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 Girls, Some of you must be on different sites your smiley faces come out as .....:D.'s..strange that might have something to do with why you get bumped off.

Peg: I agree with Bonton sometimes just forcing yourself to get some exercise will make you feel better...it's the "endorphines" being released, i can't stress this enough..hehehe.....we are all here and will help you!!..and each other..

Chris, That's funny about your sheltie, food first...well if i had a choice between a kiss or a pork chop....hummmm

Hello oneistwomany!! Nice to meet you. Join our weigh in Friday last week weight and this week weight.

Hi Snow: glad you had fun in vegas.....wow....

I don't know about you girls but last Nov/07 i joined the site, and gained 5-7 pounds over xmas that is a whole month of dieting for me....i don't know how to log the homemade gravy i make from bisto, veloutine and the turkey drippings does anyone have any idea what calories would be in say 1/2 cup of this????????

Not to mention those 3000 calorie xmas logs (cakes) that they put out, last year i ate a whole log (chocolate, cherries etc) in one sitting......I know i was a bbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddd girl.  It was a craving i just couldn't stop, this year i don't know??..I may need you girls to remind me why i am here and my weight goal date of May1st/09.......PLEASE do that for me when xmas gets close????!!!!!...OKAY!

Well i ordered a bunch of games from ebay today, it's so easy sometimes it doesn't seem real, pay bills online, buy items online, maybe this is why they said on Biggest loser last night that there is a 300% increase in diabetes in Americans now compared to 1980's.......nobody needs to leave their home to get things done anymore, the take out foods, ordered in pizzas, etc....i haven't done any of this in months...my weakness use to be Kentucky fried chicken when i didn't feel like cooking until i found out that a small chicken breast was around 400 calories.....WHAT IS YOUR WEAKNESS FOOD WISE GIRLS????????..THIS ???? IS FOR ANYONE WANTING TO ANSWER IT??

B-
Fat - 16.4% (23 grams)
Protein - 23.3% (74 grams)
Carbohydrates - 60.2% (191 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 2,630 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 72 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 104 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 9 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 31 gram

This is my typical analysis i thought maybe if we post this in our sites once a week maybe someone else could see our shortcomings, this is eating my stew and a few of my 5 calorie jellos with whipped cream and a couple apples, turkey sandwich at lunch......i know my sugar is a little high but i still lose a pound a week thi is 1195 calories.......any opinions????

Well been downloading xmas music all day to CD for xmas and my back is now killing me, so i am going to lie down....have a great night or day all.............................BEB.......LEE

Speaking of Biggest Loser - could they please send Vicki home!!!! She is a mean person! GRRRR I don't care for her at all and feel sorry for Amy. Amy should have sent Vicki packing

BEB - Your fat actually looks a little low to me - I think it should be closer to 25% My stats are more like 50-25-25 but I would like to get to 40-30-30. Biggest loser advocates that percentage also.

Bonton:  I am with you...Vicky is the type of woman who gives us a bad name.....considering how Amy was chastized for sending home a "blue member" i think she had no choice if she wanted the loyality later, but i agree with you, Vicky is a bixxx.....and she has such vengefulness it disturbs me!  She is ruining the harmony, balance and morale of the team, it would be difficult to have a friendship with someone like this a back stabber all the way......i would have sent her packing for the teams best interest, she won't waste any time going after Amy if she gets the chance, Amy said she sent him (Brian?) home because she had to think of herself and the game play but i think this is going come back and bite her in the bum later...we shall see eh??  My fat is normally around 25 but my sodium and sugar i wish i could get lower, i eat alot of salads and the low fat dressing only 30 calories is a lit higher in sodium can't seem to win for losing sometimes know what i mean!!..BEB

BEB I try to keep my sodium under 2,000 - I seem to lose better when I do that and also when I can keep carbs under 50% which I have not been able to do lately

Doing a NOT recommended thing today - all protein and water day ...I can handle it for 1 day LOL - did it before with ppl from my gym who wanted to drop weight for a lifting competition and I lost 5lb of which I kept off 3. Got to do something to make that darn scale budge. Who knows even this might not work but worth a shot for 1 day just to see some change in the scale.

Yesterday I was feeling "slimmer" and pants felt good in fit, 2 ppl told me I looked good so i jump on the scale at work.... BAD MOVE ... very depressing. I am up in weight not down! I don't know, all this counting and logging since last Feb. and basically I am in the same weight range have lost a few inches and am still in the same range but so NOT where I want to be. Feeling very bummed today....

Bonton, the fact that you inches are down but your weight isn't (much) says that you have a better BF% than you used to. That's really important and GREAT so don't dwell too much on the weight number. Have you plugged your before/after measurements into a BF% calculator? You especially should also look at how your heart rate responds to exercise and how you do with weight lifting goals.  I certainly understand you frustration with the scale, but you may be in better shape than you were at your goal weight pre-menopause. You need to appreciate how really great you are doing!

I don't get the all protein/water thing but it will be interesting to hear what it does for you. (I'm highly skeptical of the 'wisdom' at the gym because of all the garbage I hear from SS! Example: "protein consumed can't be converted to fat, it's either turned to muscle or pooped out". He comes out with several of those things he's heard...& he believes, unfortunately...every week!)

EDIT: WOO HOO! My trend is under 133 for the first time THIS YEAR!!! Ok, it's 132.97  but stilll, that's under! LOL.

I did my last 3 days

Fat - 20.7% (29 grams)
Protein - 15.1% (48 grams)
Carbohydrates - 58.2% (185 grams)
Alcohol - 6.0% (11 grams)
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 2,466 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 48 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 61 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 7 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 46 gram

That got a CC "A" but the protein is lower than I like & sodium high. Prob. due to soup & cracker dinners. lol. The two glasses of wine sure show too, don't they?

Chris - I don't know what the protein water thing exactly does I just know last time it got the scale to move! LOL Hey it's worth a 1 day try. I certainly would not do it long term or even for 2 days LOL. Wow your fiber is a lot higher than mine - guess you can tell i don't like veggies by my numbers , but I do take a fiber supplement which isn't in my number on CC. I know I know  I have just got to not obsess about the "number" on the scale. Might try plugging my measurements into a B/F % calculator and see what it says.

Good afternoon girls:

Bonton: do you ever make stews, just eat beans variety of, add them to your stews, or soups this is how i get my fiber also cereals and i use flax seed in the pkg and keep it in the fridge i add 1 tbsp to all my cereal breakfasts at least 1-2 days a week, the beans well i have 4-6 day stews so my week is covered, i like how the fiber fills me up, and healthy regular bathroom visits.  try more beans, black, kabonza, kidney, etc...

Chris, your scores look very much like mine, i think my sodium is off though a little but otherwise i think we are both eating really healthy.

****Well tomorrow girls is the big weigh in so be careful what you eat tonight doesn't affect it!

.............................***LAST  CHANCE  WORKOUT!***.......................LOL

............BEB

bonton, i know what you mean.  lol  i STILL mostly drag myself onto that darned treadmill.  i guess i've actually learned to like it, though.  last year at this time i was still walking outside & it was really cold!  i guess ive learned to just really appreciate having the treadmill.  with my weight being so much lower than last year, i don't think i would ever walk outside in this weather again...  unless i really had to...  AND yep!  i feel so much better after i walk.

i walked 4.4 miles today.  i would do more, but hubby called in sick today.  LOL  i think 4.4 is already pushing it.  i don't want to be in trouble again with him!  yesterday i walked 8.8!  :D  last night i was on a chocolate binge though.  well, chocolate & candy corn.  today i am still doing good & it's after 7.  with weigh in day tomorrow, i don't think i want to mess that up.

yeah!  we had a great time in vegas & we did alot of stuff.  it was awesome.  we have a huge family reunion this summer & they are thinking of maybe going there.  there hasn't been a final decision yet though.

man!  if i would eat 1250 a day, i would lose bigtime!!!  i just don't get it.  why is it so hard for some people?  maybe you need to eat more for a week or so & then lower it back down.  :D 

beb, i just use the keyboard.  LOL  i don't use fancy smiley faces.  you don't ever get bumped off from here?  i joined 9/11/07 weighing 218 & i was already down to 175 by christmas eve.  i was kind of mad because my goal was 174.  i still ate alot though.

OMG!  i love KFC!!!  i haven't had it in a long time.  geez...  i hope i don't start craving it now.  right now my weakness is candy corn & chocolate.  i can usually eat just a little, but lately, i just can't stop.  your analysis looks good to me.  i try for 50/25/25, but rarely get it.

i know!  LOL  we wanted vicki to go home too!  oh well, maybe next week  :(

chris, congrats on the trend line cooperating!  :D  man...  your analysis is way better than mine, too.  my sodium & sugar are always really high, like 200% or so.

i am hoping for 137 tomorrow  :D  good luck everyone!

Snowfence, if you use the keyboard and it comes out :D who knows what that means???  Know what i am saying.....50 % protein are you trying to build muscles hehehe????wait the 40-30-30 is 40%  carbs, protein and fat am i wrong??

Life talkng to two bachelors at the same time is confusing this morning i was talkng with Rick online IM and an hur ago on the phone with Glenn....boy i hope they don't ask me to go with them at xmas anywhere this could be a dilemma...hehehe

Tomorrow is weigh in yippee.........BEB

Friday, weighing day!!! Didn't do too good this week, the scale showed a little over 180 this morning. Oh! well, I am used to that... I do not really know why, as I walked a lot this week, and didn't eat much as I am a bit off colour. There is a bug going around and I think I am fighting against it. Headaches, puffy eyes, achy bones and general wooziness. Yesterday my head was splitting - I am prone to migraine - and I didn't even eat dinner, so I know the weight is just water. I have been trying to drink more, especially in the morning, and I have forgotten my thyroid pill a couple times this week. I am probably water-logged...

I am also in pain because of the chiropractor. My knee is fine but I have muscle pain in my left calf and left ankle, probably because there are some muscles that are doing things they haven't been doing for months... I can also feel the pectoral muscle on the right, showing that there is more motion in the "frozen" shoulder. I am going back to see him tomorrow morning, and I dread the massage on those painful areas, but I guess it has to be done if I want to do better.

I have also been going to bed too late and had therefore very short nights, which never helps with the water retention. We get a programme here called TV5 Monde. It's the French international channel, and it works according to a schedule based on French time. The programmes come from France, of course, but also Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. There are very few repeats, and because of that it is very interesting - I can't stand HBO, Star Movies, Discovery and National Geographic, because they are repeating programmes on a monthly basis till you have nothing at all you haven't seen at least 5 times already... And they are too specialized. On TV5 you see art, music, history, movies, concerts, political discussions, games, documentaries about archeology, mysteries, and a lot of cultural stuff - the French addiction - about travels, books, opera, traditional societies... There never is a boring day, except Sunday when they show a soccer match... But as I said, it follows the French timing, so the best programmes are always late here. Two days ago there was a documentary about the latest archeaological discoveries in Saqqarah - Egypt - where I went two years ago, and it lasted two and a half hours, without interruption (we do not have commercials interrupting programmes, they are shown before or after, sometimes once at mid-time during movies but not otherwise as it is annoying to get distracted). I ended up going to bed at 3 to get up at 6, so last night I promised myself I wouldn't do that again, only to see they were showing one of my favourites, a programme about strange places and cultures called Des Racines et des Ailes (Roots and Wings). They always go in depth in countries histories, culture, and traditions and it's always fascinating (yesterday was about Syria and their ancient water system, started by the Romans...). So it was another 3am bedtime, and another 6am wake up call... Tonight we are going out, so I will try to resist the temptation to check what's on when I come home! LOL

Welcome vagabon. I hope you'll have a good time with us, as we all have the same problem with sluggish bodies that don't seem to be working the way they used to. This group was a godsend to me after getting bored with groups where people shed 10 lbs a week and thought it was frustrating! LOL

And welcome back frostslave and oneis2many! We missed you! At least I did. And knowing you weren't on because you were depressed and not doing good is distressing. Remember this group is here to support you, no matter how depressed you are. But I know very well that the times we need help the most are also those when we can't ask for it, so please stay with us, if only in a passive way. Sometimes we just do not have enough energy to both face our life and improve it, but staying in touch with the world is important. When I am in a dark mood, I always try to tell myself it's just a bad period, and that it will pass. I send you both a big hug and watching my weight should help you feel you are not the only one in a rut!!! LOL

Today I promised myself I would have a perfect day. So not staying too long in front of my laptop is part of it. I hope you all have a perfect day as well. The sun is shining, the temperature is still bearable and I am almost finished with the lining of my outdoor cushion chairs - to answer Bonton's question. Not very thrilling, and I hope I can now go back to something more appealing.

Helene, in Saigon, who will make your day every Friday, as I am the first one to log in!!! LOL

167lbs last week

166lbs this week

Hi girls:  Helene i'm sorry you are in pain, hopefully the doc will get this all straightened out soon.  You logged in before me and it just turned Friday here, hehehe i forgot you are 12 hours ahead of me here!  Instead of staying up late watching tv can't you tape the shows you want on a VCR or DVD and play them at a time that is more convenient for you?? 

They are if you have a tv easy to hook up and then you can sleep while it's taping.  I tape alot of shows, have hundreds and hundreds of movies and i don't know why but lately i have really gotten into Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn, the old black and whites, my tastes are changing.......20 years ago i never would have watched her or them but now i just love them.....there style, strength, the glamour, to think they considered smoking glamourous back then, just goes to show you how much the world is changing......

well i will talk later after everyone has logged last and this weeks weight..................BEB

Helene, does heat or ice help your sore muscles?

After reading about the good wines I bought a Beoujalais which I think is very good at a modest price.  One glass when I get home from my grueling office is nice as I fix a small supper for myself.

I have to make cinnamon rolls this weekend to take with me Thanksgiving.  I hope being in the kitchen doesn't cause overeating for me.  I'll wait and put the cream cheese frosting on next week when I take them out of the freezer.  Thank goodness, my family I'm visiting watches their weight carefully, so there won't be a lot of overeating. 

Have a good Friday everyone.

Well, DH stole the bathroom w the scale in it this morning so I didn't get to weigh in. If tomorrow is much different than yesterday I'll enter it, otherwise I like the 132.2 yesterday so I'll go with it. ;)

Ohio, I really do enjoy a glass of wine in the late evening...I'd enjoy it earlier but I'd be more tempted to have a 2nd.  It does crack me up that a 3 oz glass of wine makes me look like a wine-o on the analysis.

Helene, I hope you win the battle w the bug you're fighting. That lack of sleep isn't going to help much so do take care!

I met w my weight loss group last night and gave back the book (Dr. Abravanels Body Type Diet ) one of the ladies gave me to read (unsolicited btw). I decided just to be honest w her. I said I was sure a person would lose weight on it because the basic diets are about 1200 cals (which is probably too low for many people over a long period of time) but I really didn't buy the basis which is that we all have one dominant gland and that determines our body type. I couldn't find any research to back it up. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another very low cal diet --I didn't tell her that part. I wouldn't stick w it for life so I'm not going to try now.

For those of you in the US, are you going to mess with your traditional T-day recipes to make them more healthy? I'm torn. Let's face it, food is kind of the center point for Thanksgiving and I sure don't want to do anything to ruin it for everyone. I'm not even one to try something 'a little different' for the holiday and my grown kids complain about their aunt who brings slightly more exotic twists on traditional dishes. I lean toward just sucking it up and exercising a reasonable amount of self-control rather than changing the menu for everyone.  Then again, I did see an interesting lightened up sweet potato recipe...

Good Morning all,

Weigh in -

Last week - 155.2

This week - 155.6- a gain of .4 lbs.

This is the first gain I've had since beginning CC. But I think my weigh in last week was a low because I missed sleep.  The next day I weighted only 154 but then I immediately jumped back up to the 156 range. Still it's a bummer to record an official gain even if it is small.

Chris- I also had someone talk to me about that eat for your type diet. It was my apprentice. I didn't say a lot about it but did let her know I didn't see that it could be done as a lifestyle and that I knew there was no evidence to back up it's claims about different blood types needing different food. After several months of doing that diet, she has pretty much switched to counting calories. She doesn't have easy computer access though. So using CC isn't an option for her.

I also know what you mean about Thanksgiving. I'm torn too. But my family is a bit more flexible about trying new twists on some things. They still want the turkey and dressing but the other stuff is negotiable. I think I may try to make it a bit more calorie friendly, at least in portions. I'm also not sure about dessert. My husband can't have sugar because he is diabetic. So I'm thinking about trying to find something that's fruity and no sugar. Just not sure.

We are celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday this year because it worked out best with everyone's schedule. So the only plans for Thursday for us is to watch the Cowboys game. My husband is a major Cowboy fan, always has been. And the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving. So that is a very important tradition to him.

Helen - I'm sorry to hear you aren't feeling too well. I hope you get some relief from the pain.

Vagabon - Welcome!

Peg - It's good to hear from you again. Please don't give into the depression. We all fall back sometimes. It's just human nature. But every little step in the right direction is to be celebrated. So take some baby steps and then focus on making the right decisions. You can do it, I know you can. You contacted us again. That's a step in the right direction, too. You are always welcome here and we've missed you.

One - It's great to see you back, too. I had some problems log in into CC one day. I finally just shut my computer down and rebooted. That seemed to fix it.  I hope your back gets better. I think back pain is the worst. I had surgery on mine when I was 18.

Snow - It looks like a bit further away from joining you in maintenance. But I'll make it eventually!

BEB - I think the weigh in idea is great. But I wish we hadn't started on the one week that I gained. BTW, snow just uses computer shorthand for her smilies. The :D is shorthand for a big grin or laughing. This is shorthand for the smiley I used ;-) (The wink) I use them all the time in e-mail. There are a lot more than I know. I think you can google "shorthand smilies" and find some lists if you are interested.

Bonton - I'm starting to wonder if my last few pounds are going to be hard to drop, too. I don't know. Maybe we should concentrate on just exercise and getting firm when we get close to our goals and not worry so much about the scale. But it's hard. I really want to see 150!

Well, I'm off to the Y. I haven't been in over a week because of babies. Hopefully, that will help the scale move downward.

Have a great day and good luck on weigh in today.

~ Beth

I have a question for everyone. I've been curious what the significance of your screen names are. Anyone care to share? I think mine is obvious. I wasn't thinking very original when I came up with that one. I'm a midwife and I live in the south. But I've always been curious about "snowfence" and "frostslave" for example. Will you tell us?

~ Beth

Last Week: 138

Today:  137  WooHoo!!!

beb, that's 50/25/25 for carbs/protein/fat.  my carbs are usually around 60 to 70, protein...  maybe 10 to 15, & my fat is usually around 30 to 40 though, unless it's a good day.  i really DO try...   

wow!  lol  you might have to have christmas with rick & then glenn.  yeah, that could be a dilemma...  it's good to see you lost a pound!

helene, i hope you feel better soon.  it sucks being sick.

chris, 132 is awesome!  .2 even...  it's almost 131!  nope, no changes here.  it will be the whole turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veges, pies galore thing for us.  i'll probably go nuts on stuffing for a week!  i love stuffing!!!

southern, you should've weighed yourself again.  lol  it probably would've gone down.  you'll be maintaining real soon.  we have 2 thanksgivings.  1 at home & 1 at my sister's house.  hubby hates going to sis's, because he wants tons of leftovers, so we just have a 2nd thanksgiving.  now, the kids all look forward to it, too.

i should check out that list of shorthand smileys.  geez...  i could only imagine how many there are!

bonton, did you lose yesterday?  with all that protein?  i am sooooo waiting to hear!!!

i chose the name snowfence because my dad & brother always called me that when i was young.  either that or teen i snow.  i always hated both of them names, but at least it's almost always available when signing up for stuff.  LOL  sometimes it's actually taken & i need to be snowfence2!

i guess it has something to do with being the baby & living where there's lots of snow.  i hate snow, too!  my mom had 6 kids, one a year for 6 years.  that's when i was the baby & then 6 years later she had another one.  everyone thought she was gonna have 6 all over again, but that was it.

Thanks Midwife..Beth for clearing up that ??? about the :D now i understand..shorthand ahhhh......my screenname is obvious blue eyes and blonde....hehehe not to worry next week you'll be down on the scales.....oh by the way www.smileycentral.com has a cute little add on toolbar or if you use smileys alot in email or IM this is for you, it's free and no virus its all par of yahoo as well i use them alot in my emails......ever mood, expresion, activity and you can store your favorites in 3 different folders...bye....BEB

Hello Everyone

Thank you all for your support. Especially you, Bonnie. I know the increased release of cortisol during the stress of night work is a factor, but I know its been more than that.

Yes, buying the house was stressful, then Max went on Ambien to sleep and turned into a perfect rendition of Satan. When he wasn't in bed with a migraine, he was terrible to be around. Borderline abusive. He quit taking the sleepers and once again has trouble sleeping at night but I feel like my friend is back.

Then last month my cat (Frost) ...(I was his slave) was hit by a car and did not survive. I had him 7 years and was in absolute mourning. I have even considered changing my screen name. But in memory of him I will keep it.

Anyway I look back at these factors and realize compiled with that was my own weakness. I become tired of watching what I eat. I think I gave up for awhile. Ate every piece of fat and sugar I desired. And ladies, that was a lot.  The effects were dramatic and almost immediate.

I knew if I declared this to my friends at CC it would help. And it did. I have eaten well (this is now the 3rd day). It becomes more difficult in the evening. I am not sure if that's because I am a night worker or what. But I have hung tough. I am not working this week so this is as good a time as any. By next week when I return to work I hope to have my routine back. And later today I am going to break out the running shoes. I have walked a little. We have a gym at the hospital and I live VERY close to work now. I may consider joining.

So there you have it ladies. I am back and I will keep trying.

Hugs and support to you all!!!!!!!!!

Peg

Peg, You really have been through a lot. You should be proud of getting back on the wagon, hopefully it will help you feel better too. I didn't know taking a sleeping aid could do that to a person...I'm glad you mentioned it. It must be such a relief to have him back. Hope he can get some kind of exercise too so that sleep is less of a problem. Hang in there!

FYI, my screen name isn't very romantic, just my name plus my street number. Oh well, we can't ALL be interesting. lol.