Well Past 50: The Weblog of Boomerful.com

Boomer Advice Needed

I received the comment below from one of our readers, Linda, and it broke my heart that I didn't have any good advice to give her. I'm opening it up to all of our Well Past 50 readers and I'm hoping that one of you has dealt with an experience like Linda's and can offer her the fortitude she needs to keep the weight off. Please add your comments!

"I am 59 years old. I work full time and go to school a couple nights a week. If all goes well, I will graduate this year. To my question: I have been overweight nearly my entire life. From a plump baby to a chubby pre-teen to a big-boned teenager who never had a date, I was always lonely as a child. I was just over 200 lbs when I graduated high school. I moved away from home and Mom's good home cooking; I lost 70 lbs in 6 months (actually too much too fast), gained a waistline and boyfriends.  Within 6 months I was married and pregnant. I gained 40 lbs with that baby. It took forever to lose that weight. And it has been constant yo yo dieting from then on. I had a hysterectomy at 50, and it has been a losing battle ever since. No matter what weight loss plan (and believe me I have probably tried them all), nothing seems to work. At 59, I am 220 lbs (the fattest I have ever been) and miserable.  Have  you any idea what can help me, or am I stuck living like this?"

Acai + chocolate = antioxidant powerhouse

One of our Well Past 50 readers wrote an article about two very powerful antioxidants: the acai berry and dark chocolate:

An Antioxidant Powerhouse By Vanessa Herb

"Go ahead...indulge yourself! Medical science has cooked up sweet reasons to eat chocolate (as long as it is dark chocolate)!"

Sound familiar? This is a popular headline today. If you have tuned into television or read magazines, you've seen it too. A simple Google search of dark chocolate and antioxidants reveals mountains of new evidence on the health benefits of eating dark chocolate. While health benefits have been attributed to chocolate throughout its 3500 year history dating back to Olmec Indians in 1500 B.C., the full extent of its contribution to human health is only now being brought to light through modern technology and research.   

Scientists for example have found over 400 known chemical properties in cocoa and yet they are still unlocking the mysteries behind its numerous health benefits.  Research has revealed that the antioxidants in dark chocolate can lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, reduce cholesterol and balance blood pressure.  Still more findings show dark chocolate can also balance blood sugar, increase energy, helps with allergies and can even suppress appetite.   

However, all these benefits of dark chocolate come with a caveat: higher calories that come with high sugar content and fillers found in most chocolate.  Much of this sugar and fillers are added to chocolate to appeal to those who do not like the bitter taste of dark chocolate with the cocoa content needed for increased health benefits. 

A new product called Xocai (pro show-sigh) is on the market, made by a company that for several years distributed sugar-free, low carb, no preservative chocolate bars through retail outlets across the country. Xocai’s name is derived from an ancient Central American chocolate drink (Xocolatl) and an Amazon Rain Forest berry (Acai) which has the highest known levels of antioxidants in any known fruit. 

This company had an idea to combine açai with unprocessed chocolate and launched a new chocolate product line featuring the ultimate antioxidant beverage Xoçai Activ, chocolate nuggets, protein bars, and Omega-3 orange chocolate bars.

Emerging as the most popular of these products is the chocolate & açai beverage.  Mixed with blueberries and grape extract, this powdered formula is mixed with water and contains no added sugar and just a half gram of fat.  This beverage is usually consumed in a shot glass and taken 2-3 times a day. 

The result is an antioxidant powerhouse. And, as for the taste, many who previously did not care for dark chocolate describe this is as the best chocolate they’ve ever sampled. Many report that the açai and blueberry add a unique flavor to the chocolate, reducing the bitterness associated with a 70% cocoa content product contained in Xocai. 

For more information or questions about Xoçai go to www.healthyXocolate.com.

Little People

Last month I met with my "Hollywood agent" to discuss the future of Well Past 50 as a mainstream TV show.  “I love it,” she gushed over a glass of very freshly squeezed orange juice.  “This is the right audience; the right time…I think it can really be big.”

“Great,” I’m sure she noticed the surprise on my face. I had thought it would be harder than this. In fact, I found myself beginning to doubt her credibility. “What do we need to do next?”

“We just need a hook. A gimmick. Producers are looking for shows that are wrapped in something unique. Have you seen 10 Years Younger?  They pick women off the street, put them in a soundproof display case and ask passersby to critique them and guess their ages. They tell them what people said about them and they’re, of course, devastated. Then they have a squad of doctors and dentists make them look ten years younger. Something like that.”

I stared blankly into her 50 plus face.  “Do you really think that’s what boomer women want to watch?”

“That’s ALL I watch,” she said without a hint of embarrassment.  “That’s what sells.  Look at Little People Big World about a family of little people, or Black, White where a white family is transformed into a black family and vice versa.  It’s what people want to see.”

“So I should transform myself into a black person and get a little person as co-host?”

“Now you’re being silly. Just come up with a gimmick that will make the networks want it.”

So this is Hollywood. If I want to help women my age deal with the changes in their bodies, their marriages, their friendships and their spiritual growth, I need a gimmick.  I flew back to the security of the Midwest, where people prefer seeing black people being black people, and white people being white people. Or am I wrong?  Am I the only boomer woman who thinks reality TV insults our intelligence and, worse yet, insults most of the people who appear on these shows?

But then, 30 years ago, when my self-promoting banker friend suggested I adopt a flower as my brand and use it everywhere – a rose on my lapel, a rose on my letterhead, rose colored lipstick– I thought it was silly.  Maybe he was right.  Maybe all these years I could have been so much more successful if people heard my name and instantly wondered what in the world my rose fetish was all about.

And maybe if I interviewed aging experts inside a soundproof display case with a group of little people critiquing us, I’d have a successful show on my hands. Are there any little people reading Well Past 50 who want to be a star?  If so, contact my agent.

Contour Thread Lift Comments and Feedback

At Well Past 50 we get more comments on our video and blog entry regarding my Contour Thread Lift than any other topic on the site. 

Susan emailed me:  “I had a thread lift on June 9th, 2006. I was not expecting to look how I look. Basically, I look very much like the Joker from the Batman movie. I swear if he had breasts and neutral colored splotchy skin, we'd be twins.”

Then I heard from Lisa: "I am African American and was amazed at the story I read! I almost thought it was ME! I had a little premature sagging, but for the most part I am a very attractive girl [I'm 38].  I too thought for less than $2000 and just a couple of days (as seen on TV, and read in brochures), I will be knock out gorgeous! Little did I know.  After the bandages were removed 4 days later..OH MY!  I thought…BIG MISTAKE! My face [too] was bruised, dented, lines - you name it. I looked battered."

Michele wrote me to tell me her horror story, and Ray from Canada tracked me down to call and tell me how frightened he was that he may have made a huge mistake about having the Contour Thread Lift procedure.

I am shocked at the lack of, or incorrect, information given to us by the media and our doctors.  We all believed we would have instantaneous results like the woman on the Today Show. They must have had her on Vicodin, and puttied in the dents on her face for the appearance. The brochures and Web sites I researched told the same story…this was a simple procedure with recovery time of just a few days. No one mentioned you couldn’t open your mouth to smile for two weeks. But who wants to smile anyway after sleeping upright during that entire time? The bumps and dents seem like they will never go away, and the bruising can take weeks to fade enough to be covered with makeup.

But here’s the good news: After the three months I spent hating my doctor and planning to become Muslim so I could wear a burkha, the dents, bumps and bruises disappeared, leaving my face significantly more taut and youthful than before. Before the Contour Thread Lift, while I didn’t have wrinkles, I was seeing the beginnings of jowls and deep naso-labial folds on my face. The Contour Thread Lift smoothed out all the saggy, baggy skin and took 5 to 10 years off my face. 

It’s not a facelift. And it doesn’t last forever. From what I can gather, doctors have no idea how long it might last – there’s no real track record since the procedure is so new. I have noticed that everyone I have talked to about any cosmetic surgery they have had swears they would never do it again – in the first three months. But after the compliments begin to flow and the mirror becomes their friend again, they change their tune. 

If you have just had a Contour Thread Lift or Blepharoplasty, or even a facelift – just chill. It’s a lot like childbirth.  If they told you what it was really like, there’s a good chance you’d skip it and get a dog.

Which Health Study to Believe?

Oh, how I loved Dr. Lipshitz, telling us that 10 to 15 pounds over our ideal weight would make us live longer, healthier lives. But it was a doomed relationship.  Now Harvard Medical School confirms, once again, that being overweight increases our risk of dying by 20-40%.  At least that’s the percentage of people who died in the follow up period to their study, as opposed to those who maintained a lower weight.

Furthermore, they tell us the only proven antidote to being overweight is walking 10,000 steps a day. The current issue of TIME magazine, also quoting the same Harvard study, debunks my favorite recent finding about red wine extending our life spans. The ingredient in red wine responsible for reducing the risk of death, Resveratrol, is found in such minute amounts that you would have to drink 1000 glasses a day to enjoy its benefits. There isn’t enough Martinelli to keep just me alive longer than my life expectancy.

Scientists are researching Resveratrol to see if they can feed it to us, not just mice, and extend our lives by 30%, too. It looks promising, but approval of the drug for pharmaceutical use appears to be at least 10 years away.

Despite Dr. Lipschitz’s jolly advice to stay plump and live longer, we are back to the same advice we’ve been getting from all the other health gurus: eat less, exercise like crazy and drink wine only in moderation, because all it will do for you is make you unconcerned about all of this bad news. It undoubtedly means that buying my dark chocolate from the bulk section of the supermarket is out, too.

But wait: AARP Magazine just reported that sweet-eaters live about a year longer than those who never eat sweets. They attribute it to dark chocolate improving arterial flow and elasticity. They also say that a drink or two a day lowers your risk of heart attack by 30 percent. And, OH MY GOD, they advocate staying up late to avoid heartburn, sleeping in to stay slim and gossiping for good health.

Who are we to believe? Maybe a little of everybody – but more of AARP. They know how to have a good time.

Winterize Your Makeup: Look Hot Even When It's Cold

If you live in a cold winter climate, you know that warm works best for nearly everything at this time of year. This even includes makeup. Our friends at LHJ.com shared some tips that will help us look 'hot' even in the coldest clime. 

• Check your foundation. That shade you chose for summer might be too dark for winter skin.  You may want to go a shade lighter.
• Brighten your blush.  Pick a lively color but remember to apply lightly.  The color will brighten you up without being too intense.
• Deepen your lip color. Pick a red or warm brown shade for winter.
• But, keep it light. The warmer lip color is good but you may want to use the gloss form rather than a heavy matte.
• Line your eyes. To make your eyes stand out in the winter, chose a chocolate brown or charcoal liner along your upper lashes.
• Darken nails.  Blackberry and copper polish are great for winter but keep your nails short - just to fingertips - for these darker colors.
• Make it matte. Take the shine off your face with an oil-free foundation and set it with a translucent powder.
• Leave the frost on the ground.  Using super-shimmery eye shadow on dry winter skin can make for a harsh look.  Mattes work better for your eyes, too, at this time of year.
• Define eye creases.  Sweep along the creases of your eyelids  - from outer to inner corners - with a medium-tone shadow.  It will add a nice finish to your makeup.
• Pick a colored mascara.  Darker colors such as navy, auburn or burgundy will give depth to your lashes and these colors are subtle enough not to look obvious.

Add a few tricks to take it from day to night...

• Wet your liner. Instead of using a darker harsh liquid liner, wet your eyeliner brush and dip it into a black or charcoal shadow.  Apply along your lash lines.
• Sparkle.  Shimmery face powder brushed lightly on your cheekbones will add nighttime glamour to your skin.
• Brighten your evening blush.  Just like a bright blush will give you color in winter months, it will also add zip to your evening look. Apply more intense shades lightly.
• Drop in some lashes.  You can add individual false lashes to fill in your own for a great look.
• Keep your polish.  If you like a deep shade of polish for evening and your current polish is in good shape, no need to remove it.   Use it as a base coat for the new shade and paint over it. 
• Gloss with gold.  Add a bit of gold gloss over your lipstick. Rub your lips together to blend and you will shine.
• Brighten your eyes.  To give your eyes that wide awake and sexy look, apply shimmery white shadow or pencil on the inner corners.
• Brush your lips with color.  When wearing a bright or deep lipstick shade, it's important that it be applied neatly to avoid a sloppy look.  For this you will need a good lipstick brush.
• Forget the powder.  The matte look is fine for daytime but can make your skin appear pale in evening light.  Apply your foundation and let your natural shine come through.
• Glitter your nails.  To really sparkle, use clear polish infused with glitter.  Paint it over bare or polished nails.