Hi! I'm Kris, 46, and just joined MFP last week. Working to get healthy and stay healthy because I sure feel better when I'm fit. Really surprised at how MUCH food I eat - the daily tracker is a very usefully annoying thing! So - I'm currently fighting a cheeseburger craving from my desk at work and glad to have found this group! Feel free to friend me - it's always good to give & receive support!

Hi, I'm 45 with a 7 year old son. Trying to be more healthy for him. I welcome any encouragement.

42 year old with an 18 year old son. Really want to lose 10kg but due to back problems have had to stop running until I recover fully. Weight just piles on and I then get into the negative spiral (feeling down and eating more). I want to get fit and eat less of the bad stuff so I'm hoping this is where it's going to happen, usually I can keep this up for 1.5 weeks max (filling in food eaten and exercise done).................Any tips on how to stick with it for a month or 2 most welcome?

I am new to the group this past week as well. I can identify with your post. I have tried so many mainstream and odd diets in the past from the watermelon diet to the cabbage diet and have had short lived success because those diets are not realistic. I've also tried some mainstream ones (e.g. WW, Nutrisystem, The Cookie Diet) and have regained weight. I find that the support here at MFP and "realistic" approach to changing one's lifestyle will be more beneficial to me because I will have the tools to take and keep the weight off. Good luck in your journey.

Hello fellow 40-something Goddesses!

I'm Nirvani, 44 year-old, and have been active on MFP for over a month now and going strong. I believe these should be the best years of our lives. I am here to be inspired and to inspire! Positive energy is crucial to success:)

Love&Light,
Nirvani

Hi. I am 45 and would like to lose 30 lbs. I am from Alabama but now living on the MS Coast. I am a single mom who works fulltime with 3 kids, 14, 10 and 8. It is hard going home and cooking for them and not snacking while cooking. And by the time I get them down for bed, kitchen cleaned up,.. it is 8- 8:30. I don't feel like exercising.
I have some good excuses, don't I??

I have always been up and down on the scales but now am really up!
I need motivation from others because it does seem harder now.
I have not been exercising for a while now so hoping to get in at least 30 minutes of walking to start with a day.
I love food! So the 1200 calories seems really hard to me. Anybody have suggestoins on low calorie good tasting snacsk to help me get through?
Thanks for encouragement and looking for friends to dialogue with daily,
Jennifer

Hi, I'm Jen. I'll be 41 this summer. I am recently divorced and have 2 beautiful daughters, 19 and 17. I finally finished nursing school this past Dec, only took 6 long years, and work full time in a local hospital. I'm from PA, but have been living in VA for close to 17 years now. I have a love/hate relationship with diet and exercise. Love how exercise makes me feel and look, but hate trying to make the time for it. I just dropped my gym membership, it was a waste of money since I was never going, and bought a treadmill for my house. My daughter and I did our first 5K this spring, thought I was going to die but had so much fun at the same time. Need motivation to stay on track. My kids are great at trying to keep me on track, but it would be nice to make a connection with other women like me.

Hello, fab ladies! I've been skimming posts here and on a few other groups I've joined, looking for the courage to speak up. And here you all are -- inspiring me to post.

I'm 40 years young (41 at the end of this month), single, and mom only to my super snuggly dog. I'm currently pursuing an advanced degree far away from my family and friends. I've always been independent but I've really been missing a support system since I was diagnosed with a chronic illness a few weeks ago. Nothing like super scary news to kick the whole "food/weight/emotions/body image" tangle right out from a therapeutic issue into something I have to contend with every hour of every day! I'm doing much better (physically and emotionally) since my diagnosis -- partly due to buying a Fitbit Zip last week that really kicked me into gear and syncing that with MFP vs. using the app I'd been using on my Blackberry to log food.

Anyway, I'm a fairly private person in real life so I feel like there's only a few people I can talk to about this urgent mission I'm on to reclaim my health and return to the fit, active, happy, confident me I've been in the past. In graduate school I'm surrounded by women in their 20s and early 30s who sometimes make me feel ancient, so just reading your stories and seeing your successes (and struggles) has already helped me feel less alone. Thank you for that. : )

Hi All!
Im new to MFP only been on 4 days and loving it. I am 40 and sadly my metabolism is as well - i dont feel my age or look it - I have a pretty good work out regime - but like to snack
I am hoping to find healthy eating alternatives as well as get back on track at the gym - I was unable to work out or eat regular OR home cooked meals for the last two months because my husband work started a shut down so he was working 12-14 hour days 7 days a week.... one day off every 15 days. My son plays spring league travel hockey so I was bringing him to practices three nights a week and we would travel out of town on the weekends.... anyhow his hockey is over till August and I am able to start taking care of me again....

I didnt mention (Im so self centered) that i have a 20 year old son who lives in Virginia with his dad and is a substitute teacher - and I also have a 16 year old daughter who is learning to drive and is going to turn my entire head grey! She is a going to be a Junior next year - my hockey player son is 14 he will be 15 in two weeks he is going to be a sophomore - My children are wonderful -I am VERY fortunate - they are not your typical jerky "i hate my parents" teenagers - but I know it can happen any moment. My husband I have been married for 16 1/2 years - We met in Okinawa Japan when we were both stationed when we were in the Marine Corps. He is three years younger than I am . I was born and raised in San Diego California - but now live a little south of Chicago because that is where my husbands family is from.... i miss San Diego whether-

I am already struggling with my daily calorie allowances - readers please don't be mad when i say this.. but I think I have only reached my daily calorie allowance once.... then when i add my workout I am way under my calorie allowance. I want to keep my metabolism going... and worry that by not getting the required amount of calories that I am hindering my weight loss progress - i eat breakfast snack lunch snack and dinner... plus i drink at least 90 oz of water a day... my calorie allowance is 1200 - I have colitis so sometimes i just feel bloated and not hungry so I dont want to eat but am trying.... Can anyone help me with this?

Hi!
My name is Katherine and I'm just beginning what seems like a daunting weight loss journey. I'm 46 and have just recently begun to feel - and worse! - look it. I am married to a great guy and we have three kids, 19, 15 and 7. I have lost weight in the past (mostly through WW), but never enough to be the size 8 of my college years, and ended up gaining it back eventually.

I am hoping that joining this site will give me the push I need to make long term changes and be in it for the long haul. I want to be healthier, regardless of how much weight I actually lose (although getting under the 200 mark for the first time in YEARS would be awesome!).

I just started the "Couch to 5k" running program a couple of months ago and discovered that I almost enjoy running (I'm using the term very, very loosely here!), which surprises me. Incorporating healthy eating is next on the agenda.