Frustrated and need guidance!..Any tips?...

kayanow67 · March 2016

Mom with a busy schedule!!!open for recommendations???need to lose a good 40

Skillet007 · March 2016

I'm not a mom but I'm definitely busy. I go to classes five times a week, I'm in two clubs, work a part time job, and play music in a group. When I started losing weight I wasn't sure what to do. My life consisted of prepackaged food and take out.

When I found MFP, I didn't really think it would work for me. I did it's little quiz and it told me how much to eat and I decided to take a few steps on faith.

After a few weeks on my same diet (just monitoring calories) I noticed some lbs coming off. Problem was I was still kinda hungry. Turns out prepackaged food has a lot of calories in small servings. So I started to cook meals, a lot of them bulk but they are healthy and fill me up. There are several days that I'm pretty far below my calorie goals (when you're not hungry you're not hungry).

I guess my advice to you would be to try to find out what your calorie goals are and start taking baby steps to find out what works for you. Since you're a Mom, I'd use my Mom powers to see if you can get the other members of your household to make better nutritional choices. It'll make it easier for you! I thought that it would be really hard to learn to "eat right" but the more I do it the easier it gets. I bring my lunches to college every day and enjoy them while I'm surrounded by students eating from the fast food places in the college food court. Try to commit about three weeks to these changes. I promise that if you commit to the change you'll find that at the end of three weeks you'll be proud of yourself and starting to feel better already.

I started with baby steps and unsure that I could do it. Now I'm going to the gym about 4x a week, getting healthier by the day, making good food decisions, and starting to get compliments.

I have faith in you! You can do it!!!!!

bendyourkneekatie · March 2016

kayanow67 wrote: »

Mom with a busy schedule!!!open for recommendations???need to lose a good 40

The good thing is that, really, weight loss doesn't take up much time. All you need is to eat less. As with most people on mfp I find using a food scale helps keep my calorie counting accurate, and therefore my loss on track, and while I thought weighing food would be time consuming when I started, turns out it isn't.
If you're wanting to incorporate fitness into your weight loss journey, that's where time can become tricky. I'm home with two kids (3 and almost 2) and they go to the crèche at my gym a couple mornings a week, and I go running either early morning or after they're in bed.

emmaprocopiou · March 2016

I'm a mum, I run my own business from home , as well as normal house chores , school runs etc to fit in.
I started back end November and have lost 27lbs
I do all the cooking at home, but I try eat the same as everyone else just have a smaller portion with more veggies to bulk it out.
I also do intermittent fasting (IF) I realised I naturally fell into this way of eating (16:8) as I don't really need breakfast and lunch needs to be small and quick, especially with a toddler in tow. And I like bigger dinners and snacks in the evening.
Start small and make little changes keep within your calorie goal but if it is too aggressive drop to 1-.0.5 a pound a week until that feels right.
Exercise - I don't have time in my day to get to a gym but I walk and stay on my feet a lot, my Fitbit is my new little friend and gives me extra cals to eat back too.
Good luck with your journey

size102b · March 2016

In my profile pic I was running my own business 3 children went to Zumba 12 times a week gym 3 times and ate 1500 calories
You learn to fit your new lifestyle around your life

Yi5hedr3 · March 2016

Insufficient data.....Weight, calories, macros, goal......

callsitlikeiseeit · March 2016

everyone is busy. thats just an excuse to not do things.

if its important to you, you will find the time to do what you need to do to meet your goals.

RodaRose · March 2016

It helps to 1) cook a few more easy meals from home and 2) look at the calorie counts of the convenience foods available to you so that you have both options available to you now.

crb426 · March 2016

It's not about how busy you are. In fact, I find it easier to avoid eating so much when I'm busy. All you need is commitment. It's not hard to prepare food for your family and give yourself low-cal twists (like a bed of lettuce under a crumbled taco makes for a great salad). Just stick with it. Don't give into excuses. You got this.

IFerFerGood · March 2016

Hi,

I'm also a mom with 2 under 3, so can relate. After my last child, I wanted to lose at least 30lbs, and in the past 12 months I have managed to do so (don't really weigh myself now, so not sure what the final number is)...

Anyway - in the past I tried tracking calories, I tried having small snacks throughout the day, I tried going to the gym 5 xs a week, I tried Paleo and I tried protein shakes. I'd have small wins (or losses), but I always felt like I was walking on a tightrope, and one false move (or minor slipup) and I would fall back on my face.

So this is what I did:
1st - I dropped the dieting mindset. Historically I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and as quickly as I launched on a diet, I was off the wagon within days. For me, even the concept of 'dieting' sent my mind into a food-obsessed-frenzy and I craved foods that I normally didnt even eat. So i stopped telling myself I was on a diet - I quit eliminating food groups (paleo), and my mantra became - choose a diet you I can sustain for life.

As people have already mentioned - I started taking leftovers for lunch each day. This helped avoid unhealthy food choices at the cafe downstairs from work.

I also picked 4 healthy meals (made up of good level of protein, moderate carbs and heaps of veggies) - and that's what i just rotated through each week.. You might think the family would get sick of it, but surprisingly we dont. I saved the recipes for these meals in my phone, so if i was in the supermarket, i always knew what to buy. This really helped with those nights that I'd normally give in and say 'i cant be bothered thinking about dinner - why dont we get a pizza instead...' (I change up the 4 recipes every few weeks though)..

I also started doing Intermittent Fasting 16:8. It sounds scary and too hard, but it really isnt. You just stop eating at 8pm, and then skip breakfast and eat at midday. Previously I used to eat high carb breakfasts (cereals and toast) and I'd get the shakes a few hours after and need to eat. So the idea of fasting sounded ludicrous. But it isnt. If you have a really good high protein dinner with good fats and veggies, then you can sail through to the next day. I actually feel super pumped leading up to midday, and just have my black coffee (with butter) and teas or water.

There's also some standard bits of advice - i.e. avoid sugars, read your labels (you'll be surprised with the hidden sugar in everything), and make sure you eat protein in every meal (not like crazy obsessed Atkins style - just so that you are feeling full and not having the insulin spikes that carbs stimulate). Have heaps of good snacks on hand - i.e. nuts, boiled eggs, tins of tuna, veggie sticks and dip. Dont eat low fat stuff - its just loaded with sugar, you're actually better off eating full fat versions instead.

Oh, and the biggest thing for me - which without a doubt changed everything - was that I just started out by focusing on one thing each week. I didnt tackle all of the above all at the same time - because that would just be over the top and surely make me feel like i was on a diet. I just focused on establishing the habit, getting it bedded down, and then I moved onto the next thing. And I checked in with myself each night - asking myself 'did i try my best today to ...'(it might have just been drink 2L of water). and i'd rate myself.

I got so much more out of giving myself a rating each day then looking at the scales.

I've had heaps of friends and family ask me how I lost weight - I am pulling all my tips together so that other people can use it. Let me know if you are interested

concretedad7 · March 2016

I'm doing pretty much the same thing and have lost 15 lbs since Christmas. I'm allowing myself cheat meals (sometimes pretty huge ones) on Friday and Saturday nights. I also do a carb spike before bed time to get an insulin spike--Apple with PB or PBJ sandwich. The spike seems to help me lose more when I sleep. Sometimes if I'm feeling rundown midweek I'll have a cheat meal on Wednesday. Right now my enemy is simple carbs of any kind because the insulin spike puts me right to sleep (great for bedtime).

I track my weight daily here but use a spreadsheet to calculate 7 day averages and 7day average weight loss. As long as I'm staying fairly consistent data wise I don't worry. There will be plateaus and slow downs due to muscle growth and metabolism changes.

10 more pounds to go....hopefully.

missblondi2u · March 2016

The most important thing is just logging everything you eat (every single bite) into your diary using accurate weight/measurements and correct database entries, and sticking to your calorie goal. Food is by far the biggest driver of weight loss. A good bit of my 50 pound weight loss was without any substantial exercise.

That being said, if you have the means, I suggest getting a Fitbit or other activity tracker. It has really helped motivate me to move a little more throughout the day by "rewarding" me extra calories to eat. It was a big realization for me that simply increasing daily activity (like walking around with my headset during conference calls or parking as far away as possible from the store) would have such a big effect on my weight loss. Earning those extra calories makes keeping a deficit much easier some days. And as a mom of a 2 1/2 year old, I was surprised how many steps running after a toddler will get you!

Finally, I think patience is also key to sticking with this. Set a reasonable rate of loss in MFP, and don't get bummed when you don't lose every single week, because it will happen, even if you do everything right.

kayanow67 · March 2016

Skillet007 wrote: »

I'm not a mom but I'm definitely busy. I go to classes five times a week, I'm in two clubs, work a part time job, and play music in a group. When I started losing weight I wasn't sure what to do. My life consisted of prepackaged food and take out.

When I found MFP, I didn't really think it would work for me. I did it's little quiz and it told me how much to eat and I decided to take a few steps on faith.

After a few weeks on my same diet (just monitoring calories) I noticed some lbs coming off. Problem was I was still kinda hungry. Turns out prepackaged food has a lot of calories in small servings. So I started to cook meals, a lot of them bulk but they are healthy and fill me up. There are several days that I'm pretty far below my calorie goals (when you're not hungry you're not hungry).

I guess my advice to you would be to try to find out what your calorie goals are and start taking baby steps to find out what works for you. Since you're a Mom, I'd use my Mom powers to see if you can get the other members of your household to make better nutritional choices. It'll make it easier for you! I thought that it would be really hard to learn to "eat right" but the more I do it the easier it gets. I bring my lunches to college every day and enjoy them while I'm surrounded by students eating from the fast food places in the college food court. Try to commit about three weeks to these changes. I promise that if you commit to the change you'll find that at the end of three weeks you'll be proud of yourself and starting to feel better already.

I started with baby steps and unsure that I could do it. Now I'm going to the gym about 4x a week, getting healthier by the day, making good food decisions, and starting to get compliments.

I have faith in you! You can do it!!!!!

Your Amazing...Thank you so much for the advice....I wasn't brought up eating healthy...we are very fatty eaters...and all GREAT cooks...lol...those too combos are scary....lol...I'm feeling very sluggish lately..that's why I have chose to reach out for suggestions...I really appreciate all of those who have offered their terrific advice....you all are true blessings...

btinghutch · March 2016

IFerFerGood wrote: »

Hi,

I'm also a mom with 2 under 3, so can relate. After my last child, I wanted to lose at least 30lbs, and in the past 12 months I have managed to do so (don't really weigh myself now, so not sure what the final number is)...

Anyway - in the past I tried tracking calories, I tried having small snacks throughout the day, I tried going to the gym 5 xs a week, I tried Paleo and I tried protein shakes. I'd have small wins (or losses), but I always felt like I was walking on a tightrope, and one false move (or minor slipup) and I would fall back on my face.

So this is what I did:
1st - I dropped the dieting mindset. Historically I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and as quickly as I launched on a diet, I was off the wagon within days. For me, even the concept of 'dieting' sent my mind into a food-obsessed-frenzy and I craved foods that I normally didnt even eat. So i stopped telling myself I was on a diet - I quit eliminating food groups (paleo), and my mantra became - choose a diet you I can sustain for life.

As people have already mentioned - I started taking leftovers for lunch each day. This helped avoid unhealthy food choices at the cafe downstairs from work.

I also picked 4 healthy meals (made up of good level of protein, moderate carbs and heaps of veggies) - and that's what i just rotated through each week.. You might think the family would get sick of it, but surprisingly we dont. I saved the recipes for these meals in my phone, so if i was in the supermarket, i always knew what to buy. This really helped with those nights that I'd normally give in and say 'i cant be bothered thinking about dinner - why dont we get a pizza instead...' (I change up the 4 recipes every few weeks though)..

I also started doing Intermittent Fasting 16:8. It sounds scary and too hard, but it really isnt. You just stop eating at 8pm, and then skip breakfast and eat at midday. Previously I used to eat high carb breakfasts (cereals and toast) and I'd get the shakes a few hours after and need to eat. So the idea of fasting sounded ludicrous. But it isnt. If you have a really good high protein dinner with good fats and veggies, then you can sail through to the next day. I actually feel super pumped leading up to midday, and just have my black coffee (with butter) and teas or water.

There's also some standard bits of advice - i.e. avoid sugars, read your labels (you'll be surprised with the hidden sugar in everything), and make sure you eat protein in every meal (not like crazy obsessed Atkins style - just so that you are feeling full and not having the insulin spikes that carbs stimulate). Have heaps of good snacks on hand - i.e. nuts, boiled eggs, tins of tuna, veggie sticks and dip. Dont eat low fat stuff - its just loaded with sugar, you're actually better off eating full fat versions instead.

Oh, and the biggest thing for me - which without a doubt changed everything - was that I just started out by focusing on one thing each week. I didnt tackle all of the above all at the same time - because that would just be over the top and surely make me feel like i was on a diet. I just focused on establishing the habit, getting it bedded down, and then I moved onto the next thing. And I checked in with myself each night - asking myself 'did i try my best today to ...'(it might have just been drink 2L of water). and i'd rate myself.

I got so much more out of giving myself a rating each day then looking at the scales.

I've had heaps of friends and family ask me how I lost weight - I am pulling all my tips together so that other people can use it. Let me know if you are interested

THANK you for sharing this tip! After reading your post, I looked up Fasting 16:8, and seem completely doable.

On days I unintentionally do this (just tired and fall asleep at 9pm,,and too busy to eat until around 11), I feel REALLY great..and I never really gave it much thought.
I seem to be sticking around the same weight for the last 5-6 months. I didn't mind all that much, since I started doing circuit training and resistance training 6 days a week, I've leaned out and dropped 2 pant sizes. I should have tracked inches instead of weight.

However, I still have that stubborn 10 lbs left to go to finally wear all my size 6's again

kayanow67 · March 2016

missblondi2u wrote: »

The most important thing is just logging everything you eat (every single bite) into your diary using accurate weight/measurements and correct database entries, and sticking to your calorie goal. Food is by far the biggest driver of weight loss. A good bit of my 50 pound weight loss was without any substantial exercise.

That being said, if you have the means, I suggest getting a Fitbit or other activity tracker. It has really helped motivate me to move a little more throughout the day by "rewarding" me extra calories to eat. It was a big realization for me that simply increasing daily activity (like walking around with my headset during conference calls or parking as far away as possible from the store) would have such a big effect on my weight loss. Earning those extra calories makes keeping a deficit much easier some days. And as a mom of a 2 1/2 year old, I was surprised how many steps running after a toddler will get you!

Finally, I think patience is also key to sticking with this. Set a reasonable rate of loss in MFP, and don't get bummed when you don't lose every single week, because it will happen, even if you do everything right.

Great advice...thanks..I am the most IMPATIENT person ever....but I'm glad that this App allows me to have others to encourage me through it.. Your awesome and thanks for taking the time!

kayanow67 · March 2016

IFerFerGood wrote: »

Hi,

I'm also a mom with 2 under 3, so can relate. After my last child, I wanted to lose at least 30lbs, and in the past 12 months I have managed to do so (don't really weigh myself now, so not sure what the final number is)...

Anyway - in the past I tried tracking calories, I tried having small snacks throughout the day, I tried going to the gym 5 xs a week, I tried Paleo and I tried protein shakes. I'd have small wins (or losses), but I always felt like I was walking on a tightrope, and one false move (or minor slipup) and I would fall back on my face.

So this is what I did:
1st - I dropped the dieting mindset. Historically I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and as quickly as I launched on a diet, I was off the wagon within days. For me, even the concept of 'dieting' sent my mind into a food-obsessed-frenzy and I craved foods that I normally didnt even eat. So i stopped telling myself I was on a diet - I quit eliminating food groups (paleo), and my mantra became - choose a diet you I can sustain for life.

As people have already mentioned - I started taking leftovers for lunch each day. This helped avoid unhealthy food choices at the cafe downstairs from work.

I also picked 4 healthy meals (made up of good level of protein, moderate carbs and heaps of veggies) - and that's what i just rotated through each week.. You might think the family would get sick of it, but surprisingly we dont. I saved the recipes for these meals in my phone, so if i was in the supermarket, i always knew what to buy. This really helped with those nights that I'd normally give in and say 'i cant be bothered thinking about dinner - why dont we get a pizza instead...' (I change up the 4 recipes every few weeks though)..

I also started doing Intermittent Fasting 16:8. It sounds scary and too hard, but it really isnt. You just stop eating at 8pm, and then skip breakfast and eat at midday. Previously I used to eat high carb breakfasts (cereals and toast) and I'd get the shakes a few hours after and need to eat. So the idea of fasting sounded ludicrous. But it isnt. If you have a really good high protein dinner with good fats and veggies, then you can sail through to the next day. I actually feel super pumped leading up to midday, and just have my black coffee (with butter) and teas or water.

There's also some standard bits of advice - i.e. avoid sugars, read your labels (you'll be surprised with the hidden sugar in everything), and make sure you eat protein in every meal (not like crazy obsessed Atkins style - just so that you are feeling full and not having the insulin spikes that carbs stimulate). Have heaps of good snacks on hand - i.e. nuts, boiled eggs, tins of tuna, veggie sticks and dip. Dont eat low fat stuff - its just loaded with sugar, you're actually better off eating full fat versions instead.

Oh, and the biggest thing for me - which without a doubt changed everything - was that I just started out by focusing on one thing each week. I didnt tackle all of the above all at the same time - because that would just be over the top and surely make me feel like i was on a diet. I just focused on establishing the habit, getting it bedded down, and then I moved onto the next thing. And I checked in with myself each night - asking myself 'did i try my best today to ...'(it might have just been drink 2L of water). and i'd rate myself.

I got so much more out of giving myself a rating each day then looking at the scales.

I've had heaps of friends and family ask me how I lost weight - I am pulling all my tips together so that other people can use it. Let me know if you are interested

Totally interested!..Thank you...Great tip on the fasting..Never heard of that till now..And if it works I'm in!....

sbrooks0387 · March 2016

i didn't read every comment so i may repeat but.....

i am a mom of 4 kids between the ages of 1 and 6. we live in a very rural area. and i do not go to the gym, for the simple reason that i do not have 3 hours in any day i want to routinely devote to going to the gym (1 hour driving there/dropping kids off at my moms, 1 hour working out, 1 hour getting back home/picking kids up). and if i don't drop the kids off at my mom's then i have to pay a sitter for 2.5 hours a day when i want to work out, and with 4 kids that adds up to a nice chunk of change.

watch what you drink, it is so easy to drink so many calories. especially if you do not measure it, guilty when i used to drink to chocolate milk, who knows how many servings of mix i added, but i know it wasn't one.

plan your meals out the day before. then you won't reach for something convenient when it's 1 p.m. and you still haven't gotten lunch cause you'll know exactly what you are having. and since i either have a salad or left overs for lunch it's relatively easy to prepare. actually, just moving your breakfast/lunch/dinner times to some other time when the kids don't need attention works well too. i eat a very late breakfast and a late lunch so that i can get the kids all settled before i get food.

weigh/measure all of your food.

check the labels (i know this was said already) low calorie is not a good thing when there is so much added sugar. the reg. variety taste better and has less sugar.

a crockpot is amazing. throw some meat in it and 5 p.m. that day all you have to do is make a veggie and voila dinner!

i walk whenever the weather permits.

kayanow67 · March 2016

sbrooks0387 wrote: »

i didn't read every comment so i may repeat but.....

i am a mom of 4 kids between the ages of 1 and 6. we live in a very rural area. and i do not go to the gym, for the simple reason that i do not have 3 hours in any day i want to routinely devote to going to the gym (1 hour driving there/dropping kids off at my moms, 1 hour working out, 1 hour getting back home/picking kids up). and if i don't drop the kids off at my mom's then i have to pay a sitter for 2.5 hours a day when i want to work out, and with 4 kids that adds up to a nice chunk of change.

watch what you drink, it is so easy to drink so many calories. especially if you do not measure it, guilty when i used to drink to chocolate milk, who knows how many servings of mix i added, but i know it wasn't one.

plan your meals out the day before. then you won't reach for something convenient when it's 1 p.m. and you still haven't gotten lunch cause you'll know exactly what you are having. and since i either have a salad or left overs for lunch it's relatively easy to prepare. actually, just moving your breakfast/lunch/dinner times to some other time when the kids don't need attention works well too. i eat a very late breakfast and a late lunch so that i can get the kids all settled before i get food.

weigh/measure all of your food.

check the labels (i know this was said already) low calorie is not a good thing when there is so much added sugar. the reg. variety taste better and has less sugar.

a crockpot is amazing. throw some meat in it and 5 p.m. that day all you have to do is make a veggie and voila dinner!

i walk whenever the weather permits.

Good Idea on meal prep!..gonna start..I have a few friends doing that And it seems to be working....Sooo you like chocolate milk?..meee tooooo...But I've recently switched to Almond milk(chocolate)..love it and less calories...just FYI...and thanks for responding

kayanow67 · March 2016

sbrooks0387 wrote: »

i didn't read every comment so i may repeat but.....

i am a mom of 4 kids between the ages of 1 and 6. we live in a very rural area. and i do not go to the gym, for the simple reason that i do not have 3 hours in any day i want to routinely devote to going to the gym (1 hour driving there/dropping kids off at my moms, 1 hour working out, 1 hour getting back home/picking kids up). and if i don't drop the kids off at my mom's then i have to pay a sitter for 2.5 hours a day when i want to work out, and with 4 kids that adds up to a nice chunk of change.

watch what you drink, it is so easy to drink so many calories. especially if you do not measure it, guilty when i used to drink to chocolate milk, who knows how many servings of mix i added, but i know it wasn't one.

plan your meals out the day before. then you won't reach for something convenient when it's 1 p.m. and you still haven't gotten lunch cause you'll know exactly what you are having. and since i either have a salad or left overs for lunch it's relatively easy to prepare. actually, just moving your breakfast/lunch/dinner times to some other time when the kids don't need attention works well too. i eat a very late breakfast and a late lunch so that i can get the kids all settled before i get food.

weigh/measure all of your food.

check the labels (i know this was said already) low calorie is not a good thing when there is so much added sugar. the reg. variety taste better and has less sugar.

a crockpot is amazing. throw some meat in it and 5 p.m. that day all you have to do is make a veggie and voila dinner!

i walk whenever the weather permits.

Crockpit IS a time saver...just seems I'm making the same thing over and over!Any recipes you'd like to share and I'm all ears... Thanks

kayanow67 · March 2016

Skillet007 wrote: »

I'm not a mom but I'm definitely busy. I go to classes five times a week, I'm in two clubs, work a part time job, and play music in a group. When I started losing weight I wasn't sure what to do. My life consisted of prepackaged food and take out.

When I found MFP, I didn't really think it would work for me. I did it's little quiz and it told me how much to eat and I decided to take a few steps on faith.

After a few weeks on my same diet (just monitoring calories) I noticed some lbs coming off. Problem was I was still kinda hungry. Turns out prepackaged food has a lot of calories in small servings. So I started to cook meals, a lot of them bulk but they are healthy and fill me up. There are several days that I'm pretty far below my calorie goals (when you're not hungry you're not hungry).

I guess my advice to you would be to try to find out what your calorie goals are and start taking baby steps to find out what works for you. Since you're a Mom, I'd use my Mom powers to see if you can get the other members of your household to make better nutritional choices. It'll make it easier for you! I thought that it would be really hard to learn to "eat right" but the more I do it the easier it gets. I bring my lunches to college every day and enjoy them while I'm surrounded by students eating from the fast food places in the college food court. Try to commit about three weeks to these changes. I promise that if you commit to the change you'll find that at the end of three weeks you'll be proud of yourself and starting to feel better already.

I started with baby steps and unsure that I could do it. Now I'm going to the gym about 4x a week, getting healthier by the day, making good food decisions, and starting to get compliments.

I have faith in you! You can do it!!!!!

Yes...I have joined Zumba and love it!!!I love to dance...I should have started a long time ago....well enough with the shoulda..coulda...woulddaaaa....rite!!!??Its all about the NOW... Thanks for the great tips

Frustrated and need guidance!..Any tips?...

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