Getting ME ready for iris season

I need to loose a bunch of weight too but right now I'm aiming for getting my flexiblity back and working on strengthing my knees. I need to loose a bunch of weight. I know all the rules having worked in the fitness business back in the '90's.

I've joined an exercise group with some other neighborhood ladies but it's for older ladies and it doesn't have enough aerobic benefits so I'm trying to get either this school or another in town to let me start classes for stability ball,pilantes,yoga and strength training.

This pictures about 2 yrs old when I was demoing step at a street fair. I was big even then.I had to stop step when I injured my foot and it took FOREVER to heal so I need to work even harder now. I'm in the white hat.

sure flowrgirl - when do you get back in the Triad area?

bigred, if you want to improve your health with movement, please join us!

My flexibility is shot from an adductor muscle tear in my right leg (slip at work), which stopped my first attempt at this. Nearly ripped off my arms in a fall after a hurricane, so my rotator cuffs have very limited capacity. Tried pilates and yoga and can't handle the joint stress. I'll be standing in spirit right beside you!
can you be our exercise encourager/kibitzer?

Good Saturday Morning all! I'm so excited about this. I'm getting started today. yesterday I stayed away from sweets and potato chips, but no exercise.

Dee, you go ahead and post on Saturdays. I'm going to post every Monday. That's easiest for me because mentally I restart my week every Monday. I can weigh at home or at the Y on their doctor's scales.

I'm looking for a free weekly/monthly calendar with boxes I can print and hang on the frig, X out to mark progress. anyone know of a freebie on the web I can use?

http://www.schoolfamily.com/print-and-use-tools/document/631-school-week-at-a-glance?gclid=CLzJ5Nr6hZ8CFWpd5Qodem3NRg

thanks Polly!

Good morning ladies!
I'll be cheering you on!!
Being on insulin, losing weight requires double the effort of non-insulin dependant diabetics.
I need to stay away from white products.. white rice.. white flour..
Another will be a conscious effort NOT to eat when I'm stressed. I tend to go for seconds..

Consider me as the one that will pray for each and everyone of you who wished to live a healthy 2010.

and if you go for 2nds, Jaye, take 2nds of the veggies, salads or meat without fat, gravy or sauce!

I've been in my kitchen considering the request for healthy treats. Have a recipe for oatmeal banana nut bread that's lower in fat than most. Have a lot of blackened 'nanas, and canola oil. This will be healthier than sugar cookies or pie.

Looked through my frig and decided to make another vat of homemade turkey ONION veggie soup. That's a high veggie, near no fat lunch option.

OK here is the damage 131.2# now remember I am 4'11" and before the holidays weighed 121.7# and my goal is 117...so 14# to loose, now I know many of you will think she is not overweight...but high cholo, high BP, and stress with honey's health...so need to get it back down.

The ball if I can after the fall.

D

Got some great salty or sweet treats that is very low in everything and tasty

I will post on Sat. My once a week check in.

Re potato chips: If on the menu, I am allowed to eat 10. We use a low salt chip. Remember weight will vary day by day, the idea is to keep the lower variation from going up. even at my current weight 206.5 I have not gone up past 210. Start of weight loss 5 yrs ago after starting after diabetes diagonosis was 227.5. Have not reached back to it.

bonjon-I am in winston now. I get here in September and don't head to MI until about May 8th or so. Not 100% sure if I will go to MI this year though I really want to.

Anyone else have a specific day they want to post on?

Didn't realize you were back, flowrgirl. You coming to the Region 4 Spring Conference in Greensboro?

Got a big vat of Turkey ONION veggie soup ready to go in the frig for de-fatting. That's a lowfat lunch for me. With low-salt saltines it's great on a cold day. and it's COLD outside.

Lucy, was never into chips, but DH managed to hook me on them with sandwiches. If only he wouldn't bring them in the house.

Seeing as I work at home on the computer, I am here all the time,......so as I find new recipes or create a few, I will post them. My problem is when I get bored or stressed I eat....so why not do something constructive in the kitchen instead of destructive...I will try make some new food instead of eating it.

Ok if we are being honest I am 5'6" and 130 lb's. Blond hair and a killer figure at 24 yrs old.
I am not in this photo, just my siblings and spouses. I am absolutely not the little tubber in the sweater in the back row LOL

good one rebloomer:)
D

OMG Steph, you're 24 already!

I think you're lovely, and I think everyone else on here is too.

50yrs later, sigh. Would not wish to be a teen ager again, however.

Oh me either, yuck.

Ya'll are too funny. Yes my goal is to lose 1.5 lbs per week. Started exercising yesterday am for 1/2 hr per day. Am going to do a lot of stretching and try to walk more as I know that will help with balance. Also watch the carbs. It is so hard when I am around food all day, not that I eat that much but I taste everything I do cook as I won't put anything over the counter and make someone pay for something I would not want.

OK everyone, Mother Winter is here. I have lost over 50 lbs at least 10 times. I am an expert of losing weight, just not keeping it off. I lost 65 lbs 4 years ago due to depression and high anxiety. I retired from my career and had kept it off until the last 6 months. I am 5'4 3/4" and weight 170. I am 67 years old. I need to lose 20 pounds. I got down to 142 but could not hold it. I am starting on Monday because I did not want to start on a weekend.
Rule Number 1. Take measurements every time you weight yourself once a week.
Rule Number 2. Only weight yourself once a week.
Rule Number 3. If there is something in your pantry you cannot resist, get rid of it.
Rule Number 4. Keep a record of everything you put in your mouth.
Rule Number 5. Drink at least 8 8ozs glasses of water a day.
Rule Number 6. Fiber is good.
Rule Number 7. White flour, white bread, sugar is not good.
Rule Number 8. Only eat cereal that has 5gm or less of sugar.
Rule Number 9. Read labels. Pay attention to serving sizes.
Rule Number 10. Do not cook anything you need to read labels unless it is beans, brown rice or something high in fiber. Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and great soups that have just about zero point counts because they take more energy to digest than they have. I have many great recipes.

You need to go into your pantry or where ever you have your hidden stash and get rid of it. Could be more than one thing. Mine is oyster crackers. I just bought two bags for my DH but made him take them up to his office and only bring down what he needs for his soup.

Do not play games with yourself. Oh I am not eating breakfast so I can have two bagels or donuts or whatever. Your most important meal of the day is your breakfast. It gets your metabolism going. Right after breakfast if you can, put on your ear phones and go for a long walk. If you cannot walk fast, just walk farther. If you can only make it two blocks only do two blocks. Next day make your goal to make 2 1/2 half blocks. Just remember as far as you go you must come back. You are best, according to my world, going by yourself because you can get lost in your thoughts and before you know it you are done. Largest meal should be lunch and lightest should be dinner.

Never make a meal that you do not make left overs for another meal. Costco has chicken tender which are the thin portion on the breasts. Even if you forget dinner, they will thaw and cook in a matter of minutes You just need to sit down, plan out your meals, shop, cook and enjoy. I did not cook everyday. When I opened the fridge, I had something good for me that tasted good. When I purchased fresh vegetables, carrots, celery, radishes, and many vegetables you can eat raw. You bring them home, prepare them, cut them up and put them in zip lock bags in the fridge. When you have your weakness moments, and you will, you can fill up on whatever vegetable you like. Mine was raw turnips. Popcorn is great but you do not need to buy the prepackaged packets for the microwave. You can use regular popcorn, put in a medium or large bowl, put on a cover that will let air through and pop. It is great and has less chemicals.

Now that I have your attention you need to start next Monday which is the 11th of January. Between now and the 11th you need to get out of the house things you cannot resist. Supply your pantry with high fiber rice, grains and especially whole grain bread and whole grain taco shells. Get tamed horseradish sauce, red taco sauce, green taco sauce or what ever floats your boat. Spice is your friend. If you like hot get hot. DO NOT BE BORED WITH YOUR MEAL. You can make a great omelet for breakfast with nothing but great high fiber vegs,. Just no cheese, sausage or bacon. Oh well, that is reserved once a year for Christmas or New Years. The vegs you want in your omelet just buy a bunch, chop them up and put them in the freezer it a large bag individually wrapped., Then you will have no excuses.

OK, I am starting on Monday and I will be walking every day with my i pod and my music by myself. But remember that is my thing and I am in Las Vegas wih no rain and the temp is 60. Love you all.

Remember your goal should be what you are going to lose in a one month to a three month period. You cannot place your total goal in front because it would be totally overwhelming. And I agree you should not be losing more than a pound or a pound and a half for a week. But participants that are more overweight will lose more weight the first few weeks. Remember, I am not an expert, just been there and done that. Just want to help, not take over. Love to you all. Anyone that agrees with cleaning out the pantry, get a measuring tape, a scale and a journal to log everything you put in your mouth. Stand up and say IIIIIIII. YOU GO GIRLS......

Copy this and put on your frig ~~

Y'all are great with ideas!

I've been so good. My thing is sweets. I will blow any diet for sweets. Was so good all day yesterday, had one Christmas cookie. Been avoiding sweets all season. Managed to lose 4 lbs since Nov. 1st already.

What I do is:
exercise more and early in the day
eat salads with both lunch and dinner, very low calorie dressings
eat veggies or fruits every meal
stopped yelling for DD to climb the stairs fetching me things. Force myself to do the stairs
with exercise, I will inhale water, drink from every fountain I pass
drink a glass of water before every meal
remove sweets - less or low sugar jams, pastries at breakfast, no desserts
remove alcohol drinks - very high in fat and sugar

don't like white bread, but recently discovered my larger slice healthy breads have 1/2 again as many calories, so 2 slices of them = 3 slices of white! Yeah, gotta start reading labels.

I don't have a lot of BAD foods in the house as we eat so much at the shop but am going shopping this week and will make things up ahead as Sharon does as that it a great idea and then we will eat here more and eat better. Too icy to walk outside but will walk in the mall which is nice as you get to see everyone on the way up and down the hall. I found that problem with my Wheat bread to Bonjon, They no longer make my regular size 12 grain which we loved and the replacement 12 grain is so much larger and makes huge sandwiches. These companies just think the shape is so cool but not when you wear it on you.LOL

Synda thank you for the Fridge note of encouragement. I already printed it and am putting it on their now and one by the computer here. It says so much about the human spirit of determination.

The whole wheat breads etc. come on various sizes here. Drinking a lot of (diet) tonic water. the same non-diet has 23g of sugar. The tonic water is to help with the leg cramps. Certainly my medications make me dehydrate at night.

I too Lucy have drank diet tonic water for leg cramps, seems like the older I get the more aches and pains, lucky for me, have hot tub to use during the dig season.

D

I am aching & paining beautifully at the moment. Wonder if it is the weather--any excuse will do.

Good morning everybody. If the whole wheat bread is to big, cut it in half. You shouldn't be looking at the calorie count on the bread but the fat, sugar and fiber content.. The more fiber the more calories the bread can have. White bread and pasta are a real no no. You will be amazed when you start reading labels. Just because it says light does not mean it is. Look for sugar, fructose or other hidden ingredients. Sodium if it is sky high is bad. I use regular salad dressing., I just use less of it. I do not put salad dressing on my salad. I put it in a small bowl, 1 TBS and dip my fork in it then gather up a bite of salad. It is great to eat almonds and walnuts. They have great fiber. But you cannot eat the whole bag. You need to measure out what you are going to have for the day and put them in a small bowl. But the large bag away until the next day.

Someone that weighs over 200 pounds can eat more than someone who weighs 150 pounds. So for heaven sake if you have a large amount to lose, do not cut your self down to 1200 calories. You will starve and drop out very soon.

Chewing is usually something an overweight person does not do. And eating slowly. Chewing releases an saliva solution that helps break down the food in your stomach. Therefore, if you gulp your food, and I did, your food does not get the advantage of that help. That helps the stomach separate fat, sugar and whatever and burn it off. It you do not chew, you lose that help. They say you should even use a chewing motion when you are eating puddings, jello anything like that to help break it down in your stomach.

I get my almonds and walnuts at Costco. At a normal market they are to expensive. I shop at Von's/Safeway and they have a beef stock/chicken stock unsalted. Even with that it has 187mg of sodium. I use that as the base of my soup. Then you can add anything you want to your soup. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, onion, garlic. Not all at the same time. If I was using cauliflower, I would add carrots, onion, celery, garlic and one small potato. When the vegetables are cooked I put them in a blender and puree them and it makes a nice cream soup or you can leave it in the original and just have veg. soup. The chicken tenders I spoke of yesterday, which I also get at Costco, could be cut up added when the soup is complete as additional protein. You now have a great soup with very little fat or sugar and very high in Fiber. Fiber is your best friend.

You could add canned pinto, or any kind of bean you like, just rinse before you add because they have a brine solution you do not want in your soup. I also add crushed tomatoes sometimes. Beans are very high in fiber. Small amounts of brown rice can be added., You can make a very delicious soup that will take more calories to digest than it has in it.

Ok here's another thing you can print in large bold print and place it in several places around your house and even in your car.


"NOTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS SKINNY FEELS"!!!

I'm so sore I can't move. Played volleyball for 3 hours last night up at the church. Everything I have hurts today and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be able to roll out of bed this morning for church. Everything from my waist down is Killing me. These aches and pains are from using muscles I haven't unsed in several years. I'm sure playing on the concret floors had a great deal to do with it. (frown)

I'm off to get in a hot tub of water.

Hang in there ladies, we can do with, I just know it.
Love Ya, Marian

This message was edited Jan 3, 2010 2:59 PM

Great Suggestions Sharon...Keep them coming!

I love sub sandwiches...like from Subway and Quizno's.....but I always buy the foot long and eat it throughout the day....learned that I can make a healthier one at home using wheat tortilla wraps and a mixture of 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 basalmic vinegar in a spray bottle.

1 tortilla wrap
4 slices fresh cucumber chopped fine
1 slice lean turkey breast (not smoked)
1/2 cup bean or alfalfa sprouts (i prefer alfalfa)
1 tsp bacon bits ( salad topping type)

Warm wrap and lay on the turkey and bean sprouts. Add the cucumbers and spray once with the olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle on the bacon bits and roll up....slice and eat.

sounds good jar.

Probably the only thing I would add is shredded lettuce or angel hair coleslaw and something spicy like pickles or something pickled.

Cristina on the recipes forum gives some wonderful recipes for healthy eating. I would love to lose at least 30 lbs. I am 5'6" and weigh 163, just turned 75 and that's hard to take after being too thin all my life. I don't eat breakfast, I know that it is the most important meal, and I do love sweets (a little too much). Got myself a rice cooker and got no complains from DH when I made brown rice. That will be the rice of choice from now on, he did complain about whole wheat pasta though.
I love veggies so there is no problem there. I've never tried growing iris, but got some bulbs at a mini round-up so have to find a place for them. Eating and chewing is something I have to work on too. I eat way too fast, and that doesn't help the digestion. Let's see how faithful I can be about losing weight. The doctor gave me a book on back execises, but they don't work if you keep the booklet closed.

LOL Samigal, I have several of those self help books that make great coffee table books, coasters, and so forth. But like you said, they do us any good if we don't open them up and read them. Welcome to the iris forum.
Marian
Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend and a Glorious Sunday. God Bless You and Yours.

Hey, y'all. This is going to be a great group of encouragers! Sorry I haven't been here since this morning. Connection problems.

Who's started on movement, i.e., exercise? Marian, we know you have - 3 hours of volleyball! Please everyone, if you haven't worked out in a while, be smart and do a lot of stretching, and then take it easier at first. Increase Gradually. If you get injured at the start of this, you won't staying here long!

I went box gathering, which requires me to bend and stretch a great deal, picking up and loading. Then gathering free pots, loading and unloading my truck. Ended up walking a fair bit doing it all, outdoors, in the coldest weather we've had in a while. After being a couch potato since Christmas day, it felt MARVELOUS.

Pegi, are they bulbs? or rhizomes? There's 3 main types of irises, only one is bulbous, two are rhizomous. Culture for each is a bit different. But you've got some great iris experts in this group, so feel free to ask questions!

I love Veggie Sandwiches.
2 slices Rye Bread.
1 slice ;ow fat Swiss Cheese.
Cucumber-washed and sliced
Bean Sprouts
Sunflower Seeds
1 tsp lowfat mayo

Not for everyone but I love all those veggies.
How to avacados add up here. I love them and today we had to go for supplies and I got some of them and Clementines and bananas as I need the Potassium. Also got some shrimp and some whole what pasta and brown rice and beans and and

Sounds like my favorite sandwich Steph. But I make mine with mustard instead of mayo, and never tried the sunflower seeds, but otherwise the same.

I haven't had clementines in awhile. Those sound good.

Polly they looked so good I just had to have some and I think I will go have one right now. All this talk of food is making me hungry but now I have something I can eat without guilt. The mustard sounds good so may make it with both.

bananas are common with us at lunch. Can no longer eat cukes--results in heartburn, which of couse is indigestion.

Hello you wonderful thinking thinner people. Mother Winter again. Rebloomnut, that is a great start. Avocados are not going to hurt you because they are high in a good fat and have great fiber. Just eat them. Do not add anything and do not eat the whole avocado.

You have to think portion size. Read your labels. The label may say 100 calories for two servings. "Well you are looking at 8 oz of fruit. That is 200 calories and should not be touched because no fiber and a whole bunch of sugar.

I today made three things for the first three days of meals for the week. Two servings of white fish for my fish tacos. I have my whole wheat taco soft shells and all my tomatoes, tamed spices. I have baked salmon I found on sale and made three dinners. I can use part for our breakfast meal, served with eggs and chopped onions or mixed with something great to spread on croutons

Tip of the day, serve your meals on a smaller plate, blue is best, hence the phrase Blue Plate Special. Sit down and be in the moment, do not watch tv or concentrate on anything but your meal. Eat slowly and savor the different flavors and textures, write down everything you eat.

Can you believe it, our temperature dipped down into the 30's last night!