I have finally really decided to lose weight! I have lost 17 pounds since March. The last 10 have come off in the past month. It's been a doozy and made it easy to avoid food I shouldn't be eating.

I have always struggled with my weight since my early teens. I have been up and down the scale but never as large as now. I am short, 5 feet and bit, making every ounce show. I weighed 115 when I got pregnant at age 34 with my first child. I had previously lost 2 pregnancies, one after a very vigorous ballet class, so I was really reluctant to do much exercise and then a couple of weeks of bedrest after some bleeding really made me cautious. I ballooned! I weighed 185 when my son was born. I didn't lose much of the weight and then got pregnant with my daughter. I weighed 195 when she was born. I lost some afterward but then gained it back under stress and loss of exercise time (had to start working through my lunch hours).

Now my kids are 12 and 14 and I'm still fat! I have decided that I need to get healthy as well as set a good example for my kids. No junk in the house anymore! No cookies, no salty, fatty crackers, no chips. They are adjusting, they know it's a good thing. They really love fresh fruit desserts. I am walking and weight training several times per week. I'm just afraid my boobs will look like tube socks when I'm done. :-(

BarnMom

I am 5'1". When I got married they had to alter a size 3 gown to fit because that was the smallest size made back then. I weighed around 92 lbs. Athleticly built and active, I was frequently taken for a dancer even though I wasn't.

First pregnancy I ballooned to 150. Everyone said it would come off. I nursed almost 2 years, the weight stayed but for 10 lbs. Second pregnancy I gave birth weighing 168 and left the hospital at the same weight after birthing an almost nine pound son. My milk came in since I'd only weaned 1st child a month before. More weight gain.

When you are used to being the tiny one those weights seem hopeless. I wish I knew then what I know now and I would of gotten a handle on it the first time at 150 pounds.

When the "baby" was 9, my babyfat had risen to an all time high of 194lbs. I waddled into a weight watchers meeting and was hooked when I lost 41/2 lbs. the 1st week. A year later I weighed 122lbs and looked and felt great.

I kept that weight off for around 5 years until life happened and I was thrust into the role of caregiver for one aging parent after another. I'd go back after each time and lose the weight and then the next elder would need us.

Took the final weight off and MY old age hit. Menopause took over and my metabolism screeched to a halt. NOTHING worked. Two years later here I am, my body has stabalized and I am losing again. I've lost 33 pounds since mid Jan. Slow but steady. I kind of do a weight-watchers that I've tweaked to suit me. I don't know what weight I will stop at, but I know that at my age and body type I look good at around 135. That would be 10 more lbs.

It seems that we petite types are hit hard by weight issues brought on by the the big three.....puberty, pregnancy and menopause. When I got pregnant I thought it would never happen to me. I once thought it odd that they made shorts in size 12.LOL

My advice is forget the 115. If you get there, fine, but if not whatever lower weight you achieve is a good thing. At 53 years old I would look likea cadaver at 92 lbs. At 145lbs. I am sometimes asked why I am "dieting". I wear my weight well and clothes hide a lot.

Sounds like you're doing something right. My mantra is don't deprive, take your time and don't go so much by the numbers as by how you look and feel. Good luck and welcome.

You guys sound a little like my mother. She was a petite woman at 5' 2", and she said she weighed 99 lbs on her wedding day. Her weight started to get out of control with her third child (I was the first), and she weighed about 165 lbs, I believe, most of her years after that.

I take after my mom in many ways, but I am taller, 5' 7". I don't have any kids. I weighed 116 when I was 18, and I weighed 126 until I was at least 28. Always thought I was too thin then. So there is no way I am aiming for that weight now.

BarnMom--What an inspiration! Congratulations on losing 17 lbs. I hope I can stick with this long enough to see those kinds of results. :) You really are setting a great example for your kids. And good for you to get right on an exercise program, too. I am trying to get back to exercising, as I know it will help things along. Hope to see you stick around!

Congrats on your determination to lose weight! 17 lbs is no small feat.

Are by any chance a horse person?

Thanks for the welcome! Suzanne, my daughter rides, I do not. She is a devoted little horsewoman. She loves jumping and shows her horse when the budget permits. We lease a horse. She rides horses, I write checks.

Wildchild, I agree, 115 is probably unrealistic at my age but 120-125 seems doable. My boss once told me "when you get to a certain age you have to choose between your a$$ and your face." Too thin, and your face looks haggard.

One thing I noticed is that once I started weight training my weight plateaued. After a couple of weeks it started dropping again. That was discouraging.

Remember, donuts are the enemy!

BarnMom