Oh, Honey, have you come to the right place! The answer, as you can see, is yes! yes! yes!

I was above your weight range and about 43 when I had major realizations about how my health, self-esteem, and marriage were all being threatened by my obesity and lack of self-confidence. I joined a gym and was so self-conscious that I wore baggy pants and a turtleneck, so all that was visible was my head and hands. My doctor gave me some great advice when I talked to her about making changes - "Don't focus about how you look, focus on how you feel. If you focus only on the changes in your appearance, you'll get frustrated and quit."

2 years later, I decided I deserved a gym with better facilities and there ran into a trainer who's also a master class cyclist. He got me into spin classes for the winter, and that spring, I tried a bike. I struggled to ride 3 miles, and if anyone had heard me struggling for breath, they would have called an ambulance. I am not exaggerating in the slightest.

Now, I may even be under 200 lbs (don't know, don't really care) lift major weight at the gym, use heart-rate goals for someone half my age, and am starting to do "club" rides 0f 25/30 miles, with a goal of riding a century (100 miles in 1 day) by my 47th birthday, 10/10/06.

You are doing the hardest part right now. Come here often for all the encouragement you need. I felt like I was facing so many internal demons when I got that bike out. Some of them still show up from time to time. Just keep at it.

You might enjoy a book called "The Slow Fat Triathlete" by Jayne Williams (pretty sure that's right.) It's about becoming an athlete in the body you have. Even though I am not interested in doing a tri, I learned a lot from her attitude.

Keep in touch. This forum has made all the difference for me! -
Latelatebloomer (who really does need to change her name to Relentless. She's not a late bloomer any more!)