Desperate mothers plea for help...

red99ryder

oliverneedsyou wrote: »

How are you doing OP?

Thank you for following up

Good luck

Intentional_Me

red99ryder wrote: »

oliverneedsyou wrote: »

How are you doing OP?

Thank you for following up

Good luck

I remember being there at one point

DebSozo

OP you seem ready. We will be rooting for you!

angelexperiment

My advice is do this for you, this is your journey no one else's. And monkey see monkey do. Be the example. Without a word my kids saw me day in day out exercise prep my meals eat my foods and one day hey mom can I have what your having? Or I want a salad like you mom! ( crazy? But true it happened to me!) I did have to have talks with them about certain foods I just can't have around me certain times it too tempting and a fight for me ( so my hubby stopped buying Nutella or chocolate for awhile or we strategically hid it from me so I would not eat it)

While it would be so easy to eat the same I had to learn I can't eat foods my kids eat, or have a very tiny portion but ultimately in time I learned I wanted to spend my calories more wisely and after awhile those foods were yucky tasting to me.

And finding a diet that was effortless to stick to was the biggest thing for me! No need to cheat or feel deprived. It's a struggle not to eat as much as you are used to but u do adjust. Learning how to weigh my food, calorie count, and accurately track foods, meal plan, meal prep and exercise were huge things in my actual weight loss journey and learning my magic number I lose at.

In time with consistency it becomes a habit and sooner or later your family will join you! It takes awhile so be patient!

laur357

There's some good advice here. I second @Francl27 's advice to try some recipes on Skinny Taste - lots of family favorites with calories and other nutritional info plotted out. If you're cooking, you might find some recipes there both you and your family enjoy without going totally off the rails from what you're normally making.

Having a general plan for what I'm going to eat in a week has probably been the single most beneficial step for my weight loss. I have lower-calorie standards for lunch on days I'm going to restaurant, getting Chinese with my boyfriend, whatever - planning is how I can eat most things in moderation and not miss out on social events involving food.

So maybe try planning meals with your family ahead of time - see what they want to eat, think about what you want to eat, and figure out a way to make it happen. Weight loss doesn't have to be boring or bland. Mix and match to suit your needs:

Cut your portion sizes

Make the main dish your family suggests and pair with a lower calorie side you want or the other way around

Have a 'fend for yourself' night where everyone grabs what they want

Have a night where everyone tries a new food

Cook with your kids so they learn what goes into their meals

Meal prep so you have ready-to-go food you're comfortable with while they eat what they want for dinner

Pre-portion snacks when they come in to the house so you don't have a whole family-sized bag within reach

Use behavioral strategies to break down food habits - use a smaller plate and spend time making it look nice before eating, eat all food sitting down at a table, keep serving bowls in the kitchen instead of on the dining table so you have to consciously think about grabbing a second helping, drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes before indulging a craving, etc.

girlwithcurls2

jemhh wrote: »

The only thing you need to do to lose weight is eat less.

You don't need anybody to help you.

You don't need to eat specific foods.

You don't need to jump into exercising first thing.

Start with the most basic step, which is eating a little bit less. Eat 1 scoop of mashed potatoes instead of 2, 2 eggs instead of 3, half the amount of butter on your toast as normal, etc. Small changes can and will add up.

Awesome advice, drilled down to the most important bits. Do this for you. Don't worry about everybody else. If they don't like what you cook, they can cook for themselves. Make changes slowly. Little by little, the weight will come off. You can do this. Many of us got here by desperation.

lynnskaggs

The best thing I have done is set myself up with a group of people who keep me accountable, invite me to run or walk with them and share our meal ideas and then if I'm tempted to cheat I can text them but we also all weigh in mo day mornings and report our losses or gains

kenyonhaff

Hey, Momma, you have solidarity here! It's so hard to realize that unless you take care of YOURSELF, you won't be the best mother and wife you can be. If you don't pay attention to what you eat and get exercise, you won't be around that long, and you can't set a good example for your family.

You have the right and duty to provide healthy, balanced food for you and your family--that doesn't mean no goodies once in a while! And you don't have to give up "normal" food, just rebalance it. If they don't like it, they can buy it an prepare it themselves. (It's not that much fun once they realize how much work cooking really is).

dcdickerson2

If you have a tendency to finish your children's food/drink, start by NEVER eating their leftovers. I stopped eating after my kids when I got tired of catching every bug and runny nose they brought home... and I was always the last in the family to come down with whatever it was. If my children even drank from my glass, I quietly left it sit and got another drink later. It worked! I stopped getting sick so often, but the BONUS was that I lost about 10 lbs without even trying!!!

leanjogreen18

Take the lead and set by example. Looking at it this way may help you stay on target even with foods that may tempt you.