Mom creates online site to help motivate other mothers

When Leah Segedie became pregnant with her first child, it should have been a happy, blissful time for her husband and her. But shortly after finding out the good news, Segedie's father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given just six months to live.

"I took care of him with my mom until he passed away," said Segedie, a Simi Valley resident. "He did live until my son was 3 months old. Taking care of someone that sick is really very hard."

As a result of the stress, Segedie developed what she calls a "fullblown eating disorder," gaining more than 70 pounds during her pregnancy.

"After my dad died, it hit me that I was getting really, really big," said Segedie, who weighed 253 pounds. "I've never been a person who exercised, but I didn't want to be a fat mom. I wanted to be a fun mom who could keep up with my kid."

She got focused on shedding the weight and dropped 104 pounds in two years. It was during her weightloss journey that she noticed how difficult it was to stay motivated and find time to work out. That was how her project- the bookieboo.com website- was born.

"You have limited time to yourself as a mom, and there are more challenges," Segedie said. "I noticed there wasn't a lot online where women could get together when they did have a little bit of time to talk about what works for them."

She launched bookieboo.com in January and already has more than 500 members. The site is exclusively for women and focuses on those who want to get or stay fit while they are pregnant or raising children.

Bookieboo has nearly 100 partners- boutiques, organizations and retailers who offer exclusive discounts and giveaways to its members. About 30 experts write articles for the site on everything from nutrition, exercise, pregnancy and child development.

"The site is mostly for support," Segedie said. "The hardest thing about being a mother is that you go from a working, independent woman to a mom where you can't go anywhere. Every time you want to leave you have to back up and get everything together, and it's a big ordeal. You have to be on all the time, and it's very exhausting. Bookieboo is a great place to get to know each other, get information and get what you need quickly."

Members can also post videos and pictures of their kids and blog about everything from their workout to their child's ballet recital.

"People can write about anything they want, but the great thing about it is that there is one focus- to lose weight and stay in shape," Segedie said.

Member Yvonne Thomas, a Westlake Village resident, has three children, ages 5, 3 and almost 2.

"I was interested in fitness, but I found it really difficult to find time to work out," she said. "Obviously I'm really busy. But reading Leah's story was so inspirational to me- that someone could do all that with a small child."

Thomas said she enjoys the online communities she's now a part of, including those dedicated to moms who go the gym and moms who walk. She also loves the loads of information posted by fitness experts.

"It's a very valuable resource when I need it," she said. "When I have time to get on the computer . . . I find great ideas on what I can do with my kids to stay fit."

Alisa Akemon, an Agoura Hills mother of two, ages 7 and 5, was searching for help staying fit when she heard about bookieboo.

"I was trying to get more involved in fitness and was needing more inspiration," she said. "(The children) keep me so busy, and it's hard to make time to connect with people face-to-face.

"What I really like about the website is that I can go on at 10 p.m. and see what's working for other people. I love the blogging and reading what other people are up to. It leads you to other places, too, where I can read on a nutrition website or learn about activities I hadn't heard of. And it's great because so much of it is local."

Segedie said most of her members are in the Ventura County area, but people log on from all over the world.

"Women aren't cookie cutters," she said. "A lot of women have to get rid of 30, 40, 50, 60 pounds after they have a baby, and not everything works for everyone. There are a lot of different themes, from low-carb diets to yoga Pilates. It's the idea that you aren't alone. Internationally, we all have the same types of issues."

Segedie worked in political fundraising and then as a public relations professional before becoming a stayathome mom. Her husband works with the Conejo Recreation and Park District in Thousand Oaks.

She is pregnant again- almost three months along- but this time she's not worried about the weight.

"It's been a very fit pregnancy this time around," Segedie said. "But I'll still have weight to lose all over again."

It's free to sign up, but women must fill out an application to be approved by Segedie.

Bookieboo.com is getting about 3,000 visitors and 13,500 page views each month. For more information, visit the website www.bookieboo.com.