Fit at 50, still maintaining at 51...

californiagirl2012
californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I’m Bobbie and I’ve been an athlete inside all my life but it was just covered in a layer of fat. I am currently 51 years old and I started my fitness quest when I was 19 years old. I took an aerobics class and the instructor was 50 years old but had the body of a strong and fit teenager. I vowed I would be like her when I was 50. Over the years I ran and lifted weights, I practiced martial arts, ran marathons, hiked, skied, and biked. Over the decades the weight piled on. I kept on working out harder and harder thinking I would lose the weight but it kept growing. I tried diets, lost, then gained, lost, then gained, the typical yo-yo story. At age 48 I finally reached my peak of 171 lbs at 5’1″. I had chronic back pain and thyroid and adrenal fatigue. I kept working out and running one marathon after the next thinking maybe this time it will work. Nope, the weight stayed on. Everyone told me to give up, this is what happens when you get older. I never gave up.

The problem is we eat too much. Our society has an overabundance of food and the smaller you are the less you need to eat. I’m small. I never realized how small until I finally lost the weight. I had the muscle and I always thought I had big bones because of my size but when I lost the weight I learned this is not true. I have strong bones from lifting and a healthy diet, but they are not necessarily “big”.

It took me two years to lose 60 lbs. The secret; eat less and move more. It is not easy but it is simple and sustainable and it works. I have found I need MyFitnessPal to help me walk the fine line in maintenance, to eat enough to be health yet not too much as to go back to what I once was.

I've been using myfitnesspal since January but just now am making friends here and participating in the forums. I am LOVING it here.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/photos/view/16440072

BEFORE pictures:

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/160.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/170.jpg

AFTER pictures (professional photographer Donnie Newton):

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/fitnesswethair.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/Pinkbikinifrontcrop.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/Pinkbikiniblackbackground.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/Whitebikinicroppedatpool.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/Whitebikinicroppedatpool.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/fitnessonedumbbell.jpg

I have non-professional pictures taken at home as well. The whole album is here:

http://s1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj492/californiagirl_bobbie/

Replies

  • erinkeely4
    erinkeely4 Posts: 408 Member
    Wow!!! Amazing transformation! I hope you're a fitness model now, because you should be! :)
  • staps065
    staps065 Posts: 837 Member
    Wow! Amazing and very inspirational!
  • vickisutphin
    vickisutphin Posts: 2
    You look incredible! You are my new inspiration. I am almost 49 and weigh 170 lbs. I am sick of being this weight and as a promise to myself, I vowed to get the fat off of me before I turn 50! How did you get started when you also had back pain? I have the same issue and I am sure it is from weight.
  • ladytinkerbell99
    ladytinkerbell99 Posts: 970 Member
    Wow, you look phenomenal! You are the picture of a healthy woman. You ROCK!!
    Thank you for the inspiration. I so needed to read this tonight!
  • lorenzoinlr
    lorenzoinlr Posts: 338 Member
    You are definitely inspiring to those of us over, well, you know.
  • shmunster
    shmunster Posts: 538 Member
    Wow! You are awesome!
  • Scorpiotwinkle
    Scorpiotwinkle Posts: 69
    WOW what an inspiration to me you are! I am 51 this year and I want a body like yours! I started working out in January 2012 and have lost 41lb so far (80 odd to go) but I have hope. I LOVE lifting and have a personal trainer who is helping me. Needing a new knee is a bit of a challenge but as the weight comes off it is getting easier. I would love it if you would add me as a friend please?!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Vicki, I was seeing a chiropractor for years for my back pain and it helped. It was the type of pain that I could usually work through once I got warmed up with exercise, then as soon as I cool down it hurts again, and then sometimes I'd just wake up with it and some days it I couldn't work out but usually I could work through it. Interesting it is GONE now. I think the extra weight was causing it. I'm only 5'1" so 170lbs meant a lot of extra stress on my body.

    Interestingly my adrenal fatigue issues and even my thyroid is better now too and the doctor has me on lower does of hormone replacement (actually really low doses now). I know some of that was/is my diet but I can't help but think I'm healthier now. My doctor is quite pleased.

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