[imlilbb]

Hello everyone!
My name is Bobbie... I am new to this group - thanks to some help from Amanda!

Amanda said to let y'all know my "story"... grab a cup of green tea, a bottle of water... or something that will last through the read... LOL...

Little bit about myself.. I am 32 years old, married with five children of my own (4 girls and 1 boy) and three step daughters. My step-daughters live with their mom, my two oldest daughters live with my husband and I and my three youngest I have joint custody with - with my ex and his new wife. I have struggled with my weight since I got pregnant when I was 19 up until .. well... now! I am 5'2" and topped out at the heaviest I have ever been in July 1998 at 207lbs just before my last baby was born. I quickly lost the weight from that pregnancy due to a HORRIBLE marriage which turned into a HORRIBLE divorce. I remarried in April of 2000 to a gem of a man. I stayed at about 135 lbs until last year... it seems that he and I both have gotten so "comfortable" with each other - that we just EAT... anyone know what I mean??? We live in Houston and he is currently stuck in Washington D.C. - where he went to start a new company with his best friend - and have managed to get snowed in and not able to work!!! (They own a construction company that installs underground fiber optic cable - obviously they can't install anything under the FROZEN ground... ) He left to go up there on Sunday - February 2nd. I have been on a "diet" or "Lifestyle Change" since that day.... I didn't weigh myself when he left but I KNOW I was easily over 150 maybe over 155lbs... which may not sound AWFUL - but I am so short and have a small frame so it looks really heavy. I have been doing exercise tapes everyday - even took my two oldest girls for a walk with me - but my 9 year old tuckered out too quickly. I got on the scale this morning and it says I am weighing in at 144....I can't decide if I am happy about this or not??? Part of me wanted it to be so much lower (Duh - who wouldn't?) and part of me was asking my 'inner' self.. good Lord - how much did you actually weigh when you started? The reason I asked myself this is because I can actually feel the weight is off... you know how when you walk into the gas station to pay for your gas and you can feel everything behind you (you know - the rear - hiney - hind-quarters...) Well - I don't feel that so much anymore and I FEEL lighter. I can fit into jeans I haven't fit into in over a year... My 12 year old said to me this past weekend... "Mom - Your butt is getting smaller... " You know you have done something right when your almost teenager notices!

It seems like I have just fallen into that track that so many women fall into (at least those that are married with kids)... work, laundry, cooking, taking care of your husband, taking care of the kids, taking the kids to and from all their extra-curricular activities... You know - taking care of everyone! I realized that I had stopped taking care of myself... had lost the things I liked doing for myself... So I have spent the past two weeks (since my husband left) taking care of myself. I had my nails done last week, got a new hairstyle along with highlights... and I made a CHORE list for my kids! I had to free up some time for me to work out - and I couldn't figure out how to do it - until my husband said let the kids help out too! I could go on and on and on and on.. .

Anyway - I have been keeping a food journal of the things that i eat... along with the amount of calories, fat and carbs... But I have a couple of questions that I hope some of you can help me with?

#1 - When is the best time of day to weigh myself?
#2 - How do I find out how much caloric intake I should have each day?
#3 - Carbs - what is a "healthy" level to have a day??
#4 - How do I tell how many calories I am burning off a day with my exercising?

I can't think of any other questions ... Yet! Just give me time - I am sure I will have TONS!

Okay - I think I am done for now. I think.... Thanks in advance for any help.... I have never been a part of anything like this forum and I think it is just wonderful!

[Amby876]

let me see if I can help....

A #1 - I think the best time is in the morning...after you wake up...I do it once week...Friday morning

A #2 - Your caloric intake depends on your age, height and current weight... I am 22, 4'11.5" and weigh 185...I am at about 1300 calories a day...I was doing 900-1000 a day and my body went into starvation mode and I wouldn't lose

A #3 - I am not too familiar with the whole carb aspect...but most of my carbs come from fruit and bread...

A #4 - It depends on the type of exercise and how long you stay at your target heart rate....


I use www.fitday.com to calculate all that stuff for me...I keep a daily log of everything that i do...everything I eat and any type of activity that I do...whether it's washing dishes, eating, or doing an aerobic tape for 30 minutes...

if you burn about 500 calories a day, and only consume half of the calories you need to maintain your weight...You should lose between 1 -2 lbs per week...that is considered healthy...Also...drink LOTS of water...i am up to 64 oz a day...

Hope this helped

[meembo]

hi Bobbi,
Welcome, it sounds like you're off to a super start!

question 1, definitely 1st thing in the morning before you eat or drink, otherwise you are also weighing whatever you've put in your stomach.

questions 2 & 3, try this website http://www.room42.com/nutrition/basal.shtml It will calculate everything for you, recommended calories, carbs, proteins and fats. If you stay under your basal metabolism calorie amount you'll lose weight! Aw heck, check it out they explain it better than I do!

quetion 4, this website http://www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html will calculate burned calories for all kinds of activity. Hehehe, even brushing your teeth!!


Have fun and keep up the good work,
Elaine