Age 50+ Bios

[grammajiggles]

Hi ! I am new here and for now just call me Jiggles ! It seems to fit so well as I am a 55 yr old Grandmother of 5 ! I have been married for 38 years to my husband and we have 3 grown kids and 3 yorkie furbabies . I have spent so many years taking care of one or the other that I somehow forgot how to take care of myself until I blossomed to 268 lbs in January 2010 . That was a huge wakeup call to me and I slowly started putting my life back in order and managed to lose 16 lbs by June . However with our camping season upon us and MANY holidays away I started creepying the weight back on to where I am sitting right now at 256.5 lbs on my 5' 3.5" frame ! My body just hurts and I lack the motivation to exercise but I know I must !!! Dh is not a great motivator as he works long hours and doesn't want to move off his chair in the eening .... especially if sports are on ! I spend many evenings just surfing the 'net or at my craft table . I am usually at my craft table while Young and the Restless is on during the afternoon but really do not watch a lot of TV ! I usually have my IPOD cranked up though ! I know I need to remove at least 100 lbs and become a healthier person but also want to be realistic about it and do it slowly ! I am no stranger to healthy eating just seem to get sidetracked by everyday life and challenges .

[debeub]

HI, I'm 56 and just starting really having ALOT of trouble w/ my wieght about 3 yrs. ago Up to that point I was doing pretty good. Now I have become the BLAB!!! I have the way my stomach looks!!!

I have 2 grown children and a 10 yr old. My hubby is very sweet about the pear shape I've become!! We have been married 18 yrs. Ofcourse I was a
size 3-5 when we met,,, and now a tight 10. It's all about health to me, and not having a gut the size fo a watermelon!!

I also take care of kids and homeschool my 10 yr. old. I love life,, and if I had an exercise program that someone would do w/me... that had something to do w/ dance I would LOVE that.

I live in Ga.. so if any of you live around here,,, we could walk,dance, or diet together. Guess we can do this online.

We are going to Disney the 1st wk of Dec. I would really like to lose at least 10 lbs. by then.

I have an extremely!!! limited income right now, and looking for something that doesn't cost much. Have thought about wieght watchers, (don't really want to spend the money for now),or medeteranian diet..( probably spelled that wrong). Any ideas???

Deb

[cathyo]

PERSONAL INFORMATION: Hi, my name is Cathy, and I'm 53 years old. I'm married...well if you can call it, my new hubby left 6 months after we were married on Valentine's Day 2002 to be an OTR trucker and has never been back! So been married for 8 years and after the previous 2 marriages I can safely say that this one is the best one! LOL
I have 3 children by hubby #2, a 26 yr old son with Down Syndrome, a 25 yr old daughter, who has given me a wonderful grandson who is 7 now and stays with me 24/5 and goes home on weekends, school vacations and for the summer, and a 20 yr old son with Asperger's. We have 2- 9 yr old cats, Katie and Freckles. I don't work, I have enough to do without adding that stress to my life.
I spend my a lot of my time on photography, quilting and reading. I sell a lot of my quilts, I mainly do pictorial wall hangings and have done several commissioned ones, as well as my photos. I taught my method at a fabric store for a year before I moved too far away and my car got totaled while parked. I read basically anything I can get my hands on . I watch a few shows, Law and Order SVU, Parenthood, Bones, NCIS, House, Biggest Loser and Project Runway when they're on and 1 soap opera, Days of Our Lives.

DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: I'm 5'4 (I've shrunk an inch!) and weigh 258 right now, have lost 5 lbs since Nov. 1 when I started this diet, was 10 lbs but for some reason after I started working out 5 came back . My goal is to get down to 140 lbs by spring...hahahaha...seriously though hoping to do that by next winter. Right now I am counting calories, have laid off my nightly snack of a pot of popcorn and 1/2 a liter of coke, and am eating 3 meals a day and a couple of snacks, usually fruit, instead of 1 big one at night followed by several hours of binging while being a couch potato. I was on the Atkins diet when I was younger and did really well, but couldn't live on it so all the weight came back. 8 years ago I lost 144 lbs by eating right, walking 4 miles a day and doing the Sweating to the Oldies videos and swore I would never gain it back....but did. This time I am using the Biggest Loser 6 week workout DVD, alternating a day of low impact cardio with a day of sculpting and walking (no car so I walk everywhere!) and bike riding. Had to tone the workouts back since my younger days, the knees just aren't what they used to be.
What got me started this time was my grandson. I gave him my old camera to my grandson so he could take pictures also when I drag him along on my photo shooting outings and his favorite subject is ME. What an eye opener after years of not letting anyone take my pictures He is upset with me since he says I am perfect the way I am!

My Goals: Are to lose the weight obviously, or I wouldn't be here . I need to be around for a long time for my family. I would really love to be able to buy clothes that I like that fit me (right now I am an xl chest and a 3-4x hip so shirts are so hard to buy), be able to tie my shoes with them ON my feet, and even do something as simple as cut my toenails without a major hassle, and of course do more stuff with my very active grandson! Next summer I want to take a photography course and then start my own business doing portraits of special needs children and adults. My self confidence at this point is close to zero, and I know from previous big weight losses that it gets much better when I am happy with the way I look.

So I guess that's all to tell about me, looking forward to meeting everyone here!

Cathy

ps. I just noticed there seems to be several *groups* in this 50+ section...I apologize if I have posted to a group you have to join first...

[ih3arvoices]

I joined today because I need help. My eating(and denial) is totally out of control. I'm sitting at 12 pounds gained in 6 weeks and can't seem to get my motivation back. My workouts have gone from dedicated to sporadic while my eating is just crazy. I always have a reason why it's ok to eat seconds, eat candy, and have 4 glasses of wine rather than one or none. How do I stop this?? How does this 53 year old woman get her self esteem back and stop this downward spiral that I can't seem to stop? I am so disgusted with myself and feel very alone. Anyone else out there experienced this ? If so, how do I stop? I guess I should mention that 4 years ago I lost 40 pounds and have been able to maintain it untill recently ( about 3 months ago) when I suddenly felt like it became more of a struggle than it's ever been to where I am now, completely out of control.

[Tea Granny]

Person Info - My name is Maureen and I'm 51 years old and married to the best man on earth ( 3rd time lucky) I have always battled my weight, but started losing the battle with the onset of menopause ( otherwise the big M is something that I wish had happened 30 years ago) and the beginnings of Insulin Resistance. Then I quit smoking and drinking diet coke in 2009 and the weight has been piling on ever since I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw a photo that my Niece took at Christmas - I was horrified - it is amazing how denial keeps me from really seeing what is the mirror.
Work and Hobbies - I am a First Aid Instructor and used to be a Registered Animal Health Tech ( Vet nurse) I'm also the part time Admin Assistant at the training centre where I teach. We have 3 English Toy Spaniels - one from the ETSRescue, 1 ancient 17 year old cat and...20 birds - we became a bit of rescue a few years ago. I like to garden, read, craft - I loathe cooking.

Tea Granny is name that my american relatives started calling me because I drink Tea not coffee - they just can't get over it I don't get how anything that smells that good can tast so bad.

I also have a Sister - who I do love dearly-that is a perfect size 0 - the last time I went shopping with her she put on a size 25 Levi button fly jeans and turned around and asked if they made her butt look big - I should have said yes - I have been putting up with sly comments like that for far too long.
Oh well onward and upward ladies!!

[justmary]

Hi everyone!

My name is Mary. I'm 53 and live in the great state of Arkansas. I'm originally from Mississippi, born in Jackson and lived there and around there for the first 30 years of my life before moving to Arkansas.

I'm divorced from my husband (his choice) after 25 years of marriage. I never saw it coming. It was very hard on me but I'm a lot better now. I live on my own for the first time ever in my life and I'm liking it. I have two grown sons, 25/23, and one moved out before the divorce and one after so a lot happened in a short period of time. My youngest son is getting married this October and I would really like to lose as much as possible by then.

I have one cat, female, that I've had for six years and I love her so much. Her name is Mama Kitty. My neighbor in the apartment across from me doesn't like that name at all and wants me to change it to Mocha. She's half-Siamese and has beautiful coloring. But I will not change her name.

I don't work. My ex and I had made the decision when we married that I would be a stay at home mom which I loved being and we both preferred me being home. But now that he's gone, and my job skills are very outdated and my health is not too great...I find it hard to get a job. I'm planning on going to technical college this coming fall semester to learn computer skills and update other skills because I need a job desperately. I only get a small alimony check every month and it doesn't go far enough at all.

I'm doing the South Beach diet and I find it really, really easy. I started dieting again this January 14 and have lost 22 pounds. I've a long way to go. But I aim to get there. There are two big issues I have and I really have to work hard on them. One is portion size and the other is nighttime eating. I haven't gotten ahold of them yet and they are trying to keep me knocked down. But I'm optimistic with this plan and that is not something I'm use to.

[Hannah2]

Hi! I am 61 years old. Married, soon to be 43 years. No children and no pets! We had a black lab for about 16 years. We have had our share of kitties through the years.
I have worked in the food industry for about 22 years. Restaurant and Bakery. I am a Baker/Cake Decorator(retired). Cake decorating is a hobby now. I write children's literature and also christian poems and literature.
I am also a certified seamtress/tailor. I cannot sew any more now because of arthritis in my hands. I taught Christian Education in our Christian School,grades k-12. Now I must say it is good to be retired!
My weight has always been an issue. I am 5'2" so an extra 30 pounds really shows! I am not an exercise person. I really don't like exercise. I do walk when I can. Garden in the summer. So, I am somewhat active. I do journal my food, and that seems to work for me.
I live on the east coast of Canada.
My computer is old and slow. Hoping that it will keep on running for awhile so that I can visit here often. If it quits I can't get one for about 2 years(sigh!).
Anyway hope to meet some folks here. Glad I found this site!

[dbh]

Hi Hannah! Glad to meet you; sorry I didn't respond sooner. I've been trying to find a job.

Hope your computer is still running!

[Angelica]

Hi there, I'm 66 years old and am retired. I have five cats and two chickens. I live in the country and am just a short walk to a lovely sandy beach. I do a lot of gardening having many perennial flower gardens. I also enjoy taking pictures of the wildlife around me.

I've put on a lot of weight this past few years and because I quit smoking two years ago I've put on an additional ten pounds. I'm 5' 5" and 163 lbs. I want to lose 40 pounds. I'm impressed by all the weight lost by members of this forum and hoping that I can do the same.

[peacechick]

I recently joined 3FC's after liking what I saw: good support and acceptance without preaching.
I'm soon to be 53. The only time I've been near to what my weight should be was in high school when the whole family did WW; and then in college when I was poor and walking everywhere.
I've been a food addict since childhood; I remember my second birthday when I was ticked off as my family wanted to take pics and I wanted to eat my birthday cake.
So, long story short, I'm tired of carrying around this extra luggage; I'm not diabetic, but I'm a prime candidate. My hubby and stepdaughter are both diabetics.
I am a medical social worker and I see health issues caused by obesity all the time and I know the older I get, the more problems the weight is going to cause.
I just want to be able to keep my portions under control and to eat healthy and well balanced. I'm starting to exercise a bit more, especially walking with the sweetest dog in the world, Lamont.
I'm so glad to be a part of 3FC's and especially this "Golden Girls" thread!

[S00Z]

I found 3FC by searching online for MRC info. I've been struggling with my weight a LOT lately and have rejoined MRC to try to get it under control. I had great success with MRC a few years ago but kept trying to lose "ten extra pounds" and never made it to the maintenance phase. So, no surprise, I put it back on.

I'm 5'3" and weighed 188 lbs when I went in 1.5 weeks ago. OMG! How does this happen? And how can my clothes still fit? Everyone tells me there is no way I weigh that much, that I don't look that heavy; I am thankful for that, but STILL!

The last year has had a lot of events that cause stress, so I'm sure that's part of my problem: Daughter with high risk pregnancy 3500 miles away, new grandbaby born premature and in NICU for a week (doing beautifully now), son-in-law in extremely dangerous special forces job in military and deployed, son also joining same special forces field, boss and mentor/friend of 20 years diagnosed with Stg 4 lung cancer and dying within 6 months, job of 20 years gone due to owner's death, in job market in depressed economy at age 49, new job starting up new department, turned 50 in December. Yikes!

But let's restate the above because I do have SO much to be thankful for: daughter successfully managed high risk pregnancy and delivered beautiful baby granddaugher only 5 weeks early, so proud of my special forces son-in-law who volunteers to defend our country, so very proud of my son for sticking with the grueling 2 year training required for his special forces job (there are only 350 men in their career field and I am the proud mom of two!), thankful for 20 years of working with an extraordinary man and his wife who shared my life and taught me what I know, so very thankful that I have developed very marketable skills that allowed me to secure a fantastic job right away with no downtime or loss of income, and last but not least, happy that at age 50 I am healthy, happy, financially independent and have raised two children who are also happy, healthy and financially independent and turned out to be decent people.

But even good things cause stress that we react to and I'm afraid that has contributed to my problem with weight.

NOW, if I can just get a handle on my eating/weight issue!

I was very successful with MRC before, and intend to make it all the way this time. I think I can use all the help I can get, so when I saw this website this morning, I thought it might be just the extra thing I need to stay on track.

I look forward to chatting with some of you soon!

[Riemontana]

Hi All! I have been reading this thread and I enjoy it so much that I am finally joining officially! My name is Rie and I am from Montana. I am an administrator in a public service, high stress job that I love. I am 51 years old. (how did that happen)?

I have a history of Lupus although I have been in remission for a long time. Last summer I started developing skin rashes and was losing my hair. While the hair loss cause was being explored, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The Dr. was cold and harsh with me as she explained that my 254 pound 5'3" body was the cause. I actually got lucky and found a very nice and kind endocrinologist. I started my health journey on September 1, 2011.

I try to work out every day. I love to do low impact aerobics and the wii in my own home. I have always been a solitary excerciser. I try to follow a moderately low carb, healthy fat vegetable emphasis with lean proteins diet. I only weigh in about every 1 to 2 months. It works for me. I currently am down to 198 pounds - my lowest weight in 18 years.

I love to fish and I own a drift boat for flyfishing rivers and a scruffy little motor boat for lake fishing. I am a competetive pool player and I travel for pool tournaments and play league pool.

I am happily divorced and I have two sons and two adorable grandsons. My oldest son left his wife when he discovered that she was abusing his son and so he has full custody of his 4yr old son. They live with me right now as my son has spent the last year focusing on getting his son healthy. He earns his rent by managing our house, including cleaning, shopping, errands and cooking. He also works a part time job and has a budding photography business. He loves to cook and has been a godsend by planning my food in accordance with my preferences. I always know that there is salad or whatever I need in the fridge and that he will cook a low carb supper for me. I am lucky.

My diabetes is completely under control and I have an A1C that is normal (5.2) My other blood work is pretty healthy too.

I am so grateful to have found this support site and I enjoy being on this site. I have told very few people about my health and I am a pretty private person so I need the support of my sisters on this site. Thank you for being here Golden Girls!

[robinlynn]

I've "stumbled" across this site a few times. Love the name! Anyway, somehow I found this forum, today. Kind of interesting, in regards to the timing.
My name is Robin, I'm 50. I"m single and live in southern PA. My family is about 4 hours due north and it's a wonderful area i live in. I've lived in Denver, CO, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Been here since 2004. Last year, in May I was 235 lbs. I started going to the gym, working out and watching what I ate. Hit 194 in November and have sat there ever since. So, fast forward to this year, started training for a duathlon (run/bike/run insanity) with a new trainer. I was "whinning" to her about not losing weight, yesterday and she "challenged" me to lose 8 lbs by May 20th (5 weeks). So, today I started watching my food, all over again. I'm not one to back down from a challenge (a fact my trainer knows full well!), so I'm going to do this. I'm a bit worried about the "feeling hungry" part but will work on muddling through.
my long term goal (ok, it's a little insane but I want to try) is to do an Ironman Triathlon. not THE Ironman, but an Ironman. We all need dreams, right?

[nonamortica]

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Hi, my name is Nona. My username comes from a story by Tanith Lee that was published years ago in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. It means “the love that does not die”. I liked the story and the idea, and it has my real name in it. I am going to be 58 on May 20th. I have been a widow since 1995. I have dated since then but have not found a Traveling Companion yet. Still hopeful.

I have two grow sons, 30 and 26. They are my heart. My oldest has a wonderful lady that he has been with since he was 16 and I love her dearly. They have a rock band together and he also is a free lance photographer. My youngest lives with me. He is studying criminal justice. We are in Philadelphia.

I have 3 kitties, two are short haired torticos and the other one is a calico main coon mix. My son also has a sweet doggie of indeterminate heritage, although we believe there may be some dobie and greyhound in there. Her name is Jonah and she is a totally run over by the cats.

I have been talking Middle Eastern Dance (aka belly dance) classes since 9 months after my husband died. It helped me reconnect with life and also helped me to rehabilitate after years of undiagnosed and untreated hypothyroid had devastated my health. I did a lot of two steps forward, one step back during those years, and the dance kept me centered and focused during those times. I started performing in 2004 with various student groups and the Washington DC Branch of Public Urban Ritual Experiment, and now I co-facilitate the brand new and growing Philadelphia Branch.

I also enjoy different types of needlework, and planning, coordinating and doing projects around my house. I am renovating it after leaving it in the hands of 20-something male children for a number of years. Yikes! I have a lot of work to get done! But they are helping me!.

I have been a registered nurse since 1974. I have had a varied and rich career in many roles and settings within the behavioral health field. I also am a certified personal coach since 2007. I like to coach people with differences, usually on the ADHD spectrum. I’m also certified with the Edge Foundation to coach teens and college age ADHD students.

I enjoy Science Fiction and Fantasy. I enjoy So You Think You Can Dance when I get a chance to watch it. Do not watch Dancing With The Stars. Like wedding shows, Deadliest Catch, Dirtiest Jobs, some cooking shows. Favorite movie is Princess Bride, Pride and Prejudice comes in close second. .

DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN:

I am 5 feet 1 inch. I currently weigh 165. My highest weight was 196 right before I was diagnosed hypothyroid. I had been sick for 5 years by then. I was always a very thin child and also up until 40 was not overweight. I believed I was, but so much for the American mindset and obsession with thin. I digress. I lost 30 lbs fairly easily and quickly with treatment and Atkins. Then it slowed down at 165. I have yo-yoed back and forth from aprox 175 and 155 for over a decade now. Last year I was at 153, the doctor lowered my thyroid medications; I got very sick and was up to 180 in 4 weeks. That was last year around my birthday. So I have been inching down since then and am back at 165. I would like to be at 140, which was the last weight I was at healthy and fit before everything fell apart. I cannot follow the darn charts for my height and weight. I did that on WW in my 30’s, got to 125, the upper range, and you could count my ribs, I looked sick and I could not maintain it. I must just have heavy bones. Anyway, when I get there I can always reevaluate. I do not have a time frame, just going to follow a low carb diet. Right now I am restricting carbs pretty strictly but I will probably settle n to about 100gms a day. I do my belly dance for fitness, however I also have done T-Tapp and think it’s an excellent program.

SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVMENTS / CHALLENGES:
I want to go to Australia and swim with the cuttlefish. Perhaps to celebrate turning 60 in two years!

[Laffalot]

Hello All! I'm finally getting around to doing a "bio". My name is Sherry, I'm 72, happily divorced & live in British Columbia, Canada. I'm also a happily retired Federal Correctional Officer & have been retired for 12 years now. I'm the proud mother/grandma of 2 daughters, 5 grand children & 6 great grand children (some of which are "steps"- still my family tho') I have a 8 1/2 year old ShihTzu, Baxter, whom I used to run in dog agility but he can't do it now; he has bad knees & I don't want to agravate them. I volunteer at evaluating dogs for St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program, drive people that don't drive to various things, ie dr. app't, shopping. etc. I belong to a chapter of the Crown Jewels of Canada Society, Beta Sigma Phi, & a walking program through Interior Health. I also dog sit at my home which gives me a bit of spending $$. I've been battling my weight all my life & like so many others have endured rude, nasty, & hurtful comments & inuendos starting with my parents, ex-husband, so called friends, etc. I've been on just about every diet known & have gained it all back + more. For some reason (finally! ) I have a different attitude about "dieting". I just want to be healthy as I can be. I plan on dancing at my great grandkids weddings! And living to be 105! I'm following the WW Points + program & really like it. And I really like the 3FC website.....so helpful & motivating. There, that's it! BFN