Welcome Dogpaws ~ this is a great place for support and friendship. Come check out one of the threads down below. Golden Girls is a nice bunch of ladies.

Hello folks. I am Sue from Maine. 56 years old. I have been overweight all my life. The knees finally told me to do something. I did have surgery in Nov. I am hoping it will prevent the re-gaining of the weight. It is still lots of work. Exercising is a big challenge. I work in a factory on my feet so I have to force myself to go to the gym. After moving into my teeny tiny trailer I have no room for any equipment at home. I am also more motivated when I see all the weights and machines to work on.
Sewing and various crafting are some of my hobbies. In the summer kayaking takes most of my time. I have one cat.The Gillimonster. Who I have renamed "pork butt" for the winter because he has gained weight with it being too cold for him to spend much time outside. I did get him a stick with a feather on it to chase while I watch tv.
I am 5'8"..weighing in at 248..down from my highest 320 last Jan. I was at 296 when I first started the process of dieticians and doctor visits before my surgery. I never thought I would do it but I didn't know what else to do. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That was what I was doing with the good then bad eating habits...exercising then not..vicious cycle..anyway..turned 56 and was born in 56 isn't this suppose to be a special year? I think I heard that somewhere. good to meet all you folks and I am off to the gym..I get to start lifting weights today...Sue

Thanks for the warm welcome Karen. And all this time I thought I was living in God's country, lol. I live in Maupin, Or - which is the dry side of Oregon and beautiful. I've never stayed in Missori, but grew up in Cincy, Ohio. Is Missori rolling hills and green?

Hi Dogspaws4ever, caught your name, then your location. We are practically neighbors, I live on the east side of Mt. Hood in Maupin. I am a dog/cat/chicken lover, hence my on line name workinglikeadog.

Hi Gayle, I'll try to find golden girls thread, tfs.

Welcome Sue, I'm new also, this looks like a nice site. 2013 is gonna be a great year!

Hi Workinglikeadog, I cracked up laughing when I saw you live in the same state and not that far away as the crow flies....or seagulls, whichever you prefer...HA
I am looking forward to 2013 now that I've found this group.
Merry Christmas from Dogpaws4ever....aka: Rhonda

Hi. Im Debi. I am about to turn 51 in 3 days (12/31) Im good at starting diets and not lasting more than a few days at most. This time is different. Not sure why but i know it is.I was 285 at my highest weight. Im at 249 now.Im diabetic and VERY tired of taking shots to control it.

Iwork in acall center. It can be very stressful. I eat when im stressed so that is something i constantly strive to overcome. I love to read especially mysteries. I like to watch shows like Perception, and The Closer and its spin off.

Sorry for the lack of punctuation. Im trying to do this on here instead of my computer.

Another Golden Girl (loved that show and would be happy being any of the characters as they were all truly characters in the best sense of the word). I'm 63, single for 30 years, and retired for 7. My undergraduate degree was in education, and I actually taught summer school once, but ended up in banking. Actually, I ended up in Information Technology (started as a programmer and ended up in management) in a bank. I've lived in the Midwest and the Southeast most of my life, but moved to Washington state to be near family.

I've had a series of pets that have shared my life, especially after the divorce. I just had to have my last dog, Goldilocks (Golden Retriever.....golden theme here!) put to sleep at the end of October. I swore it would be a few years before I get another pet because I want to travel more, but I've caught myself perusing the rescue web sites.

Diet Approach: Still working on that. It would be easier to just list the diet plans I haven't tried. I was a normal sized child right up through my teen years, but gained the Freshman 20 in college and went on to gain a whole lot more. Definite food addiction, emotional eating issues, binging, and any other label that can be put on it. But joining 3FC is a HUGE step for me. I am very private and sharing this info is a big step to admitting that I need help, and that there are people out there who are willing to help and be supportive. I'm doing the blogging as well, so part of the initial diet plan is just coming to terms with the need to get my thinking hat on straight.

In the meantime, since I'm at my highest weight level ever and determined to not let it go over the 400 pound point, I'm doing Slim Fast for 2 meals and then a large salad for dinner. This is more a survival diet at this point so that I can breathe, have some clothes I still fit into, and be able to tie my shoes again. Then I'll do around 1000 calories/day and keep the carbs to 100 or less. The doctor says that's too little, but the doctor just doesn't accept that I don't lose weight on more than that. The thyroid may be working, but the metabolism is related to a tortoise. I want to lose 5 pound a month, would be happy with 8 pounds a month, and ecstatic with 10. So, my floating goal for 2013 is a minimum of 60 pounds, ideal of 96 pounds, and dream of 120 pounds lost. That will get me ready for years 2 and 3 of this journey.

Why do this now? I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Mt. Rainier is 20 miles away. Olympic National Park is a day's drive. Cascade is to the north. Mt. St. Helens is to the South. And I can't enjoy any of it except from a car. I want to be able to hike the trails. I want to play with my grand nephews (ages 5 and 2) without getting winded. I want to unload the groceries from the car without stopping to rest on the way in. I want to live again.

Thanks for all the encouragement and help, and I'll look forward to talking with you each day.

Welcome Betsy2013, I'm new here to and live in Oregon. I think you have set your goals the perfect way.
I use to hike a lot and love the Northwest as you do for all the great hikes we have everywhere...Don't give up, we are all backing you on your journey. Happy New Year!
Rhonda, aka: Dogpaws4ever

Welcome Corinna, Debi and Betsy. 2013 is gonna be a great year and I'm looking forward to becoming healthier and getting to know each of you better.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Hello all !! And happy new Year! Thought that I would send out an invite to you to the http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/age-...den-girls.html We'd love to see you over there.

And working--- yep, we have rolling hills here. I just love MO..

Hope to see you all over in our January thread!

Hi workinglikeadog. Thanks. Happy New Year to you too!

Greetings! I am 51 years old and live in Western Michigan. I love the lakes in the summer. I have 120 pounds to lose. I am married for 26 years to a great guy. We have two kids in college. I work full time for a distributor and travel a few times a year for work. In the general intro page, I mentioned that I am traveling next week for work. Not looking forward to the plane ride. I am always uncomfortable and worry about needing an extension on my seatbelt. I am really now just watching my sweet tooth. I am considering buying the wonderslim diet today. If anyone has thoughts I am open to suggestions. I really look forward to meeting all of you and going on this journey together.

Welcome creative soul, sorry I have no knowledge of the wonderslim diet. I don't know about you but I would like to tame my sweet tooth. Have a good trip.
Diana

I introduced myself over on the main Introduction board but also wanted to say hello over here as this is where I shall make my forum home.

I turned 60 a couple of months ago, live on Vancouver Island down near the ocean and need to lose the 20 lbs which piled on after I quit smoking 18 months ago. Hopefully, I will get lots of inspiration here because I know that losing the extra weight will make a difference in terms of my strength and energy levels.

My interests include cooking (!) and part of the cooking process is eating what you cook...right? Maybe I'll find some more weight friendly recipes here. Other than cooking, I swim regularly, cycle (weather permitting), walk my dog (a lot), read and knit if I am watching a movie or a favourite TV show (something along the lines of "Mad Men"). I still work full time...retirement is a distant dream, I'm afraid...where I am the secretary for a non-profit organization.

My weight loss plan involves sticking to a healthy diet (no problem) while reducing the quantity and eliminating all the sweet stuff, baked goods and snacking (unless it's a healthy snack). In other words, I am not following any specific diet to help me lose weight but I know that I will lose weight this way.

Welcome Oceanside. Come join in the threads, Jan Golden Girls or 2013 Challenge. Diana