Maureen Johnson - Mosie
November 9, 2010
Maureen (Mosie) Johnnson Hi! My name is Maureen Johnson -- everyone, and I mean everyone, calls me Mosie. My darling husband came up with the nickname after about two dates, and boy, has it stuck! I am 44 years old and live in Seattle. I have been married for 20 years and have two boys, Andy (14) is a freshman in high school and Peter (13) is in seventh grade. We have a sweet chocolate lab, coon hound, pointer mix named Kate. We got her from a rescue organization in summer of 2009 and she has been the perfect addition to our family. (She got her name when the boys asked what their names would have been if they had been girls -- both had a version of Katherine -- so there we had it --- Kate!)
My husband and I both grew up in the Pacific Northwest, both attended college here (I graduated from Seattle University) and we have lived here our whole lives except for one year in Northern Ireland when Andy was a baby. I was raised by my maternal grandparents after my father passed away when I was 7. My mother had left years earlier, so my grandparents were really my parents. I loved them both very much and miss them every day.
I have worked in the healthcare industry for all of my career. First in human resources and administration at a cancer center that specializes in bone marrow transplantation and then in global health policy at a think tank that focuses on U.S.-Asia policy. This past summer I took some time off and recently started a new position in development for a non-profit that focuses on women's healthcare. I have been very, very blessed with exciting and interesting work and I love being a part of the vibrant global health community in Seattle.
My struggles with weight did not start until right before my 40th birthday. When I graduated from high school I weighed 118 pounds and was 5'10"! By the time I got married at 23, I was a healthy 135-140 and stayed that way for many years. After kids I settled between 145-150 and never gave my weight much thought. In fact, I didn't own a scale until I joined weight watchers in May of 2010. From 2006-2010 I worked at a very exciting, but incredibly stressful job, but always had the summers off. So I would pack on my "winter coat" and then come summer I would be more active, eat healthy and start the cycle all over again. When we went to a black-tie auction on May 15, 2010, and I couldn't zip the dress I wanted to wear, I knew I had to do something.
I joined Weight Watchers because anyone I knew who had lost weight and KEPT IT OFF did so with WW. I marched in to that meeting early on a Thursday morning, jumped on the scale and burst into tears when the leader handed me my little booklet with the sticker that said I weighed 171.2. I never weighed that much in my life, including on the days I gave birth! Holy cow! So I went to work. I tracked and I went to my meetings. But something was missing -- I needed some support. My family was terrific -- they really embraced the whole WW philosophy and learned all about points and really helped me along the way. But I needed some girls (and Kate was there for me, but the tail-wagging was only getting me so far!)
Since I was home for the summer, I had a little bit of time in the mornings, so after tracking my points I would look at the message boards for inspiration. I'm not an on-line person, in general -- I don't shop on-line, I rarely check my facebook page, but something about those message boards kept intriguing me.
So one morning in early July I found "Seriously On Plan!" I thought -- "these are my people!" They were all funny, smart, struggling, honest. open, caring, and lovely people. I read the thread for months but never posted. In fact I never posted to any thread. Then one day in early November there was a misunderstanding between two women on the SOPer thread and I broke into tears - I had become really attached to these people and they didn't even know I was here! I thought, "well, today is the day" and on Tuesday, November 9th I became an official SOPer!
I am now a lifetime WW member at my goal weight of 154 and I am 5' 9.5". To say that "it takes a village" is a vast understatement! I have come to rely on this group of caring, motivated, intelligent women more than I ever thought possible. I am truly proud to be a SOPer (now STOMPer!) and I wouldn't be where I am -- at a healthy weight for me, with a healthy mindset -- without them.
With love and gratitude! Mosie
My husband and I both grew up in the Pacific Northwest, both attended college here (I graduated from Seattle University) and we have lived here our whole lives except for one year in Northern Ireland when Andy was a baby. I was raised by my maternal grandparents after my father passed away when I was 7. My mother had left years earlier, so my grandparents were really my parents. I loved them both very much and miss them every day.
I have worked in the healthcare industry for all of my career. First in human resources and administration at a cancer center that specializes in bone marrow transplantation and then in global health policy at a think tank that focuses on U.S.-Asia policy. This past summer I took some time off and recently started a new position in development for a non-profit that focuses on women's healthcare. I have been very, very blessed with exciting and interesting work and I love being a part of the vibrant global health community in Seattle.
My struggles with weight did not start until right before my 40th birthday. When I graduated from high school I weighed 118 pounds and was 5'10"! By the time I got married at 23, I was a healthy 135-140 and stayed that way for many years. After kids I settled between 145-150 and never gave my weight much thought. In fact, I didn't own a scale until I joined weight watchers in May of 2010. From 2006-2010 I worked at a very exciting, but incredibly stressful job, but always had the summers off. So I would pack on my "winter coat" and then come summer I would be more active, eat healthy and start the cycle all over again. When we went to a black-tie auction on May 15, 2010, and I couldn't zip the dress I wanted to wear, I knew I had to do something.
I joined Weight Watchers because anyone I knew who had lost weight and KEPT IT OFF did so with WW. I marched in to that meeting early on a Thursday morning, jumped on the scale and burst into tears when the leader handed me my little booklet with the sticker that said I weighed 171.2. I never weighed that much in my life, including on the days I gave birth! Holy cow! So I went to work. I tracked and I went to my meetings. But something was missing -- I needed some support. My family was terrific -- they really embraced the whole WW philosophy and learned all about points and really helped me along the way. But I needed some girls (and Kate was there for me, but the tail-wagging was only getting me so far!)
Since I was home for the summer, I had a little bit of time in the mornings, so after tracking my points I would look at the message boards for inspiration. I'm not an on-line person, in general -- I don't shop on-line, I rarely check my facebook page, but something about those message boards kept intriguing me.
So one morning in early July I found "Seriously On Plan!" I thought -- "these are my people!" They were all funny, smart, struggling, honest. open, caring, and lovely people. I read the thread for months but never posted. In fact I never posted to any thread. Then one day in early November there was a misunderstanding between two women on the SOPer thread and I broke into tears - I had become really attached to these people and they didn't even know I was here! I thought, "well, today is the day" and on Tuesday, November 9th I became an official SOPer!
I am now a lifetime WW member at my goal weight of 154 and I am 5' 9.5". To say that "it takes a village" is a vast understatement! I have come to rely on this group of caring, motivated, intelligent women more than I ever thought possible. I am truly proud to be a SOPer (now STOMPer!) and I wouldn't be where I am -- at a healthy weight for me, with a healthy mindset -- without them.
With love and gratitude! Mosie