Mom of 4. Started logging in 2011, but cnt get myself back at it

melnikn

Brief history. I lost my baby weight after 2nd & 3rd the by logging and exercising. But now after 4th I just dnt have the will power and lack of time to do either. I have 20lbs to lose.
I was a stay home mom w all 3 kids. But started goin to work after having my 4th.
I have tried to to back 2 logging but the time it takes to measure everything out amd weigh it is just difficult when ur tryin 2 feed a family of 5. Getting a workout in is maybe 2x a week. Im at loss. I dnt know how to get on track. I feel like i dnt know how much i shld eat or how much i shld workout.

Bex953172

I'm a mum of 2, a 3yo and an 11mo. I'm a SAHM and my 'work' is caring for my partner.
Could you prepare meals earlier so you know how much it weighs?
I just keep the scales out tbh, whack my plate on it and just write down on a peice of paper what it was and the weight, I log it after I've eaten.
As for exercise,for me its either 5am before they get up,or about 9pm when they're in bed. And I just do workouts At home from YouTube on the telly.

I wouldn't try do everything at once.
Figure out if and when you have a little spare time and schedule that in for using mfp.
Get notepad and just write down what you eat rather than messing around on the app! And log it all later on!

Then once you get the hang of starting to log then incorporate the exercise.
What are your MFP settings? How much havea you set it to lose per week?

No one can give you the will power, if you really want to lose them 20lbs (which is very achievable) then you're going to have to make time somewhere!
Do you have a partner that can have the kids for an hour and keep them out your way to do what you need to do?

nqfafa

It is incredibly hard to balance the demands of a large family with work and self care... First and foremost, be gentle with yourself and just do the best you can in any given day. There are lots of things these days that make it a little easier to track food, like individual serving sizes of hummus, guac,veggies, etc. I have found during busy times that this helps me when I don't have a lot of meal planning time. Sometimes I just grab sliced turkey and a bag of salad or a bag of frozen vegetables and a cooked chicken breast and I am out the door. Sometimes I spend a day cooking and measuring meals for the week... depends on what is going on with work and family. I track the best I can and try not to worry about it too much as long as I am making my best efforts...

As far as working out... I have looked online and found some fun ideas for workouts with the kids. It gets them into a healthy mindset, is fun bonding time, and gives me a bit more exercise than I would otherwise have. I also look up desk workouts, and try to do a squats and lunges when I am cleaning up at night or doing other chores.

Basically, I just try to keep my health in the forefront of my mind and make the healthiest possible choices in each moment... including lowering the stress of trying to do it all! I have lost 75lbs overall and got a bit stalled for a while... now I am back at it and down 2 lbs this week with 50 to go.

Luna3386

Maybe start with baby steps? What's a smaller task you can set into motion that won't be overwhelming? Do that until it's a habit and then add in something new.

Or maybe, what's the hardest part for you? Getting home from work and just snacking? Maybe make a plan on how to approach it.

Get your eating in check first. You don't even have to start by weighing food. Maybe try to make your portion smaller, or don't go back for seconds, etc. Good luck!