Staying the Course -- 04/02/2018

[Superbob]

Well, we have stayed the course right into April. We had a beautiful Easter Sunday here. And even though it was the first of April, didn't have a single April Fool's Day attempted on me. We visited a church new to us, and it had a "contemporary" service, which I loved but which my DW hated. I like the get-up-and-groove music and videos and casual attire, but she likes the old-fashioned coats and ties and fancy ladies' dresses and bonnets, and traditional hymns etc. I guess we could alternate between styles each Sunday. Have to compromise in a marriage. Or maybe, somehow, we can find a service that blends old and new.

Thank goodness exercise class resumes tomorrow -- I need exercise badly. Calorie intake has been maxed, while calorie burning has been minimal with few exceptions the past week.

More later. Feels like Spring today, but possible big storms coming Wednesday,

Hope April has started well for our merry crew.

Cheers,

Superbob

 

[honeybunny]

Good morning, Coursers! Beautiful weather in Houston except for the rain. Actually had flash flooding in the North Houston area last week. I know there are people elsewhere who would love to have our rainfall but it gets old here after awhile. Oh well, if that's the only curveball life throws me I'll consider myself very fortunate.

No weight loss to report. I took the month of March off from dancing and will start back up this week. I love the dancing part; it's the 90-minute workout at the end of my work week, when I'd rather be resting, that gets to me sometimes. Just need to put on my sneakers and have at it.

That's all from Houston ~

 

[epstns]

Spring? We don't need no steenking spring! It is still grey, snowy and cold here, no matter what the meteorologists say. Not unusual for the upper rust belt over the past few years. For the past several years it hasn't gotten reliably warm (over 65F daily) until the middle of May, or later. Some years that seems to also bring a long, pleasant fall, but last year the nastiness was right on time. Most years, it just seems like winter will go on forever. Maybe that explains the uptick in murder rates we have.

My course has been disrupted this week. Last Thursday was my final day of "full-time" work. This week is my "part-time" week for April. I plan to work one week each month, just to close the books and publish the financial statements. Then I am off for the next 3 to 4 weeks, until the next month's closing. That said, this is the "pilot episode" of the series, and I am busier than I like. Not much time to think. Had a dental appointment yesterday, got to work late, then had to stay late to get things done. No trip to the gym for me, but then again, there wasn't time for lunch, either. Believe it or not, I actually gained almost a pound. . . must be fluid retention, because one cannot gain weight if one does not eat, no?

Anyway, as long as I get through the pile of work, I will be off for 3 weeks before the madness recurs. I plan to get more exercise, but other than that, I have no real plans (intentionally) for the first couple of months of retirement. I will need the time to finally relax and then will decide what is best for me. I'm looking forward to it. No fear. Years ago I feared the impact of retirement, but now I am ready for it.

We'll see. Maybe I can become an active participant in the competitions rather than a spectator or cheerleader. Might be fun.

 

[Cooker]

Greetings! Just dropping in to see what condition my condition was in. Good to see a few familiar faces. All is going well in Chimpville; DW is doing well and we are traveling as much as possible. I'm still fighting the battle of the bulge but that's what started this thread 100 years ago!!

Peace out.....

 

[Superbob]

Steve, all best wishes for your transition to semi-retirement. I am betting you find plenty of activity, but relaxation is a good thing, too.

Honeybunny, I am wondering what happened to that six-point-four challenge I threw out there. Hope I still have my baseline weight written down so I can make progress reports. I have been scared to step on the scales because of lots of eating-out at nice restaurants when my daughter visited. So I am going to do it, step on those scales, ... right now.

.... Okay....I'm back, and surprise, surprise!!! -- I've made the 6.4 goal and a little more...a 6.7 pound loss! Guess I was active enough -- lot of walking -- during vacation time with family to work off any extra calories.

Now setting a new weight-loss goal (goal # 2) of another 7.3 pounds -- which would add up to a 14-pound loss overall.since setting Goal # 1... I know, these are weird numbers but they mean something to me. You know, this is all very much an individual thing

Meanwhile, we are trying out service from a meal-prep business set up in association with a fitness/workout enterprise. First meal last night was beef burgundy -- lots of protein, plus carrots, potatoes, little onions and mushrooms -- quite good. Hope we can go at least 2 or 3 prepared dinners a week, for starters. The average is about $7 to $8 per person per meal, so that is also a money-saver, as compared with bellying into an Olive Garden or somesuch.

Back to exercise class yesterday, and wow our teacher, back from vacation herself, had a plank-a-palooza for us....alternating 30 second planks, and squats against wall with low back propped against stability ball (must have a name, but don't know what). Must have done a half-dozen rounds of those. Felt the effect later on in day, but in good way.

Well, enough rambling for now....Stay the Course!

 

[epstns]

Hey, SB, just beware the mealtime trap. When the "Lean Cuisine" prepared meals first came out one of my friends was trying to lose weight, so he tried them. He said that they were great, but that he ". . . had to eat 2 or 3 of them to get a full-sized portion."

 

[honeybunny]

Steve, I hope your retirement schedule smoothes out. Just got a new project at work so I hope to keep at it until I can do the same. I work for an engineering company and all our time must be billable to a client project. No overhead. As a Joisey girl I remember those winters and am glad I don’t have to endure them. But summers are miserable here.


SB, I get tired reading about your workout. I couldn’t do that at 20, let alone now. I remember not being able to climb a rope in gym class as a kid. Very embarrassing. And BIG congrats on reaching your goal! I have 5 lbs to go unless I change my goal to 1,5 in which case I’ve met it I’ll get there, though we are all winners if we meet our goals.

Danced last night and got a great workout. I know I will see a weight loss if I keep it up.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

 

[Superbob]

Steve, mealtime trap indeed. A Lean Cuisine (or Stouffers) microwave dish isn't bad for an occasional lunch, but you do have to watch those hunger pangs in mid-afternoon. (That's when I probably would be found making myself a PBJ sandwich to ease my sense of deprivation.) As for those locally prepared meals, the experiment is already over. Not well-rounded meals, and very uneven quality. Maybe I should take a cooking class. My wife has done more than her share to prepare meals for us for a half-century; maybe it ought to be my turn. I know I could do better than the local prepared meal biz.

HB, good to hear you're back to line dancing! Fun and a great workout -- that's what I love about our class. Music, laughs, friendly banter along with the exercise. Speaking of which, Sarah our amazing teacher had us do a series of 8 planks yesterday, along with a lot of Pilates moves for strengthening muscles I didn't know existed. I've been talking to her about good ways to get exercise during the Friday/weekend/Monday lapse between classes, and today I discovered a nearby bike/run/hike state park that recently opened just a few miles away. Popular with mountain bikers (yes, there are plenty of hilly places even this close to the coast), but there are also miles and miles of hiking trails. Ellie dawg and I did an hour's hike on one today and we both loved it.

I told Sarah about it and she said, good, we'll take the class out there and I'll have them do LUNGES the whole course! Again,I think she was kidding, but I'm never quite sure with her. Anyway, I said fine, just don't tell the class I instigated such strenuous add-on exercise. lol

 

[FredW]

Well SB, I'm pleased you hit the goal, but I'm not taking the bait for another challenge until I get the 6.7 one done with! I doubt this week will help much, I'm on my 'wife-away' diet for a while. She is away doing elderly mother duty and it is just me the dogs and cat. My first meal was healthy, salad with pork tenderloin strips. My next was not so good. Package of graham crackers, bowl of popcorn and a scotch. That instilled enough guilt that this morning, I had homemade yogurt for breakfast. Tonight I was invited to a friends house. He said he was cooking a ham bone and six bean soup. I don't know how I'm going to chew up a ham bone, but figure since he also drinks scotch , we'll figure it out.

Steve, on a more serious note, I wish you well in adjusting to the new phase in your life. I'm sure you will do fine for it sounds like you thought it out well. I often wish I could compare 'retirement' notes and thoughts with friends who are going through it.

The best thing I like about not working is that I can now expend my energy on my own agenda, not somebody else's agenda. However, it can also be the worst thing. There is a difference in how I feel when I watch a stupid movie, eating popcorn and scotch than when I read Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Death by Black Hole" while eating salad I made . I realize how I spend my time is nobody's responsibility but mine.

Speaking of books, has anybody read Mark Hyman's book: "Food, What the Heck Should I Eat?" I'm finding it interesting not only about food, but it also raises questions on how one can validate information and research about food. Our friend pellicle has taught us how to question medical research information. I am apply this questioning to food research articles as well.

Wishing you all well.

 

[pellicle]

Our friend pellicle has taught us how to question medical research information. I am apply this questioning to food research articles as well.

Fred, if I achieve nothing more in life than to help people ask questions and seek veracity then I'll die happy.
(well ****, I'll die happy anyway after my life with my wife ;-)

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been lying low recently on the net as my Amazon account was hacked ! I was online at the time and saw the emails coming in confirming my password and my email address on the Amazon account had been changed - email address changed to a Russian one ! I got on to Amazon right away by phone and they froze my account and fixed things.

Amazon said it must have been my email account which had been hacked so I spent hours and the next day changing passwords etc. Then a couple of days later I found many posts on the internet from other people whose Amazon accounts had been hacked in exactly the same way as mine was, exactly the same way, lots of folks in the US and a few over here in the UK. It was not my mail server, it is a security flaw on Amazon even though Amazon won’t seem to admit it.

Anyway I phoned Amazon again and closed my account as I can’t tell you how awful it was feeling that my email had been hacked and having to change everything when it wasn’t that at all - it’s like theft. It has left a ‘bad taste’. So I’m not going much on the internet on any of the non essential stuff at the mo.

I’m also very busy anyway - saw my cardiologist last week and am having an echo at some point in the next few weeks. Also ongoing pain in my shoulders - I had an ultrasound on my left shoulder last week which showed the bursa was swollen and inflamed, and where one of the biceps tendons attaches to a bone it shows damage consistent with an overuse injury - I got that in December/January with the resistance training at the cardiac training. Trouble is using our shoulders all the time in one way or another so it is taking an age to heal - now three months. I’ll wait another month and then have a steroid injection - probably both shoulders. My son who has autism spectrum disorder is coming over to our house for support nearly every day as he doesn’t get appropriate support where he lives so we’re seeing a lot of him too !

So I am around but just not visiting the forum every day !

 

[honeybunny]

OMG Paleowoman ! How horrible! I'm surprised this has not been reported in the news. I seldom use my Amazon account anymore but everything is still active. Thanks for sharing. And is there a special reason for your cardio wanting an echo? I know you were keeping an eye on things. How often are you going for checkups? Sorry about the shoulder problems. I saw a dermatologist last week for a spot on my cheek that erupted about six weeks ago. It appears as a scab, which eventually fell off and left a slight discoloration. Doctor said it wasn't anything to worry about, that I could have it frozen if I wanted but it would be painful. She also check the few mole-type growths on my back and pronounced them age-related. So all good skin wise. Also did my well woman exam and everything is fine there, too, for which I am grateful. Keep us posted on the echo and shoulder.

Hugs,
Michele

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi honeybunny The cardiologist wants me to have the echo so as to check on the valve, just make sure it’s not degenerating. The gradients are high due to the patient prosthesis mismatch so I reckon that’s why he’s doing this. The cardiac surgeon said to keep an eye on the mean gradient and the valve leaflets. There’s no hurry - I’ve booked the echo for near the end of May as I’d like a break from medical stuff.

We were going to go to France next week, we were going to go by train instead of driving, but our trains, both there and back, are on the French rail strike days ! So we’ll cut our losses and do some fun things locally as the weather is supposed to get really nice here next week. Mind you, I wouldn’t have been able to carry a case or even anything light with this shoulder so it’s just as well we aren’t travelling by train.

Glad that your skin problems are fine - lots of age related things seem to appear on skin I’ve noticed ! And great everything was fine with the well woman exam !

all the best,
Anne