Hi, everyone--
I love to read this forum. It's amazing how much we all have in common, isn't it? I've posted 3 other times, but never intro'ed myself, so here ya go.
I've been promising myself at every "major" milestone for the last 10 years that I was going to get back in shape. I became a WW Lifetime member in 1991 at age 32 and 128 lbs. (A broken engagement helped me get those last 5 lbs off and keep them off for 6 weeks back then, lol--but they didn't stay gone for much longer than that!)
So I met my husband 11 years ago, when I weighed 150 lbs and he weighed 135 ... got married 10 years ago at 180 lbs ... passed my 10th anniversary at about 220 lbs (with NO PREGNANCIES, so I don't even have that excuse), etc. Of course every New Years I'd start another diet--and last 2-3 weeks, then give up because I hadn't lost 40 lbs yet.
This year I turn 50 in August. I'd been telling myself that "I'll start again 1 year before my 50th". Then "I still have 10 months--no problem". Then "I'll start 6 months before" ... and next thing I knew, it was exactly 5 months to my 50th bday and I HADN'T DONE A THING YET!! It was now or never.
So that very day, I got myself out the door to the gym that's in the same parking lot as my office (a nice little .4-mi walk away) and joined. I didn't worry quite as much as usual about the diet/food part; I figured if I got active, that part would take care of itself.
I floundered around the gym for about 3 days, mostly walking on the treadmill. (I'm horribly sedentary--I sit for an average 11 hours a day at my job, and have done so for many years. I'd go from the office to my couch in the evening. Not good for the knees, flexibility, etc.) Once I realized that I'd probably not get far on my own, I bit the bullet and hired a personal trainer for 12 weeks. We've been meeting once a week since March 12--and I now have 19 lbs off!!!
For once I'm at least as concerned with getting healthy as I am with how I look. I'm trying to get
strong, not just thin. And I was right--the eating has kind of taken care of itself--because who wants to bust their butt at the gym and then go home and undo it all by eating crap? (Well, ok, maybe once in awhile--but at least not on a regular basis.) Basically I'm now eating what all the weight loss advice says we should eat--lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
And on my trainer's advice, I EAT CHOCOLATE EVERY DAY!
She told me to have 2 dark chocolate Dove squares a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but to FOCUS on it and SAVOR it. So I really try to do that. So far, it's working. In fact, to my great surprise, every now and then I even
forget to eat my chocolate, lol! That's how much I take having it for granted now; if I had banned it, you know that's all I'd be able to think about. (Oh, but one more thing--since I don't trust myself with an entire bag of Dove squares anywhere near me, I buy the 100-calorie Hershey dark chocolate bars that come 7 to a box for $3.99 and bring one of those to work each day. Having a "whole candy bar" every day is even better than 2 Dove squares--and I didn't like dark chocolate before this, either.)
I'm not sure why this time joining the gym was such a catalyst for me, because I've done that before and just let the stupid membership expire without more than a visit or two.
This time, I guess I was just ready. I figure just because the calendar says I'm 50 doesn't mean I have to FEEL or LOOK it. I did read a couple books that helped move me along the path to being ready, like "Younger Next Year", and Chantel Hobbs's book "Never Say Diet".
I feel so much better already it's unbelievable. When I get up from my chair at work to go see someone down the hall, it no longer takes the whole length of the hall for my back and knees to "unlock" so I can stand up straight ... I've lost 2 pants sizes and 2 bra sizes already, even after just 19 lbs (and I still have over 50 to go, so it's not like I'm small yet). I try to get to the gym 6x a week, but it's probably more like 4 most weeks. I even find myself going on weekends, when I have to DRIVE to get there, which amazes me; I just don't want to lose my momentum.
I've gone from not being able to do 2 minutes on an elliptical without feeling my heart would explode to doing 20 minutes and still being able to breathe. I'm working on being able to do a single pullup and getting "cut" arms. If I can do that, I'll know I'm a new person!
It's great to be here with everyone. I hope to post some Before and "During" photos soon.
Best wishes to everyone who's just starting out on this journey, no matter where you are. It *is* possible!
Laurie
New, Almost 50, But Making Progress!
. . . so glad to have you joining us and so glad to hear you are on the road to better health and fitness. 
I'm so envious of your ability to handle the chocolate . . . 
Hope to see you soon.
That's something.