Hello, I'm the Rueful Rabbit. Took my moniker from a series of books on bridge (the card game) which is one of my passions. I'm a 53 y/o guy who drives a desk for a living. I'm sedentary by nature and occupation, and I'm a comfort eater. I joke that I'm allergic to exercise - the truth is that I don't enjoy it at all. I walk a bit on my lunch hour, and I have started parking at the far end of the parking lot at work.

I'm not very good at logging food or exercise, but I am becoming more aware of what I eat, and recognizing when I'm making bad choices. I'm also beginning to see when I'm eating for comfort (or boredom) rather than because I'm actually hungry. I've started being more careful about portions, cutting down rather than cutting out. I have one or two sodas a month rather than almost every day. I'm trying to cut down on processed foods and do more of my own cooking.

Hello, I'm Steve.
I started working out at age 59 to try to get more fit.
I wasn't losing weight, even though I was walking and working out and decided to track my caloric intake as well. I'd done Weight Watchers with my wife before, but didn't want to count points, when calories are what I eat. Since downloading the App, I've tracked my calories, and use the ongoing calories remaining to modify my intake or increase my exercise to achieve my daily goal.

I've lost 31 lbs since beginning this journey, and plan on staying at 180 +/- a pound or two.

My other goal for this year is to run a few 5Ks. I'm doing the C25K app to help me build strength and stamina for that.

Steve

*whispers* It's "Mr" Rabbit.

My name is Sara and I am a legal secretary in New York City, right across from The World Trade Center.

I have been a member of Lucille Roberts, the New York Sports Club, and Blink Fitness, where I took 6 - 12 classes a week & also used the elliptical, rowing machines, Battle Ropes and the Stairmaster. When my favorite trainer from Lucille went out on his own, I signed up for unlimited classes with him which I really loved. As he grew and expanded, I rounded out my exercise repertoire with online Groupon type deals for exercise classes and that way I've gotten to try new-to-me classes like aqua zumba, strip tease, etc. After 3 years, I decided to return to the gym experience and joined The Equinox which is truly posh and makes working out almost a spa experience.

My husband is in his 50's and gluten free, dairy free and sugar free, my kids are in their 20's and probably should be eating that way as well, and I try really hard to make healthy and nourishing meals for us. It's often a losing battle !!!


Why I want to get in shape

I was thin my whole life, until I approached my 40th birthday when my weight had spiraled from the low 120's to 139 lbs in a matter of a few months. I was on my way to becoming borderline obese & had a hard time climbing stairs. I thought that was part of being middle-aged, but my doctor diagnosed me with an underactive thyroid, put me on Synthroid, and insisted that I lose the weight I gained, if at all possible.

I had been active my whole life, dancing and running track in high school, and doing aerobics in college. As my kids got older, I took step aerobic classes at night, then bought a recumbant bike and did exercise tapes at home. I couldn't believe that my thin days were over ....

Anyway, my doctor called me every so often to make sure that I was doing okay on the Synthroid, exercising, and not stuffing myself (his words, not mine). It took me five long months of hard work, exercise and eating right, but I went from 139 to 113 lbs. I then packed on another 10 lbs of muscle and ended up right where I started, low 120's. (I was so grumpy that my kids thought I had gone through menopause but I guess that's a different discussion.)

One day, I walked by a gym near my office, and a little voice in my head said JOIN. And I did! I met friends with similar goals, love wearing cute exercise clothes, and have tried activities I never thought i would enjoy, like boxing and bellydancing.

My goal is to keep building muscle and keep my bodyfat low as I age. So far, so good.


My Inspirations
•I inspire myself. Because I'm vain.
•The thought of dancing around barely dressed is enough to get me to the gym !!!

I haven't been a part of this group for more than a week but I'd still like to welcome all the new people, some new to MFP and some new to the group. It's nice to see so many of us close to, or over 50, taking care of ourselves!!!

Lots of inspirational stories here so thanks!!!

Hello everyone! My name is Sharon and I am 62 years old. I live in rural Alaska with my husband of 26 years, no children, but we do have 9 goats, 3 dogs and chickens. I have been trying for the past couple of years to get motivated to lose weight and exercise. I have about 55 lbs. to loose and I am getting so tired of feeling like I have sacks of potatoes tied around my waist weighing me down.

Anyway... I am so excited to have found your group and can't wait to get to know everyone.

57 yo married with two children 34 and 31 - 3 grandchildren - 6, 4 and 2 and another one on the way. Currently on meds for HTN, thyroid, and Type 2 Diabetes - I've always been heavy but now I need to get healthy. It seems the more I try, the more my other half tries to derail me. Unfortunately, with just the two of us at home its really hard to not get derailed. I'm tired when I get home from work.... I know I need to plan better and get motivated, I'm having a really hard time with that. Makes it even more difficult. Exercise is an issue - Zumba once a week, but the rest of the week isn't so good. I need some motivation and I know it needs to come from within. My legs and feet swell - I know if I lost weight it would certainly help.... the older I get, the harder it gets. I do much better when the grandkids are around.... who doesn't? My husband has health issues and doesn't do much to try and fix them, but that's more his problem than mine, except the stress that goes with it. I'm hoping that joining this group will help give me some of the motivation I need. I look forward to getting to know all of you

Thanks for the quote NiconPal. I'm working on trying to live up to Oliver's words.

Welcome everyone! There are a lot of inspirational folks on here. Whenever I think of some excuse for eating something I shouldn't or not exercising, I think of some of the issues with which some of the people on here have to deal and it motivates me to do better.

Hello new folks! I'm relatively new here too. We *can* do this!

Hi, my name is Suzy. I am 49 but will be 50 in January. I am have been happily married for 27 years and have 3 children and also 3 grandchildren. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (15-20 pounds) but I am tired of trying fad diets just to lose the weight and gain it back. I know that if I eat healthy (with tracking) and exercise the weight will come off without being deprived of whole food groups. Being 5' 1" every extra pound shows. I also know that exercise is very important to keep my healthy and young:) Thank you for adding me to the group!

We are a very friendly and mature group. We avoid the snarky bs of the general forums. We each have to find our own path to healthy. So, introduce yourself.

So many inspiring stories here! I don't have an impressive or dramatic weight loss story. I was a twiggy kid but an overeating emotional wreck as a teen. I lost 30lb my freshman year in college and have kept it off for ~30 years, but not always with style or grace. Seems like I was bouncing between extremes in my 20's--binging, fasting, running 50mi/week. Maybe I settled down a little (got married, had kids, improved my relationship with food) in my 30's, but it wasn't until my 40's that I learned to eat less and genuinely enjoy it more. When I told DH I wanted to drink less wine but genuinely enjoy it more, he suggested buying more expensive wine--and that works! At 50 now, I can say maintaining has become easier mentally even if it is more work physically.

I sometimes gain 5lb during the summer then lose it in the fall. In 2014, though, what worked in the past wasn't working. I wondered if my age had slowed my metabolism. Upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn't that at all. For decades my work required heavy travel, and I never really realized how physically demanding it was. With a new non-traveling job, my metabolism hadn't slowed down but I had! Bought a food scale, started calorie counting, and what do you know--the math worked. I log on nutritiondata, but since discovering MFP, I have learned a lot of really helpful perspective from the boards, and I appreciate that a lot.

LeenaGee wrote: »

Hello everyone. Before I introduce myself, can I ask a question first? Am I allowed to mention the word Paleo and the fact that I am trying to cut added sugar out of my diet?

No problem here, I think our main concern here is losing weight. So the more ways we can accomplish that goal the better off we are!