calling out to women 50+

I'd like to start this thread specifically for women who are 50 or over.

As a 53 year-old woman, myself, I am finding new challenges, unexpected difficulties and wonderful insights on my path to getting to and maintaining my health, weight and body shape.

What seemed to work for me as little as five years ago doesn't work quite the same anymore. My body doesn't seem to respond to what I consider healthy eating habits and good workout schedules as it even in my middle to late 40s'.

SO, I am would to hear from those out there who are finding themselves in situations. OR NOT, maybe you can enlighten the rest of us as to how you keep your shape, or how you're getting into better shape and a healthier overall lifestyle.

Hopefully this will be the start of something wonderful, educational, funny-offer up jokes anecdotes, whatever!

LET'S GET STARTED!

Hi all!

Robbie, I've done that w/my son and boyfriend.  It's just when he gets started talking he doesn't shut up.  AND he keeps repeating himself!  Almost funny, except it's drivng me up a wall, and Kieran feels that he 'talks down' to him.

You've all given me some great chicken recipes.  Some I have made variations of, and other are completely new.  So, I now have a new project when thinking about making some of my meals.  Thank you

Welcome Ms. cupcake

Your issues are our issues and why this thread was started in the first place.  None of us here can get with the 20 year-old young woman, or the 40 year-old man with their weight and exercise issues.   We've all walked the same or very similiar paths.

As an added bonus, which I never expected to begin with, there's a commaradie here on many levels.  Since I've been coming here spotty, I am not up on all that is going on.  When I get a chance to peruse the posts I get a laugh and at times shed a tear with what is being shared here.

YOU HAVE come to the right place.  Come here, come often, hang around!

renee

Original Post by robbie615:

 I am sorry. I should have included you in my list of inspiring wiight loss colleagues. You really always have worthwhile comments, Carol. Are you a counsellor, by any chance?

Robbie

 That is OK, I am quieter than the others.  And many of them have lost more than I have.  I don't post when I lose here, mostly because that would limit me to two posts a month. 

No, I am not a counselor.  I am a computer geek.  I thought about going into psychology, but decided that I was too blunt and impatient to succeed in the field.

No, I am not a counselor. I am a computer geek. I thought about going into psychology, but decided that I was too blunt and impatient to succeed in the field.

I am so the same. But, I admire your bluntness because it's tempered by intelligence.

I was thinking today that our 50+ group is the opposite of high school, where young women were generally insecure, cliquey and catty; we couldn't really be good support to each other because we were so worried about what people would think. Come to think of it, maybe that was just me.  Here, I find we really are inclusive and find the best in each other. I appreciate that change of life.

Good evening everyone! I just finished catching up on the posts. My, you have all been talking a lot. That's great. But I had a busy two days of work and feel a little behind.

Welcome Catie! Wow, everyone has already offered some really good advice. About all I can do is say "Amen" to what they have shared already. Please stick around. I think you will find a lot of encouragement here. When I get discouraged (and I do) I just remind myself that I really don't like my alternatives. I was headed down a path of destruction and I never want to get on that path again. Even if I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace or not moving at all. That's still better than giving up and going down that slippery slope of self destruction again. Some people's stories are that they have always been overweight and are finally becoming thinner and healthier for the first times in their lives. Mine is different. I used to be thin when I was young but midlife  changed everything.

When I get discouraged is when I wish I could turn back the clock and not have to work so hard at being thin again. But when I do that I try to give myself a reality check and realize that I will never be 20 again but I sure can be a healthier 53+ year old if I put some effort into it. Then I ask myself, what do I want to be like when I am 60 or 70? The answer is easy. I want to be as strong and healthy as a 60 or 70 year old can be. Or at least as strong and healthy as I can be at that age. So I better start now. I wish I had started earlier but now is better than not at all.

Robbie - You add links to the posts by highlighting the text you want to link and then look above where you see the little icons for bold, italics, underline, etc. Just the left of the spell checker (the ABC with a check mark) are two symbols. a chain link and a broken chain link. They only work after you highlight some text. If you click the chain link, you will get a pop up box that you can use to insert a hyperlink. No need to fill any anything else, just the url for where you want to link the text to. If you want to unlink something, use the broken link icon.

The way I did my melded pics was with a photo program. I use Dreamweaver Fireworks but any photoshop type program should work.

Joanna - I got the virtual me model at this link.

snow - Someone mentioned caster oil and it does work but only if everything is ready to go. Other safe natural ways to induce are the following. (I don't mind mentioning these because they are pretty common knowledge among women who use midwives but I probably should give the following disclaimer:  It is always best to check with your health care provider before taking any herbs during pregnancy.)

• LOTS of sex helps get labor going sometimes - the seamen has prostoglandians in it that ripen the cervix. In fact, the drug Cervidil that is used by doctors to induce labor sometimes is actually made from pig seamen (one of the many reasons I prefer natural methods over drugs).
  
• Nipple stimulation - electric breast pump, nursing or ask hubby
• Evening Primrose Oil - taken both orally and vaginally - softens the cervix
• Go on a date with her husband and get her mind off waiting as much as possible! "The watched pot never boils."
  

Congratulations to all of you who have lost this week. That's great!

I'm using my daughter's computer today at her house. It's really really slow! Frustrating! We are babysitting while she and her husband are out-of-town for a couple of days. She has 4 children. They are in bed now. Love the grandkids!!!

A former client took me out to eat today. I thought I did really well by ordering quiche and fruit. But when I looked up some recipes for quiche after I got home, I found a huge difference in calories depending on what went in it as far as the cheese and milk (or cream). So now I don't know if I really did good or not. To make matters worse, I think I got food poisoning! My apprentice and I both got really bad stomach aches about 8 hours later. I thought I was going to die but never threw up, only wished I had. I'm better now but still not quite right. So I didn't walk tonight. So, I'm kinda bummed about today's calorie intake vs exercise.

Tomorrow's another day, though. I hope everyone has a good one.

~ Beth

A week has gone by with no logging, no gym, and little exercise besides running after 4 darling grandkids. Guess what? No gain, even a slight loss. I also didn't lose the pesky 4 lbs I gained June/July but I am maintaining. The green line for trends on my weight log has finally stopped going up. I discovered that the small chocolate covered ice cream bars are 190 calories and I can eat just one! They are delicious, a wonderful, once in a while treat and I don't feel compelled to finish the box, like a pint of ice cream.

I'm back logging and perhaps I will get back to my goal weight. Went to the gym for 90 minutes and ached this morning, but after an hour it was gone.

Nice to be back and catch up on everyone's news.

We had our grandkids last night for dinner and most of the evening - their parents were meeting with the electrician doing the work at their home that is being built. LOL phox - no wonder you didn't gain - kids are so busy ... there is a reason you have them when you are younger! LOL

phox I have trouble logging some days too - summer is just so busy - I do better when I log but there are just so many hours in a day. I'll be better at logging when I am back to work - all too soon to! Glad you are maintaining and good for you getting to the gym. I haven't been there all summer - I will be paying for that this fall when I start back - just can't fit it in with the yardwork, grandkids and golf! LOL

Yesterday on my way home from golf league(I had an 88 today ) I stopped at a produce stand that is on the way - they had fresh raspberries and I got corn on the cob - one thing the kids will eat. Ohhh those raspberries - heavenly - and my grandaughter who is the worst eater loved them!! I'm going up there again today and see if they have more!

catie Welcome! You've already gotten lots of good advice from everyone here. Don't hesitate to ask, complain, vent or just tell us a story! LOL That's what we all do!

robbie said  Here, I find we really are inclusive and find the best in each other. I appreciate that change of life. How true!! I feel like I have a whole new group of friends - yet I've never personally met any of you! Congrats on the 124 - I knew you'd get back there!!!! My poor hubby has double ...uh maybe that's triple ..chins and he's not overweight just the genetics of his family. No good solution to solve that problem.. Me I try not to get too fussed up over my chubby knees, thick ankles ... LOL just can't change that stuff I was born with!   Having shot in the 120's when I first started golf, I try very hard to be encouraging to others. I worked at my game to get where I am, but it is not important to others to score low - each to their own. We have ladies in our league who shoot 75 for 9 holes but they still come and have fun! I hope when I'm 80 and shooting 75 someone tries to encourage me!

BethMy daughter is an instructional designer(designs computer training programs) - computer guru! - she loves the  Dreamweaver program. Hope you're feeling better - I love quiche too - sorry it made you sick. When I was awaiting the birth of my twins, I was supposed to be on bedrest so they could gain weight - xray(no ultrasound in those days LOL) estimated they weighed 3 pounds around the first of January. Well the due date came and went and I was sooo miserable -huge to be exact - one sitting on bladder and the other up under my ribcage making me  feel like I had to stretch out all the time LOL  you know I'm only 5'1" so there wasn't a lot of room- anyways one day I couldn't take it and went shopping  - next day I went into labor! LOL Their birth weights 5lb 3oz and 5lb 10 oz!!! That was a lot of baby

snowYour B/P sounds a little on the low side - maybe you will be able to get off your med!! One more benefit of losing weight! 

Bex  That salsa sounds good but we do not have a Costo anywhere nearby

Hope everyone has a great day! If it keeps raining I will have to readjust the plan for today - which was to mow the grass and clean the inside of my hubby's truck! It was supposed to be nice and I left all my brand new patio furniture uncovered - now it's soaked

Hi all. Life goes on in the lazy days of summer. Weather is great, work is slow, don't have anything really noteworthy to share today so thought with the US election drawing ever closer and bombarding everyone's lives I would share a little global political humor this morning. No offense intended. It's called Political Science for Dummies, and I don't know who to credit for it, but it made me laugh.

DEMOCRAT

You have 2 cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful.

REPUBLICAN

You have 2 cows. Your neighbor has none. So?

SOCIALIST

You have 2 cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow. 

COMMUNIST

Your have 2 cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive, and sour.

BUREAUCRACY, CANADIAN STYLE

You have 2 cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE

You have 2 cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cattle.

AMERICAN CORPORATION

You have 2 cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself, and do an IPO on the second one. You force the 2 cows to produce the milk of 4 cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION

You have 2 cows. You go on strike because you want 3 cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have 2 cows. You redesign them so they are one tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class in cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION

You have 2 cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION

You have 2 cows but you don"t know where they are. While ambling around you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION

You have 2 cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have 5 cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over the number of cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION

You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are 2. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production, but use the money to buy weapons instead.

IRAQI CORPORATION

You have 2 cows. They go into hiding. They send tapes of their mooing to the radio station.

POLISH CORPORATION

You have 2 bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed for attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION

You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks she's French, other times she's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION

You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown cow best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally some guys from out of state`come and tell you which one you think is the best looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION

You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only 5 speak English. Most are illegal. Arnold likes the one with the big udders.

 - Bex

Super busy teaching today. Can't write much. Had to tell Bex though that you made me laugh. I must be very politically incorrect. There's a woman in my class who clearly used to be a man. I was trying so hard not to notice, but when I played the witness and she examined me, I kept saying, "Yes, sir." Felt like crawling under the table. So awkward. I hope I didn't ruin her learning experience.

Today after yoga class a woman of a certain age announced to the teacher that this was the first Friday morning in years (she wouldn't state a number when asked) that she hasn't spent cleaning her house. No more. She has seen the light. Now she was going to do yoga every Friday morning. I thought that though we lose physical flexibility as we grow older we gain wisdom and freedom. It is easy to complain about how hard it is to lose weight as we age, and on and on, but we also need to celebrate what we have gained (along with the weight!).

Have a great weekend everyone.

Phox told me about this group and I'd like to join you.  I'm 55 and have that perma-belly I read about in earlier postings.  That made me chuckle.  I have lost five pounds since I started Calorie Count and I will reach my goal--eventually.  I want to be lighter for my joints and my blood pressure.  So far I've managed to be healthy as I've aged and I'm working toward continuing that.

We're traveling next week but I'll join you again when I get home.

rebbex, yeah, she's trying to walk alot.  she really wanted 08/08/08, just because it's kind of cute.  :D

robbie, that's funny!  LOL  i always blamed my high blood pressure on the doc.  i told him that he made me nervous.  it's low now though.  the nurse got me on the scale & started at 150 & started going up!  i was like, do i look like i gained?  i was 142 on their scale & that's another 5 gone.  last time i was 147.  :D

he won't take me off the pills.  even with readings on 90/58!  i think he's waiting for me to get fat again!  the jerk...  i won't do it...  i am NOT gaining any of that weight back.  nope.  not this time...  i never did a lifestyle change before.  :D  if i had dieted, i'd already be gaining by now.  hehe  when you diet, you're done, but a lifestyle change is forever.

southern, sex, nipple stimulation...  i think she already gets that.  :D  she told me today that she's decided to have it tomorrow.

i've been eating alot since i'm maintaining now, but not much walking.  it keeps raining.  i've been exercising instead.  :D  the family is STILL getting on my case!  what the heck?!  i'm going to buffets almost every other day & outeating everyone!!!  how can they say i don't eat...

whatever...  they'll get used to the new me...  someday  :D

Hello all,

I have to keep this brief today because I am babysitting for my daughter. She and her husband are out of town until this evening. So Larry and I have been staying at their house a couple of nights. Boy, am I ready to go back to being just a grandparent. This full time parenting gig is for the young!

Snow - I knew a lady whose due date was in mid January of '02 but she wanted her baby's birthday to be 02/02/02. So she held on until then. And sure enough, she had the baby on 02/02/02 and as a bonus had the baby at 2:20! That part she didn't plan on but it just worked out. She wasn't my client but she did have a home birth.

Snow, if you're not walking and you are eating a lot, you need to be careful. Do you know whether or not you are keeping your calories within maintenance levels?

I weighed 181.0 again this morning. Yesterday I weighed 179.2! But I did eat late last night and I have noticed that eating late sometimes make me weigh more the following morning. But before the drop yesterday I was at 181 for more than 6 days in a row. In fact, last Friday I was 181.2. I sure hope tomorrow I'm back down. I really want to be through with the 180's forever. This does make me wonder how hard the next 10 pounds will be to loose. So I think I'll push the water and lemon today just in case I'm retaining water.

Have a good day everyone. I've got to go keep up with the four grandkids now. (ages 2, 4, 5, 7).

~ Beth

Hi all,

Went to the Jonny Lang concert last night and got 2 surprises. First one was that I was almost deaf by the time I came out of the concert hall, and there was I, beaking off the other day, that the sound would be regulated. Second surprise was that a girlfriend I hadn't seen in a long time went with me and asked if I had lost weight. Yay! I was beginning to think nobody would ever notice. I put on a pair of track pants today to go walking and noticed they were loose. I couldn't get them on a few months ago. Guess that's why I'm feeling so good this morning, and not just because it's Friday.

Welcome NCQuilter. You have beautiful dogs and a big back yard! Have a great vacation!

Snow - I'm crossing my fingers that 08/08/08 comes true for your daughter. How cool would that be? How do you keep the sodium under control eating at the buffet all the time?  We had pommes frites last night at a very chic urban wine bar. That's just pretentious for French Fries. The fries were served with grated cheese and French mayo which was mixed with lemon juice, garlic, and capers. Usually my ankes swell just looking at capers. I think they got the potatoes from France judging by the bill. First time I've ever had "pommes frites" with Sauvignon Blanc, but what the heck, maybe it's a new trend. You will be able to get off the bp medication once he sees you maintaining your weight for 6 months probably.

Beth - one of the couples I was out with last night has 4 grandchildren and they were lamenting just like you about how much energy it takes to keep up with them. The sore shoulders and arms from lugging toddlers around is a killer. My hat is off to you for pitching in, even although it is a special pleasure for you to be with them, it is a mountain of effort for sure. Such good grandparents! You will be in the 170's next week as a reward. You have the right attitude!

Phox - I agree. I feel the old hang ups flying out the window the older I get. It just isn't worth sweating the small stuff, is it? Here's to Freedom!

Robbie - LOL! Hopefully she didn't think you had Alzheimer's or a drinking problem. How is Tom's rehab going?

Thought for today - "The truth is more important than the facts." - anon.

southern, that's really cool how that lady did that!  it's amazing!  i'm trying to walk, but it's raining alot.  at least i'm exercising & that's alot harder anyway, i think.  that'll be nice when you're done babysitting, huh?  lol  i do that, too.  i go to their house when i babysit because it's so much easier.  2, 4, 5 & 7!  wow!!!

no, on most days i'm well over my maintenance calories.  i really don't quite get it, but it all seems to be averaging out.  does lemon really help with retaining water?  i've seen you post that before & so i've been drinking it lately.  maybe that's helping me too then.  i ate that stuffing & chicken wings kind of late last night & still lost a little!  :D 

i'm not back down to 134 yet, but i'm not worried about it.  i know my weight will always fluctuate, but i refuse to go any higher than 139.  i'm 137 today & i'm not gonna eat less to get back down to 134.  i'm "teaching" the body that it's maintaining now & it'll just have to burn them extra calories.  it seems to be working! 

i'll just have to try real hard to keep my metabolism up & i seem to be doing that.  i actually just got up the nerve to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 4 mph.  hubby is working & ang didn't say anything...  YET!

if you ate late, that's not real weight anyway.  :D

rebbex, that's always awesome when people notice your weight loss!  congrats!!!

6 months?  :(  oh well, i can do that!  i don't know about the sodium.  i know i have way too much at the buffets.  way, way, way too much.  even on a good day & eating at home, i normally have 150% or more of my daily recommended amount.  maybe it's the bp pill helping?  LOL

Good morning all

phox - LOL about the older we get thing - my girlfriend always says "I'm 50+ I don't have to do that or put up with this" LOL

Bex - Don't mean to sound dumb but who is Jonny Lang?? I laughed at your political commentary!

snow - 8/8/08 would be too cool! Maybe the baby will think so to! Since you've lost your weight maybe you will be able to eat a little more than maintenance and not gain - it will be a learning experience to see where you need to be calorie wise to maintain. With all your exercise you might be surprised what you can eat and still maintain! By the way - lots of ppl have "white coat syndrome" LOL I take B/P's at school for lots of ppl - always lower with me - guess I'm not as intimidating as the Doctor!

Welcome NCQuilter! Wow it looks beautiful on your deck, mountains in the background- where do you live? We're glad you joined us! Have a great vacation.

I cleaned my garage today - the last big project I wanted to complete before school starts. Now it is all ready for my car! LOL Hasn't been in there all summer... too much junk! Weight today 120.6!! ...slowly but surely I'm getting closer to the teens. Thought I ate too much yesterday -had 1600 calories and was down in weight this am - maybe most days I don't eat enough for the amount of exercise that I get. But I eat when I'm hungry - I just stay full for a long while after and can't eat a lot at one time.

Have a great day everyone!

I just wanted to post a quick note. I just realized that when I got below 184 (a couple of weeks ago), my BMI officially entered the "normal - healthy" range! I needed some good news to lift my spirits today and that news sure did the trick! Yeah!

Only 2 more hours of babysitting left. Thank God for Star Wars DVDs, Chuck-E-Cheese and my wonderful husband or I think I would have pulled my hair out today. That sounded terrible. Really the kids have been wonderful. I'm just ready to be back home.

~ Beth

Original Post by robbie615:

Super busy teaching today. Can't write much. Had to tell Bex though that you made me laugh. I must be very politically incorrect. There's a woman in my class who clearly used to be a man. I was trying so hard not to notice, but when I played the witness and she examined me, I kept saying, "Yes, sir." Felt like crawling under the table. So awkward. I hope I didn't ruin her learning experience.

LOL Robbie, you and I are soooo similar.  Sometimes I think that I only open my mouth to change my feet!

Original Post by southern_midwife:

 I just realized that when I got below 184 (a couple of weeks ago), my BMI officially entered the "normal - healthy" range!

 Congrats Beth!!! You're doing really well!

Good morning everyone - we went to my daughter's yesterday and the 4 of us went golfing while my other daughter babysat our grandson. We had a really good time. We came back to my daughter's house and cooked steaks, made a salad and I cooked up zucchini and tomatoes with Parmesan cheese. Our grandson had his little golf club out and was showing Pap how good he could hit it! LOL Pap had to keep retrieving the balls for him - he was wearing Pap out! My daughter told him Pap was tired and he said NO he's NOT!!! LOL Believe it or not he can actually really hit the ball at 3! Seems to have a lot of natural athletic talent! It will be nice if he keeps an interest in golf since all of us play but who knows... there's lots of other sports out there and he's very young!

Everyone must be quite busy this weekend as there aren't many posts LOL Haven't had time to log my foods and I haven't been on the scale for a few days - hope that's not going to be a shock! LOL

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

OK, for those of you who have been nice enough to ask, Tom's recovery is coming along fine. He has moved his cast out 10 degrees this week, and will move it 10 a week until it's straight. Then he starts P.T. I guess I couldn't abide his getting all the attention, so yesterday at the end of the day (I didn't even get out of any teaching), I somehow managed to smash my fingers in my car door. Three stitches required in the left index finger. They know me well at the ER; I have serious accident tendencies. It's not that big a deal (Non dominant hand), but it convinced Tom he should get back on grocery shopping rotation with me. So I don't have to go today. Yeah!

ncquilter: Welcome. Modestly speaking, this group is the best! Phox: welcome back. Beth: Congrats on the healthy BMI. That's seriously good news. Did the grandkids run you off any more pounds? Snow: You had to show your family you knew what you were doing, now you'll have to show the doc, too. Bex: I may have Alzheimer's; is there a version that makes you clumsy? Bonnie: 120.6. You, go, girl. Joanna: I love that line. My law professor once told me, "Never accept defeat. Especially when 'dey both in da' mouth!"

Hope all are enjoying the weekend. Don't let that summer go to waste!