my youngest son's schooling for next year and having problems coordinating therapies at his current clinic. It all gets to be too emotionally overwhelming sometimes, and at that second, cake helps.

Of course, now, I regret it. The sick thing is I am still stressed and still thinking about having more cake.

Another day of running around in the rain and chill trying to shop and get things done! I have a Mother/Daughter luncheon tomorrow with Mom at my church which is also when they announce the start of the Prayer Shawl Ministry I'm involved in.

Vino, welcome, glad to have you join us!

annie, your poor finger! I hope it heals quickly! :hug:

NP, let's put it this way. We had to turn the heat back on!

Guacamole: Living in Naples is interesting, that's for sure. I love living in Italy but it definitely has its challenges. For example, there is trash EVERYWHERE in Naples. Seriously, 10 foot high, piles of trash on just about every street. It is so disgusting. Often, trash piles block streets. I have to be on rat alert when I put my kids on the school bus. The thing is, I can generally overlook that kind of stuff because I find the european experience so exciting and the cultural education my kids are getting makes it all worthwhile. I do look forward to the day I move back to Northern Virginia, though. Also, many Italians don't like to stand in line or take turns. It's a cultural thing and I can usually find humor in it, but sometimes it really frustrates me.

As for my own personal life here in Italy. I won't lie. I'm a happy, content person. Most of the time. The best part of participating in this forum for me, is to get a glimpse into parts of other peoples lives they don't generally show to the public. It's good to know we all have stuggles, insecurities, compulsions, etc. For some of us, like me, those things tend to manifest themselves in poor food habits and weight gain. Others participate in different kinds of destructive behavior. It's really helps my self esteem, and my motivation, to know I'm not alone in this struggle. An example... I used to look at someone who was fit and trim, attractive and immaculate and think, wow, they've got it together. Why can't I be like that? Then, I would be intimated by them because I would see them as somehow better, or more, than me. Now, I see the same person and think, come on, you know you're screwed up, too. Let's share a bottle of wine and laugh at ourselves. :)

I hope you have a fabulous day!

Good morning, all.

After eating all wrong this weekend, I wanted sugar sooo badly yesterday, but I held out--until evening when I had one mug of cocoa. Not bad--about 120 calories. Weight is down a bit--water loss always accompanies me getting off the sugar train.

Didn't get to my workout in the afternoon--I knew this was going to be a problem for me. On the other hand, I got a whole lot of stuff down around the house. I think I've been pushing myself too hard, trying to fit everything into my day, that I wasn't getting much accomplished. So, when I cut out one thing, suddenly I was able to to do a whole lot more. Doesn't make sense on the screen, but it makes sense in my head.

Anyway, nice as it was to get the house-stuff done, I need to exercise. So I will try again today to get to the gym for a workout.

Annie--sorry to hear about your finger, but your story is a bit drab. How about you were feeding your pet dragon and didn't get your fingers out of the way fast enough?

Vino--It's interesting how something that would be very rude in one culture, is acceptable in another. I found the not standing in line thing to be true in China, too, and, oh boy, did it irritate me until I shifted my attitude and learned to join the mob instead of lining up and being annoyed that no one else was doing the same.

Have a great day, everyone.

Apassionato - I am laughing at your post - a few months ago I found a letter from my brother that he'd written me when I was a preteen and had moved to Italy (he remained in the U.S. - 11 year age diff) and he wrote to not expect other countries to be as clean as the US was, to not focus on all the garbage all over Naples, etc. My dad was listening to me reread this letter out loud as we were all laughing ... he said you know WHY it was so filthy then? There was a garbage strike and the trash was piled up 10 feet on the streets and being dumped in the Bay. Ha ha - toooo funny.

After our visit in Feb., my hubby was actually trying to think of ways we could move there - what could we DO to live there :) I'm all for trying! I'd love to live outside Florence but could never afford it at all. But that just feels like "home" to me as we spent a lot of time there when I was growing up. So far, all we've come up with is a B&B idea.

OK - got up early and got in a good workout on the treadmill. Was able to stay kind of within points last night foodwise because I went for a walk with the dog in the RAIN and we were both soaked and cold and got showers upon return home. To my delight and to her misery. DH came home and was hungry and kind of seemed miffed that I wasn't goign to have a big meal with him so he just went to the kitchen and made a pb&j sandwich and cottage cheese with peaches and grabbed a banana and didn't say much at all. I said to him that he cannot get mad if I choose to eat less - it's my choice ... i think he's thinking I'll lose weight and lose my boobs. Which I wouldn't mind losing some to fit into my great sexy bras that are just sitting in another drawer waiting to be used again. Oh well ... i can't control someone else's feelings/thoughts.

Back in the low 40s again this morning. I WANT HEAT. (remind me of this when I'm sweltering walking the trail in the 90s).

Guac - don't stress about the cake - can you get in more activity today? That'll burn some stress!!

Annie - that drives me bonkers, too - we got bad berries but I was too lazy to take them back.

Today is supposed to be pretty nice, however its 50* outside :eek: but at least its not raining! I might have to dig out a sweater and a coat!

Hi all

Happy Tuesday - doen with 3rd work out required out of 6 for the week - did the uber hard kick boxing one..

Annie - sorry about your injury - ouch!!! hate it when chunks go MIA..

FL - sorry your daughter is still struggling - hope that they figure it out and get her help

back to more meetings for me..

Hi everyone..there are so many here...I hope to get to know you all soon and be able to respond to you all...

I'm on the Atkins diet the next few days or maybe a week to get back into the low carb fat burning mode....It is the only thing that has been successful for me but I cannot be in the induction period for too long.

Did anyone see Dr Oz yesterday? He was talking about a diet and I got all excited about it until he concluded that it wasnt' healthy. Oy vey...at this point is there a healthy diet that works? I think you could criticize every diet, you just have to find one that works for you. The "non diet" mentality does not work for me...I need structure.

Hi all! Am new here, a fellow 40-somethingish who just finally got a user id today. I don't yet know how to set-up all the fancy thingamajings yet...but will do so shortly and update my profile info as well.

Like you all, I am trying to lose weight and would like to commiserate and cheer on others in the same boat. It is definitely more challenging as you age and seems to defy science. Less in, more energy burned and get on the scale and very little weight loss if any. Bummer!

On the bright side, I did manage to lose ten pounds on my own over the last two months by just working out regularly every morning as opposed to sitting on my rear like I have done for the past four years, which is exactly the reason I am overweight in the first place. I wasn't dieting per se, but did cut out all bread and pasta. I did eat carbs, just not baked bread or pasta.

I would like to lose another 40 lbs. but am focusing on the next ten lbs. I am researching diets I would like to try. For now I picked up this great book at the lib:
Hungry Girl 300 under 300 (Read reviews at AMZN, 5 star all the way)
I am going to start by watching my caloric count. I'll see where that takes me.

So, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. Would love to be a part of your group here if you'll have me.

Have a wonderful today!

Natalie
NE Jersey USA
159 lbs shooting for 120 LBS

Hey Natalie! Welcome - looking forward to getting to "know" you! Sounds like you're off to a super start - way to go!

I'm all jazzed here - the SUN is out. I feel like on the news tonight they're going to warn the residents here "Don't be alarmed! That big yellow ball in the sky is just the SUN. You haven't seen it for a long time..." :)

Hope everyone has a great evening!

Thinking I'll do fajitas for dinner tonight. Have oddball errands to run right after work, and rented The Green Hornet to watch with hubby tonight - it's much, much more for him. He had a crummy day at work yesterday, so I though we'd veg out a bit. But I want to walk the trail with the pooch before dinner. I can't cram in three hours of stuff into an hour. Hm.

The sun came out just as Mom and I were leaving the luncheon, from the past few weeks it sounds like all we do is eat at luncheons but this is actually rare for me.

Did a 45min cardio/weights circuit DVD, which I haven't done in a while and decided I wouldn't do again. Mostly cardio, with pushups and jumping jacks as most the 'strength' portion. I can't drop to the floor in the middle of cardio and do pushups unless I want to pass out on the way back up. :dizzy:

Natz, welcome glad to have you join us. good job on the workouts

Chica, Can't help you with the diet. I'm on a hunger plan; nothing is off limits however I still need to make wise choices, but I can only eat when I'm truely hungry and must stop before I'm 'full'. This is the only way I can keep my emotional eating in check.

Sillycat, are you following a workout plan??

What a beautiful warm day here finally( sun & 88), back to 50 degrees & cloudy again tomorrow. This nice weather doesn't last long around here, 1 day! My daughter seems to be feeling better, I'm making her eat dinner now. But she doesn't always tell me when something is wrong, she only tells me when she herself is starting to worry. I wish she would be more open with me, you know 16yr. olds are. This is the second day of lower calories, dropped 2 lbs of water weight already, and I'm feeling much more energy since I'm not eating so much(1300-1400). I was eating too much at my meals and feeling way too full, that makes me feel tired & sluggish. This is the calorie range( 1100-1200) I was in when dieting 2 yrs ago, no wonder I felt great back then. Wish I would have figured this out sooner, I wouldn't have gained so much weight. I had it in my head that I wasn't eating enough to get the nutrition i need. This was because of my nosy inlaws, they still think I live on only fruit & don't eat right. Little do they know!

I discovered something about myself yesterday that will help my weight loss journey. I'm a stress eater/wino. Since I cut wine out of my diet two weeks ago, I haven't missed it at all. Yesterday was a day of one crisis after another. I put 80 miles on my car just jumping through bureaucratic hoops. I actually drove the autostrada loop around Naples twice running between offices. That's like driving the 495 beltway loop around DC twice at the height of business traffic. HORRIBLE. By the end of the day, I was craving bread and a glass of wine. I worked through it, although I overate at dinner (healthy choices/poor portion control). That's good to know about myself because I'm pretty sure most of my calories come from my passion for wine. So the lesson for the day for me... whine + wine = weight gain.

fruitlady: I'm interested to hear how your daughters appointments go. I have a personal history with lightheadedness/passing out as a teenager and I'd share my input on EKG's and other things if you're interested. I also have an almost 16 y.o. daughter.

sillycat: I'm interested in a kickboxing program, either for the Wii, PS3, or DVD. Any suggestions?

Zumbachica: The non-diet method doesn't work for me, either. I give myself too many excuses, and negotiations, and then quit worrying entirely.

Natz: Welcome. Congratulations on the 10 pounds!

Patchworkpenguin: Enjoy the sunshine!

Nationalparker: I love the story of your letter from your brother and your fathers response to the trash. Please let him know they are still on strike. I'm pretty sure, they do it monthly. For jobs in Italy, a B & B sounds great. You'd need a hook though that would separate you from the pack. I found it very easy to find work teaching english at a private Italian school. I'm not a certified teacher, but that isn't a requirement here. Other friends support themselves here teaching art, music, and various other things from their homes. There are lots of American women here married to Italians, but that doesn't work for you. The other major profession I see for women here is probably not a good plan either. You'll have to ask your father about that one. My kids refer to this occupation as "ladies waiting for the bus."

okay... so... i hardly hve been posting, so i'm still kind of 'new' even though i've been a member for quite a few months...

Just had to share that I weighed myself recently after a month and a half and found that I'd lost almost 4 pounds...

:)

Good morning,

Ate too much yesterday, but not bad choices. Just too much. Weight didn't change. Still having trouble adjusting to my new workout schedule, but having my mornings available for other things is working so well for me that i don't want to go back to morning exercise.

Welcome--Natz and Shiny.

Have a good day, all.

Good day, all! Made a yummy quick dinner last night after running some errands, then DH and I leashed up the dog for a trail walk before the rains came. Kicked back and watched The Green Hornet (more for him than me, but it's not really HIS kind, either, but I thought it'd be...) ... Conked out and up early to workout this morning. YAY! Treadmill for a bit and then on the trail with the pooch again. She came home and walked right back into her crate to sleep more.

Shiny - Congrats on the loss! Keep up the good work - four gone for good, right!!?

Apassionato - we keep following the strikes and laughing - I told my hubby to keep alert for anyone saying Sciopero (no idea how to spell that) in case the CV stopped running or TrenItalia, etc. I wanted to make sure we didn't get too waylaid :) ... When i was there before we had the "campfire girls" who stood by a little fire to be picked up. Glad not much changes... ha ha... We were jokingly tossing around the idea of a B&B that allowed pets... ahhh ... fun to dream.

PP - So how was the luncheon - enjoy it? Or mainly enjoy the sun afterward? :) It's a rarity these days. I'm working on your method - i want to stop when I'm not hungry, rather than when I'm not full. It worked GREAT for me a few years ago. Seemed effortless.

Annie - How are your mother's day plans coming along with your sons? Looking forward to it?

Sorry, just can't resist!!:D

Well, I never did find time to check in yesterday. Things are going well here. Finger is slowly healing. I just keep it covered because I keep bumping it and don't want to start it bleeding again. Had a nice supper with my boys both Mon. and last night. We are planning our little day trip for this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it, it is to be my own Mother's Day celebration. Still trying to decide if we are going to do a picnic or get a meal there. There is a neat restaurant I want to try. We WILL be taking a hike while there and seeing lots of neat things. Not sure if we will go Sat. or Sun. I am going to wait and see which day will be less windy and then decide.

Welcome to our new faces!! Just love seeing our group grow.:carrot:

I'll do an official weigh-in tomorrow/Fri. and report it then.

Made a nice "taco" salad to bring for my lunch today. We had grilled chicken soft tacos last night for supper. This morning I got a big bowl and put lettuce, cilantro and tomato in and added a baggie with a few tortilla chips to crumble on top and a container of salsa for dressing....forgot the light sour cream, darn it! Have a serving of the chicken to heat and put on top, too. Also some watermelon we had last night, too.

Not going to try to catch up on personals, but Kitteh, loved your suggestion for my finger-cut story! Dragon indeed.:D

Annie, glad your finger is doing better. Cute Yoda picture.

NP, I atteneded the luncheon more to promote the knitting lessons for the Prayer Shawl group but it was a mother/daughter luncheon and there were 3 speakers. The lunch itself was a salad plate covered with greens but no dressing, 1/2 c quinoa salad which was very vinegary, 4 chunks of fruit, 1/2 c of chicken salad and a cracker. Dessert were little raspberry muffins which I didn't try because I don't like raspberries. So basically I was starving when I got home! The 'hunger' method seems to be the best way for me with all my food issues also, I've done it before and it worked. There's a fine line between 'no longer hungry' and 'stuffed' for me so I'm still working on that. I don't like to use the word 'satisfied' because I don't feel that applies to me very often. I usually want to keep eating regardless.

Shiny, my mind wants to make up a 'shiny' and 'new' joke to entertain you but I'm not getting very far. :dizzy: Good job on the 4lbs

Vino, love the 'whine + wine = weight gain." Good insight!

FL, I'm glad you and your daughter are both feeling better. I'm glad you found a calorie range that works for you.

Cardio, finishing yesterday's laundry, and other fun stuff for today. Mother's Day is coming and I picked out some beads to make my Mom a necklace. I usually use wire or thread but I'm going to try fishingline. Since I'm not very good with transparent things Hubby is going to help me.

Morning Everyone, welcome to guacomole and vino!

Kitteh - I so feel the same way about being in recovery for addiction. sometimes I wish my addiction would be something different! it is hard work every day!

Annie hope your finger feels better.

Welcome back zumbachia

This sounds dumb but I hit my middle toe on one of my hand weights this moring and now my toe hurt so bad I can barely not walk on it. I am hoping to get out a lunch for a bit at least and hike. Played tennis last night after half hour of steps and upper body wieghts. Hubby and I are loving this game and feel 20 again ( as this was how old i was the last time I played).

Good foodwise yesterday thank goodness. havent weighed for a while but must have lost some weight last month as I ate a ton of chocolate for about 5 days straight last week but did not gain any weight. 8 mini milky ways, a whole large bag of m&m's on the 8 hour drive plus a burger and bag of chips and a donut and I know there wasmore I just cant remember. Seems when ever i have gone on a trip in the past I do well on the drive there and on the whole trip and then on the drive home i eat anything and everything, go figure.