35 and wearing a size 12, in little girls!!

Hello everyone! My name is Kari and I'm a newbie here. I posted this in the Introduce Yourself on the main board but thought that I'd post it here too since this is where I'll probably spend most of my time. I'm here because of my New Years goals, like many people probably. My goals are a little different than many though in that I'm not here to lose weight, I'm one of those who needs to pick some up!

I'm a 35 year SAHM of 4 kids (13, 11, 8 and 5). My husband and I have been married for 14 years and have been together for 18. I am 5'1'' and currently weigh a whopping 94 lbs! I have been thin all of my life but I've never had any kind of eating disorder. I do tend to not eat the way that I should though, meaning I don't think anything about skipping a meal (usually breakfast or lunch if I'm super busy with the kids) and it's very rare for me to "clean my plate" at any meal. I've always attributed it to having a small stomach but truth be told I just don't have a big appetite. Last year, we also went through an incredibly emotionally stressful time. I tend to be one of those people who don't eat well when I'm stressed and I lost some weight from that also (not a great thing when you're already small!). While that situation is not 100% resolved yet it is getting better so that should help me in turning things around.

After my physical at the end of the year it became very clear that I need to make putting on weight a priority this year and was feeling overwhelmed how to even do that so I decided to come here. I know I need to track my calories (something I'm horrible at!) but I also need to make exercise (especially strength training) a priority so that I don't just get fat! So that's why I'm here: for a place to track my progress but also to have a community to help inspire me and hold me accountable for what I'm doing (or not doing!) My goal currently is to get to 115 lbs so I need to eat between 1900-2000 calories a day (according to the calculator here) Currently I'd be working out 5 days a week but only until March. I'm in a local community theater and am currently in a show with a lot of dancing. After that show is over I'll drop back and do less cardio and more strength training. I might continue at 5 days a week, I'm not sure about that yet so any advice is appreciated. I've never been one for working out a lot!

I can't wait to stop hearing comments like "Just go eat a sandwich already!" (like, if it was that easy people I wouldn't be 94 lbs at 35! lol) or "Real women have curves and a butt and boobs!" (Well, I've had 4 kids so I'm pretty sure I have all the physical attributes required to be a "real woman". lol) People don't often think about picking on someone who is skinny but it's just as hurtful to hear the comments and constant nagging from people as it is for someone who is overweight. I'd love to see our society get to a point where commenting on anyone's weight, no matter what end of the scale they are on was just not socially acceptable but we're definitely not there yet! But I'm looking forward to having a bit of a butt and some curves, I'm not gonna lie! Hopefully I'll get to the end of the year and like what I see in the mirror more than I do now cause all I see now is skin and bones and that my friends, is not cute!

That's all I can think to share for now. I'm looking forward to being part of the community here! Happy New Year to you all! May we all be successful in our goals this year, whatever they look like!