Hi there, just found this site and thought I would say Hi
My name is Gail and I am a 50 year old mother of 2 girls (Carly) aged 26 and(Amber) 13, yes long time between drinks
I live in the mountains in Tasmania Australia with my husband, youngest daughter and my brood of georgeous animals. Eldest girl is a chef and lives in the capital city of Hobart about a 40minute drive away.
I have struggled with my weight most of my life, at 19 I lost a massive 120 pounds in around 12 months and managed to keep most it off until falling pregnant at 36 with Amber. I ballooned to say the least during prenancy and almost lost the baby due to a liver malfunction. To cut a very long story short I am now morbidly obese, I would estimate at least 290/300 pound as I would not dream of weighing myself at the moment as I am depressed enough. I have made all the excuses under the sun, too old, I dont eat that much, etc, etc. I have got to the stage where I dread leaving the property, even going to the local shops has become a nightmare. This is so unfair to my family,my blood pressure has sky rocketed and I am missing out on life in general. I seriously need to get this weight off and start living. Any tips anyone out there could give me to start living again would be most appreciated Thanks in advance Gail

It's so nice to meet you You have definately come to the right place for support. My first tip is to make small changes you are comfortable with. Rome wasn't built in a day, nor will your new body be. Good luck and stay positive!

!!!!

Starting a healthier life need not be difficult. You can always change small things & work up to larger ones. For example, do you drink sodas or juices? You could being drinking a lot more water. Are you getting enough fruits & vegetables in each day? Taking short walks? Any of these small things (or other small things you can think of) are great places to start!

I do recommend that you get on the scale some point soon, or else... how can you know how much progress you've made? And knowing where you're starting can actually be a very helpful thing

Best of luck!

I agree w/the others, start out slow, make some changes, and yes get on that scale that will help you see where you have come from and how well you have done and you are never to old I don't know if they have the biggest loser where you are from but they have 50+ yoa on that show and they are doing it so can you.

I would say start by wrighting down what you eat on a regular day, and see where you can start cutting out small things and adding,

for example if you drink 6 sodas a day drop it to 4 or 5 for a few weeks and keep doing that tell none or me I stoped that cold turkey for a few years, then I added a few diet sodas but I replaced the soda w/water I use to be lucky if I could drink a glass of water a week now I drink more then then they say to,

good luck and post any time,

Hey Jetblack, and

You sound really committed to making this change, and that is absolutely the best predictor of long term success...really! So congratulations on taking the first step.

We do have a 50-plus forum here, complete with a drill sergeant to kick you into gear if you need it (ok, she's not a drill sergeant...she's just Jay...but she WILL kick you into gear if you ask for it). So settle in, look around, and keep posting. Can't wait to get to know you better soon!