[dawnsky]

Hello all! I'm new here (kinda) I joined back in December 2005. 2 years later I am back! This time I am ready for a serious change! My name is Dawn. I am 24 years old, the loving momma of 2 boys ages 9 and 4. I am happily married of 6 years. I live in Kentucky.

I am a stay at home momma. I have always been over-weight. But this past year I have climbed from over weight to obese. I am 5 foot 6 and a half, I weigh around 227 pounds! My goal weight is to be 170 pounds!! 170 may seem like alot, and most webpages say that for my age and height it is over-weight, but I actually look very good at 170, not big at all and curvy.

I started my diet 2 days ago. I am trying to aim for 1200 calories everyday. Yesterday I was 1100 something. I hope 1200 isn't too low to start out with? I was thinking that in the future if I lose weight and then stop because the 1200 isn't working anymore, I may have to drop it to 1100 or 1000. I don't want to start to low also because in 1998 I went on a crash diet. I was only eating ICE and would chew up pickles and spit them out!! I was put in the intensive care unit for 3 days with a heart rate of only 20 beats per minute. I am much older and mature now and woud NEVER do that again! I still can't believe I did that to myself just to be thin.

I am ready now to get HEALTHY #1 and thinner! I look forward to meeting you all!

Dawn~

[bradschic]

Hi, I am new too... again. And more serious than ever. I am going to need alot of encouragement though! Let's get this weight off!

[lorilove]

Hello Dawn - Welcome Back

My initial thought is that 1200 calories is too low. I would recommend somewhere between 1400 and 1500. Please keep in mind that the quality of your food is extremely important - to start focus on fruits, vegetables and fiber.

Best Wishes - Lori

[wish4fit]

HI DAWN

170 is a great goal if it's where you feel best. That's what matters most. I'm also a re-joiner and hope to make some pals here. Let's get healthy!!!

[dawnsky]

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome!

[jillybean720]

Welcome back! Like Lori mentioned, I agree that 1200 is likely too low. It is not recommended that anyone go below 1200 calories regularly without professional medical supervision, so 1200 should be seen as a minimum. Chasing 2 young boys around, I'm sure you burn plenty of calories each day to safely lose at a higher calorie intake. I'd suggest maybe starting at 1500 and seeing how that goes. Try it for a couple weeks (more than just 1 week, as weight fluctuates naturally anyway, so you need longer than a week to see if something is really working) and see how your progress is, and then you can adjust from there if you need to. You may even be able to eat more than 1500--everyone is different. I know of some women who are around your weight who can lose on up to 1800 a day, so don't over-restrict yourself