By Heather Cabot, The Well Mom
Leah Segedie lost her father the same year she gained a son. The 29-year-old California mom found out she was expecting as her dad battled the final stages cancer.  Leah coped by turning to food. She put on more than 70 pounds by the time she gave birth.

"I held it together by eating everything in sight.  I couldn't control myself," she told The Well Mom, "I would overeat and would not stop eating until I was over full."

Her struggle with food dates back to childhood.  She describes herself as a chubby kid who played sports.  But when she got married in her early twenties and grew less active, Leah quickly added 20 pounds to her 5'5 frame.  The poor eating habits continued through her pregnancy.  When she finally delivered son James two years ago, she watched in disbelief as the scale hit 253 pounds.

At the time, her father was very near the end of his painful fight.  He held on to see his grandson and then passed away shortly after James came home from the hospital.  Leah says his death was the wake-up call she needed.

"When my dad died, that was the time in my life that I started to think about what is important and that I want to be there for my children," she explains.

She started turning her life around by seeking out support from other women. She joined a neighborhood Curves gym and started following the Weight Watchers plan. 

"Weight Watchers gave me the tools to understand how to eat out, how to eat at home, how to prepare foods," explains the red head who spent her early adulthood working in public relations.

And once she added Tae Bo tapes to her work-out, she really started to firm up and slim down.  Leah even started to train with the founder of Tae Bo himself, Billy Blanks and appears in the latest Tae Bo video. 

In January, two years after first beginning her quest to lose 104 pounds, Leah
took her success story and enthusiasm to the web and launched BookieBoo.com, a "fitness hangout for moms."

The woman who went from a size 22 to a size 8 is now expecting her second child and approaching this pregnancy with a whole new attitude.  She's exercising and running at full speed spreading the word about her new cyber venture.

"I am really glad that I can give back and help other moms," she says.

Here are a few of the tips Leah found most helpful to maintain her new figure. 

Leah's Tips for Weight Maintenance

1.    Start to add calories back 100 at a time until you've found your comfort zone
2.    Continue to weigh yourself everyday or every week, however often you did when you lost weight.  
3.    Don't let yourself gain more than 3 lbs. before you take action.  
4.    Continue to make exercise a priority.
5.    Continue to monitor your food intake in a journal.  
6.    Remember your change was a lifestyle change, so keep it up!