Hi all! So many interesting comments from everyone! I'm 47 and am finding, like a lot of you, that the weight doesn't come off as fast or easily as it once did. I lost around 25 lbs. in 2011 using mfp only to slowly gain it back due to slacking off on exercising and enjoying my wine too much! Lately have really had a hard time staying motivated for any length of time. I ran my first 5k last weekend and would like to do a couple more - I just need to keep myself motivated to keep training and eat the way I know I should.

Would love to have some friends of this same age who know the struggles we all deal with daily . . .

Greetings ladies. Just joined this site and happy to join this group. My name is Janet and I'm from Ontario Canada. Lived in Ottawa most of my life but moved to a small village west of Ottawa 4 1/2 yrs. ago to start a life with my guy. I'm 48 years young and 5'7". We have four furry children, 3 cats and a dog. Started gaining weight when puberty hit and finally settled at 170lbs. during adulthood. Things came crashing down on me in early 2003. Was working in a highly stressful job which became too much for me and had to take a leave of absence. This led to clinical depression followed by being diagnosed with tourette's syndrome a year later. With my mood and fatigue in an all time low, working out became a thing of the past and the weight started to creep up. The medications I was on only added to the problem. My chronic fatigue and pain continuted for several years until i was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia and the medication to help control these symptoms really packed on the pounds. I did manage to get back into a fitness routine and was careful with what I ate but the weight continuted until I hit my all time high of 275lbs. That's when I knew something had to change.

After much thought and research, I had my family doctor refer me to the weight management clinic in Ottawa in July 2011. Had my first appointment in Sept. where I was told that due to my health problems and the medication needed to control them, there was no amount of exercise or dieting that would get the weight off so I made the decision to have weight loss surgery. It was a two year process with many appointments, information groups and tests before finally having RNY Sept. 14, 2012. And contrary to what many think, the surgery was anything but an easy way out. I have had a fairly easy recovery but following the program can be a daily struggle. I was given a head start but it is solely up to me not to go back to old bad habits which would cause my new stomach to stretch and see the extra pounds back on. I have been given a wonderful gift and will do everything that I can to honour it. The time has finally come to take back my life both physically and emotionally!

Hello

I'm Karen, 48 years old and have hypothyroidism. Weight is something that I have battled since my teenage years, not alot of weight but enough to make me uncomfortable in my own skin.

I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada I'm a mother of a 14 year old daughter and we live with my boyfriend of 7 years who is a total fitness buff.

I have just recovered from a hip injury that had me sidelined for a couple of months. I've started running again, very slowly. I also started weight lifting in January. I

Just today my Dr. advised me that I am starting peri-menopause and suggested that I stop taking my birth control pills!

I'm always open to learning and making new friends.

Karen




Glad to see another gal from my side of the world on this site.

hello chickies

I'm 44, happily married to my childhood sweetheart with 2 kids, age 17 and 24.
I hail from Long Island NY, I love to cook, learn new things. I'm a pet lover and professional pet sitter, ex Veterinary tech.
Looking forward to hanging out with you all during this journey :drinker:

hi my name is pauline and live in ireland. i'm a 44 year old mom f 2 girl and boy and am a recovering stroke survivor of oct 2010. i never really had issues with weight it was high cholestrol and genetics. since my stroke i've been diagnosed with an annurysim and also with C.O.P.D. i was left partail paralysed on the right side. i lost 90% use of my right hand can only walk with tha aid of a knee high support on my leg. my swallow speach breathing core temp were also impaired. but with all that i will not be stopped living my new life to the fullest.thank u for takin time to read this .

Hi everyone and thanks for the invite. I am Karen and I'm 53. I've been working hard on mfp and at the gym for the last 8 months to recover my body from a travel job where I ate and drank way too much and slept too little.

I live in California, have a few kids, step kids and grand kids. I have lost 15 pounds since starting back here and just started a heavy lifting program to burn off the rest of the waist fat.... Damn muffin top and back fat. It does come off so slow at this age but I think I wasn't eating enough either so I have moved through several different stages of eating changes and exercise changes.

Hi Sallie. For going out to dinner I try to eat half and take home half. Sometimes I ask for the box early and box half right away so I don't keep thinking about eating it.

Hi all. I'd love to 'lunch' with you. My name is Gale, mid 50s, have been on MFP for almost a year and have lost 45 lbs. My goal was 130 and I'm just a few pounds away but I've been stalled here for almost a month. Feel great but now that I'm close, thinking 125 looks better. Have struggled with my weight forever. Have been thin, fat and in-between. Now want to be strong and healthy and a good example to my children.

Hi, everyone. I'm new to this group and like what I see. My name is Susan, and I'm 53 years old. I have been married for 30 years but have no children. I am a reading/language arts teacher, which causes me a lot of stress (the workload not the students). I am currently suffering from knee and shoulder injuries. I enjoy walking but am currently staying off the knee. I hope to get back at it soon. I've always had weight issues and have successfully lost weight several times. I would like to lose it and keep it off this time.

Hi;
My name is Joy. I am from Cleveland, Ohio. Married to my great hubby Mitch for 30years we have 1 super son Jordan who will be 21yrs old this May. I had my son at 35 yrs old, I lost the weight then life got hectic and I got stressed with work, kid school stuff, just life in general time flew. Somewhere around 45years old peri-menopause kicked in and weight creeped on about 10 lbs a year.
Anyway I am now 56 year old, still perimenopausal which makes it very hard to take weight off. I have lost about 8 pounds since February so still hanging in here.
I am a foodie, I love the foodnetwork, love to cook and eat. Am learning new foods and flavors that are tasty and still healthy. One of my new favorites is classic hummus. Hopefully this group will be good for me and some fun too! We really need a strong and fun attitude to keep losing and staying healthy!
Well, hope to hear from others here, have fun, and stay strong!

Hi, I'm Jennifer. I am 47 and have a goal to lose 15 pounds. I live in the Palm Springs, CA, area. I don't cook very well, so I might as well start learning to prepare healthy meals for myself and my two teenage daughters!

Hello all. My name is Robyn I live in Southern New England, married 3 kids who are 14, 10 and 10 (yup twins!). I am looking to be healthy and to lose around 50 pounds safely. My main goal is to eliminate as many super processed foods as possible, this is not easy when you work full time and have to get dinner on the table in a hurry.

Also i have been looking for other parents who have children on the Autism Spectrum, if you are out there let me know.

Good luck with your goals everyone!

Hi. My name is Leeann, I live in a small town in Northern Ca. Called Benicia. We were the first State Capitol in Ca., anyway, I am 69 years old, mother to 4 adult children, Grandmother to 7 grandchildren. I started on MFP in June 2012 and have lost 31 pounds so far. I have gone from a size XL to 12-14. What a thrill. I did this by being faithful to posting on MFP, and changing bad eating and drinking habits. I use a replacement protein shake twice a day and eat 1 regular meal in the mid afternoon . Lucky for me my husband is following the same plan, which makes it much easier. I just got my Fitbit, after hearing Dr. Nancy Snyderman, talk about it at a conference we were attending. I want to loose about 10 more pounds, but have been traveling extensively so it's going to be hard, any suggestions how to handle this would be greatly appreciated.

I grew up in San Francisco and then moved to Vallejo for a while as an adult. Currently I live in Sellersburg Indiana, which is about 20 minutes from Louisville, KY. I'm 46 years, married for 16 years and we have 4 children total, ages 26, 25, 21, and 14. I've always struggled with my weight growing up (10-20 pounds) but once I turned 40 and quit smoking and quit my job and moved to Indiana, I gained another 30 pounds. I'm currently working as a switchboard operator for 7 hospitals in Louisville, KY so I sit all day and I work from 5:30 am to 2pm. Getting enough sleep is an issue for me because I can't go to sleep at 8pm. I've been struggling to get this weight off for 6 years now. Doing what I did in my 20's and 30's isn't working! Currently I'm doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day shred and I'm on Levevl 1, day 7 and I'm trying to stick to 1500 cal. I want to get a fitbit, so hopefully I will get my wish on Mothers Day I want to lose 50 pounds and I want to connect with women that are my age because I feel that I'm heading into menopause and that may be why I'm having a difficult time. Can't wait to share our journey together:flowerforyou:

Greetings All,

My name is Leona I live in rural eastern NE. I am 56 and going through some health issues right now. Just starting my weight loss/lifestyle change again. I am recovering from one surgery and will have another at the end of the month. After a recovery period I will be able to get back to being active.

My interests are: gardening, sewing, crafting and soap making. I am on hiatus from being a personal party chef. I also sell soaps and other toiletries at fairs and boutiques also on hold for now.

Occasionally I need a good swift kick in the butt to get motivated. Most of the time I stay on track though. I do not call what I am doing here a diet. I am changing my life.

As you can guess food is my passion and I am learning soooo much right now about nutrition. It's fun to try new things.

Glad to be here.

Hello from gorgeous Sonoma County, Northern Cali...heart of wine country, I think this is kismet! I've been off and on with MFP since the first of the year. My sister and mom have been incredibly dedicated and successful using this site so I'm back. I just turned 44 and am newly engaged! My body doesn't react to life the way it did 20 years so it's time that I give myself 10% each day for my wellness. I work at a YMCA, with a free membership and yet I still don't exercise...in fact, I hate exercise. I can do the healthy eating but it's the moving around that I struggle with but I'm working on it! I discovered yoga last year and love it!! I'm just looking for that kick in the rear that I need and this sounds like a fun group! I'm looking forward to "lunching" with you all.

Hi, my name is Lisa, I'm 47 from The Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. I'm married and have 1 son aged 14yrs old. Originally from NZ, left to explore when I was 21.

Just joined MFP on the weekend to help motivate me to getting my life back again.

I attended a friends wedding a couple of weeks ago and that was my big wake up call. I knew i was putting the weight on, just wasnt in the right head space. I am now!

I'm currently waiting, 2 weeks today, for spinal surgery so I'm going to need all the help in staying focused to get through not only surgery, recovery period which can take between 3-6 months, but to keep my spirits up, to push me and help reach my target goal of 15kg...20kgs not sure what that is these days in lbs. Strange as arrived here 8 1/2 years ago from the UK where it was lbs, think its like 2.2lbs to kgs? So I'm not very active which is part of my weight gain, the other, bad food choices. Time to chance the food and attitude!

So menu plans, fitness regimes, great friendships is right up my ally, thanks for the invite ladies xox