Getting started - help me out!

kirdyq

Hi everyone! I am looking for some pep talks here! Please pitch in!

I have gained 15 pounds over this past year that I want to lose, plus another 5 that I had wanted to lose prior to that...so 20 pounds is my goal!

I'm just getting started this week. I have planned at home meals and breakfast/lunch is being packed to take with me every day. My goal is to exercise 30 minutes 4 times a week, as a start. I had been on a kick back in the Spring, and was exercising every day, but I found that I had a ton of anxiety, because other things I needed to do were falling by the wayside. So I ended up falling off the wagon. I think if I can exercise both weekend days, and then a couple times during the busier work week, that will be a good place to start.

I'm trying to think of my main struggles, and I can think of a few. One is soda - I usually have one large soda a day. What do you think is best - cut it cold turkey, or reduce it to a smaller soda for a few days, and then an even smaller amount, and then off it completely? Another is nighttime snacking. I am horrible at this and probably would be appalled at the unnecessary calories I consume at home. I think tracking food here will probably help that some. Also, I want to be realistic with myself and know that I'll want a snack after dinner. What I'd done in the Spring was after exercise in the evening, I'd treat myself to 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (one of my favorite things!). I didn't feel so deprived then. The last thing is making myself exercise! It's just not my favorite! I am hoping when I do it more often I'll start to like it more and maybe look forward to it. Right now, I'd rather curl up with a good book and relax in the evening. I am not a morning exerciser...it's just not going to happen for me...so I have to do it at night after kids are in bed. I also do not go to a gym, the commute is too long for me.

jimbosrugers

After the kids are in bed. Exercise for 10 min using a timer. Shower. Curl up on the couch with a book and a bowl of cottage cheese. Repeat. The reason for 10 min is that you realize how doable a non favorite activity can be and when the timer goes off it is rewarding. Plus to much exercise at night could affect your sleep. When you start enjoying how 10 min of exercise makes you feel then add more time. I cut my exercise down to 2 days per week doing only what I like to do. As for soda, reduce it daily with a goal of making it an occasional treat, getting rid of it altogether isn't really going to last very long unless you grow to dislike it. Quitting soda cold turkey worked for me because drinking even a small amount made me crave more, so quitting for 2 solid weeks got me over it and I now have 1 soda per week on average with no issues. The goal is to get to a place where you do what you want to do not what you have to do to lose weight.