Newbie to this group!

greyfuss

Hi I'm Brenda and just joined this group. I have been working on getting healthy since April of last year. My main goal is to be able to retire and healthy enough to enjoy it! I am 61 years old and work full time so I've got awhile to go before I can quit work and play! I love gardening, knitting and crocheting. I also like cake decorating but just love buttercream icing a little too much to continue with that hobby very often! Although I still do a good bit of cooking and baking. Especially enjoy making soups in the fall and winter and canning in the summer with all the fresh veggies available!!

Over the past few months I have begun to like exercising! I think it took my doctor saying the words- "you are diabetic"! It really hit home. Since then I no longer have to take any medication for diabetes or take several other meds I was on. And I actually look forward to going places and getting out and walking whatever the distance. I no longer dread distances!!! Arthritis in my knees gives me some problem from time to time but actual exercise (riding stationary bike) doesn't bother them at all. Haven't figured that one out.

I live in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina and have one son that lives close to me. He has a daughter that's 19 and he and his girlfriend just had a new baby in the fall. So I have two grandaughters. One grown and one just beginning.

I have a long way to go to reach my goal but I'm hoping to meet a few good people here to help me along the way and hope to do the same for others.

californiagirl1950

Hi Brenda,

I was out of town last week and just reading this today. Welcome to the group. It sounds as if you really enjoy life and that is awesome. Isn't it wonderful how the exercising does make it better and now you are off the drugs? I love it. Congrats to you on that.
Congrats also on the new grand baby. How exciting is that. And to have a grown one and a new one, Pretty cool.
Good luck to you with your journey and reaching your goal.

issyfit

Welcome Brenda! I keep forgetting to check this group since it hasn't been very active.

learntolive

Hi Brenda, I'm Joni. I've been away from the site for three months and have finally gotten myself pulled up by the bootstraps and am ready go at it again. I'm going to need some friends because I don't know if my old ones are still active, etc. I am 62 and work full time, not planning to retire till 66, so I've got a while to go also. My first husband died 15 years ago. We had two daughters. I married again 12 years ago and my husband has two sons. Together we have eight grandchildren. I like to walk for exercise. I do have a stationery bike, I ride some and also an illeptical machine. I've got an ongoing problem with my ankle so I cannot use it too often. I love to spend time with my grandkids, love traveling and photography, flower gardening and church. Right now my brother is terminally ill (that is what caused me to fall off the wagon). I visit with him daily at the nursing facility as well as work full time and everything else. We did not expect my brother to live till December, but he is still with us (much to his dismay). He has no quality of life--lying in bed 20 hours a day and sitting in a chair the other. He had a bone marrow transplant seven years ago and needs another, which he has decided not to have. He has not had a good quality of life in the past seven years. He has the same condition Robin Roberts from GMA has. I went thru a horrible depression when he first got sick, but have managed to get out of that. Now I am ready to work on myself again. I will weigh tomorrow. My work pants were tight today. Last time I weighed, I was up 7 lbs. Hopefully it's not worse than that. I'd love to be your friend and encourage you to reach your goals. Joni:flowerforyou:

freya33

Hi
I am 65 and widowed, live in UK. I retired from teaching chemistry last year but now very busy tutoring. I have 3 children, one son married in 2011. one daughter married in 2010 and my son gave her away. Now my younger daughter has just got engaged and asked me to give her away. The wedding will be next year but I have to be leaner and fitter by then. I go to the gym (apart from recent lapse in cold weather) and do spinning and body pump. I am trying to get back into jogging but it is just too cold outside and even with wearing 2 pairs of gloves my fingers get numb. It is only about 0 degrees but I think I am made to hibernate in cold weather... I certainly pile on the pounds. But I now have a goal and photos at the wedding will not lie so I am back to MFP and getting my life back into order.

issyfit

Welcome freya! I hear you about the wedding photos. I wish I had lost before my DD's wedding a few years ago.

sandeev

Hi Brenda, I hope this group gets 'busier' soon. I'm Sandy. 71 y.o. retired RN, and loving retirement. I've now re-classified myself as a watercolor artist and am currently enjoying a great group of artists once a week. Finally able to do something I love doing. My former hobbies consisted of sculpting and various arts and crafts and horses. I live in Wisconsin so am getting anxious for spring so my dog and I can start walking again which is my favorite exercise to do. I've lost 46 LB's so far and want to lose 45-50 more. My only grandaughter is getting married in August, so I'd like to have most of the weight off by then. I also like gardening and in nasty weather I do knitting, crosswords and novels. My daughters want me to get a Nook tablet, but it is going to be a challenge for me cause i'm pretty technically 'illiterate'. But I may give it a try. Wishing you the best in your weight loss journey. That is really a big challenge for us foodaholics, but it's one that's do-able. BE-DO-HAVE. BE (commited)-DO (what it takes) HAVE (what we want).