In Oregon, new to MFP, just getting started

fietsvrouw

Hi all,

I am quite new to MFP and wanted to start connecting with the community. I am a 49 year old woman, and I used to be very athletic - I was on a cycling team and did a 4000 mile tour of Europe by bike, went bush walking in the rainforest etc. Over the past 11 years of grad school, and starting a business, my weight has crept up and I have lost my fitness. It is very demoralizing, especially as I finally live somewhere where I can have the kinds of adventures I want to have - backpacking, kayaking, etc., but I am not in a condition to enjoy it. Not only that, but this is a community of very thin, fit athletic people. I stick out like a very fat sore thumb. I am working towards getting back to the kind of fitness and weight I was at when I was cycling and didn't have to worry if that group hike was going to be too hard or too much elevation change. I don't want to be the tubby huffing and puffing behind everyone else.

I have about 80 pounds to lose to be at a healthy weight. I joined a gym for the first time and am working with a trainer, who did all the metrics and wrote up a meal plan and is setting up a daily free weight routine for me. My focus is on long-term lifestyle changes, not just weight loss, and on getting back into adventure mode. Anyway, I am in it for the long haul and would love to find some like-minded compatriots along the way. Please feel free to add me to your friends list.