This thread is a sub-set of the 300+ thread.

This group is for those dealing with the challenges of having a significant amount of weight to lose and being fit which becomes harder after age 40. If you're an old or new friend and not over 40 and feel this is the place to post, jump right in.

I wish I had time to reply to everyone... but I don't.
I truly appreciate and value each of you.

Barb... You asked our opinions of WW.
I wish I could tell you if it is worth it for you.
I did NOT want to join WW. I had tried it many times in my lifetime and never really successful with it. I resented the money. But I felt cornered into it... for SEVERAL reasons. I cried for three days prior to going because I did not want to go "that bad".

BUT ... the bottom line came down to.... I had "sincerely" tried to lose weight for 3 months "unsuccessfully". What I was doing wasn't working and I DESPERATELY needed to lose weight for my health, not ego.

So I made the decision that if I went... I would follow the instructions.
I tend to make up my own rules after a while.
And I would NOT determine my success by how much weight I lost... but rather by how closely I follow their instructions.

So far I am very happy I joined. I am not losing rapidly .. but I am losing every week. I have lost about 20 lbs so far. But I must add that I am also exercising daily too. It is not just the food that has changed... it is my total activity level too. I read labels constantly. And the fact that my husband is doing it with me has actually helped me... and I dreaded dieting with him. Men always lose faster. Grrrrr. BUT ... he is changing the rules to fit his "wants" a lot so he isn't blowing me out of the water. In fact, I have lost more than him.

Your question... is it right for YOU ??? Is it worth the $$$.
I resented those dollars before I joined.
But now... I am ever so grateful I spent them to save my health.
The older I get... the more valuable my health is over those $$.
But remember this.... Drinks at restaurants are almost $2 each nowadays. Order water.
One stop at McDonalds is $5.
One copay at the doctors office is $20 - $30.
If I avoid getting on medication for diabetis, there is my weekly WW dues ... plus saving money too. I not only save money doing WW then, I save my health too.

Does WW work ??? I have said this all along....
I think most plans will work.... WW, South Beach, Atkins, etc, etc.....
The answer is... "If you work it".
I made the decision to work the WW program... as they wrote it.... not my opinion of how they should have written it. So far ... so good.

Well said, 2cute!!!! And hurray for you!!!
You are doing AWESOME!!!

Here's a row of obscene carrots doing their dance just for you!

Thanks Thin. I am happy you posted... it looks like I scared everyone else away. ??
Hey folks... you don't have to agree with me.... I won't bite. LOL
I hope someone comes back in and posts so the whole gang comes back.
That was just my "opinion" ... not a rule of the thread.
Please come post. I am feeling very guilty that I scared everyone away.

Okay... I am going to go work out and do some of those obscene dances in the pool. They look like a good total body workout.
I will be back .... I sure hope to find some new posts.

Hi, all!

I wish this was separate from the over 300 group, as I'm over 40 but not over 300. However, I have over 100 pounds to lose -- short, so I'm very heavy for my height.

I'm a bit confused, as there are so far only three posts and two seem to be a continuation of a conversation on Weight Watchers?

Anyone else dealing with issues re trying to lose weight after 40? I've only been able to stay on a diet once before in my life, and I was 21 then. And circumstances were ideal, because I had a job that kept me moving all day...
Now, I'm in a desk job and have some knee problems keeping me from doing my favorite form of exercise, walking.

I don't think being 46 is making the weight loss slower. But the skin is not as firm... I worry about what it'll look like when I've lost a lot of my weight.

OTOH, I think I stand a better chance of keeping the weight off permanently, simply because my digestive system can no longer tolerate endless bags of potato chips. In other words, I can't overeat the way I used to, and I really feel significantly better when I eat right. I can eat spicy or greasy foods once in a while without getting sick, but I quickly get indigestion if I continue to eat them,.

Well, enough blathering. Anyone else?

Hi ladies,

I'm here - just not as often as before I lost the cable internet.

Its been a great day. The first Saturday in a long time that I didn't have to go somewhere or rushing around like crazy. DH went after the beef himself and left about 8:30. Its a long drive so he was gone until after noon. I had such a nice day. I'd watch a bit of FoodTV, get up do something, sit back down, get up do something, etc. I had to rearrange freezers out in the garage since we picked up my sis's half of the beef. I watered the horses. I sprayed Spanky and made him dance as he loves to be sprayed with water. I unpacked and organized the pantry stuff. I unpacked some of the dresser stuff. Watered the tomatoes. I.E. just putzed around. After DH came home and we unpacked all the beef, I thought I deserved to lay on the bed. Our bedroom faces the front so laying on the bed gives me a great view of the driveway and the west side of the pasture. I can't tell you how it made me feel to be laying there and all of a sudden, four young horses trotted right into my view; all four munching side-by-side. Ginger tends to stay off by herself these days - not sure if its the late stage of pregnancy or else the young ones annoy her! We had a good afternoon of rain too. We sat out on the front porch and watched it rain for a while. We did take a drive into town (pop 1092) which we enjoyed and dumbass dog did too.

Its been a long time since it felt like LIFE IS GOOD!

2Cute - I have hummingbirds too! I think of you every time I see them. I put out a feeder and saw one today drinking from it but I see them more around the rose of sharon plant. I want to buy more to hang from shepherd's hooks more in the flower bed area. I loved what you wrote in response to Barb.G's question. for losing 20 pounds. I don't think you've been mentioning much about losses so I was thrilled to see that for you.

Barb.G - Ditto 2Cute - Its about what you're willing to put into it and what priority it is for you and the $. I've used the WW Online and really liked it. However, its like anything else - you have to put the time into the journalling. Lots of great food ideas though.

Siena - Welcome! You don't have to be, or have been, over 300 pounds to be part of the group. I was close and joined because of the friendship between the ladies. I struggle with losing weight being married and not quite as in control of my own time as when I was most successful at losing in my mid-30's. I also have a desk job, tricky knees, but now have a hip that isn't quite right which causes pain in the tendon/ligament sometimes when I lift my leg. Makes exercise hard somedays.

Okay, I know I should go back to the other threads and do more replies. But DH is bugging me to get our after dinner snack. I'd gripe more about it if he could walk better although it does annoy me when he does that as soon as I get on the computer.

I'll try to check in with ya'll tomorrow! Have a great night!

Hi everybody!
Well, the will is reasserting itself. *sigh* I come home after work and don't want to cook, I don't even feel like taking anything out of the freezer. In fact, I just don't feel like eating. The heat is making me very sluggish and with all the "roughage" and whole foods i'm just full most of the time and not even meeting my goal on calories. I'm doing a lot of drinking water, V-8, munching on things like Jicama and Snap Peas. Not the worst there is of course, but I know that if I get to bored with what i'm eating the next
"thing" is just a step away. Oh well, my day off is Monday. Hopefully, I get things back together then. I did happen to buy the cutest individual loaf pans. I'll have to come up with something for those, maybe a salmon loaf.

Hi Siena, Don't be confused, it's probably just a slow day. They make a new thread every week, so if you want to look at the past discussions, look for a lower number. The ladies will discuss just about anything. I've always gotten the feeling that a support group is more than food, diet and excercise, it's how we live and deal with our lives in the process. I'm fairly new on here so I probably have a tendency to talk more about food than some of the ladies since it's still such a challenge for me.

Thin, that episode with the insurance just makes me want to SPIT NAILS!!!

Valerie, I didn't catch whether you got an answer on the Suduko puzzles, so i'll answer. They are like cross words but with numbers. A bunch of people at work are absolutely ADDICTED!

Terri, feathers in the pantry??? Hmmm...

Babysteps, I'm sending warm and fuzzies your way...

Barbara, I haven't done WW in years so I can't really speak to that, but spending money never kept me from doing something I shouldn't or kept me doing something I should. It certainly never kept me in a gym

Ok, have to try and get some dinner together, have a good night.

Good morning hen buddies, or should that be biddies? How are all of you this fine Sunday morning?

I am a little weirded out this morning. I got up in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen and when I started toward our den I saw a red light in the back yard that looked like a tail light, it was moving to the side of the yard, and before I could get to the big window on the back it went out of sight.....so strange. I told DH about it this morning and he is going to look around the yard after daylight. We have about two acres behind us, with a stand of pines between us and a pasture on the other side of that. No houses right behind us. We have two storage houses and a small shed back there, and I don't know if someone was snooping around down there or what the heck that was. UFO maybe, and no I had not been in the cooking sherry! LOL!

Terri, it sounds as if your life is finally getting settled down and enjoyable. I know you love having your ponies where you can keep an eye on them.

2cute, good for you! We hate to do the things we need to do, but you are doing them!

can'tforgethis, Take those mini pans and make zucchini bread. LOL! I wish I could send you some zucchini, that darn stuff grows like mint.

Hi Thin

siena, We are happy to have you join us. Not everyone who post on here is over 300. Hopefully all of us will get below that and still post here with our friends.

Hello to everyone who hasn't posted yet. See ya later, Ruth

I was so happy to see some posters this morning.

Valerie... I feel so bad that I did not respond to your question about the Suduko puzzles. I work hard to hit everyone when I do replies... but I don't do replies every time I read and many people fall into that pitfall of mine. Again I am so sorry I forgot to reply.

Suduko is a number puzzle. You find them in the newspaper and in little books like crossword puzzles. It is a grid of nine squares across and nine squares down. Within that grid are boxes of 3x3 squares too.
In those squares are a few numbers scattered here and there.
Your goal is to fill in the empty squares with the correct numbers so that each row, each column, and each 3x3 box contains the numbers 1-9 with no repeats.
I began with a childrens version which were 6x6 squares instead and much easier....which got me hooked .. and now I do the grown up versions. You can buy them anywhere for variety of prices... but I got mine at the $1 store. I am the last of the big spenders.

Siena.... I also want to welcome you to our little group
You definitely don't have to weigh 300lbs. It is basicly a group for those who have a lot of weight to lose... but even that is not a requirement.
It just helps knowing that the others in the group can relate to our struggles.
As for "blathering" ... We LOVE blathering.

Ruth... I agree with you... hopefully one day there will be an abundance of "formerly" overweight hens here helping each other stay slimmer, healthier and FIT !!! It helps so much to see others who have over come age, exercise restrictions, and the such. If they did it... so can all of us.

Can'tforget/Karen ... I hate cooking and variety is the spice of life.
I could totally relate to what comes "next" if we start feeling like we don't want to do anything.

Terri... your new home sounds PERFECT for you !!! I am so happy you are finally getting to enjoy life again.
I am so happy you have some hummingbirds too. Keep fresh food out for them and they will keep coming back. Late July and all of August is the best time for them here. I have about 5 now... but will get up to 40 or more by the end of August. Of course you need more than one feeder for that. LOL

Thin... are you doing your movie jobs today ??? How are the boys ??

Okay... gotta run. I went to bed at 10 pm last night and up by 5 am....that is unusual for me. LOL I plan to go work in the yard for an hour before it gets too hot.

Biddies--yeah, I like that!! I don't mind being called a biddie!

Good morning biddies!

Today is going to be a cleaning day. Family starts coming in on Friday, and Saturday I'm going to have a house full between the wedding and reception. DD is going to come over today and we'll make fudge--fantasy and orange creme, and a batch of buckeyes, then need to go look for a pair of shoes for me and she needs a quick stop at Walgreens. I finally got that Pro Fore wrap off my leg...it's been 1 1/2 years! I took my first shower last night without having that leg wrapped in plastic! Talk about a weird feeling--the bottom of that foot hasn't felt a floor for a looooooooong time. I'm returning to the land of the living, I believe! Somewhere I made a really comprehensive list of things to do before Friday...too bad I can't find it!!

We went to a graduation party yesterday. The weather was beautiful for a change, no rain. The tree debris was mostly removed yesterday, but the man that looked at the remains of the tree said it needs to come out sooner rather than later...it's about 60 feet tall, a shag bark hickory, and it really makes me sad to have lost this beautiful old tree...but that's nature.

DD is trying to hang in there, but has so many sad moments, and I feel so helpless seeing her suffer like this. Big time tests start tomorrow, and they'll know Thursday results from the bone marrow biopsy...this should be the happiest time of her life, but it's not. Honestly, I wish they'd have postponed this wedding until they got through this, and then celebrated. But she was totally unreceptive to that suggestion. They are going to have a tremendous struggle financially...neither has much of a job to speak of, and I'd imagine he'll not be able to work once his treatments start. She has two degrees, but finding a teaching position in Ohio is next to impossible. She is hoping that the job she had last year--full-time tutor for LD kids (but part time status, meaning no benefits) will be offered to her again. If it's not, I don't know what they will do. I honestly don't. It's really a worry...

2Cute~~great post about WW! I tried it years ago, but had two small kids and just couldn't be faithful to the meetings. I have joined Calorie King on line, and I think it's doing me a world of good right now.

Barb~~How much money do you have to put out to join WW? That's a tough call, but I think if you are of the mind that you'll be more successful by joining WW, it may be worth a shot. I did join WW online less than a year ago for three months, I think, and it just was not helpful to me. I found, (for myself, remember,) that doing the Calorie King and coming here to post daily keeps me in line. Plus, the most important thing, in my mind, I had to lose this weight NOW. So, I guess if you're at that place in your mind that you're determined that this is what's going to do it, it will probably be well worth the money. Good luck in making a decision.
Terri~~Sounds to me like you had a well-deserved, fabulous Saturday!! You needed that! Wow--population of 1092, huh? Sounds like the little town I grew up in here in Ohio! I think it sounds like a great place for you to call home.

Karen~~What's the temp out where you live? Do you get this disgusting humidity? That's the part that kills me--I swear it just drains the energy right out of a person's body. Right now, the dew point is 55 and the temp right now is 74 so this may turn into another nice day. I hope we have a decent day today since I have a lot of errands to run. I did Sudoku puzzles for a while, but I love playing gin at Yahoo, and found myself back there. I even went and bought several Sudoku books, that are now just sitting on my bookshelves...maybe I'll take them on vacation. They might be fun to do while we're at the house.

Ruth~~Weird weird weird! Make sure you post when you figure out what the light was. Are you sure you weren't into that cooking sherry? I love zucchini in soup. I remember my aunt used to give it to my mom by the bushel, practically! The only thing I remember my mother ever doing with it was zucchini bread.

Siena~~Isn't it amazing how we can no longer tolerate the over-eating? I found that to be even more pronounced when I started to eat right and really cut back on the carbs. Now, several small meals a day, at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, and positive thinking and determination is working for me. I think you'll enjoy it here. This is a very supportive and comforting group.

A big to everyone else--hope to read more posts later today! Have a good OP day biddies!!

Charlotte

Good Morning ladies...though I like biddies as well......I appreciated the comments about WW/money/whole program and most of all the commitment to do something completely rather than "our way". I'm not sure what program I'll do after I finish this start with medifast (I'd love to just continue with it but it isn't the best way to learn to live and eat in the real world). My doctor is very pro WW but I"ve had less than wonderful experiences....However, to be fair...I have gone into meetings with a negative feeling...the idea of a weight loss being announced and applauded somehow hits me the wrong way...but I'll take to heart the idea that I should give whatever program it is a fair chance. Plus, like others, I still hang onto this concept that it is something I "ought to be able to do by myself".

I had great success 17 years ago with Physician's Weight Loss centers...problems are A) I can't afford it again B) the closest centers are now almost 700 miles away from me C) even though it was touted as being professionally staffed they missed all the major signs that I was slipping into another cycle of eating disorders/bulimia and anorexia and D) it wasn't all that healthy either...however, the one on one consults really worked for me...so I'm looking for somthing like that I guess...but with the learning instruction of eating your own food as opposed to the pre packaged meals some centers require...

Enough of that...had a grand day yesterday with the grandkidlets...we planted container gardens for both of them (a week or so late but I bought pretty advanced tomatoe and pepper plants...can't be guaranteed of no frost until June 1st and September is iffy as well...so we start with plants). They also talked me into smaller containers for flowers..the deck is quite ablaze with pots of growing things.....but mostly it was just fun. The youngest one wanted to plant watermelons and strawberries...so we found a place where wild strawberries are thriving and figured if they did well our cultlivated ones might survive there as well....crossed fingers....Our soil is a layer of sand on top of heavy clay....so things don't grow too terribly well...hence the containers on the deck for all but the berries and melons...

Enough of that....my DS#1 and DDIL are away for the weekend so I think the little guys and I will go to a movie this afternoon as it promises to rain yet again.

Just know that reading messages and good wishes from each of you keeps me motivated to do thiss program for at least one more day.....I'm trying really hard NOT to project ahead (hard for me...hence the name)...I tend to try to figure out what size I"ll be, how much I'll weigh by a certain date..and am ineveitably disappointed...leading into a BAD cycle...so for now...just babysteps..

PS...what do the little eggs mean at the bottom left of the posts...some have yolks in them, some exclaimation marks...some are plain...

Baby steps, I THINK the yolk means that person is on-line at that time, and the ! is to report someone for posting something unacceptable? Put your cursor over them WITHOUT clicking.

SIENA, WELCOME. I come and go because I'm outa town so much and can't always get on-line. I drive a truck long-haul for the time being, but have gone back to school so I can get off that thing and STAY HOME more. But I love coming back here when I can. It's a great group! As for losing weight, the trucking makes it a little more complicated to lose. I put on 70 pounds when I got married and started driving with my husband because there was no longer time to get out and walk, and I would eat just to keep him company when he ate. Now I have a bigger, better fridge on the truck, so I try to take my own food and stay out of the restaurants.

2CUTE, never feel bad because you can't get back to me on something. I certainly know how few hours there are in a day, and I can't alwasy reply to everyone the way I'd like to either... as a matter of fact, I almost Never can... even now I should be gettng ready to hit the road tonight. GOOD post on your WW experience!! Thank you for that!

CHARLOTTE, This is SOOOO me! My prayers are still with your loved ones as well.

RUTH Spooky, that red light. Did your DH find any tracks or anything?

KAREN, thanks for the 'come back' on the Suduko puzzles. I think I've seen them now that you discribe them. The salmon-loaf sounds really good. I'll be there as soon as I can.

TERRI, DEFINATELY sounds like heaven to me. I've been offered 2 thoroughbreds recently, and can't take them because I don't have a place for them. Imagine how I'll start collecting horses when I finally have room! Enjoy your babies and your hummingbirds for me, too.

LILION... where U B? Do we have to send a bailiff out to look for you?

AS for me and my weekend adventure, the bad news is I slipped up and had 4 CC cookies at the horse show yesterday, but the good news is that otherwise it was an outstandingly good day - I didn't let it turn to hoohy, in spite of ENORMOUS Taco Bell and 'spicy chicken' sandwich cravings. Plus, Nina won Grand Champion in her division, 15 & over, English. Unfortunately we didn't get my student with the mustang to the show, but hopefully next time.

I think I've seen the scale relent a little and back off from the 290's it was threatening when I came home a week ago - NO applause - none of the weigh-in were official, and after all my ticker still reads 286 which is still about where I am. I have 3 weeks until I come home again (unless I get home for the 4th) and 4 weeks until fair. I'm going to set that as a goal time, not in numbers, but in effort. My "I can do anything for just 14 days" mindset got me started a year ago, so that's what I'm working with now. I can do anything until I come home next month, around July 15th-16th.

SO here it is, my promise in writing:
I PROMISE TO EAT RIGHT, STAY OFF THE JUNK & THE WHITE STUFF UNTIL I COME HOME IN JULY.
I PROMISE TO EAT ON THE TRUCK, NOT F.F. OR TRUCKSTOPS UNTIL I COME HOME IN JULY.
I PROMISE TO EXERCISE EVERY DAY UNTIL I COME HOME IN JULY.
and I guess I better PROMISE NOT TO EVEN LOOK AT A SCALE UNTIL I COME HOME IN JULY. (That's gonna be a tough one.)
I'm a lousy liar, so I know I'll be honestly accountable. I've just gotta kick this in the kiester. I've been siezed by the I-WANNA-RIDE!!! syndrome. I wanna take lessons and improve myself. I found myself saying OUT LOUD "Do I want to eat ____, or do I want to ride? I can't do both." Nothing tastes better than dressage.

Thinthinker - yeah, my insurance company isn't paying anything toward this - but I used the health savings account at work to put about 2500 away towards this - it's a good start. And since it's my front tooth, I really don't want to put in a bridge.
Oh, well, so I'll never be rich - but we're more concerned about some other things - my internist wanted to put me on fosamax, since my bone density is down to the osteopenia level, but there are a couple of recorded cases where fosamax and dental implants equalled death.
Now, they were both people with compromised immune systems, but still ...
And I had some questions about the bone implant = there's a big scandal about stolen body parts, people who didn't volunteer to be donors, and health.

2cute - didn't chase me away - it was just so pretty outside - to heck with the computer!


Sienna - welcome, glads you're here. What I learn here is that our lives affect our food, and I can share what's going on.


Terri - it sounds like this may have be the house you wanted = and the horses too.

Ruth - don't worrry, it's probably someone just checking out your sheds for some nefarious purpose.

Charlotte - Love those lists! The week before a wedding is so hectic, just try to enjoy it.

Well, this was another of those incredibly beautiful weekends here in Michigan - we sat outside, watered things, walked the dog - she's going insane, we have LOTS of bunnies, and enjoy ourselves.
Went out shopping, where I had a Starbucks Chai Latte (can't drink coffee), worked out, just relaxed and was with my family.
Happy. Content. A little mosquito bit.
We picked like a container of wild black raspberries -- kids' breakfast in AM.
Hear it's going to rain tomorrow, so I don't mind going back to work, sort of.

Oh, yeah, and I lost 3 lbs last week. This is kind of fun - When we went mall crawling today, my knees didn't hurt nearly as much.

Take care,

Sue

SUE! YIKES! That's a heck of a choice, isn't it!? I'm glad your communication with your doc was good enough that he caught that before he just started you on it!!

ADIOS chickies. I'm off into the wild blue yonder for a bit...