Losing Weight as a SAHM

kristielove

I could write a book on all of my struggles losing weight as a stay at home mom, but I won't. Here are the facts: I have a 9 yr old, 15 month old and a 3 month old. My down falls are having a sweet tooth, and over all, just wanting to snack on the snack foods we have around the house. I'm a navy vet who for almost 11 years got high intensity cardio. I discharged in Aug 2014. I gained about 15 lbs after getting out, and have gained another 11 pounds after having the babies. I'm also a full time student (night classes on Mon and Tue. With class Sat morning). I need suggestions from other stay at home moms. I usually try to incorporate 3 walks per week with the little ones in a stroller (I go for 2.5 miles approximately). We do normally eat out on the week ends more at like Chick fila, or KFC. We had Olive Garden this weekend. I know that doesn't help, but I want to enjoy myself in some way.

annacole94

1) You control the snack foods in your house. Make them good. Good for you is also good for the kids! Snack on fruit and veggies.

2) Try to make the walk a daily plan rather than a few times a week.

3) If you're nursing, you need more calories than if you're not.

4) You know fried chicken and Olive Garden isn't helping. Look up the actual calories for the meals. Log everything. You'll likely make better choices (even in the same restaurants) once you see how crazy they are.

5) Be kind to yourself. If you're exhausted and generally having a tough time (which with two under two, sounds likely), it's ok. If you're not ready to lose, plan to maintain for a while and go hard when you've got more energy reserves.

genpopadopolous

Stay at home mom here.

It's calories. Calories, calories, calories.

It's hard to outrun a bad diet, it's impossible with kids in tow. You have to eat less than you burn.

We eat out occasionally- I make better choices or cut the meal in half/thirds and safe the rest for later.

I like to feel full, so I eat a lot of salads, veggies and fruits because I can eat a bigger volume.

I do chores inefficiently, like I fold laundry in the dining room and walk each stack back to the drawers separately. Picking up, I put everything toy away separately- things like that.

Mine are 3 and 5 so they are capable of letting me get my workouts in, but really that only gives me 100-300 calories in those days. Fried chicken isn't 100 calories.

It isn't easy. But it's​ simple. We have to eat less than we burn!

MeredithDeVoe1

Keep the kind of snacks ready in the fridge that will not blow your calorie count, and give you the protein you need: carrot sticks, cucumber slices, boiled eggs, turkey slices, apples, orange sections, celery, and so on.

Even the 9 year old goes to bed at some point, right? Take some time in the evening to prepare for the next day-- this has been a huge help for me (in Nigeria there is seldom electricity in the mornings so I concoct my yummy smoothies at night while I can run the blender).

Eyeball portion sizes at all times. If you can, measure or weigh. Remember that studies prove that the first 2-3 bites of something give the most enjoyment, so why eat a cup of rice when 1/2 cup is no less enjoyable? Pile on the veggies if you are really hungry.

You can still do some of those Navy-era exercises at home, even with kids underfoot. Put on some jazzy music and do push-ups, bicycle crunches, jumping jacks, planks, dead bugs and bird dogs. The kids will love it, and you will build muscle.

Enjoy those kids while they are small. They don't care about your body size, as long as your arms still wrap around them.

kshama2001

Heya, Air Force vet here.

My mom was a SAHM and didn't have any weight issues. We had healthy snacks and no KFC or Olive Garden, and she was very active. She had flower and vegetable gardens and did most of the maintenance on the house. We had a wood stove and bought logs for it, which she chainsawed. My grandfather bought her that chainsaw for her birthday one year. The hammer was called "Mommy's hammer" lol.

Not suggesting YOU have to get a wood stove, lol, but if you want to lose weight while continuing to eat high calorie meals, you'll have to earn them via exercise or cutting back at other meals.

kristielove

I get what everyone is saying about the high calorie meals, however, we don't eat out every day. Typically throughout the week the meals are cooked at home and very balanced. Saturday's are when we go out as a family, and we eat out together for enjoyment. I have fruits and plenty of veggies around the house. I like the suggestion of filling up on the veggies, and preparing it ahead of time. I find that when I deprive myself from all non healthy foods, and I don't see much progress, I temporarily give in and over indulge in those foods. But great suggestions, and points taken

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I work from home, so yeah, the snacking is horrible. I try to avoid buying things I really like (Oreos) and I won't even allow myself small portions of somethings I know I won't be able to limit (Cheezits). I try to skip breakfast, eat high protein for lunch, dinners with the family and really limit after dinner snacking. This can work with big weekend meals too.

Also, maybe workout a standing appointment with your husband to get yourself at least one long weekend workout every week. Or is a gym with a daycare an option?

ruqayyahsmum

Theres 2 options for food in my house. Its called take it or leave it. Im in charge of the kitchen and buy what i want folks to eat, they can eat other foods outside of the house

I have 2 high needs children. An 11 year old with disabilities and a 14 month old who after being born 15 weeks has lung disease and development issues so the gym is out.

Instead i used my gym membership fee for the next 2 years and purchased a treadmill, rowing machine and dumbbells (ok maybe more like 3 years lol)

I also carry my son on walks usually on my front but we hike 5 -6 miles on a sunday so he goes on my back

annacole94

It's easy to overeat good food. It's easy to have "once in a while" treat food situations come up several times a week. No, it's not your one Sunday meal that got you where you are. It's every meal, every day. So you can plan to have the calories banked to eat the fried chicken, but if you don't, that can be the 1,000 calories over maintenance in your week that leads to the slow creep over many weeks.

I bought kettlebells because they give me a kick-butt workout in a short time (like, 15-30 min) and don't take much room to store. A gym with a daycare would be amazing if you can afford it, but that wasn't in the cards for us when I was home.

alazio

Another SAHM here. Just a thought, since you have such a disciplined background, maybe you can use that to your advantage here. As a busy busy mom it's hard to add things to your schedule… More home-cooked meals, more workouts, etc etc. I would say to myself, what do I have the military discipline to take away? Can I live with hunger between meals a little bit longer before snacking? Can I get by on a smaller order at that restaurant then I otherwise would? ...that kind of thing. Sometimes doing less is the key.

EmbeeKay

SAHM here too. I have a four-year-old, three-year-old, 16-month-old, and I'm pregnant with our final baby, due in July. I've chosen this pregnancy to keep tracking my calories (obviously not to lose weight, just to avoid gaining excess weight) to make the pregnancy easier to manage (I always seem to blow up bigger each time). A couple tips that have worked for me:

1. I try to drink water all day. I keep a quart size jar full of water with a straw on the counter. If I sit down to feed the baby or take a break and check my phone I just absentmindedly drink it. If my stomach is full of water I find I am not "bored hungry," and sometimes I tell myself, after I drink this quart of water, if I'm still hungry, I'll eat my lunch or snack or whatever. And more often than not, the water was what I was truly craving.
2. I make a big batch of this cabbage soup (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13116/cabbage-fat-burning-soup/) and add ground venison for protein, freezing it in 3 cup portions. If I am hungry I can have a good size bowl for few calories. I think it tastes great too.
3. I have been doing these workouts on a two-week cycle since I had my last baby. They are short, sweet, and allow for progressive overload as well as getting your heart rate up. There are 13 workouts meant to be done over a period of 15 days, and I do them first thing in the morning which makes the whole day feel like a win. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j4v7vnw-E7M)
4. I go with what my body is craving. If I'm not hungry in the morning, I don't eat. If I am desperate for some cheezits in the afternoon, I go with it and I log it. Last night I was craving peanuts in the shell; I told myself I'd wait until after bedtime but I was just craving them so much! So I just sat down and ate a little bowl and logged it and it was like my stomach was magically happy and stopped complaining. Sometimes I'll eat the bulk of my calories on a snacking spree at 3 PM and I hardly have enough for a small dinner, but I find that since I satisfied my appetite when I was really hungry, I'm not hungry for dinner. I feel like it's hard to tear yourself away from all the popular science/Pinterest tips like the "right" foods to eat and the "right" times to eat them. Figure out what your rhythm is and go with it.

Good luck and feel free to add me if you want

panda4153

Hello, I am not a SAHM, but really whether your are a SAHM or a Working mom, it doesn't really matter. It is about making your health and fitness a priority or not. I commute to a very demanding job 90minutes each way Monday through Friday, I have 3 kids who are very active in school activities, and I still do most of the cooking, cleaning, and shopping for the household. I also make it a priority to work out every day, and I know my food choices are my own. Some days I do better then others, but overall I have lost 55lbs that I have kept off for 3 years. A lot of gyms have child care available, you can work out have some me time, and know your kids are taken care of. Do some workouts in the house while the kids nap. Get up earlier then everyone and get a work out in. There are ways, its hard sometimes to find the motivation.

hannys

SAHM to a 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old.

I simply know what I want and stick to it. The kids all eat 5 times per day at the same time and that's it. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Food is only eaten at the table (unless we're out, of cours) - this makes it FAR less likely that I'll aimlessly graze throughout the day and it's teaching the kids healthy eating habits. I often eat meals with them, but use their snack times to clean up some kind of disaster they've created.

I use the treadmill during nap time. We also have a YMCA membership so I can work put at the gym while they're in child watch there - they enjoy it and I get a break.

Obviously scheduling with an infant is a little more difficult, but getting everyone on a similar (as best as possible) was crucial for my overall sanity! Haha

kristielove

@panda4153 I only asked for SAHM suggestions bc I feel they can relate more. I too have been a working mother, but find there a many differences and some similarities. Gym is not an option for me. Plus I have a three month old and school work that minimizes the amount of sleep I get. I would say naps, but normally the 15 month old only naps once during the day and that can vary from 25 mins to 40. During that time, the 3 month old normally wakes up to be fed changed etc. or I'm washing bottles, and cleaning up the kitchen in prep for cooking dinner later. As for working out every day, I suppose I could add in 2 more walks per week, but sometimes my schedule won't allow for it, or I'm to depleted to do it. Kudos to those who can. As I stated before, I'm a vet who had to maintain body weight for 11 years. What's challenging is staying at home all day when most of my adult life I've worked. This is where the SAHM pros are insightful. I've only been doing it for 1 1/2 years. It's certainly more challenging than I ever would have thought. That's why I'm here tho

Chef_Barbell

Im a SAHM of 5 (16,15,12,7 and 4 months). I can relate that it's damn hard work! Naps and showers are a luxury. There's never any time and the lack of sleep is problematic. Sorry I don't have much advice but it does get easier. I forgot how hard this baby stage was until now lol.

kristielove

@Chef_Barbell yes, it is not easy. I'm so finished with having anymore children at this point. I had a point after bringing the youngest one home, and asking myself "what the hell were you thinking" lol. Between myself and the hubby we are spent. This semester in school has been good but rough too. It's good to be able to converse with someone who understands. How are you managing with weight loss?

Chef_Barbell

kristielove wrote: »

@Chef_Barbell yes, it is not easy. I'm so finished with having anymore children at this point. I had a point after bringing the youngest one home, and asking myself "what the hell were you thinking" lol. Between myself and the hubby we are spent. This semester in school has been good but rough too. It's good to be able to converse with someone who understands. How are you managing with weight loss?

Haha I'm not. Something had to give and sadly it was the weight loss for right now. The funny part is that I was very much into fitness and lifting (still am) but when there is no time there just is no time. Beating myself up over missing the gym or not logging food was getting in the way of enjoying my baby.

kristielove

@Chef_Barbell I understand. I'm just trying to stay on some type of course so I don't regain what I've lost this far, and maybe lose some more

Chef_Barbell

kristielove wrote: »

@Chef_Barbell I understand. I'm just trying to stay on some type of course so I don't regain what I've lost this far, and maybe lose some more

You got this! Baby slept through the night last night and I hope this is permanent so I can get back on track. At least I'm not gaining, I'm eating at maintenance intuitively.

kristielove

@Chef_Barbell Thanks! I wish you well in your weight loss journey. As a side note, I'm a chef too, well, I completed training at Le Cordon Bleu. Maybe we should come up with good tasting and healthy recipes

ghostmountainpants

Hi there. SAHM mom here. There are great suggestions from everyone already but I wanted to add in one thing that has helped me. Last year I lost 17 pounds without changing anything I ate by doing intermittent fasting. I stopped eating/drinking anything (except water) by 7pm and did not eat again until 11am the next day. It took me awhile to get used to it but now it comes naturally. I've been stuck at the same weight for awhile so I'm now counting calories and starting to finally work out, now that my daughter is old enough for me to. I am continuing the intermittent fasting still. Good luck!