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!

rebbex:  are you willing to share your mothers Scottish turkey soup recipe if I tell you that I have Scottish blood?  Wales actually.  Where did your daughter buy gourmet Gingerbread Cream?  It sounds yummy.

Bex - I was wondering too if you'd share your turkey soup recipe. Soup is ONE thing that I actually like LOL

ohio - are you having a better day today?

Well - one week of counting WW points - officially down 0.8 pounds 123.8 today. But at least it's down not up. Seems I have to stay real close to the 1200 cal mark to lose weight.

Still no voice started antibiotic yesterday. Did manage to sleep with codeine cough syrup. I see the Dr Thurs. going to ask about going to ENT. Couldn't do vision tests again today - will probably have to wait until next week. I better have a voice by then!

Bonnie and Beth: What brand and type of scale do you have?

Bon: hang in there. Takes the antibiotic a while, as you know. Don't you like when it omes back and you sound all Kathleen Turner sexy? I think I may have to go down to 1200, too, as I seem to be maintaining or gaining at 1500.

Bex: Your Thanksgiving food array sounds yummy. I think burritos ans wine are very helpful in staving off flu bugs.

Have a good day all.

Rebbex, I just came from lunch and your post still made me salivate. Now I'm going to google gingerbread cream. I really love homemade soups. I think when the kids are out of the house, DH and I will probably exist on it.

Do you all get flu shots? I'm signed up to get it at work later in the month. The college I work at is on fall break right now. Hearing about all the bugs going around on cc makes me dread the students coming back. Who knows what they'll bring.

Bon, are you a school nurse? My mom was a school nurse for about 30 years. I was just telling my hubby that in PA the school checks the kids sight and hearing every year. He's originally from KY and never heard of that although his son is now in a PA school. Is that still done?

chris - Yes I'm a school nurse - this is my 27th year! Worked in the hospital 4 years, had twins, quit work, went back to school to get my BS degree then started working when my girls were 4 1/2 years old. Yes we do hearing tests on grades K,1,2,3,7,and 11 and height, weight and vision tests on all students. And of course - there's wonderful headchecks for lice! I don't know about any of you but I don't remember 1 kid ever having lice when I went to school.

robbie  Bought my scale at Walmart - will have to look at it when I get home to see what make it is. EDIT: Health - o meter is the name on the scale

I get a flu shot every year! I'd have whatever these kids have if I didn't. My hubby and daughters get them too because of asthma and allergies they all have and all of the health issues my one daughter has.

60's and sunny - off to the golf course after work Don't have to cook tonight as hubby had to go to Pittsburgh for a computer training tomorrow. Mowed the grass yesterday.

 If I lived by myself I don't know if I'd ever cook! LOL I could live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a glass of milk! ...although I might make soup.

I have a new miracle diet. Because this house is so old the floors are unlevel. My weight can be manipulated by where I put the scales down in the house. Talking over 5 pound variation here! LOL

I too have been concerned about my retirement and future. Guess I will work until the market swings and I am worth something again. 15 more years should do it. LOL.  I am fortunate that, other than my mortgage, I have no other debt and the place is already worth considerably more than I owe. I have invested in a wood burning stove. (the only heat is a wall heater) It will be a pain but I have tons (literally) of firewood on the property so other than the initial investment it is free fuel. Splitting wood should be a great upper body workout. I know it will get old, but for now I want to try. I still intend on purchasing a tankless water heater. Garden next year and investing in new canning equipment.  I want to keep my expenses to a minimum.  Seems a good time to "dig in". I already hang my clothes on the line. I try not to use my electricity more than needed. It is so easy to waste. I have found with just a little discipline I have been able to make a significant difference in my bills.

 Cary Grant once told Katherine Hepburn that the secret to aging was to not get off the bus! So true.  So take those walks, workout, be active. Health and quality of life are the goals. Weight loss is a nice side effect.  I don't know if this motivational speech is more for you or me. I still haven't been able to find that spark inside myself again to get back into CC gear.  Wonder why?

Peg

PegMy guess about CC is that you just have too much on your plate right now. I really didn't log much over the summer = too busy golfing and working in my yard -  but I did chat here with our little group! Seems I am addicted to seeing what everyone is up to ! Though I 've never met any of you I do feel as though I know you. LOL about the scale I've actually tried moving mine around and it does change but not always for the good so now I just get on and whatever it says the first time is it! LOL

Looked at your gallery - hey you can actually see your house now - those shrubs must have really been overgrown. Your place will be lovely when you are done and you will be proud that you did it all! Hey ...what are your boys up to? My daughter is still single and not dating anyone LOL Buying her a new jacket for skiing for xmas - maybe I could send her out there to ski! LOL

Got in a sand trap last night at golf and it took me 5 shots to get out... by the time I finally did get out my friend and I were laughing so hyterically that I could hardly hit the ball! It ruined my score  but hey I walked last night so I got my 10,000 steps and my exercise and it was still nice enough to be outside!

peg:  I like seeing the cords of wood stacked so neatly, near homes.  That's something I'd be interested in if i had the opportunity.  Or if I lived close to you I'd help you chop.  Much more fun than a gym.

robbie, 9/11 sucked, but it's gone now, forever.  don't let that get to you now!  you gotta worry about yourself!  :D  you really are special!!!  we all are!!!  thanks for the compliment.  lol  i don't really know why i post or why you guys miss me when i don't...  i know you are ALL a big part of my life now, though.  and yeah, we can ALL do this!!!  if i did...  hello?!  i eat like a pig!!!  often!!!  i know that's not good, but hey, i'm making it!

bonton, i hope you get your voice back soon!  geez...  that's been awhile...  and for hubby too.  i still can talk.  :D  thank god!!!    we are getting bees in the freakin' house.  :(  i really cannot believe you need to stay at around 1200.  that is so stupid!  LOL  you keep saying you can't eat more than that anyway, so it must be WHAT you eat that's holding you back.  my kids never had lice til last year.  i dunno if they even had them.  i think the nurse got tired of checking & said they all had 'em.  LOL

that is so awesome that when you played bad, the champ did too!!!  :D  don't be afraid to eat poorly.  lol  i think that helped you!

reb, did you ever have a lumberjack slam?  it's eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast & hash browns!  it's alot!!!  i don't know anyone who can finish it except for me.  that's probably bad though...

i wouldn't worry about the burritos.  :D  you probably needed them.

chris, i didn't get a flu shot yet, but the doc will probably nab me next time i go.  i go every 3 months. 

frost, LOL  i love moving that scale around the house.  it doesn't work anymore though.  i weigh the same everywhere!  :(  yeah...  the market sucks!

eat better, eat less, eat more often AND stay active!!!  get that metabolism up!!!  :D

Peg, What a great property! It's cool that chopping out a bunch of over grown brush makes such a difference. I'm NOT saying it wasn't a lot of work! Do you have a lot of work to do inside too? I know it can be hard to put much mental energy into what you eat when you're working that hard.

I'm pretty much stuck on the inside of my house now. I keep meaning to post some pics when I finish something but for some reason I can't do it from my home computer & can't remember to bring them in to work (duh!)

I've been logging on cc for over a year now and it sometimes amazes me how little I seemed to have learned. I usually log the afternoon & evening when I get to work the next day. When I entered everything from yesterday the total wasn't even 1100. Sometimes it's a couple of hundred OVER my 12-1300 goal. I entered my weight on cc for the first time in a week and it was basically the same...and within a pound of a month ago. Seems like a bunch of counting and stewing for nothing.

OF COURSE, my main goal is health and I have to remember that. My food logs get much better grades than when I started and I'm getting more regular exercise. I started Couch to 5K a few weeks ago and maybe I'm kidding myself but I think I'm seeing more definition in my legs. I sure would like to make it to my goal weight  BEFORE my next birthday, though.

don't worry chris, you can do it!!!  just hang in there & hold on tight!!! 

are you kidding me?!  i have learned so much here!!!  LOL  i am actually eating more pretzels than chips AND i mostly eat carrots & pretend they are my chips.  :D

i still enjoy going to the grocery store & reading the labels.  you know, looking for fiber, etc.  i just try to keep doing what i should do.  before, i didn't even have a clue as to what i should do.

now i know what to do AND it's my decision.  do i want to behave?!  i dunno...  sometimes i don't.  i am, at this point though, at maintainence, so i need to try to eat more & stay the same weight.  less would be great, but whatever...  better choices will win in the long run.  :D

Good morning ladies!

I'm just checking in briefly. I've been reading but just haven't had much time to reply before this morning. Forgive me if I don't address each of you individually today.

Someone asked what scale I bought. Well, it's a Health O Meter that I got at Walmart. I bought one of the ones with a glass top because it looks neat. It measures in .2 increments.

BTW, I've dropped again - lowest yet at 162.4 Could I actually be seeing the 150's in a couple of weeks? That's so unreal that I am that close to my goal. (150) Snow, maybe I'll be maintaining with you in a couple of months!

People are starting to notice more now, too. What I love most is that some people are actually starting to listen to my advice about nutrition now. I never try to force my opinion but being a health care professional, I am asked for my opinion often.

As for the economy, I don't know what to say. My folks were old enough to have grown up and married during the depression. So I grew up hearing all their stories. I've often wondered if our country would ever go through something like that again. It's serious but I can't actually say I'm scared because my folks did it. And frankly, I think they were stronger people because of it. 

I don't have any retirement saved and have always figured I would have to work until I couldn't work any longer. But I don't think people will stop having babies and at least I love doing what I do.   I might have to swap more for services than money if the economy gets much worse. But hey, I do that sometimes anyway and it's great. I've got an electrician who's doing some work on my house for a birth right now. We do own our home and my husband has quite a bit of property that is his inheritance. So there is some security there, too.

I need to get screens put on my windows. The days are still pretty warm but we can't open our windows because we don't currently have screens. So we run the A/C. I think if we could open the house up at least at night it would greatly reduce our electric bill.

Two winters ago we got by without using our central heater. We used only our fireplace. We actually had a harder winter (for South Texas anyway) and we did fine. It did save on our gas bill. We had to gather wood though and that was hard work considering we live in the city. But we still managed to find wood to burn. People are always trimming trees around here. I don't really want to do that again because it was so much work. If we lived out in the country though, I would use the fireplace a lot more. 

Really it's the summers that use the most energy here. My electric bill this summer ran over $500 a month. We could do without a/c if we had to but I really don't want to.

Well, you all have a great day!

~ Beth

Hi all,

Been gone a couple of days but really enjoyed catching up this morning. You guys crack me up.

Had to fly up to Deadmonton for a job interview. Just got on the plane to leave when a mini tornado blew through town and we had to wait about 45 minutes before we could take off. It was the first time in forever that I actually had motion sickness from flying due to all the turbulence. No cars at the airport when I landed. Had to travel by cab to a small town to rent one. My day was quickly going downhill. Got to the interview on time and had a great chat with the VP. Things were looking up! Headed back to the airport but got lost in the dark and rain, had trouble locating the car rental return, got to the check in desk with 15 minutes until flight time. They would NOT let me board. It was the last flight out and they said I should stay over! I went down to their competitor and got a ticket on their last flight leaving in half an hour. Waited in the departure lounge only to discover that the plane had been struck by lightning on the way and now had to undergo a maintenance check. Eventually at 11 pm they located a small substitute propeller plane and crammed us onto it. People missed their connections to other cities and had to stay in hotels. Grabbed a cab and $60 later was home. Driving a cab is a license to print money. I think this should be my new career.

Yesterday I had no computer as I had no power for most of the day. I was reading Peg's post about natural living and it all sounded so fantastic and homey but I'm here to say that having no power was a total pain in the butt. My furnace was off too, and the fridge, and the phone. My single induction burner (temporary cooktop) then blew up due to the power surge when it came back on at 10pm. Now I have to go find some other countertop burner today so I can eke out an existence until my kitchen reno is done. Do I sound like a whiner or what?

I'll post the turkey soup recipe as soon as I write it out in a meaningful fashion. I go by hook and by crook and from memory. Soup making is not an exact science but I will try to figure out some quantities and wish those of you who want to try it good luck. The secret is in the leeks. Do not substitute those.

Gingerbread cream comes in a jar. The one I have was purchased at a gourmet grocery store called Urban Trade, in Vancouver. It is made by Palette Fine Foods in the good old U.S of A! It is a division of Dave's Gourmet Inc, according to the label. 2000 McKinnon Ave San Francisco. Good luck!

Chris - variation is not a bad thing. Moving calorie intake around helps in the long run I think.

Bon - girl, you sound sick! Take the antibiotics and do all you can to get your voice back. Do they have you on anti-inflammatories? Glad to see you are still Queen of Mowing. I know how you love it. I have taken 5 shots in a bunker before and collapsed in fits of laughter too. You are not alone! I took a contract once to provide nurses to do mobile checks for lice in the catholic schools in Toronto. I have to tell you that EVERY school we checked had them. I remember having them in grade school. I got them, and scabies on my hand, no less, from a kid called Ava Gardner, who sat in front of me. Not a movie star. She smelled like a toilet.

Snow - I have never had a lumberjack slam but I've had something similar. I love going out for breakfast but rarely can find a companion who gets up early and has an appetite.  Reading labels, LOL, isn't that our existence now? I read all labels all the time. Amaazing how adept we become at scanning in 2 seconds and putting back on the shelf. So much junk out there. I had a bee/wasp in my house yesterday. Can't tell the difference. Ended up smooshing it with a spatula when my cats thought it looked like a cool toy. I was terrified they would get stung.

Robbie - Jury is still out on whether burritos stave off the flu. I feel like I'm coming down with something. Guess I'd better have another one for lunch today. At least my microwave didn't blow up as well. 

-Bex

Good Morning alland if we were in person you'd be able to hear me _ I got my voice back!!!! YEAH --oh no yelling LOL Antibiotic must finally be working or this "thing" has just finally run its course. Thank heavens, I was beginning to think I'd never get my voice back.

chris I'm with you on the logging and being still basically the same - it really sucks. I'm up a pound - even though I am counting points and also doing CC logging - staying around 1200-1300 cal - How the heck do you gain wt on 1200 cal??? Seems like a bunch of counting and stewing for nothing. I couldn't agree more!

Beth  We have the same scale except yours moves downward and mine is basically STUCK! LOL Lose one ...gain one and round and round we go. I'm glad you are getting close to your goal!

Bex  Oh my your day sounds like it went from bad to worse! Hopefully today will be better! Thought yesterday I might need steroids to get the voice back but it came back today! YEAH  Still have today and tomorrow for antibiotic and see the Dr today but I do feel better. Still seem to have night time cough but hopefully it will soon leave. I'm starting to really like that apricot brandy  

LOL about your lice story! When I first started working we had way more cases than we do now- thank heavens it's less now - ppl act like I gave them to their kids - they get all mad etc. Hey all I'm doing is checking for them and if I knew where they came from I'd get rid of them!

 Hope to play golf this weekend is supposed to be 70's and sunny but I sure hope I can find my game! LOL Last few times out I have scored terribly!  Oh well it IS exercise. Trying not to get discouraged about weight as I am in the healthy range blah ..blah... but my clothes fit so much better 7 pounds lighter! Now I'm whining...

Well hi all, was reading your entries and thought i'd join in, oh and hi Chris i know you....

Well i am a single 52 year old mom now since 2000,  my bio says pretty much my story i have lost 26lbs and have 31 to go to get to 140lbs i am 171 now and i am 5'8' tall, have a back disability so i can't do long walking, or standing around, like when i prefer foods have to do it in stages so i am not standing in the kitchen to long but it's not bad, i take medications for it and i no longer work now.

I loved golf in fact i did get out once this year and used a power cart for walking, enjoyed it, just have to be careful with my back i shot a 108 for 18 holes, i hadn't played in 20 years, but enjoyed myself.

I also love cooking, biking, and the outdoors, i live in Barrie, Ontario so i spend alot of time riding around the lake here "Lake Simcoe" is 1-1/2 miles or 10 minutes by bike from here.  Today the sun is finally out we had alot of rain this summer.

So the title of your site looked interesting and thought i might pop in the one i was on over 40's noone ever bothered anymore, where's the loyalty..hehehe i  have a pretty good sense of humor, lately things were rough breaking up with a boyfriend, troubles with my 16 year old ADHD son who's having a rough time staying out of mischief at home and school but i am coping better now.

Take care BEB (blueyedblonde or Lee)

Bex, well after all that I hope they offer you a job. That was a true travel horror story. I'm with you on the no power thing...I like to camp but I'm prepared for it then. I also LOVE getting home from a camping trip and throwing the dishes in the dishwasher, the clothes in the washer and taking a long hot bath. DavesGormet.com sells the Gingerbread cream sauce but the page doesn't seem to be working right, it's all black.  I wish I hadn't read the description --now I'm hungry!

I have a small amount saved for retirement, I only started about 8 years ago, but I haven't looked since it all hit the fan. I'm sure it's really paltry now. It's the one time I've been glad I didn't have a large retirement fund invested. I think you're right, Beth, your job is pretty recession proof! lol.

Glad your voice is back, Bon. I'm glad you're going to have good weather because it means I will too! Have a great time golfing.

Tonight I'm going to a weight support group that about a dozen ladies from my church just started. I think I'm the only one that's within 10 pounds of goal weight so I'll probably get hassled a little. I'm just going to take some printouts from the last year on cc. I think they'll understand then.

Welcome BEB!! Join right in - we can be quite chatty at times We're glad you joined us. 108 after not playing for 20 years - really good score!!

OK I'm ranting - just came from DR what a  waste of time - I almost cancelled because I knew he wouldn't find anything else wrong because I'm not congested, no sore throat, no fever etc. - which he did not - $20 later he goes well it's a virus (NO SH>>) and it will go away sometime I just don't know when!!! Thank goodness I only have a $20 co-pay or I would really be upset. What a waste of time. I'm still coughing - he goes well just take the cough syrup. GRRR

Then on top of that the scale isn't cooperating leading to more frustration!

Hello everyone!

It took me longer than a couple of days to re-appear after coming back home. I landed in Saigon after 4 flights and over 30 hours of traveling on October 1st, at 10:30pm (which really was 8:30am where I started from...).

First I had to work like a mad woman to get my downstairs sorted and ready for a big party just 4 days after I came back, then I plunged into the boxes I had filled in June, this time to empty them in a house I still haven't really figured out yet - and I thought I had gotten rid of TONS of rubbish, why is there still so much of it!!! No wonder my weight hasn't budged yet... Finally I had to skim over almost 40 pages of messages I had missed during the past three months. I can't guarantee I have gotten in all the details, and I am somewhat mixed up about who did what, but I have the gist of it now...

So! Happy to be back, even if it is at exactly the same weight as I was before, which, considering my past record while on vacation in Europe, and the fact I didn't pay much attention to what I was eating and never weighed myself for three months, is already a great success!

Let's leave it at that...

I am glad I was able to write to Bonton and that she had the kindness to post my message, so I don't have to tell you what happened during my summer. It was all rather nightmarish. Fortunately, I could spend 2 weeks at my quilter friend's home in Ephrata, WA, at the end of my around the world trip, and that helped a lot to mend poor me. Lee is a wonderful person and a great friend, and being with her, talking fabrics and dreaming on new projects - and blind stitching binding around a dozen unfinished quilts for her while watching 3 seasons of the Closer together LOL - sure did the trick.

She is a lover of caramel Frappuccino, so we visited her favorite place regularly, but I would take the smaller size without whipped cream while she got the "real thing". I also ate only one meal a day, having a protein shake and a yogurt for breakfast, and a small bite in the evening. She had a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes and cantaloupes in her garden, so that's what we ate for our evening snacks.

This trip also brought me a lot of firsts: I saw my first northern lights while going to the airport on my way out of Prince George, BC, at 5:00am; I saw my first coyote ambling among the rocks on the road to Grand Coulee dam; I saw my first flock of Canadian geese flying over Ephrata on their way south to Moses Lake; and I got my first admiring look from a young and cute security officer since I turned 40...

I could let it at that, but I am too honest not to tell you that it was when I took out my laptop to go through security in Seattle. It was baptized The Beast by his former owner, my youngest son. It's a gaming laptop, with a 9 1/4"x14 1/2" screen (17" in diagonal). The security officer looked at it and went; "Wow!", then he looked at me and went "WOW! A gaming lady!!!" He was impressed. I was about to tell him it used to be my son's laptop, but then thought "What the heck, let him be impressed!" and went through the metal detector with a smug smile... It's a beautiful thing, with lights you can change depending on your mood, and the huge high definition  screen is just awesome. I am quite proud of it, even more so now that I know it makes connoisseurs stand at attention... LOL

I really like our new house. It's quiet, big and comfortable. It has a nice covered pavilion just out of the living room where it's so good to have breakfast while looking at the sun rise. My husband had the walls painted light yellow and it gives the rooms a bright joyful look by day and a warm sunny look by night. Too bad we didn't find it when we arrived in Vietnam, but enjoying it for just a while is better than not ever having such a pleasant home.

Yes, the state of the market is rather upsetting. But I guess it's what we get for having lived for so long above our means... All those people making pots of money without ever creating any wealth, and then crying their eyes out because the good old times have past. Playing the market may be fun, but it never made any country richer, because it's all wind and illusion. Real wealth is in buildings, and industries that employ people, and people that produce goods, not in bonds, and equities and futures or whatever it is finance advisers call their "products". The fact that the bubble has burst is very painful for those who lost most of their hard-earned money, but it will be healthier in the long run. We have to go back to the basics, like frostslave said, and think again about what we think is "essential" in our lives.  I also have a wood burning furnace in Italy, and for the same reason - we have tons of wood on our property - but had to double it with a natural gas one after my brother's death, since my mother would be totally unable to feed that monster at 83 past: it burns almost 300 lbs of wood a day. I remember spending the entire 2006 Fall splitting and carting wood, waiting for the new furnace to be installed. Gave me the appetite of a lumberjack and didn't do any good to my various lumps... LOL

Bonton, I understand your frustration with your doctor. On the other hand, if it's a virus, there is nothing he can do but wait for your body to fight it off. And if it had been something else, he would have been able to help you, and that would have been invaluable. So give that poor guy a break. Coughing always takes a long time to go away for me too. Once the lungs get irritated they don't calm down easily. Have you tried having a small spoonful of honey when your cough gets really bad? It often works for me...

Time to go empty yet another box. I am happy to be back in the fold. Hopefully I'll be able to resume my exercise and get in better control of my diet, even if I doubt it for the moment: DH has already committed to so many parties my head is spinning. Yesterday night it was the Oktoberfest, and who ever slimmed down on beer and German food????? Was fun and good though... =)

Congrats to all the skinny and soon to be skinny ladies. You sure are great role models.

Helene, finally back in Saigon

Welcome back Helene! It's good to have you back!

~ Beth

Well this is day 2 i have been back on my diet, i sometimes log and sometimes don't the food i mean, most i know by heart now, when i'm not sure anyway, it's sometimes hard in the evening, my son who looks like i was at his age, tall and thin from the time he gets home from school till bedtime his skinny head is always in the fridge....junk food mostly except for dinner i cook, i have no trouble avoiding it during the day but around 10pm i get hungry...hehehe

So i get as much exercise as my back permits...usually riding outside but now riding my indoor exercise bike last night 500 calories off, today 100 calories riding, 45 minutes walking, had to go to a meeting downtown at the school about Kyle and ADHD behaviour issues, so i thought i'd walk home and buy some lettuce on route at no frills, how fast is 3.5 miles per hour...??? Walking quickly without racing for 45 minutes what what that be??  I looked on here but they measure in terms of speed??huh??  Then my triceps dumbell work out too. 

I just got in and my back is killing me now so i'm gong to take my pill and lie down with it.

Nice to ber on here, i don't know anyone really yet, but all in good time...

Have a nice day ladies!!!!

Have 1 question: How do i get lemon juice out of a lemon to put in a container for my homemade non sugar iced tea, since florida hasn't got any lemon juice i have to do this from scratch and NO fancy gagnets,any tips????