Chat thread: whatever you wanna say or talk about (non-N related)

[CZBZ]

Sydney Fireworks suggested starting a chit-chat thread where members can talk about whatever they wanna talk about. You don't have to discuss narcissism or sociopathy or psychopathy, or even narcissistic traits. You can talk about anything you want to talk about. Or maybe just post a quote that touched your heart.

This thread will STICK to the top of the General Board. Once it reaches several pages in length, we'll start a new one! The idea kinda reminds me of an expanded ShoutBox (for those who haven't yet discovered the ShoutBox, it's on the left sidebar.)


Hugs all,
CZ


p.s. I was hoping to find a 'typewriter font' for the typewriter girl on the header. Courier font looks pretty darn close!

[SydneyFireworks]

Hi everyone

CZ, thanks for starting this thread – I have a feeling you might see me in here quite often!   

I need to lose 20lbs worth of lumpy bits that have attached themselves to my body in recent years – and I need some help!  Not the kind of help that involves desperate dieting or excruciating exercise, but tips and hints that are realistic and relatively easy for a hedonistic older woman to act upon, without feeling miserable and hard-done-by (and, importantly, without giving up chocolate)!

Lemme give you a bit of background.  I used to be a skinny-minny – annoyingly so to those women who have always needed to keep tabs on their weight.  I could eat and drink anything and everything (including mountains of chocolate) without adding so much as a pound, and I never did any kind of formal exercise.  The only exercise I got was the kind you do whether you want to or not, just by cleaning house, shopping, chasing kids, and cavorting occasionally behind the closed bedroom door.     For the first 57 years of my life it seemed to be enough, so I never learned about calorie control or the ecstasies of exercising. 

Since then I have added about 5lbs a year – slowly, stealthily increasing from 150lbs to 170lbs.  This old chook will be 62 years old in less than a month, and it’s got to stop.  BUT, I know myself well.  I know I won’t stick to a rigid exercise plan (and, besides, I have a few minor health issues that preclude significant amounts of walking and leaping about).  I know I won’t stick to a demanding diet.  Actually I don’t eat much anyway, and don’t eat the obvious offenders such as fizzy drinks, cakes and biscuits, or junky fast foods.  I don’t drink much alcohol but do treat myself to one Scotch whisky with just a tiny splash of ginger ale most days of the week.  Unfortunately, I don’t like most of those allegedly healthy things like oatmeal, wholegrain cereals, lentils, rabbit food, and brown rice.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.

By the way, I’m 5 ft 3 inches.  My doc says I should be around 135lbs, but at this stage I’d be cool with 150lbs. 

So does anyone have any tips and hints that I can cheerfully live with and that will help lose these pounds?  There’s no hurry – if I’m 20lbs lighter by my 63rd birthday, I’ll be happy.   

Chubby Hugs
Syd

[betterdays]

Chew gum, and eat things with bulk, like poocorn.  Drink hot tea or at least lots of water all day, and you'll have some sensation of fullness. 

[Imogene]

I recommend a book called Overcoming Binge Eating, by Christopher G. Fairburn.  I got the book because I thought I was binge eating, but my therapist and the personal trainer I had at the time both looked at my food diary and assured me I was not.  Anyhow, the book is great for one thing: it tells you how to construct a very careful food diary.  It does not ever want you to diet, but as you move through the proper stages of the diary, it restricts your food consumption to certain times a day.  You also write your mood when you eat emotionally--which is something I tend to do a lot.  The mindfulness of the whole exercise really does help you to eat better and lose weight without dieting.  But it is a bit taxing, as you have to jot down everything you eat. 

Good luck!  I'm trying to lose a few myself.

[SydneyFireworks]

Betterdays - thanks for the suggestions.  I can't deal with chewing gum, but could suck a sugar free lozenge or two when the urge to eat chocolate overtakes!  Ditto with popcorn, though I'm not overly keen on it when it's not smothered in butter or caramel sauce! 

Imogene - thanks too for your suggestion.  I'm probably the complete opposite of a binge eater.  In fact I often only eat once a day - twice at the most (can't cope with food of any kind within about 3 hours of waking up).  I always feel full before everyone else - and have never had any compunction to clear the plate!  I'm definitely not a stress eater.  It could well be part of the problem (as your book recommendation suggests) - that I'm not eating at the right times of day.  Possibly also not eating enough.
I'll definitely check out the book - thanks!

I dunno - anyone know any exercises I can do while sitting at the computer that will shed some weight? 

Is anyone experiencing very strange weather for the time of year?  Here in my neck of the woods (Australia), winter has made its presence felt about a month earlier than usual.   Unusually chilly - brrrr!

Hugs
Syd

[honeybearII]

Syd, for about the umpteenth time I am back at Weight Watchers to lose some weight because I was seeing pounds packing on again.  During my divorce I lost over 100 pounds in about 6 months (I am a very tall person) and had kept most of it off for almost 7 years.

Anyway, what helps me A LOT is keeping a food diary of what I eat. 

The other thing is, and this has been proven with research, if we are not eating ENOUGH we will gain weight.  Our bodies go into a kind of starvation mode and hang on to every calorie because it fears it will starve.  I have lost 17 pounds in a month, and one of the things I am doing (that I didn't do before!) was to make sure to eat more often but eat reasonably healthy things.  I have upped my intake of fruits HUGELY and make sure to eat at least 3 reasonable meals a day with small snack of fruit or a cheese stick in between.  I think your issue might be that you are not eating regularly and not eating enough to stop your body from believing it is going to be starved to death.

I also am back walking 3 to 5 miles a day on my treadmill.  I know you might not  be able to do that, but ANY kind of moving gets your metabolism revved up and that is what we're looking for.  Just walking around the yard or house for 5 minutes several times a day is better than nothing! 

Good luck!  I know how hard it is because I have struggled with my weight all my life!! 
Honey

[Imogene]

Yeah, to reiterate, the purpose of the food diary (for me anyhow, as someone prone to emotional eating but not to the point that I have any sort of eating disorder) is mindfulness.  If you're telling yourself what you eat every day and eating meals that are spaced out regularly (with snacks in between), you do eat better.  At least I did, and I was so skeptical about this idea to be honest with you.

[CZBZ]

One of my friends was a binge eater so I've never confused 'emotional eating' with binge eating. She would plan for food fests, purchasing specific items that she viewed as 'dangerous' like sugary things and she'd buy a LOT. As if she were planning a party. Then she would prepare her room (ritual) in certain ways, turn on certain tv shows and start eating until....she vomited.

This is way different than feeling 'hungry' because you are emotionally distraught and trying to satisfy the hunger with food. That's my issue and it's been really bad since my divorce when I gained a lot of weight. The thing is, I FEEL hungry...it's not like I'm just eating for fun...i actually 'feel' pangs of hunger. Since starting Weight Watchers a few weeks ago and tracking my food (not my favorite thing to do!), I tell myself, "YOU are not hungry. YOu are feeling ________________" and then I do a body scan to identify the feeling. This is helping.

I hope to get myself back to normal but like the way we manage WoN, I do not set goals for myself and not 'cuz I don't like setting goals. But because when something is really hard for me, I think in extremes such as:" I didn't meet my weight goal this month. O hell. I can't lose weight. Time to go to Costco."

Ya know? Maybe it's my age too, I dunno. This time I'm just doing what they tell me to do and let everything melt off exactly as it should. ha!

Hugs,
CZ

[Julia]

Sydney, I bet your naturally high metabolism is slowing down due to age. You have been sooooo lucky thus far and I bet it wouldn't take too much to get your metabolism going sufficiently high again to let you shed some pounds.

I think the diet industry (and the rest of us) focus on food intake because that is usually the problem..... I know that I emotionally over-eat starches, sweets, etc... but it sound like too many calories is not really your problem.

The solution for most of us is exercise in some form or another.  It is really hard to lose any weight just by altering how much you eat since our metabolisms adjust to the lower intake. Those of us who need to lose 40+ pounds ( and who have horrible metabolisms from years of yo-yo dieting....) have to go all out with cutting down sweets and going to the gym.... but I bet you can do something easier.

Here is my advice..... get one of those giant yoga balls that you can use as a chair at your desk, and sit at it at least 1/2 of the day. They really engage your core muscles, so you will be exercising with out really taking time to do the exercise, and no gym. Second, try to make your socializing with friends include some exercise, ie hikes, some faster walks, etc. Meetup is a good way to find groups of women who want to do this together. Parking far from the store, using stairs instead of elevator, all are old advice, but they work. You get your heart rate up, which will get your metabolism started again, just like the good old days.

Good luck, and wish me luck with my 60 pounds I need to loose!!! This thread got me to the gym again today so thanks for that.

Julia

[honeybearII]

Wow, you gals are GREAT motivation.  Syd, if you can't find something here to help, then.....well....awww, you'll find something.

Julia's remarks are especially helpful, I think, since I also believe that as we get older our bodies slow down and don't process food the same way.  If you were skinny all your life, I think that is especially hard because those of us who have struggled with weight understand the whole balance thing.  You have to eat to lose and you have to exercise to lose.  Simple equation, HARD to do!!!

I think this is a good place to be cheerleaders for each other.  Just 1/2 pound off every week, and by this time next year you'll be halfway to your goal!!  You certainly didn't put it on all in one year, so be kind to yourself and give yourself some time to get the lumpies off.  Personally, I think you look GREAT!!  I had no idea you were in your 60s, and that is from someone who is turning 66 this October and knows she looks every year of it, LOL.
Honey

[JennyWren]

Arghhhhh! Yes....well....I am no stranger to the cookie jar right now. And those dear little pounds are all increasing my girth slowly but surely.

I really want to excercise more, but am finding I just don`t have the time. I get quite a bit of excercise chewing...and opening packets and wrappers.

I need to lose a good....hmmm....20 pounds I reckon. I find I need a good focus of mind to stay motivated. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes the call of the carbohydrate is too great! I am trying not to be too hard on myself about it....for now.

[too_many]

Syd, if you're OCD like me, and have a smartphone, you might like tracking your calories that way - I love it!  Especially because it stores my data, and gives me little badges if I do well for a while, and charts my progress on a graph and automatically does all the math and tells me the proportion of protein to fat to carbs. It's kept me at a really healthy weight for two whole years now - and I was a chubster all through high school and half of college. 

The only thing I don't like about it, now that I've got my usual foods custom-entered, is they've added an optional new feature that can connect your data to others, and so nearly every day I have to stumble across the statement within it, "You have no friends." 

[SydneyFireworks]

Honey – thanks for your ideas!  I can certainly walk around the house and will start doing that forthwith (keeping eyes straight ahead so I don’t notice the cobwebs on the ceiling or in dark corners).    I don’t eat anywhere near enough fruit, so I’ll work on that too.  Perhaps I will be able to cope with eating an apple for breakfast… will try it.  I can’t deal with juices first thing, but an actual apple might work.  And I’ll work on eating more often too.  This will require a re-think on my shopping strategies.  Living alone I tend to buy day-by-day and just what I want to eat that day.  Buying larger quantities has always resulted in too much food wasted, either because it goes off, or I don’t feel like eating it.  And I’ll organise a food diary too.   You’re right about the difficulties of equating weight loss with increased food intake, but I’m prepared to suspend belief while I try it out!!  Thanks, too, Tedi for the compliment… and whether you believe me or not, you definitely don’t look every year of your age… far from it! 

Imogene – yes, I can see what you’re seeing about the mindfulness involved in keeping a food diary.  Thanks!

CZ – I know exactly what you mean re goal setting.  I stopped goal-setting years ago, because I’d have one teeny-weeny set-back and say “oh well, that didn’t work, it’s just a waste of time”.  I have lived pretty much my whole life only eating when hungry – hence my erratic eating times.  Looks like I have to learn to eat whether I want to or not!  Have added to shopping list:  one 3-hour timer!

Julia – I think you’re right re metabolism slowing down.  I’m definitely all out of hormones (my complete lack of interest in getting involved in anything to do with sex is testament to that LOL).      And I can see what you’re saying about the importance of exercise vs. just reducing food intake.  Great advice re the yoga ball – I could definitely try that as my existing computer chair’s padding has squashed completely and it squeaks louder than a roomful of guinea-pigs.  There’s a second-hand gym equipment store in town (I pass it on the way to the chocolate shop LOL) – they may well sell yoga balls.  Unfortunately we don’t have a meetup group here – I live in a smallish country town – not much of anything going on!   But yes, I can certainly park at the far end of the parking lot and use the stairs instead of the escalators.  Thanks for your tips, Julia.  I’m glad you made it to the gym – and good luck with your weightloss – keep us posted.

Jenny – sounds like we’re in the same boat – though chocolate is my nemesis, rather than cookies and carbs!  When you’re ready to take action (it would be so hard to deal with sloughing weight AND sloughing an N), maybe my results down the track will help to motivate you.

Too_many – eeek, not sure about the smartphone idea!!  I can certainly be seriously obsessive – that might be a dangerous route for me to take!  Fortunately, for now I only have a dumbphone (and even that’s way too smart for me).  I did spend a week or so a while back counting calories (in an approximate way) and even though I was eating whatever I wanted, the total count never came to more than 1,200 a day.  I do like the idea of getting badges though!  ROFL “You have no friends”.  Well, at least you know you have plenty of friends here!   

Thanks to you all for your tips and ideas – they truly ARE motivating.   I’ll keep you posted with progress.

Please, everyone, feel free to raise your own topics in this thread – I didn’t mean for it to be all about my FATness. 

Hugs
Syd

[Imogene]

Don't worry, Syd.  Plenty of fatness to go around. . .  Some of the women I know report losing scads of weight during their divorces.  I am like, where are the ice cream bars? 

[talia]

Hey too_many!!

I saw your shoutbox message! Have no idea whether repeats of the show will be shown  online at the OWN website,but it might be a possibility as some(not all)  of the other network's shows have been posted.

Ryan and Tatum: Watch the First 5 Minutes of The O'Neals

She got left at the curb, but I always said, just stay at the curb, I'll be back.-Ryan

Srsly??....

She's also written another  book Found: A Daughter's Journey Home

Found is also a father-daughter love story: a portrait of a fragile, tentative reconciliation between a parent and a child who, as documented in the OWN television docuseries The O’Neals: Ryan and Tatum, try to heal the hurt and pain of a lifetime.

I think I'll be watching! Like watching a train wreck??....LOL ( I think he's a JERK among other thiNgs)

hugs,
t

[SydneyFireworks]

Okay gang - I've been practising this diet/exercise stuff, ready for a formal campaign starting in a week or so. 

Been marching around my house for at least ten minutes a day - and getting bored after the first minute.  Need something to occupy my mind while marching.

Julia - saw a yoga ball in the shop (they called it a pilates ball - same thing?) - but the shop was shut at the time.  It was only $50, so definitely affordable.  Would I be able to work up to being comfortable sitting on that thing for hours (and hours) at a time or is that unrealistic?  Most days I'm at the computer all darn day, doing one thing or another.

Been more mindful of what is going into my mouth.  Also been trying to have something that might count as breakfast. Earliest I've been able to stomach eating has been about 3 hours after waking.  Been having a lettuce/cucumber sandwich.  The only way I can deal with rabbit food is when it's squished between two slices of bread.  Definitely need to work towards putting less spread on the bread - sigh.

So - overall - some progress being made.  Still weigh the same though.   

Once I get going with this, I'll start a thread in the personal journals section - and would love to hear any comments you guys feel like making.  I'll feel a lot more accountable that way.

Meantime, does anyone know how to tell when a pineapple is ripe?  I have one growing in my garden!  The guy who lived here before me planted a pineapple top at least 5 years ago.  It 'sprouted' about 3-4 months ago... it seems to be still growing but isn't yet as big as the ones in the shops.

Hugs
Syd

[Legs]

I know how to tell if a pineapple is ripe at the grocery store but not while it's growing. There are those funny shield-shaped protrusions on the skin of the pineapple...they should give a little bit when you press n on them with the tip of your thumb..not squishy.

Also, one of the center most leaves should pull out of the pineapple qiite easily.....you'll see the little white area on the bottom of the "Leaf"...it doesn't look like a real leaf..that spikey green thing in the center top of the fruit.
 

But remember now...I am a girl that lives on the high plains of Texas so any pineapple I've ever seen was shipped here and sat around in warehouses for who knows how long..they say a store bought pineeapple does not even compare with a fresh picked one because they have to ship them before they are fully ripe.

hey, maybe you can ask a neighbor or find something online!

Legs

[CZBZ]

You are GROWING a pineapple? Well, you sure don't live in the Rocky Mountains. You don't call yourself Boise Fireworks, now do ya? 

Like Legs, I learned to tug on the center leaves of the pineapple and if they were 'loose', it was ripe. Please take a picture of your homegrown pineapple! I've never seen one in somebody's garden!

I've been working in the flowers this week...bending, sitting, standing for hours, raking, shoveling and even a little ho-ing on the side. (don't get wise on me!). It's been such a lousy spring this year, freezing and snowing in April if you can believe it. That made it hard to get the spring work done which is a good excuse for six foot weeds. Anyway, this year I planted some gorgeous Black-Eyes Susans and a great new variety of red petunias. A true red, not that salmon-wanna-be-red-crap.

Loving my garden time and hope some of you are feeling inspired to dig in the dirt and plant something beautiful!

Hugs,
CZ

[SydneyFireworks]

Thanks Legs - I just went out to check.  The shield-shaped things did give a bit, but none of the top leaves wanted to be pulled off.

I guess it wants to stay put for a little longer.  I wonder if the possums and other critters will get to it before I do?!

Hugs
Syd

[SydneyFireworks]

LOL CZ - nope, definitely not BoiseFireworks!  I'm not really SydneyFireworks now either, having moved away from Sydney five years ago.  But I kinda like the Syd handle!

I'll take a pic of the pineapple and see if I can work out how to put it on here (probably need to recharge the camera batteries first though).  It's growing right next to some Comfrey that my daughter planted when she lived in this house during her university years.  In fact, they're so close together that it actually looks like the Comfrey has sprouted the pineapple.   

Sounds like you've done some great work in your garden - I'm exhausted just reading about it!  I'm definitely not up to ho-ing. 

Hugs
Syd

[SydneyFireworks]

Well I have the picture - it's copied into my computer.  I know to click on the 'insert image' icon above the reply box, but I have no clue how to get the pic from my computer into this space.  Sigh.

Stuck Syd

[SparklePony]

Hi Syd -

If you're getting bored after just one minute - then it sounds like you need to get an iPod and listen to some music!


Regarding food -

Okay, well I'm a health food junkie and a vegetarian (though eat vegan most of the time), but here are some things that help me out -


Nuts and seeds! Yes, nuts and seeds have fat in them (only the good kind). But they also are very high in protein - and unlike bread or other empty carbs, will help you keep your energy levels up. My boyfriend is like you, where he only eats a couple times a day (the skinny git) - so I buy him pots of seeds to keep at his desk at work, to keep his energy up. Here's the ones I eat (which I'm not sure if available outside the UK, but you get the point) -

http://www.munchyseeds.co.uk/

For lunch, I usually eat things like peanut butter sandwiches (non preservative peanut butter, on wholemeal bread...ahem!), which keep my energy up during the day.


The other big tip? STOP eating any sort of preservatives. This can be a difficult one for some people. And I know that cooking from scratch is just not possible for a lot of people, but it makes a difference.

If you're interested, I'd suggest reading some of Michael Pollan's books about food - which are completely fascinating.

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Rules-Eaters-Michael-Pollan/dp/014311638X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308503390&sr=8-1

These are not diet books - but books about REAL food. He's also just really great to read, and is not in the game of preaching to anyone.

[CZBZ]

To Sydney-not-Boise and all,

You must open a Photobucket or Flicker account, or any image-storing service on the web. I use Photobucket and it's free (up to a certain limit). Go to Photobucket.com and open an account after which you can upload images from your computer onto your account. If you don't want to share those photos because they are family pictures, for instance, change the privacy settings on the folder you create for that particular image.

for example: you can have a 'travel's folder with pictures of your trips. Or a garden folder, a friends folder, an animated gifs folder.

Once your image has been uploaded to your photobucket account, copy the code listed beneath the image for Direct Link. THEN, put that 'code' in between the picture brackets on your message. Once you get your Photobucket account set up, it's really easy inserting images!

Hugs,
CZ

[SydneyFireworks]

Ta-da!  One pineapple growing in Syd's garden.   



Thanks CZ for the info about posting pictures!  Stupid thing is I actually KNEW that - but for some reason it didn't enter my head yesterday. (insert smiley of woman slapping her own forehead)!  Heck, I even have a Photobucket account (which I'd also forgotten about).  Duh!

I was up at the grocery store just now, and their pineapples have much longer leaves on top, and they're more yellowy in colour.  Mine is either going to be a dud, or it has some more work to do.

The chubby leaves actually belong to the Comfrey.  Memo to self:  Find out what useful things I can do with Comfrey.

Hugs
Syd

[Legs]

your pineapple is lovely...I googled comfrey:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/herbal-remedies/comfrey-herbal-remedies.htm

or if that doesn't work:

http://tinyurl.com/665u22b


Legs