Motivation

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 - Thanks for your concern. Appreciate it. The irregular beats started long before the nutrition supplement, but it does contain some caffeine that occurs naturally in the green tea extract and the orange peel extract. First I recall was when I turned 50 and had gone to celebrate that prestigious event (read: drown it in tequila) on the Mayan Riviera. I was on the plane and had eaten a whack, and I mean a whole whack, of chocolate M&M's. Maybe I was trying to bury the big 5-0 instead of drown it? I figured it was too much caffeine from the chocolate and the stress of flying. Over the next few years I had sporadic bouts of them where I would feel them numerous times for a day or two and then months and months would go by with nothing. I put those events down to hormones. We can tell ourselves just about anything and believe it so I figured it was time to get a proper diagnosis. Maybe it is messed up menopause. Maybe it is stress. (I know I have a cortisol build up around my middle from that!) We'll know soon. The check up is part of the new me I'm working on. I cut my hair about 6 inches. Photo in my gallery. Weight went down a pound this week, so since that is not an increase over what would have happened without the apple cider vinegar, the early verdict looks a bit grim for it. I'll push on for another week, or until the bottle is finished, and give my final report then. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, relaxing, reunioning, being good to yourselves, whatever you are doing, because you are all good to others.

"A friend will tell you she saw your old boyfriend...and he's a priest" (Erma Bombeck)

-Bex

Bex - Beautiful haircut!!  Glad you are getting your irregular beats properly diagnosed!  Congrats on the pound loss! My daughters took me and my hubby to the outer banks of VA beach for my 50th! I don't feel over 50 but when you have to say it out loud... LOL

It rained off and on today at the reuinion - thank heavens we had tents! We had a nice time a few of us took some old pics and we had a good time going thru those. Anyways, today is the first day since I started on here in Jan that I did not log my foods! LOL Too many things today to know the exact calorie count but I did not over eat.

A new low today!!!! YIPPPPEEE 121.8 I jumped off really fast before it changed it's mind! LOL Won't weigh tomorrow - too many carbs today.

In another golf tournament tomorrow LOL - I sub in an inter-club tournament thing and they called me to sub tomorrow. My grandson is feeling better now my daughter is sick. She actaully has a Dr appt tomorrow so that's a good thing. But she probably got it from him.

snow - our gym isn't the cleanest and then they are too cheap to run the air conditioning - it sucks esp when you are a paying to join but there really aren't any choices. That's where city life pays off ! you have lots of choices.

bonnie: congrats on the new low. And, on sticking to the plan without logging. Good for you. Kick butt on the greens tomorrow!

Bex: I had all my old friends fly to Boulder for a "Robbiepaluza" weekend when I turned 50. My son was upset because he turned 18 the same day, and the weekend was all about ME! My attitude was, "Hey, you get to be 18." That was five years ago and I now wish I were only 50! In fact, yesterday I was buying a gift, and the clerk offered to wrap it free, "since you're over 50." Initially, I was devastated that she pegged my age; then I realized she meant that I had spent over 50 dollars. LOL

This morning, Tom took me for a short motorcycle ride (his last chance before surgery) and I wore a shirt with a scoop neck. Boy, was that dumb. The wind kept catching it and filling it up like a sail. Now I know why all the motorcycle chicks wear tight leathers.

Snow, no wonder you like to walk. It sounds like it beats the gym in your town! Have you ever considered exercise tapes? I use them a lot because my house is nicer and less crowded than the gym.

Here's to a productive weight loss week, all.

Ok, I have wedding pictures posted in my gallery along with a pre-diet photo.  Looking at them I can see I have a long way to do, but I will do it.  Good thing the Rice Krispie treats are gone.

Count me in.  I'm 57 years old.  Live in Japan, but from Alaska.  I just started using this site.  I'm on day seven.  It's going well so far.  I usually give up on day three.  I have lost a few lbs. by hiking and guiding in English along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage site that was made a World Heritage site in 2004. http://kumanokodoguides.blogspot.com/  Just walking for a few hours a couple of times a month has whittled me down about twenty pounds.  My husband, too.  Course that made him skinny and me only 50 lbs overweight.  My daughter challenged me to lose weight by using this site.  I think I may have hit the jackpot.  This is wonderful.  I really like the ability to reach out to others. 

"Oneis2many," that is a great picture of you!  That's what I want to look like when I reach my goal weight of 114 lbs.  That won't be skinny, but it's a reasonable, healthy weight for me. 

I eat a mostly Japanese diet.  Who said Japanese have the corner on being slim?  You can overeat anywhere...  My challenge is to try to eat at more regular times because I have an English school and my schedule changes every day.  I find planning ahead works best.  Especially planning for snacks. 

Carol - Beautiful pictures!!! And you look fabulous - your dress that you searched so hard to find is beautiful!!! Keep up the great work at boot camp -  It is definitely paying off! Your daughter looks beautiful too!! And it looks like the weather cooperated! LOL about the Rice Krispie treats - my friend gave me a small container of dark chocolate chex mix to try - OH BOY - I will not buy that as I could not stay out of it!! LOL

kyashiis - Welcome - we're glad you joined us! I've found that eating at more regular times has really helped me to stick with my plan better. I used to skip meals then I'd be starving and make less than "A" choices LOL. Logging has also kept me away from sweets - my weakness! LOL

Everyone - have  a great day - I'll be on the golf course!!

rebbex,  turning 50 wasn't so bad.  LOL  dreading it was the worst!!!  i'm actually kind of glad i did it now, so it's over with!  there's no turning back now...  oh geez...  time to keep getting older & older.  i guess that's what we've done all our lives anyway.  a new haircut always makes you feel better.  :D

sometimes i use being 50 as an excuse, like, "i can't do that!  i'm freakin' 50!"  so anyways, i guess it comes in handy sometimes.

bonton, wow!  there have been lots of days that i didn't log my food.  lol  so many times that i just ate so much i knew it wasn't worth logging.  you are doing really great then.  that must have been fun looking thru old pics! 

that is awesome!  121.8!!!  congrats on the loss!  oh great...  if figures, huh?  now your daughter is sick.  i hope you don't get it!

i have lots of choices, but i only paid $68 for the year for my gym.  they really need to remodel though.  they have all the same walls, floors, tiles, etc as they did in 1974!  i guess they keep up with the machines though & alot of gyms don't have the pool, sauna, whirlpool & steam room.  maybe someday i'll actually try a class.  they have alot of classes.

robbie, free wrapping because you're over 50?  LOL  that's so funny!!!  i could just picture you thinking, "and how does she know i'm over 50?"

OMG!  i sure am glad you mentioned that shirt!  i'll have to be careful what i wear.  i hate when your clothes fill up with air like that. 

ya know, i've always wanted to try some kind of workout tape at home.  i don't know what to do though.  it would have to be low impact.  i'm not much for jumping around & stuff.

clharr, nice pics.  :D  i like them rice krispie treats too.  i rarely have them anymore.  i'd rather have chocolate.

kyashiis, welcome!  that's funny, quitting on day 3.  whenever i used to diet, i always had to quit because i always gained weight!  this time is NOT a diet though.  i lost alot & my hubby lost alot of weight too & my daughter started out with us, but she got pregnant.  i seem to do way better if i plan ahead too.

good luck this week everyone!!!  :D

Welcome Kyashiis! It's so great to have someone in the group from outside North America. Hope you tell us lots of stories of your life in the orient. Good luck with your goal. You have the right attitude, not taking yourself too seriously. I like it.

Robbie, I had a good chuckle at the comment from your gift wrapping clerk. I remember the first time that happened to me. They don't go in for the US style seniors' (gag) discounts much in Canada, but I was in Palm Springs at the Jockey store in the outlet mall and the clerk asked me if I wanted the seniors' discount because it was Tuesday. Long pause, awkward stare of confusion. In Canada seniors are generally regarded as 65+. I was mortified! But when I realized she wasn't asking if I was over 65, but had reached 50 yet, I didn't feel quite so bad. My daughter was in hysterics. 

Bon - your are a golfing maniac these days. What fun to be part of such an active club. Good luck with the scores. Pretty soon we'll have to start calling you Annika.

Carol - wow, you looked stunning at the wedding. I couldn't see your leg drip at all! (Ha Ha) And your weight loss is really evident from the picture in New York. Well done! Nobody has really noticed I have lost 21 pounds I think because it has been so gradual, 15 weeks. It's torture for me to have it go so slowly, but unless I turn up the exercise burners I doubt I will see much acceleration. I will have a stern talk with myself this week about that as I am off work and have no excuse.

"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." (Mary Kay Ash)

-Bex

Hello everyone!

I, seriously, need to find a new pair of work out shoes.  The ones I bought last fall are no longer good.  Either I have worn them out, or were somewhat ill-fitting to begin with.  I think it's the latter.  I was at the gym one day and my trainer told me it looked as if my shoes were not sufficient for how I work out.  I am left, now, with pain on the soles of my feet-especially my arch.     I've tried on a few pair, and haven't found any to my liking in my price range.  I'll keep looking.

Kyashiis, yes, welcome and come back often, and thanks for the wonderful compliment.   This thread, has taken off in so many wonderful directions.  The ladies here are supportive, wise, comforting and funny as all out.  I never would have thought when I started the thread it would have become such a 'flavourful favourite of so many women.  And I haven't used this thread nearly as much as many others.  Doesn't matter, all I can tell you from my heart is that you're in the right place.

So, grab a cuppa tea, or coffee, or if you're really do what  you're supposed to be doing, that bottle of water, and get to know us all!

Original Post by clharr:

Ok, I have wedding pictures posted in my gallery along with a pre-diet photo.  Looking at them I can see I have a long way to do, but I will do it.  Good thing the Rice Krispie treats are gone.

 What  amazing progress you've made. And, I agree with others: the dress really suited you. Is the other bridesmaid a sister?

Keep up the good work.

Yes robbie, that is my younger daughter.

It was a beautiful day.  Quite hot.  I felt sorry for the men in their suits and tuxes.  The site overlooked the ocean.  It was a very nice wedding.

Bonton:  Congratulations on the new low!  I am also at one, but quite a bit higher than yours.

Kyashiis:  Welcome! Hajimema ma site!  (I got that from my husband who can speak some Japanese.)  We hope to visit Japan sometime in the next couple of years.  Anyway, stick with us!  We are loosing some serious weight here.

ohio:  I am getting those things too.  A couple  just appeared over a few weeks.  They are smaller than yours.  Yuck!  Getting old sucks.

One:  Nice to see you again!

Hi everyone, old and new!  (Well, I guess we're all sort of old).  I have been too busy at work to post or look at photos or anything.

 I took the transfer to a new department that I had turned down a couple of weeks ago, and I start the new job on the 7th.  What changed my mind was that I had another run-in with the manager in my current dept (I'll call her Tee, and she is a witch with a capital "B").  Tee, who can best be described as a power-crazy control freak, decided to put me on a strict 8 to 5 schedule and eliminate the half-hour vacation I had been taking at lunch to go to the gym twice a week.   She's a couple of years younger than me, and I think she is jealous that I've been getting in shape and she's been getting fatter.  Anyway, even though I love everything else about my job, I told myself enough is enough, and this time I had another job to go to.  I have been a good and dutiful employee of the County for 20 years, I don't talk a lot on the phone (like Tee does), I get to work on time (unlike Tee) and I do a darn good job, which is appreciated by everyone I work with (except Tee).  I should have looked for another job years ago. 

My eating this week could stand some improvement.  I'm still getting lots of exercise.  I am motivated by all of you who have been losing!  Congrats!!! 

Robbie, I think I'm doing the "treading weight" thing you mentioned.  That is such a good way to put it :)  Sorry to hear about your hubby's bicep.  Mine just joined a gym but I doubt if he'll be having that sort of problem.

Ohio, I've got a fatty lump in the exact spot you are describing.  I've had mine for years.  It stays about the same.  My brother had some in his arm, and he had them removed and biopsied.  They are just harmless fatty cysts.  I will leave mine alone unless it were to get bigger.

Bonton, you are just inching down towards your goal.  Keep going, you will get there!

Alice

Good Morning everyone! To those of you with lumps - LOL - one day lifting at the gym - I stand in front of a mirrored wall - I noticed this lump on the inside of my forearm  about 1" by 2" so I went and had it checked - fatty cyst - don't know why I got it but he said it would be worse to have it taken out unless it bothered me so there it is.

Played very well yesterday at the golf tournament - shot a 95 at a course I had played only once - made the team 35 points so they were happy they called me to sub! Right before we teed off they asked if anyone else wanted in skins so I took up my $5 and said to the lady "here's my donation" LOl Well lo and behold I birdie a par 3  that no one else did - I got $47.50!! So I got my cart fee back, my $5 and money towards gas! LOL

moon - hope the new position goes well and by the sounds of it I don't blame you for taking it!!

ohio - good luck at golf today!! And I'm with you - as long as they make color in a bottle I will not have gray hair! LOL I get highlights in the winter but in the summer I live outside and it gets too blond LOL so I just get straight color!

OK off to mow the  grass LOL "mowing off those pounds" Hope to get my car cleaned today as i have not yet gotten to that! LOL

Everyone - Have a great day!

Hello to all! Welcome Kyashiis!

Ok Ok....where to start.

One: I need a new pair of shoes about once every 3 to 5 months. Especially running shoes. I try to invest in good running and cross training shoes. It essential.

Bonton: You are getting the weight off. WOOOO HOOO that is what it is all about. No matter if you are trying to lose 5 pounds or 100 pounds ...we are all in this together.

Snow: Try a class at the gym. Don't be afraid. You don't have to do high impact. Walk in place if you aren't sure. Play around and find what your body likes. Mine like step aerobics. Maybe pilate's? Just have fun with it.

Clharr you looked perfect at your daughters wedding and she was positively radiant.

Robbie: Cute story about the free over 50 wrapping. I love your sense of humor.

Moon: Good for you for leaving a job that had you compromised. I admire you for that.

The visit with company is going well. I have been running pretty faithfully. I remain at 136 pounds. Sigh...I know it will come. Just keep trying. I have cottage cheese on the back of my upper legs and my butt....I need the gym. I won't get this off with running. It will take weights. Weights will help right?????

Keep going everyone. You can do it. We will all do it.

Frost, weights will help!!  I can't believe the new definition in my arms and legs, especially both sides of the thighs.  And not just weights - I am using resistance bands, the big exercise ball, and my own body weight for various exercises.  I did ten pushups yesterday!!  Though I'd never get there.  The elliptical machine is my new favorite for cardio.  No stress on my knees but it works my legs way more than the treadmill ever did.  I can easily get my heart rate up to 130, which burns up calories like crazy.  Pilates and spin classes are great too.  I am doing many things to improve balance, also.  Balance is so important as we get older, and there are specific small muscles we need to strengthen to maintain it.

Alice

kyashiis: I forgot to say welcome. Are you coming back? I love Japanese food, but sushi seems to make me retain water. Don't know if it's the soy sauce, the rice expanding or the Saki I drink with it.

bex: Who's Mary Kay Ash?

One: I agree with Frost; spend the money on good shoes. The place I go to (Hey, it's Boulder, running Mecca) actually has a video that shows your footfall on the treadmill to make sure they fit well.

Carol: Getting old sucks, indeed, but it's better than the alternative.

Alice: Is there ever a workplace with no "Tee"? If so, I've never found it. And, like you, I always put up with it too long before taking action, meanwhile eating myself up with stress. The best revenge will be as you continue to be strong and heathy and lean and Tee remains fat and unappreciative.

Ohio: I always talk to women who are brave enough to go grey, and they always tell me, don't do it. So, guess I'll keep making my colorist rich!

Bonnie: A good game and money. Can't beat that!

Frost: Weights will and do help; they make things fit better even when they don't change the weight number. And if it helps, I was hovering between 136-134 last April, and I was convinced it would never go down. Am at 128 today (whoopee) and lowered my goal from 124 to 122. So, hang in there girl.

Keep up the good work all!

I sometimes wonder what I would look like with my natural haircolor.  I am definately salt and pepper if not mostly white.  (That is my father's genes.  His family was white by the time they hit 40.)  But my husband doesn't have any grey in his hair that I can see, and I don't want to be mistaken for his mother!  (Actually I might be greyer than his mother)  That's what I get for marrying a man 8 years younger than myself.

Snow:  Exercise helps a lot.  My boot camp has put more muscle on me than I have ever had.  It looks kind of cool.  When I get enough weight off so that you can really see it, I think it will look very nice.  I think it might also help prevent "chicken wings".  I noticed my younger sister had bad ones and she has never been heavy.  In any case, it feels good to be strong.

Well I got the grass cut today but did not get that darned car cleaned yet! LOL I went and bought flowers, ornamental grass and a few shrubs to landscape up along the our driveway - we just had it paved 2 years ago and never landscaped alongside it! When I get it all planted I'll put a pic in my gallery. Weird thing was - I did not measure or plan it out ahead of time I just went and bought things and believe it or not I had just the right number of plants!Maybe I'll go into the landscaping business when I retire!

I had planned to lift weights 2x a week but have not been to the gym since school let out! LOL Too busy in my yard and playing golf and being with the grandkids! Oh BTW - my daughter and grandson are both better!