I don't have 400 posts. But I do have 190.5 pounds on my 5 foot 8.5" body, as of my weigh-in this morning.

I want to get into the 170s. I know I should go lower, but I would be happy with the 170s for now.

The only exercise I can do right now is walking, because I had a hysterectomy almost 3 weeks ago. I went for 45 minutes on Wednesday. No problem, no pain. Yesterday I headed out for a walk (snow on the ground), and promptly twisted my knee and ended up with a blister on my heel. WTF??

I'll try again today. I like walking, but I know that I'll need to get some serious cardio in as well once the doctor clears me.

My biggest struggle is eating. Large portions, the wrong types of food, etc. I've been trying to be careful while home these past few weeks, but the Little Debbie nutty bars are screaming at me from the kitchen and I want to devour 2 or 3 of them. Sigh.

I already am a good water drinker, probably a gallon/day, but I might try to increase that a bit so I feel full. Oh, and I started taking some calcium/vitamin D and a multivitamin, so I'm hoping that gives me more energy.

Does anyone have any good tricks or suggestions? How ofen do you guys weigh yourselves? What are your goals?

Hi Rosie. I'm going to sit with you too. I pm'ed pudin for access so just waiting here patiently......

I've been on plan for 7 whole days now, and weighed this morning. Ugh. Worse than I thought. I cannot start skipping weigh ins. Every day!!!

Reading a great book "Catching Fire" about how early man began cooking and how it changed everything about our evolution into modern man. Very fascinating. And it really makes you ponder the way we eat now and how far it is from how we evolved.

Todays food:
B - 3 large coffees (decaf) with 2 T heavy cream, and 1 T sf sweetener each; 4 oz leftover steak

L - (big fancy dinner at my dad's): 5 shrimp w/lemon, 3 baby back ribs (no sauce), 2 small slices of eggplant parm, salad w/lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, avocado & olive oil, small serving roasted butternut squash

D - (planned): 4 oz of cooked ground beef w/cheese, salsa, and guacamole

I'll hang out here with you girls until I get in also.

I have lost 67 pounds so far just have around 16 more to go. I weigh myself everyday in the morning. I drink lot and lots of water, but I am still breastfeeding also. I cut out all dairy, sweets, and eating after 7p.m.

I started out weighing 242 on December 17th, 2008, that was the day my last baby was born. I only gained 4 pounds during my last week of being pregnant with her. I now weigh 176 and I want to get down to 160 to be considered a normal weight for my height. I am 5ft 8in tall.

Good luck everyone!!

Normal weight for 5'8" is 160. There it is, plain as day. Shit, I can't imagine losing 30 pounds, but I guess if I take it slow anything is possible.

Busy, great job so far! Do you find time for exercise, besides the usual chasing after all those kids?

Lightly, I too need to weigh every morning. It keeps me real, LOL. Do you snack at all? I keep hearing that grazing is better, to keep blood sugars level. I try to have a yogurt or piece of fruit and maybe a small handful of almonds. And I always try to have a really hearty, healthy breakfast (although not today---it's the Rose Bowl for crying out loud!)

http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

I like this calculator.

I exercise at last a half an hour a day. Either doing steps, dancing to very fast music or using my exercise balls. When it's warm outside I would go walking for 3 miles a day or ride my bike 6 or more miles. I can't wait until summer again!

I use that chart also.

I use this chart to calculate body fat...

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/librar...calculator.htm

Rosie - I do not snack at all. I want to encourage the fat to come out of my fat cells, and to do that I need to suppress insulin production. Eating raises insulin, so I try to just eat three times a day. Anyway, on a low carb diet I am not hungry between meals, yay for that

I am going to have a diet ginger ale with a splash of red wine and see if it causes cravings, or if I can make it a regular evening drink.

Hopefully we can get into the private forum soon!

Thanks. It kind of depresses me, but a good dose of reality is always good. It says my BMI is 29; I'm teetering on "obese". Ugh.

Wow, I'm impressed! All those children, you've mentioned some have special needs, and you still find to exercise. Good for you!!

Do you miss the carbs?

I do most of my exercises when the older 7 kids are at school and the baby is napping. My 4yr old get home from Preschool at 11:00a.m. and the baby sleeps from around 8:30a.m. to 10:30a.m. on most days. If not, I'll wait until my husband is home so he can watch the kids while I exercise.

After my mom died unexpectantly last year at a young age, I promised myself I would exercise and get healthy for my family.

Sorry to hear about your mom. Good for you for taking control of your health! And I'm sure it's a positive thing for your kids to see you getting in shape.

Thanks, she was only 55 years old. Her mom was 50 when she died, her dad was 62 when he died and she had a brother die at age 41.

Right now one of my girls is ready to exercise with me, we are going to turn on some music and dance hard and fast. All my kids are skinny as rails, but they know it's healthy to exercise and most of them love to work out with me.