long detailed introduction

Hello,
I'm Gigi, 51 and new to these support forums. I recently read a good article on behavior modification for weight loss, and they stressed the need to track what you eat and have an active support group. My 2 best friends are model thin, and my husband is fit, so I don't have a local group that has the same weight issues that I do. These forums seem like a good place to find like minded people.

I have had to watch my weight my entire life. When I was in my 20s and 30s I was where I wanted to be with a BMI of 22-23. Of course I always wanted to lose 5 more pounds, but I felt good and looked good. I was very active - ran 6 marathons, lots of half marathons and at least a 10k race every month. Also worked out in martial arts 3-4 times per week. Yes, that was before kids :-)

I was a late bloomer, but I married, moved and had kids and life was different. My weight started slowly increasing in my 40s. I no longer had my running group of friends, and live in a rural area now and have looked, but there are NO local running groups. With the kids there are always birthdays, parties, celebrations that involved lots and lots of sugar and lovely homemade desserts. I'm fairly active, but don't do the many hours of running and cardio that had always kept my weight down. Plus I'm older and the metabolism is slowing.

Then I hit 50. I was so tired of dieting my entire life, I just felt rebellious and stopped watching what I ate for almost year. I didn't go crazy binging or anything like that. But I had ice cream with the kids. I baked more. I had 2 or 3 fabulous homemade desserts at the many potlucks I went to. I started having an evening glass of wine or 2. I bought chocolate for all the holidays - valentines, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Nothing extreme, but all those little indulgences seemed to change my metabolism and I stopped getting on the scale. Or even looking in the mirror because I didn't like the way I looked. My sister gave me her old jeans so I had some clothes that would fit.

When the warm weather came this year, I found that NONE of my shorts or summer clothes fit. I couldn't begin to button my huge "fat shorts". The real shocker was that my shirts didn't fit - too tight in the chest and pinching my arms. What!??! I've never gained so much weight that my SHIRTS didn't fit! Couldn't wear my dressy black jacket to a funeral because my arms were too big! Then one day walking down the street I caught sight of myself in the mirrored windows and saw that my belly was jiggling as I walked. I was mortified.

I got on the scale and found out I gained 25 pounds in about 6 months. That's gaining a pound a week!! If I gained just a couple more pounds I would have an officially obese BMI of 30.

I was in denial. I'm not any more. More importantly, I'm now "ready" to diet. I've been dieting for a couple months now, but am very discouraged how hard it is to lose weight at 51. Previously, if I just dieted and upped the exercise, the weight would slowly, but surely come off. Now I've stopped gaining, but losing weight isn't happening. It's depressing.

So I'd like to lose 25 pounds to get back to a BMI of just under 25. Longer term, it would be nice to lose 40 pounds and go back to a BMI of 22, but not holding my breath on that one.

Some of this might be familiar to you. If you can relate, consider being my friends to help support me. I'll support you as well. I'm really committed now, I just need to lose a little weight to get some momentum going, and some friends to encourage me when I'm going through a rough patch.

thanks for reading this far!

PS - I'm also posting this in the Women 50+ group.