By Melissa Rollins (Florence, SC) – Josephine Jupiter isn’t shy about her age and she clearly doesn’t believe in slowing down after retirement. At 72 she is the oldest contestant in Florence’s Biggest Loser 2015, a fact that surprised even her.

“I didn’t even realize that I was the oldest,” Jupiter said. “But I think that age is just a number. I’m hoping that by me doing this, it will inspire other folks in my age category to become more active and be healthier.”

Jupiter took part in Weigh and Win, an at-home initiative during last year’s Biggest Loser competition, taking home the $250 prize.

“Some people did not meet all of the qualifications for the Biggest Loser competition last year,” said Stephanie Navarro, community resource manager for United Way of Florence County. “They did their journey on their own. They had access to all of the information from the Morning News and they still weighed in with us.”

After losing 25 pounds, Jupiter was named the winner. However, after traveling for an extended period of time at the end of 2014, Jupiter gained some of the weight back.

“I was still eating healthy but I wasn’t working out like I had been,” Jupiter said. “I was traveling, so I gained back 8 of those pounds that I lost. But, I have already lost those 8 pounds again since we started the Biggest Loser this year.”

The weight loss struggle is something that Jupiter is familiar with, having dealt with it for most of her life.

“I have always had to watch it,” Jupiter said. “I’m not tall and from my mother’s side, I got the big hips. It used to be that I had a small top, a small waist and big hips. But as I got older, I got the weight on the front too. I’ve never been a size two, not since I was two, but I would like to go down to a size 14.”

Jupiter said that in the past, she has worked with a personal trainer but the cost became too much for her retiree income. She said that she hopes that the tips she learned, along with what she learns from her trainer and teammates will help her during her Biggest Loser journey.

“I learned a lot about the gym equipment from the personal trainer before,” Jupiter said. “But you always can learn something else. I like that there is a nutritionist and that there is the competition side of it; I’m a little competitive.”

Her biggest goal for the 10-week competition is getting off of her blood pressure medication. Since she started losing weight last year, her doctor cut the dosage in half but Jupiter said she would like to be off of it completely.

One way that Jupiter likes to be active with others her age is through the South Carolina Senior Sports Classic, a 4 day competition held each May at Francis Marion University.

With so much of the state’s population being 50 or over, more than 40 percent according to Jupiter, it is a great way to have fun and stay active.

“The way I look at it is that I want to have the best life that I can,” Jupiter said. “I don’t know how long I’ll live but I want to feel good while I am alive.”

 

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