Mom's and Dad's looking for support

amber5151

Single mom to 2 boys (5 and 9) here! feel free to add me!

whits116

Hi everyone, I'm new to MFP - I've tried Weight Watchers and lost 30 pounds which I unfortunately gained that back and then some during my pregnancy. Now with a 7 month old baby girl and a full time job with an hour commute each way I'm really struggling. I would appreciate any advice you all have to manage schedules and quick healthy meals. I also travel for work occasionally which has been tough emotionally of course but also hard to make healthy options during social settings.

MikePXstream

I hit it hard today. 25 minutes of weights, with a 1.6 mile jog afterwards. All with a 4lb weighted vest. How did you do today?

MikePXstream

I wanted to give you an idea of what my days look like putting it all in a calendar. With all that I have going on, if I don't schedule it out, I am all over the place and nothing gets done. As you can see, Monday thru Saturday I have 1 hour each morning slotted for working out. I make that an appointment and do my very best not to miss it. Sometimes one of my kids may have an appointment in there, so I either do a very short intense workout, or just do it later. There are days where I don't get it in, but I always have Saturday to fall back on. That's why I shoot for 6 days a week. Weekends are left open to spend as much time with my family as possible, since during the week I only see them for maybe an hour a day in the morning.

Having it on a calendar that I can view from any computer, tablet, or phone is a huge help too. This helped me out so much, you have no idea. If you find you have a hard time trying to get your workouts in, or anything for that matter, give this a try. Take about 10 minutes, write down everything you do in a day, and then see how you can break it down into hour chunks. Find a time that will work for you, and make that your workout appointment. Then, try it out for a week and see if it made things better for you. Then, share your experience

Azercord

Yeah I think I will eventually end up looking like your schedule but for me the kids are still young so extra activities are still pretty minimum. For now I just have a few specific items scheduled and let everything else flex outside of that. I work out at 4:30AM everyday (kids aren't up until 6:30), work starts at 7 so I leave at 6:45 (I love my short commute), walk the dog at 6:00PM, and bed at 8:00PM (lights out at 9). One day I'm sure my schedule will be as crazy as yours but not there yet.

Badger_Girl99

How am I just seeing this forum? I'm a mom to an almost 10 year-old (this Friday actually, and I'm having a hard time with it since he's my only one). He's so incredibly active in sports that I have to work out over my lunch hour. My weekend workouts are nonexistent (which really drives me crazy) because I feel if I take time for myself, I'm missing something of his. It's a hard balance sometimes.

Desertcolt07

Dad of three 14 year old (ugh) boy, 10 year old girl and 7 year old boy. what works for me is getting them involved in my training...started taking my oldest to the gym but he's not really interested

MikePXstream

Desertcolt07 wrote: »

Dad of three 14 year old (ugh) boy, 10 year old girl and 7 year old boy. what works for me is getting them involved in my training...started taking my oldest to the gym but he's not really interested

Nice. As a family, we all run a couple times a week. However, I can't keep up with any of my kids anymore. They all run sub 7 min miles. Even my boy who is only 8. Sometimes my boy will workout with me. My girls will do a cardio routine with me from time to time. They do love the dance cardio program I have, so I guess that's a plus. Pretty much all runners though. My wife too.

Desertcolt07

thats good to hear...i hate running but try to do it anyway

Badger_Girl99

Desertcolt07 wrote: »

Dad of three 14 year old (ugh) boy, 10 year old girl and 7 year old boy. what works for me is getting them involved in my training...started taking my oldest to the gym but he's not really interested

This is awesome!

MikePXstream

I refused to run for years after I got out of the Army. I was so tired of it. But once I started back up, I realized I missed it. That was back in 2010.

Azercord

I always thought cardio was when you went past 10 reps?! If you are looking for some entertainment while running I would recommend the Zombie, Run! app. You have to be patient with the downloads (1 a week if you are on the free version) but it is entertaining while you run.

MikePXstream

Azercord wrote: »

I always thought cardio was when you went past 10 reps?! If you are looking for some entertainment while running I would recommend the Zombie, Run! app. You have to be patient with the downloads (1 a week if you are on the free version) but it is entertaining while you run.

I may have to look into that.

wellthenwhat

Single mom of a crazy 6 year old here. Struggling to gain back some strength and lose a little fat. Not really a solid user of MFP anymore, though

KatieBaack

Pretty proud of myself today. My hubby made some extra chicken tenderloins last night for dinner. Threw one on top of a salad for lunch & one for dinner. Prelogged all my calories & I'm going to be in a HUGE deficit today... Maybe that means I can have a glass of wine and a girl scout cookie or two tonight.

MikePXstream

Remember when Girl Scout cookies were only like 1.50 a box. Those were the days. Which reminds me. I think I have to pay a coworker for some at work today

UltimateTrashBae

Hello! I'm a 24-yo mom with a 3yo kiddo. I got back into the weight-loss game on Jan 13th (according to my fitbit) and in that month I have lost 12 lbs! My weigh days are Monday and Friday. I log every day and have an open diary, although it is boring since I pretty much eat the same stuff every single day. Anyone can feel free to add me! It would be nice to have more parents on my friendslist.

MikePXstream

Have you ever been stressed out? That's a silly question. Sure you have. Especially if you have kids. Everyday something in our lives will stress us out. Work, home, or school in particular. But did you know that stress can effect the entire body? Yeah, not just make you irritable, tired or anxious, your entire body! Stress can effect your Central nervous and endocrine systems, respiratory and cardiovascular system, digestive system, muscular system, and even your sexuality and reproductive systems!

You central nervous system is where that "fight or flight" aspect is triggered. This is what get's your hypothalamus in gear, triggering the adrenal glands to release adrenaline or cortisol. If you remain under constant stress, your cortisol levels could stay elevated, which could led to weight gain, higher blood pressure and cholesterol just to name a few. Your immune system is also affected, as heightened cortisol levels can inhibit other compounds in the body that help fight off diseases, viruses, and infections.

Your respiratory and cardiovascular levels increase. One making you breathe harder to pump more oxygen into the blood, and the other pumping your heart faster to help distribute that blood and oxygen to the brain and the rest of the body. Constant stress keeps these levels elevated, which could lead to hypertension and problems with blood vessels.

Within your digestive system, under stress, your liver produces extra blood sugar to give you a boost of energy. Unused blood sugar gets reabsorbed back into the body. If under a lot of stress, your body may not be able to keep up with the blood sugar surge, which could potentially place you at a higher risk of contracting type 2 diabetes.

Under stress, your muscles tighten up as a way to protect themselves. IF you are under chronic stress, your muscles never have a chance to relax. Over time, this could lead to frequent headaches or back pain, sending you in a downward spiral that could only become worse if not treated and identified.

Your sexual desires may be reduced with chronic stress. Stress is very tiring on the body and mind. In some cases, men may have an increase in testosterone during stress, which can increase sexual arousal, but generally only for a short time. In women, stress can effect their menstrual cycle, making it even more uncomfortable.

So what can you do to help reduce stress in your life? First, you can eat right and exercise. Kickboxing, sparring, or any simulated fighting is great. Aerobic exercise like running, swimming, or high intensity cardio routines works well too. Anything to reduce the levels of cortisol in the body.

Meditation. Any type of mediation or relaxation techniques will help calm ones self and reduce cortisol levels. Set aside 10-15 minutes a day to just relax, breathe, and let no distractions in. Some of the newer training devices like FitBit or Polar have breathing techniques you can try.

Music. There is something about music that soothes the soul. You probably don't want to be blasting Pantera or Metallica. But hey, who amd I to judge. maybe that works for you. I prefer Lindsey Stirling or The Piano Guys

And of course, laughter. Having a good laugh with your friends or family can reduce those cortisol levels and help you relax just a little more.

What do you do to relax?

MikePXstream

I got out for a nice 3.2 mile run this morning. Had to convince myself to get it done. Glad I did now though.

KatieBaack

MikePXstream wrote: »

Remember when Girl Scout cookies were only like 1.50 a box. Those were the days. Which reminds me. I think I have to pay a coworker for some at work today

The $4/box price tag keeps me from buying more than one box at a time! And usually they're the ones my hubby likes so I don't eat that many. Glass of wine it is! haha

Azercord

The price of Girl Scout cookies is out of control but I'm pretty sure they lace them with crack so I can understand. I've managed to not pick up a box this year which is good because for me a "serving size" of Girl Scout cookies is by the sleeve.

brandonation_81

Dad of 2 girls. A 3 year and and a 6 month old. Feel free to add! I have to use my work lunch breaks to workout. So, I'm never really on "break" Haha!

KatieBaack

Azercord wrote: »

The price of Girl Scout cookies is out of control but I'm pretty sure they lace them with crack so I can understand. I've managed to not pick up a box this year which is good because for me a "serving size" of Girl Scout cookies is by the sleeve.

That used to be a serving size for me (still is for hubs)! It's hard to resist - fortunately I'm not a fan of Thin Mints or Caramel DeLites - so I buy them for hubs and I don't have to worry about making them work in my calories. Once in a while I'll eat a couple shortbread and I'm good. ha

MikePXstream

Azercord wrote: »

The price of Girl Scout cookies is out of control but I'm pretty sure they lace them with crack so I can understand. I've managed to not pick up a box this year which is good because for me a "serving size" of Girl Scout cookies is by the sleeve.

Mine is a sleeve as well. I am a sucker for thin mints and samoas. Followed closely by the peanut butter ones. Not the tagalong ones though, the others. I also decided I would try the new smore's ones. More than likely, I'll get one out of each box, and my wife and kids will devour the rest. lol

nourzack

Mom of 3 boys. 15, 12 and 4 Feel free to add me. Im still new here.

ericatoday

I'm a mom.

MikePXstream

Today I spent some quality time with a good friend of mines son. He is 17, made a lot of bad choices over the past year, to the point where he was expelled from school, with no chance of graduating. He volunteered to attend a program for at risk kids to earn his GED and get his life back in order. He and his parents asked if I would be willing to be his mentor over the next 18 months to help him out. I gladly accepted. I have known this young man since he was about 4, so he is practically family.

The environment he is in is just like boot camp. Perfect kind of structure for him to get back on the straight and narrow. One of my most enjoyable moments today was when they gave us a tour of their barracks and classrooms. Each time they enter that building, there are pull up bars right out front of the doors. Each cadet has to do as many as they can before they enter. So my cadet hopped up there and knocked out about 6-8. He's always been in pretty good shape, so I expected nothing less. The other 2 cadets with us did about 4-5, so pretty good. I decided I wanted to have some fun too, so I decided to hop up there right after him, hoping I would not embarrass myself in front of the cadre and other mentors. I knocked out 6 before one of the other parents/mentors said jokingly "hey, that's good, you're making the rest of us look bad." lol. Wasn't my intent, but made me feel good, and brought an extra smile to my cadets face.

staff052509

I'm a single mom to two girls, ages 9 and 7. Fitting in workouts is really challenging when you have no one to help take care of the rest of the tasks. Between work, grad school, raising kids and keeping the house from going down in flames, I'm exhausted. Plus I have medical issues on top of everything else. It's nice to meet people who understand juggling parenting and weight loss! Feel free to add me, everyone!

MikePXstream

Ok, somehow most of last week is a blur. I'm not sure what's going on. One minute it was Monday, the next...Monday again. What the heck happened. I know I have had a lot on my mind and a lot going on, but seriously, did I just lose a week?

On a different note, my daughter competed in the USATF Regional Indoor meet this past weekend and won 1st place in the triple jump and 6th in the 3k. Woot. What does this mean? She has qualified to compete in the National meet next month in New York! So Exciting!!! I am so proud of her!

Azercord

Congrats and good luck to your kiddo! That is one heck of an achievement.