Do you use the wrist sling. I notice some poles come without it.

Yes, I like the wrist strap.

Like cross country skiing, it supports your hand/wrist so that you don't have to grip the pole so hard. In fact, like skiing - you can actually release the pole for a bit during the movement. The strap keeps it "attached" and allows you to reconnect with the hand grip as you complete the stroke.

If you walk on level ground, several pros recommend the two-fingered swing method of holding the grip. You pivot the pole while holding the grip with only two fingers - very lightly. Then, if you suddenly need more support the pole is right there in your hand (because the strap keeps it from straying) and you can grip as hard as you need to stabilize yourself.

flowingair! :wave: :hug: :hug:

I'm glad to hear the wedding was fantastic! And I'm keeping fingers crossed about your job... Hope you get called back or find something even better!

If you get back on your plan now, those few extra pounds will melt away!

Jay

Seventy years young
 

I am new to 3FC..well a week. I love life, and want to encourage others to do the same. I would like advice on how to "behave" when in this forum. Sometimes my exuberance may be frownd on :(
About a month ago I began a blog, which I am very proud of. it's called weight wise man. I would love your comments

Hey Alan! :wave: Welcome!

You might read this post from one of the admins--it should tell you the ground rules for 3FC in general.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...-disagree.html

Tell us more about your weight loss journey--and also, your active life! We're big on that in this thread.

Jay

Hi all, hope you had a fantastic Thursday!

Alan :welcome: Jay is right, we love new active folk here.

A good day here in MI - beautiful weather, and we finished the evening off with a WONDERFUL jazz concert in the park. This year's series has been outstanding! We are so blessed to have so many wonderful musicians from Chicago, NY, etc. come to our little town :D

My contract negotiations went very well today. Given the fact that we still need to cut over a mil from the school district budget, I'm just happy to be able to continue in my position. Education is a field where seniority still reigns, so I am glad that I have chosen to stay in the same district for the last 17 years (13 different jobs during that time though).

Lori - I'm hoping that your district is able to bring you back, or that something else opens up for you! Everybody is still holding their breath to see which version of the budget passes. Education is going to take a hit, but no one is sure exactly how much. I think a lot of districts are in a holding pattern until they know for sure.

Have a fun Friday!

Laurie

When I visited my son and family in Italy we went to Corsica. We did quite a bit of walking around on hilly terrain. They have those walking sticks and showed me how to use them. I thought they were really cool. I felt safer climbing up a rocky area with the pole. Corsica is just beautiful. There are lots of places to walk. I guess it is very crowded during the summer season, but spring was great.

Hi ladies,

I had a physical yesterday, and learned the results of my lab work. Ug. My cholesterol is a bit high, as is my glucose. I was told to eat bread, which includes tortillas, bagels. etc. not more that once per week (for the blood sugar). Does anyone else have this issue? I'm not sure what I am going to do for lunches. Any ideas? I am going to try to get the cholesterol down through diet and exercise. I am trying to limit fat, at the same time as limiting carbs. When I was on Atkins, years ago, it was either/or. You ate fat or carbs. Now I don't know what to eat! Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!

Welcome Alan
 

Welcome Alan to the active folks thread and :wel3fc: Wanted to be sure that you got a welcome from another guy - there are indeed a few around.

Your "exuberance" is welcome also; folks are a bit thick skinned around here so just be yourself.

On the trekking pole topic: Last month when we went to T I B E T, our final destination was to the base came of Mount Everest. The last 4 km was hiked over a loose rock path going, duh, upwards. We were happy to be using our trekking poles for the slight extra security they gave on the rocky terrain. At 17,000 feet the oxygen is about 50% as at sea level which seemed to me to reduce my brain's natural ability to balance.

I'm in a bit of the same boat. I had my health screening a few days after returning from vacation, and my cholesterol had bounced up again after being under control for a couple of years. It was TOTALLY diet-related, because I exercised like crazy and didn't gain any weight during my trip. But I ate everything that I don't usually eat - breads, ice cream, etc. I thought that maybe just keeping my weight down would keep my cholesterol in check, but nope, I have to watch that dietary fat forever. Dang!

I don't have blood sugar problem, but I don't eat a lot of refined carbs as a general rule. For lunches I tend to go for salads and soups with lean protein added. Basically veggies and lean protein. How about lower-carb, whole grain breads? I would think they wouldn't have as much effect on blood sugar as refined white breads? I like Nature's Own whole grain 40 cal/slice bread. I keep it in the freezer and just take out a slice or two to have occasionally.

Hey there!

'Late to the game' and others--some evidence shows that overeating carbohydrates leads to high LDL and cholesterol, contrary to the typical things you hear. If you google 'carbohydrates cholesterol' you'll find all sorts of information. I learned about this connection years ago from a book by Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, an endocrinologist.

Also, stress is a contributor to high cholesterol. All these things are related through certain hormones--insulin, glucagon, cortisol, adrenalin.

I don't really understand the "bread once a week" thing--that doesn't sound like blood sugar management to me. Maybe talk to a dietitian or nutritionist?

My blood glucose went from 109 at my high weight to 87 at my goal weight. I tested it this morning out of curiosity and it was 75. Although I try not to overeat carbohydrates, I just counted calories to lose weight and wasn't particularly paying attention to carbs.

I think exercise was the main part of the blood glucose drop. I stopped being sedentary.

Gotta go--BillBlueEyes, you gotta tell us more about TIBET!!!!

Jay

Late to the game - I don't restrict carbs, but there are lots of alternatives to sandwiches for lunch. I take dinner leftovers, soup, raw vegetables, MSF, Boca, Gardenburgers (no bun - just a great sauce to dip them in), salads, etc.

Joseph's makes a "heart healthy" pita (Walmart carries them) that is low carb, high protein and high fiber. Flatout has a similar bread.

Jay - good advice as usual! And, I'm with you - the once a week thing sounds "old school".

Bill, I'm with Jay - more Tibet info! Sounds awesome!

A good Friday here - glad the week is over! No big plans this weekend, I really need to get caught up. All the extra events with Mom kept me from getting a lot of summer chores done!

Have a good weekend all!

Laurie :scooter:

Hi to all, I like all this hiking chat. i cross country ski and use poles for that, but I'm very curious about trying hiking poles. I haven't done a lot of hiking of late and maybe that will help me get back in the swing of things. Thanks for all the great ideas.

Laurie- I work for a private school not a district, so I don't have the benefits that a district has.

I'm back to exercising and using FitDay again.

Wow, thanks for all of the feedback!

MBN Yes, I found a low carb tortilla. I don't eat a lot of bread, but I recently created a wonderful wrap, Tortilla, hummus, tomato, spinach, a little fat free pepper jack, a slice of turkey, YUM!

JAYELL I don't eat a lot of carbs, and my doctor told me about the stress link. Unfortunately, I am VERY stressed. I need to work on that.

COUNTING ~ I too usually take leftovers for lunch. I don't eat a lot of sandwiches. Thanks for the info on the pitas!

Late to the game - stress was my middle name before I started this journey. Keep up the exercise, it really does help! Meditation, yoga, cardio, balance ball, pilates - all really helped me with my stress levels. Which helped me with my eating. Which helped ...


Lori - :crossed: on your job or at least A JOB being available in the fall!

OK, so what did y'all do for the weekend? Anything fun?

We went to dinner with a new friend Saturday. We went to Carrabba's Italian Grill, and I made a very good choice. Salmon, yummmm! I saved half of the entree for lunch Sunday.

Today the most exciting thing was when I went to the grocery store at the wrong time and got totally soaked by an afternoon thunderstorm. I was going to wait it out, but I had frozen foods... so when it looked like maybe it was letting up a little, I made a dash. Wrong move. Got totally soaked. Whee! Oh well, it's only water...

Oh, I also watched the last two days of the Tour de France. Really pretty good this year!

Jay

Hi everyone and welcome to Alan.

So did not make it to the gym today. It is way too hot here. Funny I know it is a lot cooler than a lot of your places but it is hot to us. Supposed to be 90 degrees till who knows when.

I think I will try and get up early tomorrow and get there while it is still cool.

This weekend went to the beach Jay. A place on the ocean that is a bay and the water is lovely. Found lots of sand dollars. It was a great day but got burnt. Will have to move from 30 to 45 suntan lotion.

I am sitting in airconditioning and it is cool but not sure what it will feel like when I get out there.
Went out to dinner at a friends last night and food was good till they got to the ice cream cake.
Today they are serving ice cream sundaes in the lunchroom. Can you believe that. I have not had one. So that is good.

Gotta fly......cheers...Jude

How active are you?
 

Hi I am Alan and have only been here for a couple of weeks. This thread caught my eye, and I wonder if people can tell me just how active they are? :carrot:

What is the criteria for "being active"?

Tell me what you think, I am curious.

Hi, Alan,

Well, I think of "active" as meaning getting out and doing things, like travel, hobbies, art/music activities (shows, concerts), getting into nature, and so forth. For those who may not be able to get out a lot, it might mean hobbies like painting, woodworking, sewing, other needle arts, or book clubs, playing a musical instrument... things like that. And, many of us over-50s are still working, so we talk about job challenges and such, or volunteer positions.

Basically, keeping moving to the extent one can!

Most of us here also engage in some sort of regular exercise or sports--again, to the extent we can. And we like to post about these activities as well as about our weight loss strategies.

Feel free to join in.

Jay

so are naps allowed or not?

I guess I'm active then :)
 

Hi All
Thank you for your welcome, and many of you seem very active. I wonder what those who are not active do in their spare time :?:

I guess I qualify under the rules. :D
I play trombone in a concert band, and walk, and have just begun a blogsite with my ideas on weight loss. I also play a little pool with mates, and attack my veggie garden on a regular basis (nothing like a home grown carrot!) :carrot:

Anyway although I am three-quarters retired I still dont have much time in the day that isnt spoken for...especially the blog is taking up my time - I have never attempted a website before and it is taxing my brain something spectacular!
To see my blog, (it's about a month old), send me a note (is it permitted to post the URL - its not a business?), I would welcome any comments.
Best wishes for all your efforts,
Alan

Hi again, Alan,

Because you're relatively new, you won't be allowed to post links or receive private messages. You'll need 20 posts and 20 days. Sorry! It's the 3FC rules to help weed out spammers. But you're almost there.

EZMONEY, if your naps are the most active thing you do, and you want to talk about them, go right ahead... :yawn: ;)

Jude, maybe take a beach umbrella? Summer isn't the time for the beach here... except early morning, maybe. Glad you had a fun time!

Where I used to live was near a beach that's the sharks' teeth capital of the world. You could find sharks' teeth just by looking down at the sand. These are fossilized teeth and are black. Most are small, but occasionally someone will find a really big one. One does wonder how they all got there.

Jay

Thanks for information
 

Hi Jayell,
I hope I am not a spammer...I always wonder where you draw the line between spamming and information?
I guess you might say I am over enthusiastic!:dizzy:

Anyway, this morning (7.00am Adelaide time), I want you to know I do enjoy a nap in the afternoon ...I set the clock for 25 minutes and I sleep about 15-20 of them. Any more than that I begin to get "dopey". Anything less is fine...very refreshing and keps me going for hours.
Anyone else do the same?
Alan :hug:

Hi all, happy Tuesday!

A quick post tonight. We walked downtown and took in a wine tasting event at our favorite coffee house and wine bar. They serve "samples" of three of their menu items - perfect size for staying OP :D

The weather is glorious, so we also had a fire outside and just relaxed and enjoyed the evening. A nice balance for a crazy work day :yes:

We are starting to get prepped for our next excursion (next weekend), planning our stops throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I'm really looking forward to all the hiking and waterfalls :D

Good Evening all!!

Jay I have seen those sharks teeth for sale but I did not think they were real. Why are they black?
Yes my friend tried to find a beach umbrella as mine seems to have disappeared but they were all gone by now.

There is no break in the weather in sight so we are off to the beach again on Saturday. To a different one though and they may have some shade trees.
This one is right downtown Vancouver and is a beautiful spot.
It is too hot to do anything. We are not used to this much sun for so long. No one here has airconditioning as it is usually not needed.

Tell us more about Tibet..... was it a tour??

Cheers.... Jude :hug:

I'm not going to complain about our cool weather, I like the 70s :D Jude and Jay, you can keep yours :lol:

School is calming down a bit (only a bit) and hopefully, my schedule will be "normal" for the next few days. Then chaos breaks loose again when all the staff come back.

With so many budget cuts and layoffs, lots of folk will be moving around and taking on more responsibilities. On top of training 170 teachers a new grading and attendance system, I get to train those folk too. It should make for a very interesting fall!

But, I'm not complaining - just happy that I still have my job!

I gotta fly, my turn to make dinner tonight. I'm thinking a nice ww pasta dish with grilled vegetables, but I'm not sure on the sauce. Maybe something from scratch ...

Have a fun evening all!

Laurie

Down Ynder we are into winter, so our maximum is around 16C and down to zero sometime buty not often. The crunch comes in summer sometimes with days on end into the high 30s...ie 100F...but isnt life what you make it? :)
Hot is hot and cold is cold, and most of the time it's in between.

Hi all - just a quick fly by. I just finished my workout, and we are off to the jazz concert :)

Hope everyone has a fun evening!


Laurie

Did I tell you aboout the trombone?
 

Hi all!
More about me.
I have been playing the trombone for more than 50 years, and I hope I have another 10years in me at least - but as our muscles weaken, then so does the embouchure, thats the "kissing" muscles you need for blowing in the mouthpiece.
As you can imagine there are several exercises you can do to add strength to your embouchure! :carrot::carrot:

Anyway... we have a band contest coming up soon... to test ourselves against other bands. That happens in about 3 weeks I think...so have been practising hard.
Also I play occasionally in church, and this Sunday am play a short solo...the Panis Angelicus by whatsisname?.... lets have a look...Cesar Franck.
It's really a boy soprano solo I think, but sounds great on anything if played well. (I hope :o)
Have a great week end everyone :smug:

Alan - trombone players are near and dear to my heart. DS1 played trombone before switching to tuba - then he played bass trombone again in college (since most of the pieces they played didn't have tuba parts).

I played French horn in high school and college, but haven't played since.

DS2 also plays tuba. I do believe there is a special spot in heaven for parents that suffer through tuba players in the family ;)

Hello to everyone else. Happy Friday. DH and I took the scooters out to a favorite restaurant/brewery. The weather is glorious and we had a delightful evening on the patio. Time to get some weeding done before we have a fire on the patio. I wish I could invite all of you over. Northern MI has the BEST weather this time of year :D

Hope you all have a great , on - plan, weekend!

Laurie

Good evening all.

We are having a long weekend here in BC. Don't know about you guys though. It is so hot that I decided to do some overtime. Not a lot. A few hours on Saturday and then 5 hours on Monday. I have holidays later in August so the extra money will come in handy.

I only made it to the gym one day this week. Just too hot even early in the morning.
Going to take the rest of the weekend easy. Might go see my son on Sunday night but will see how it goes.
Laurie for a small town you certainly have no shortage of things to go to. I bet you are looking forward to your holidays...

Well have a great weekend everyone......Jude

Hi! :wave:

No trombones in my family. Instruments we played included, variously, piano, guitar, clarinet, violin, flute. But not all at once. ;) Are you a native Aussie, Alan?

Jude, isn't your gym air conditioned? That's a big draw for me, living here in Fla. The sharks' teeth are black (actually, the colors vary, but are usually dark) because they are fossilized--minerals have replaced the original material. Here is a page that tells a lot about them:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks...th.html#colors

It sounds great on your patio, Laurie! So, you're going to be taking a trip to the UP? Or is that this weekend?

We have lots of Georgia peaches coming through... yummmm. And of course blueberries. So good together, with a bit of yogurt, or half cup of milk, and some granola. :drool:

Not much going on--this time of year, one often stays in because of the heat and the torrential thunderstorms.

See ya!
Jay

Jude - no air at the gym? No way I would make it. I turn on the fans/portable air at home if I am going to work out. I sweat enough from the exercise - I would pass out if it was hot besides :lol:

Actually, that is one reason I like yoga in the summer. I do my routine first thing in the morning with the windows open. The cool breeze comes in, and the birds are singing so beautifully. It really is a nice way to start the day!

Jay - next weekend is the Rochester (MI) trip for a Trader Joe's run, some hiking, and some shopping (Birch Run Outlet Mall).

The first week in October will be the UP trip. We try to go to the UP every couple years, and we haven't been there for more than a day since 2005. We are long overdue.

The UP has such wonderful waterfalls - which DH loves. They are stress relievers unlike anything else for him. And, the added advantage is that you have to hike in to most of them - lost of exercise involved :)

This weekend is pretty routine around here - not much exciting going on. I do need to make more protein bars though. We seem to like my bars better than the processed ones, and they use up the okara (soy bean sludge left over from making soy milk) that is taking over my freezer.

Hope you all have a fun weekend! Enjoy!

Laurie

Native Australians
 

Hi ;)

Hi Jay
I have lived in Australia for 53 years but originally from Manchester UK. So I have no aboriginal blood in my family that I am aware of.
Incidentally, I have a book writen in 1938 the year of my birth, written by US dentist Weston A Price. The book is a fantastic classic health book, and I believe is still available on the net.
It's entitled Nutrition and Physical Degeneration...my point being that in it Dr Price states that the Australian aborigine was the most perfct specimen of humankind that he came across in his world wide travels and investigations. Now the Australian aboriginal health is abysmal since they have adopted, or rather "encouraged" to eat "white man's" food and other bad health habits. I find it very sad. :( It is a lesson for us all.
Anyway, on a brighter note, I hope everyone continues to enjoy their Northern Hemisphere summer, while we Down Under cohabit in the gloom (not really that bad actually! :carrot:)

It's our turn for the sun soon :-)

Alan

Hi, I don't know where the time has gone since my last entry. I've been biking, swimming, and kayaking. This is such a great time of the year to be outside.

Alan- Welcome, it sure is fun finding out about Australia. I've always wanted to go there. Maybe someday.

Laurie- I love the UP and all those waterfalls. I haven't been there in years. I guess it's time to revisit.

Jude- you seem to be having a great time in the out of doors.

I've been busy with I'm not sure what. We're picking up the grandkids and bringing them up north to our cottage this week. I can hardly wait. It's such fun seeing life through the eyes of a child. Talk to everyone soon.

Gosh, a new week already... :yikes:

Nice to see you posting, Flow! Sounds like you've been having a great time.

Hey Alan, I guess I didn't really mean "aboriginal" by "native." I just meant were you born there. :lol: In the U.S. we talk about "native Floridians," "California natives," and so on in that way--even though "native American" would mean American Indian... :dunno:

I think it is terrible what has happened to the Australian aboriginal people, especially after alcohol had been introduced. Same thing with native American people.

I'm looking into getting a new computer system. Mine is 8 years old and is finally getting too slow... and too small... for what I need to do. I like laptops. I was looking at switching to a Mac--I love Macs--but I've been working on a Windows machine all this time, and it seems like I can get a new ThinkPad with the fastest everything on it for significantly less money and less hassle. So, I'm probably going to stay with Windows.

I guess that's all I have to report. Oh, some of you remember I was going to the doctor to see about some health issues. Well, I did, and now of course I have to have tests. That will take more time... Sigh... It's a good thing there is really nothing wrong with me! :lol:

See ya!
Jay

Alan - we definitely have some pretty bad eating habits here in the states. I grew up in the first "junk food" generation, first fast food restaurants, etc.

I have had a lot of bad habits to unlearn over the years!

Lori - Sounds like you are having a wonderful summer!

Jay - I had a Thinkpad that I really liked. And I definitely prefer a laptop. If you have wireless at home, they are awesome.

We are considering a netbook for travel. My laptop is only 4 lbs, but we are into ultra-light traveling these days ;)

I totally understand about the tests. I had my last one for the year last week! Keep us posted on your results!

A busy start to the week here. Work is indeed heating up again, and I took my lunch time to go give blood. I did a yoga workout after work, and now I need to get some dinner together.

I'm glad we have a mini-vacation scheduled for the weekend! I'm already wishing Friday was here :lol:

Hope your day was terrific and ON PLAN!

I am interested in your story
 

How do people lose weight?

I am interested in writing a story about the many ways people lose weight.

Eating nothing but protein, or fruit, or vegetables?
Running the marathon (I wish!)
Water diet? No fat diet? There must be hundreds...there are thousands of books that's for sure. :)
How did you do it?
Are you still looking for the Holy Grail? :cool:

You can click on my goal story for more info, but in a nutshell:
Calorie counting (all things in moderation)
Eating mostly whole foods (30/40/40 split) - modifies Sonoma, Mediterranean, Flat Belly diet (incorporating MUFAs)
moderate daily exercise
Accountability - journaling my food, weight and exercise, posting here at 3fc, weighing daily, etc.
Vegetarian diet (though that is the norm - I was a fat vegetarian for years)


Really, just a lifestyle change that incorporated eating less, eating wisely, and moving more. Nothing dramatic, nothing exciting, tried and true strategies.

You can click on my goal story for more info, but in a nutshell:
`Calorie counting (all things in moderation)
`Eating mostly whole foods (30/40/40 split) - modified Sonoma, Mediterranean, Flat Belly diet (incorporating MUFAs)
`Moderate daily exercise
`Accountability - journaling my food, weight and exercise, posting here at 3fc, weighing daily, etc.
`Vegetarian diet (though that is the norm - I was a fat vegetarian for years)


Really, just a lifestyle change that incorporated eating less, eating wisely, and moving more. Nothing dramatic, nothing exciting, tried and true strategies.