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!

yeah, i thought it was better for the baby not to induce.  i dunno.  i guess they do it all the time, but she lives on a base & they're all having babies at the same time.

i said maybe the 17th is good.  i only had 1 son & that was on the 17th & my other daughter only had 1 son & that was the 17th.  LOL  never mind 9/9/09!!!  i'll go down there & yank it out of her myself by then...  :D

i don't think she wants cramping & diarrhea.  she's not actually due til the 16th anyway. 

geez...  i wish i had that problem, southern.  i can always eat!  anytime!  even if i just went to a buffet.  i'm eating carrots now.  i'm not even hungry, but i feel like eating & so i'm at least trying to make good choices.  i'd rather be walking, but hubby is home.  :(  he's just been sleeping for 2 hours anyway...

i'm a wreck.  i guess this baby thing is making me crazy.  maybe that's why i want to eat all the time.  nah!  i probably just feel like eating.  i dunno.  AND i miss her so bad, too!!!  but if i'm still here on sunday, my other daughter is heading off to college & i guess it'd be nice to go with her...  even though i'll be crying because she's getting too big.  lol 

only one more left after her & she's going into 12th grade!

i think it's time!  i'm gonna be a gramma for the 3rd time!  she's been having contractions for about 4 hours & they're just a few minutes apart!!!

she don't want to go to the hospital yet, because they don't hurt.  i told her to call the doc, at least.  a few minutes?!  4 hours?!  it's her 1st...  not due til the 16th.

OMG!  OMG!!  OMG!!!  i hope i can control my eating while visiting her & keep up my walking, etc.  right choices...  i need to make the right choices...

it takes 12 hours to get there, so we'll probably be leaving in the morning.  i have no idea.  i'm going down there with her hubby's mom.  [fun, wow...  :(  ]   scary, really...  but whatever!  LOL  finally!!!  OMG...  i THINK it's time!

oh geez...  wish me luck!!!  i better not come back FAT!!!  i'm DONE BEING FAT!!!  FOREVER!!!  :D

by the way, his name is landon.

OMG!  what am i gonna do without my girls?!  and without my hubby?!

Wow Snowfence, lots of luck. Enjoy the excitement, enjoy the future and remember, Grandmas need to be strong and healthy! Have a wonder trip.

My son was detained protesting at the Olympics in China. See the report here http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSHKG2 0199620080813

(sorry I wasn't able to hyperlink it. You'll have to cut and paste)

He is safely back in the US but after a night of worry, I lost 1 lb. Worry water loss? Very frightening for his parents, but now that he is safe, we can be proud.

thanks phox  :D

that link works!  yeah, that must've been scary!  thank god he's home now.

i haven't talked to my daughter since last night, but me & his mom are leaving today.  i'm not sure when yet.  she'll text me when she's coming.  oh!   and she's sick!  i wonder what that means...  oh great!  i'll be driving 12 hours with his mom AND she's sick!  :(

oh well, have fun everyone!

Snow - Congratulations! That's wonderful news. I hope the trip goes well for you. We'll be anxiously waiting to hear that the Landon has arrived safely and that his mommy is doing well.

You'll do fine on the eating. Just use all that energy to love on that new grandbaby rather than eat.

phox - Wow, I'm so glad your son is okay and home now. That must have been a VERY long night for you. I can't imagine. 

Nothing much new to report from me. I took it easy yesterday and upped my calories a bit (1750) and today the scale is up to 180 from being stuck at 179.8. I wanted it to move but not that direction! Oh well, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Have a good day everyone,

Beth

Wow are things ever moving on this site today!

Snow:  Mazel Tov!  Hope you know what that means. 

And phox-wow, you must have been as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof-so glad to know your son is home safe and sound! 

As usual it is about to start pouring here in T.O.  It's happpening so often, it's hardly worth talking about, however I still am.  This whole year gone by, the weather has been an anomaly, especially in terms of precip.

Just got back from a GR8  w/o.  Much better than yesterday!  Managed to do a few new exercises, which hopefully, I will feel pain from later, to let me know I have done them right and something is happening.  LoL-why do I like pain?hmmm- no pain, no gain?   And, yet again the two scales upon which I weigh myself are still showing a difference.  I hate getting caught up in the numbers.

And, this business with my son and his community hour, which he has to do for his legal infraction-having some weed in close proximity to him.  Well, he tells me not to worry, he is taking care of it.  And yet I DON'T see this.  I don't want to be a bug,  I want to allow him to make mistakes and experience the consequences.  This  one, however, like I have said, could mean some time in jail!  Let alone not be able to get a passport!  Tough Love?  How can I just sit back?  And yet, getting involved is not proving (to my eye) helpful.  It is hard being the single mom of an 18 year-old.  Yikes!  So, at least, I am trying to take care of me-to the best of my abilities these days. 

Thanks my dear friends here for 'listening' or reading-or not my postings.  It's a place where I can vent.  And I need to be venting all over the place, it seems, these days.

to another 24 !

renee  aka oneis2many

Hi everyone,

If you ever need encouragement, just try on an old pair of bluejeans!

I kept one old pair of blue jeans so I could try them on as I loose weight. WOW! To think they used to be tight on me! I just uploaded the picture to my gallery. So, go take a look.  Even some of my size 14's are starting to be slightly loose now and I have 2 pair of size 12's that fit! I can't wear a 12 in everything but some I can.

I need to remember to just put these pants on next time I start to feel discouraged. It sure was an emotional boost for me today.

Renee - Don't worry about venting. We all need to do that sometimes. And yes, 18 is a difficult age to parent. Around our house we referred to it as eighteenitus. But before you know it, they get older and wiser and easier to talk to and they actually listen better, too.

Have a great day everyone,

Beth

Southern: Fantastic photos! Very inspiring. Great job. I do have an old pair of jeans around somewhere. I should try them on to see how far I've come.

Renee: 18 is a difficult age, but they do grow and mature. Perhaps one day, like me, you can watch you son get arrested (for a idealistic cause) on CNN (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1832323,00.html). Often the challenging kids turn out to be the ones who want to change the world.

When I started losing weight my goal was to have a good checkup in June 08. Just got my blood work back and all is in the normal range, except I am a little anemic. Two cheers for me. Can you believe it? Working so hard to watch fats, salts, calories, and now anemia? So I started putting molasses in my oatmeal and trying to get the protein up. It seems so complicated! But it is a lifetime job, taking care of ourselves.

Good morning everyone -  was quite busy the past few days with our grandson! A 3 year old sure does keep you hopping! He has a golf club and I spent the good part of one day shagging balls while he hit off the tee! And believe it or not he can really hit the ball LOL we lost 3 balls in the woods behind our house( 100 feet away!) - had to change where I had him teeing it up! My husband brought him to the golf course Wed. evening after my league and we took him out - put him at the 150 yard marker and it only took him 4 shots to get on the green! ...maybe the next Tiger Woods

phoxSo glad your son is home safe and sound - that must have been quite scary. Congrats on the good check-up. I struggle with getting enough protein too. I drink protein shakes to help with that but then they don't always agree with my stomach LOL so I have to take Beano to drink them.

snow - I could feel your excitement! Enjoy that brand new grandbaby and the time with your daughter! Your eating will be fine - it's a life change ...remember .. and you've done it!!

oneIt is hard to sit back and not say anything ..not sure what the right approach is. I always have trouble holding back my thoughts. I always say they don't turn human until 23 ...until then it's a struggle with them - they think they know it all but don't!

Beth -Loved the pic of you in the jeans! What a mood booster that must have been and you can definitely see that you are shrinking!! Way to go!!

OhioI'm sorry I don't know anything about Callaway Gems - is there a pro shop near you that has a club fitter? When I bought my irons 2 years ago we were away and the pro shop at the place was huge - I had been thinking of getting new irons so the club fitter asked about my game  etc. and the I went to the driving range and hit the  6 different  irons he thought I might be able to hit. I wanted to buy Callaway X20 irons ...well I couldn't even hit those at all! Ended up getting Cobra FP irons and when I came back to the pro shop and said I was buying he said don't tell me I know which one you are getting  - he said the Cobra FP!  Whatever you decide on my advice is to go hit the club first - there really is a difference. I bought a lot of my clubs on eBay after first hitting them and also I have used this site www.callawaygolfpreowned.com- great prices. I bought my driver there after hitting it at a golf store and  liking it. Best purchase I ever made - it gave me an extra 20-30 yards off the tee! I also took 1-2 lessons a year for about 8 years! It does help to take a lesson or two! And you are right - better clubs will improve your score - when I got my Callaway woods my score dropped into the 90's from the 100's!

robbie Where are you? Hope your finger in on the mend.

Everyone have a great day! My club championship is this weekend - 2 days of stroke play - always make me a little nervous - got to remember it's only a game!

Ohio - I bought a set of Nancy Lopez Ashley Elle clubs and they dramatically improved my game! They also came with some hybrid clubs in them which I hadn't used before but have discovered can get you out of the rough quite nicely. I really like the woods in that set. Somebody told me once that Callaway was just overpriced advertising and that a really good club line was Adams. I found them  a bit pricey too. Try to find a store that will let you borrow a couple of clubs for the day. They put duct tape on the faces. Check out a couple of brands because they all feel different.

Beth - wow you look great! I've lost a little bit more than you but I don't have any jeans that are that loose. You have lost inches like crazy! I need to exercise more! Keep on trucking! You motivate me .

Snow - your nervous energy will have consumed 5 pounds by the time you get back so don't worry about eating while you are away! You will be fine because you know how to do it now.

"Middle age is when your broad mind and narrow waist begin to change places." - anon

Bex - your quote how true ...Middle age is when your broad mind and narrow waist begin to change places." - anon  Where we all seem to be struggling! LOL I love my Callaway clubs - they are Steelhead III - an older model but they really changed my game. Before I had Square Two offset woods - supposed to cure a slice but gave me one instead! I got all my clubs used but they looked like new when they came!  Never tried Nancy Lopez clubs but you are right it can improve your game!

Hello all,

I would like to be a membre of your thread.  Losing when middle age has widened your horizons in places you dont need requires all the support and encouragement you can find.  I would be happy to offer encouragement and support to all other members of this thread and would be so happy to have som e in return.

I have a long way to go. weight wise.... But after all I might as well be trying to lose some of the excess instead of collecting any more with my time. I have a good plan, I just need to be more faithful in implementing it and continuing it.  I am hampered by pain and discouragement.  I am discouraged at how risistant the excess is to leaving. 

hopeful,

starblue

ohio- I would say that NO all your clubs do not have to be the same brand. My woods are Callaway and my irons are Cobra. Our club champ has a whole hodge podge of brands LOL! Place I went to was near Sharon PA - Tam O'Shanter golf course - not sure where you live in Ohio but if it's close they had a nice selection of ladies clubs and let you hit them untaped on the driving range. I love my Callaway woods, I have a driver, 3,5,7,9,and 11 wood!! Couldn't ever hit irons LOL but now since I got my new ones I can actually hit a nice iron shot. So clubs really do make the difference.

starblue - Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself and just join right in!

Girlfriends,

I've been monitoring the chat, but since I am leaving tomorrow for Dallas for a week, I have been struggling to get all my work done before I go. Busy busy busy. Today, e.g., met with the dog walker (Tom works long hours, and someone needs to let them out while I'm away), had an overdue facial, took boys to airport (freebie tickets meant we don't travel together), got nails done, stitches removed, grocery shopped, and made dinner. Wow, I sound like Bonnie, but I'm exhausted! Guess I'll sleep on the plane. Being home will be a challenge: my Mom's been cooking for weeks in preparation. Ohio: It made me think of you and your company! Pius, I love my folks tremendously, but they can be challenging to deal with. Not to mention the reversion to childhood sibling behavior. But, the boys were very excited to be going and seeing their cousins. (My older brother's two boys are flying out, my sisters two girls live there, and my other brother's daughter will be there a day before leaving for college). Of course, they did manage to waste time eating at the airport (my genes?) before they checked in, and then missed their original flight. Had to cathc a standby later. Does anyone else remember Highlights Magazine's Goofus and Gallant characters (Gallant was super polite, Goofus, a mess)? I think I got two Goofuses. One, you are not alone, and you will get through it.

Snow: Hope you're enjoying grandma time, and YOU WILL NOT get fat again. I order it. So there. Phox: I wonder if you can imagine what a great job you've done raising a man with the courage of his convictions. Wowsa! Beth: In your  latest picture (giant jeans), you are truly statuesque. Enviable. Bonnie: I will be thinking of your little grandson when I play with my great niece this week. She's four, and a pistol, like him. Bex: Love the latest quote. Starblue: Welcome. This is a great support group.

All: I'm leaving at 124.5. Wish it were 123, but goal is to have it be same or less upon return. I'll take any prayers or good wishes you feel like sending!

Cheers to all!

robbie I KNOW that you will be fine while away with your eating choices!! Just keep repeating I will NOT gain back what I lost! You'll be fine. A glass of skim milk shortly before dinner helps to stabilize blood sugar and it will make you be full faster.  Your day did sound like most of mine  I do stay pretty busy. Hope you have a wonderful visit - it sounds like it wll be fun. So I'm sending good wishes that you maintain or lose on your visit home!!! And see I told you you'd get back to 124.5!! I seem to be stuck around 120.6 - 121.2 ..maybe soon it will move down again. Enjoy yourself!! My husband is taking vacation this week before I go back to work next week ... NO PROJECTS! LOL - we are relaxing and playing golf.  Doing a stay and play package Thur and Fri at a place we have talked about going to for a few years - should be fun and it will definitely be relaxing.

All - Club Championship today and tomorrow - wish me luck!! LOL Don't care about winning - just want to play respectably!

Robbie - Best of luck in Dallas. The folks can be a strain, I know. Last time I went to visit my mom in the UK I only stayed a week instead of two and ran screaming from the insanity. At least you will have other family members to temper things with. I was all alone with her in a tiny village with nothing to do. You know what? Just eat, and be happy. Mumsie has gone to lots of trouble to prepare and is clearly excited about your visit. Flip off the guilt switch and have a blast! You've lost it before, you can lose it again. I've lost the same 20 pounds at least 6 times in my life. Haven't we all?  I think your Goofuses sound very normal and I bet they are a ton of fun to be around. I always get a charge out of the boys. I think I fed half the high school dinner, they were always coming over after school and eating me out of house and home but I loved every minute of it. Those boys still call me up for a chat even when my own son isn't here. Love them all you can while you have them. 

Welcome Starblue - cute name. Looking forward to learning more about you. 

Bon - no projects = more time for hanky panky.  Hope you have a grand old time at the stay and play. You must have set a record for number of golf games played this summer. The fact that you are still bouncing up and down that silly pound is just plain not fair!

Can you believe it's almost September? Wow, where did it all go? Next weekend I am leaving for Vegas and Palm Springs, then when I get back I am getting my new puppy! I caved and decided I could raise another baby. What a sap. He's a Havanese which is a member of the Bichon family, cuban faction though, not French. I'm thinking I might call him Chili but will know better once I hang out with him a bit. I hear he's full of beans! (Picture)

Happy weekend all!

-Bex

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - anon