Active Folks Over 50 -- #22
 

Hey! :welcome3:

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Active Folks Over 50 is a place to talk about fitness and healthy eating information as it relates to weight loss and/or maintenance--and also about any work, fun, hobby, or volunteer activites you're engaged in. In other words, the active part of your life!

Just a few guidelines for this thread:

- Raves about grandkids or ranting about your kids is out of bounds.

- Lengthy discussion of your illnesses, conditions, treatments, and medical procedures in general is also out of bounds on this thread. So is whining about old age! ;)

- Positive stories of vacations taken, volunteer work, or achievements at work or elsewhere are highly encouraged! As are recommendations for books, movies, discussions of weight related issues, etc.

Join in!
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Hey Jada, good move with that change of direction! No one "needs" a whole Marie Callendar pie. You "done good" to realize it! Sometimes hunger can be satisfied with better choices.

As for me, it's just another work day... We have a cold front coming through, and it's rainy and windy out there. Brrrr. :lol:

I'm down another pound today. Ridiculous. But I'll take it!

Hope you're all having a good Sunday.

Jay

:wave:

Well, so far a few flurries is all we've seen today -- definitely nothing lion-like yet, although can't say it looks very lamby either. :lol:

BTW . . . have any of you been reading the Twilight series? If so, what do you think? I loved the Harry Potter books and this now seems to be the latest craze. The comparison has been made but I can't see it. Guess I just like witches and wizards better than vampires and werewolves. :lol:

Jada :congrat: One choice at a time - and you made a GREAT one :D

Jay - I'm so excited for you - I'm doing a happy dance in my living room. That makes 4 lbs down since starting to eat MORE! What a wonderful revelation for you.

The weather is nasty here - very cold and windy. I'm glad I made a big pot of soup last night. It is perfect for a day like today!

We start a new study at church tonight - we do a short 5 week study every Lent. Each week we have a different food focus. Being a vegetarian AND a picky on-plan eater can make these events challenging. But, as usual, I will plan ahead and take emergency food with me.

Hope you all are having a good weekend!

Jay: Congratulations on the weight you lost. It's so comforting to know you don't have to be miserable to lose weight.
I have walked a lot yesterday and today. Great weather here. Yesterday I had to stop off at home and change into a sleeveless blouse and then I hit the road again. I hope your doing well in the storms I'm hearing about on the weather channel. Sounds serious to have freezing rain and then to have snow following it. Makes me glad to be in the desert right now.

Hi all! Sorry no pictures yet. I'm working on it. Man, it feels like I have been away forever, so forgive me for not being up to date with everything, but I need to get back with you all. I know I gained some weight back. At first it was terrible, but in the first week I lost 4 pounds in a snap. (Wish it could always be that way!) My first full week back at work was pretty good. All caught up with what was left waiting for me. I did call back to work about a week after I left and got news that my substitute was having some problems. Needless to say, I didn't call back again, didn't need to think about that, and everything has worked out OK. They missed me, and I did sort of miss them. My work place is also a kind of family.
We started on Oahu, hiked Diamond Head, which was quite a workout, but so worth the view at the top. We were able to walk there, about 40 min., from our hotel. Stayed on Waikikee Beach. The pro-bowl was going on, so a lot of partying was happening.
Next we went to The Big Island and stayed at the most beautiful hotel I've ever been at. In Hawai'i they don't have doors in most of the lobbies of the hotels, it's just always warm. The pool here was wonderful. We were able to watch manta rays come in to the bay at the hotel and eat. So fasinating!
After that we went to Maui where we went whate watching. Humpback whales were everywhere! Seems it was the season to be there. My husband took a picture of a whale in full body breeching, and we saw baby whales too! We also traveled the road to Hanna and back. The shopping was great here too! Our hotel here had a pool and a pond inside with flamingos!
Lastly we went to Kauai. Chickens run all over this island.
We toured each island, saw the pineapple, coffee, and macadamian nut plantations too. We went to the southern most bakery in the United States with all kinds of breads, of course one was pineapple! Free samples of all kinds everywhere! I did not see any sharks, thank goodness, but we did see some green sea turtles. We had the breakfast at each hotel with the sweetest pineapple you could every have. They also had fish for breakfast, which doesn't always sound appitizing, but it was delicious! I did get a tan, no peeling sunburn! It was a great vacation!
Now it is time to get back in the swing of things. I gave myself a week to readjust. And now it is March 1st! Wow, how time flies! School is out in 3 months!
It's almost spring! We're ready!

Hi to all

Jlou Welcome back it sounds like you had a wonderful refreshing break. It brings back some beautiful memories that I have of Hawaii. I've only been there in summer. I need to go back in winter some day. Did you do any snorkeling. That was one of my favorite things. My husband caught a 286 pound blue marlin when we were there. We have some wonderful pictures too!

Jay congrats on your fantastic weight loss. Would you mine sharing your daily calorie range. I've read some conflicting reports on how many calories you should be consuming. I know it's also based on your activity level. Anyone else that wants to share.

I've been trying to stay under 1500. I'm wondering if that's a good number.

I changed my ticker to a mini goal for myself.

Is it just me or has this been one of the coldest winters in memory?

Good Morning . . . :wave:

What can I say . . . guess the lion showed up after all . . . things definitely look all freshly white and pretty out there. Wonder what kind of mess will show up today. :lol:

Good morning everybody. I've been following the weather back east. I hope everybody's doing okay.

Hey everyone! Cold and crazy day here... I went to step class this morning and the inevitable happened. I tripped on the step and went down. Fortunately the only thing hurt was my pride. Yes, you do have to lift your feet! :lol: The instructor said it happens to everyone, so I don't feel too bad.

Way too busy with tax returns... Gotta run! :wave: :stress:

Jay

Jen - glad you had such a good time! I can't wait for more details! I definitely need to add Hawaii to my future vacations list :yes:

Lori - one of the coldest and snowiest winters! It seems that it has gone on forever!

Jay - I've done that with the step many, many times! I swear that that step moves on it's own. You look up to follow the instructor, and that darn step slithers sideways!

A good start to the week here. We did have scrumptious home made soups and breads and desserts last night at class. But, for the most part, I stayed OP and I definitely stayed in my calorie range for the day. I probably didn't need the 2nd cookie, but at least they were flax, oatmeal, raisin cookies ;)

Hi-
Another freezing day here. Spring can't be too far away. I hope.

Hello to everyone. I'm still waiting for the gym to open back up that's been under renovation. I miss being able to stretch my shoulder muscles. They tell me that they will open it back up, hopefully, by April 1. Las Vegas is always under renovations. They can't stand to let things get old.
Loved the story about Hawaii. I thought it was a great place too.
Sorry, Jay, about the fall. I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt.

Rain, rain, and more rain. A lot of our current snow cover has washed away and the news is full of flood warnings for lower lying areas. Oh well, tomorrow it is supposed to freeze up and turn the entire Province into a skating rink.

On the good news front . . . I'm working on my third OP eating day in a row. :lol:

Lori - I certainly HOPE so! This is getting really OLD!

Jada - I do a lot of shoulder and upper body work at home with hand weights, though soup cans and water bottles can work too :D

Linda - I think that the forecasters are right if you get what we did. Lots of ice around here - very treacherous trying to walk anywhere!


A good day here - busy and productive. It was -13F this morning - :brr: but the sun is shining and I'm with Lori in hoping that spring is coming soon!

I did 50 minutes of Wii Fit after work, so I am tired! I really enjoy using the Wii to work out. Though, I can't wait to walk outside again!

Have a great evening all!

Laurie

Hey! :wave:

Another smashing day at the gym with the trainer. :faint:

Not much to add, I guess. Cold again here--had a nice fire in the fireplace this morning. :D It IS only early March... Maybe you heard about the football players whose boat capsized in the Gulf. Really sad--this front came in like gangbusters.

meowee, good for you for staying OP in the midst of the "end of the world" up there! Jeez!

Laurie, you really love that Wii Fit!

Hey to everyone... C'mon in and post!

Jay

Hi to everyone!
Congrats on the weight loss Jay...excellent. :dance:

Lauri I really know nothing of this WII thing. Do you only use it to exercise or do you play games on it too? Is it like playstation?

Jada, I think that the weather in Las Vegas must be awesome. Mind you it is cold and rainy here and so the heat would appeal to me but the summers are too hot. :cool:

As for me well my best plans have run astray. I worked so hard last Friday and Saturday. My son moved into a new condo which I had painted. Well we were there doing stuff till 1am Saturday morning and they had not cleaned. So I offered to come back in the AM and clean the place. Now this is the builders responsibility but it had not been done and it needed to be.
So I was back there early and that was a workout in itself.

I had to take a ladder as there is a vaulted ceiling with high windows that were filthy etc. Plus his kitchen cupboards are built for someone way taller than me. I was way up the step ladder cleaning them out. Cleaned out light fixtures, washed down wall tile and washed floors. :censored:

The movers showed up half way through which was tough luck for me. I ended up helping unpack stuff and then had to clean around it. Now I am not complaining. But that was the workout for 3 days.
He and I sat on the couch about 9pm and neither of us could move. I enjoyed being able to help and being apart of a big day for him. This is his very first home!! :woohoo:

So my fabulous plan for the gym will have to wait till tomorrow. I am still tired. Almost made it this morning but felt like I was getting the flu or something. Just too much at one time. I should be great by tomorrow. :crossed:

The little voice in my head is nagging me though. I am trying to put me first. But as the saying goes " life happens while you are making other plans"
Hope fully tomorrow I will be on my feet again. :carrot:
Cheers Jude :comp:

I stayed within my calories today. My life is pretty quiet right now, which is nice. I try to deny that I'm an emotional eater, but I have to admit when my life is peaceful, it sure is easier to eat healthier.
Congratulations to everybody who had a good day of exercising and healthy eating. I started stretching my shoulder muscles with weights (I used cans)

Guess Mother Nature figured ice wasn't enough so she gave us about 1/2 inch of snow on top. Glad I'm not going anywhere. At least we are getting sporadic sunshine to go with the very cold temperatures.

Working on day four . . . weighed myself and I'm done 3 pounds in 3 days . . . oh yah, right -- guess I'm dropping some water weight. Knowing me this nice downward bounce will probably go up again. As long as the total for the month is down, that's okay with me. :yes:

Have a great day, gang . . . :carrot:

I like how this thread doesn't put down women. I guess it's a big joke, but I don't find it humorous to make fun of how women's body's changes as they get older. My mother was almost seventy and she said she felt prettier than she ever did. I'm 56 and I still have men whistling at me, even at my weight. I hear things about how unfair it is, that men look more distinguished as they get older, and women look older. I think women look prettier and more intelligent as they get older, just like men.:D

Oh Jada I so agree with you. I remember the first time I heard the expression that women become invisible at 50. Well to some people maybe.
:hug:

I have never felt invisible. But I can say that the weight has made me want to be invisible sometime. :?:
Sounds like you and your mom are a couple of good looking gals!! :cheer:

Cheers....Jude

Hi folks. Today was my day off from the gym. Mostly I've just wanted to take a nap!

I agree--bodies just change with age, and so what? I suppose we want to leave a beautiful corpse? :lol:

This Saturday I have a trip down to the town we used to live in further south. I have a few tax clients there to visit. We'll also go out for a tasty lunch with some friends. :hungry: I'll have to plan, plan, plan in advance.

Maybe I'll try to drop in on my old YMCA--or at least go for a walk. It's a two-hour drive each way, so lots of sitting in the car. :p

Hope you're all getting through Wednesday...

Jay

Late night at church meetings. Just enough time to read everyone's post and say hi. I think I look BETTER now than I did 10 years ago - I am aging gracefully. (of course the fact that my eyesight is failing has NOTHING to do with that observation) ;)

Have a great trip Jay!

I will catch up more tomorrow.

New Member
 

Hi Everyone, I just joined and this is a bit confusing. I like the idea of communicating in my age group because losing weight is a lot different when you are younger. That hormone thing... It looks like you all have been losing a lot of weight, how have you done it. I am just starting to look for a diet that I can use to try to lose this weight. Any suggestions?
Carolmac007:?

Carolmac007, :welcome2:

Hope you are finding your way around! It's a big site with lots of forums.

I'd say the best program is one that you can make work for you. I'm a calorie counter because that's easy for me to do, but Weight Watchers is appealing to some people, and then there are all the "name diets" like South Beach, Atkins, NutriSystem, and so on.

Ask yourself things like--do you have to cook for others, and if so, would you have to cook separate foods for yourself on one diet or another? How much time can you devote to preparation? Do you like cooking, or would you rather have already-prepared foods? At your job, can you bring your own food for lunch and snacks? Are you vegetarian? Do you have health issues like diabetes or high blood pressure? All of these can help you decide on an approach.

hijude, wow, what a lot of work! I guess you must have really enjoyed helping out with it. How old is your son?

Gotta keep working now... :stress:

Jay

Hi all - hope you had a good day!

Carol :welcome: Glad you found us! I didn't start losing weight until I was 50, so it can definitely be done! Like Jay, I count calories. I wanted something that I could do for the rest of my life. I needed a plan that was flexible enough to do while I travel. I don't do well with deprivation diets. Tell me I can't have it, and I want it all the more. I'm a stubborn soul :lol:

Check out the different forums and read about the different plans. The main page of 3FC has diet reviews as well.

If you have questions about any of the plans, just post on the specific plan thread - the folk are friendly and helpful!

The best advice I can give you is to pick something that you think fits for you and then, if it doesn't work - try something else. I've tweaked my program along the way many, many times. Trial and error seems to be the common thread for everyone that has lost weight at 3FC.

Laurie

I am having a really hard time getting back with my diet. I seem to be hungry all the time!
Work has been a little stressful lately too, not sleeping well. It seems they had a survey of where the employees would want to cut back, supposedly totally private, but whoops, NOT! I am not sorry for my suggestions, and many people think the same things, but don't say it. I am sorry that I hurt some peoples feelings though. It isn't the people, it is their jobs I don't agree with. Why does it seem like it is always me who opens up a can of worms? I hate politics! Next week will hopefully be better. Tomorrow is Friday!
Sorry for the complaining...
It actually got up in the 50s today!
Happy Thursday night!

:welcome:
Carol
Hey Jude- It sounds like you had quite a workout helping your son. Good for you. You probably used so many muscles, it certainly was a great workout.

Jada-living in the Detroit Metropolitan area, I know just what you're talking about-stress-stress-stress. So many people are worried and trying to find ways to cut back. We loose thousands of jobs each month. Most people I know have lost a job or have a spouse who lost a job. I hope things get better for you at work.

Hi everybody!! Jen, it's always you who opens a can of worms because your intelligent. People think I'm nice because I go with the flow. I'm not intelligent enough to know how messed up things are. I just know I want to start looking for another job.
Welcome Carol!!! Joining this thread was a good start in meeting your health goals. Good luck and welcome aboard.
My day went well.

Hi everyone.
Well I can tell you I used to be the one that was head and shoulders above the crowd at work and I thought in my own rightous way that it was a good thing. Not now. I love to see the younger women fight the battles and slay the dragon. Let them be out front and center. :smoking:
It never served me well. I am so grateful that I learned to keep quiet. Well to me I am quiet but funny enough I am still considered quite outspoken. I have just given up the do or die battles. :boxing:
And you know it was just another thing to eat about.:hun:

Saying that, yes I did get quite the workout helping my son. But the control freak in my was out there front and center too. As the days went by I was wondering why I was feeling low and the food was a real problem. :(

Well back to square one. I had to look at my motives and let go a bit. My good friend George is doing all the painting for me. We have known each other for 30 years luckily. He does a fabulous job and I am the perfectionist. What a team. I think he is still talking to me. :rofl:

So I guess what I am trying to say is that I am trying to recoqnize the things in life that trigger my food addiction. It is a huge job and I really do not have time to run anyone else's life but my own. Now my weight loss is up and down depending on how I am doing in my head. :spin:
But I truly believe I am going in the right direction. For me it is not really about any particular food. It is about just wanting to eat to numb out my feelings. When I find another solution it is easier.
Sugar wheat and flour are all things that I am trying to eliminate. But like Laurie said that can just make it harder sometimes. So for now I am following that plan but one day at a time.

I like the OA program as it is a spiritual recovery from a mental obsession. I seem to be a slow learner, at more than one thing. :rollpin:

So each day I get up and watch out for where I am being selfish/dishonest/resentful/fearful. For all those things take me right back to the food. It is a full time job right now as there seems to be a lot of housecleaning to do.

Whew long winded as always......Jude :blah:

Hijude: I have and still am grappling with the same emotions of feeling selfish, dishonest, resentful and fearful. With selfishness, I have become a lot stronger at setting boundaries in how much I'll give of myself. I have found people don't appreciate what you do for them anyway. They just start to take advantage of you and walk all over you because your "nice." I've also learned that doing things for others is a way of controlling them. I have to give up control, even in my eating. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet with my eating. With being dishonest, I've learned that being dishonest can be okay when I'm using it to protect my privacy. In work, family and friends, neighbors it seems like everybody wants to cross my boundaries. People tell me I'm mysterious. I just want my privacy and I have a right to privacy. As for resentful, I resent people making me feel bad about myself and I'm gradually getting people out of my life who try to make me feel bad about myself. It's been a very hard thing for me to do, but I find a lot of stress taken off me by saying good bye to quite a few people. I only socialize with people who make me feel good about myself. With being fearful, I was terrified being a single mother and still am, but my sons are grown now and I have to let them go and trust them to make it on their own. Good night everyone.

:wave:

Hi all! Another quick post tonight! Stay strong this weekend! You CAN do this!

Laurie

Hey everybody!

hijude, Jada1, I'm an old 12-stepper myself, but not with regard to food. I had a different "drug of choice." :lol:

Yes, it's harder with food because you can't stop eating entirely. But, you can stop the out-of-control or impulsive eating, or the eating of trigger foods.

I'll be out of town tomorrow--business meeting 90 miles south. I'm taking my own food although there will be a lunch out with some clients. My partner may or may not be going with me--she's feeling kind of sick tonight. :(

Have a good weekend and rely on your higher power!

Jay

Thanks for the encouragement all. :hug:
Jada I was the single mom too and it is a tough job no matter how you look at it. Mine are out on their own too. Trying to find my place in the world now. :cb:
Hey Jay enjoy your time away. Hope your partner makes it. It is more fun with company along.
Laurie have a great weekend always appreciate your support. We will get through this eventually. You are a great example. Keep doing what you do.

I am having surgery in June and of course the doctor told me to lose some weight by then. Not the thing to say. :rolleyes:
Now I have a deadline!!! yikes. :fr: I still have time.
Have a good Friday night everyone.

Cheers Jude and thanks for being there. Some days it means more than others and this was one of them.......:write:

Jay - hope you had a good trip! And, I hope your partner is feeling better!

Jude :hug: You CAN lose a significant amount of weight by June! Slow and steady! Once choice at a time. You have all the tools in your arsenal - and only you can decide if you will use them. Yet, somehow I KNOW that you will do this! :cheer:

Jada :grouphug: I know some of your feelings well! All I can say is that it IS a journey - and you have taken some remarkably intelligent steps in the right direction. Keep at it! Once choice at a time. I have found that success in one area of my life leads to another. Which is how I finally succeeded in my weight loss. I changed some other things first. Once they were accomplished, I was able to tackle weight loss.

"Nice" is a word that I hear often when others describe me. My Christian faith calls me to be a humble servant - however there is a line between servant and doormat. When it comes to my health and fitness, I had to move ME up the priority list. My servant mentality had to learn priorities, balance, and boundaries. It has been a journey, but I must say that I am happier, healthier, and far less stressed than I was before I made the change. Some folk weren't thrilled with me, but - as you have found - sometimes you need to leave unhealthy relationships behind you.

I hope you all have a balanced weekend planned with some fun included! Today' is MIL's birthday, so we are taking her out to lunch and then to "The Mousetrap" (Agatha Christie play) put on by our local thespians. It should be a fun afternoon :D

Jay: Thanks for being specific about impulsive eating and trigger foods. I try to manage this by keeping a meal plan on my fridge.
Hijude: Good luck in losing by June. You can do it!!! I can totally relate to "trying to find your place in the world.":hug:
Countingdown: I hope you enjoyed the birthday party with your MIL. Seeing "The Mousetrap" sounds like so much fun.
I've stuck to my 1600 calories and my weight is going back down. I've slowed down my eating so my food lasts longer. I'm sitting here with a plate next to me with some food left over. That's a first. It drove me nuts when my husband would leave food on his plate. As the days pass, I find my emotions coming to the surface. I face them now instead of numbing them with food.:hug:

CountingDown: Thanks for the support. It's nice to know someone else has succeeded, especially when you said one success leads to another. It doesn't happen fast enough. I thought I would have everything figured out by the time I was my age. I guess I'll keep growing and changing until I'm 90.:hug:

Another quick :wave:

:carrot:My official weigh in was today. I'm finally below 230!!!! I weighed in at 229. What a beautiful number. Lost 8 pounds. I owe it to everybody on this board. Thanks. I will not celebrate with food.:hug: