[mamamccain11]

Hello, my name is Desiree and I am new to calorie counting. I am 21 years old and I have two daughters (8months and 2 years old). Before I had my babies I weighed 130-135 for several years, currently I weigh 168 and I am looking to get down to about 140-145 (I am 5'4). I have been eating about 1360 calories per day, does this sound about right? I have already lost 3 pounds. I hope to get to know you all and lose some weight

[Scenestealer]

Desiree - I'm 22, and also fairly new to calorie counting. Welcome to the forum! I've found it very helpful for support and for answering all my questions, and I'm sure you will too.

How do you keep track of your calories? I use TheDailyPlate.com, which also tells me how many I should be eating each day. Maybe a tool like that would help, though if you've already lost 3 pounds it sounds like you're on the right track! Keep up the good work.

[zenor77]

Hi mamamccain11!

Calorie counting is a great way to lose weight and there are a lot of people on the forum who know their stuff, so ask lots of questions if you need to!

I have one question for you. Are you still breastfeeding your 8 month old? If you are you should raise your calorie level since breastfeeding burns lots of calories. If you aren't then your calorie range sounds reasonable. Most people will need to lower their calories as they get closer to goal, but it's recommended that you don't go below 1200 calories in a day. So when you get closer to goal it may come off a bit slower (this is normal.) Exercise and patience help a lot!

You'll do great!

[mamamccain11]

Thanx for your replies,I currently use thedailyplate.com's calculator. I am not breastfeeding anymore, so that isnt an issue. I have lost 5 pounds total now since starting, I was just afraid that maybe I should be eating less calories but it seems to be working where I am at now. Thanx again