Busy working moms

jpresley7979

I recently went back to work after being a stay at home mom. I sit most of the day now. I stress eat, graze the snacks in the break room and eat out more. I'm also rushed and throw together dinners that are not the healthiest but they are quickest.
Any advice for a very busy working mom trying to loose weight, with "no" time to work out? I already get up at 5, and want to crash by 9:30 after getting the kids to sports, house chores (dishes, laundry) & homework done.
What has worked for others?
And anyone out there in a similar situation want to be accountability friends?
Thanks!

BananaJoanna

I'm in a similar situation, except I don't have to get up as early unless I'm exercising. My way of exercising is to go to bed early and get up early, but it seems you're already doing that. Is there any way you could let the chores slide a bit, or get some help? I've never been a SAHM, so mild chaos is my normal, but I know my SAHM friends do a TON more housework than I have ever done as a working mom. Is it ideal? No. But it helps me fit in some time for healthy cooking and fitness. Besides, we can clean the house for a visit from the in-laws in 20 Minutes flat. Oh! And meal planning will SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Wiggymommy

You can friend me. I'm a single, working mother of two and have been losing and dealing with the whole 0 time to myself, no time for elaborate cooking etc. Just some tips. I eat protein shakes, food prep on sundays and work out after dinner but before the kids go to bed. I cut out eating out and make food choices as simple as possible. Could be a bit boring but as the above poster said meal planning is key. I have a freezer full of soups etc...

marashay001

Same boat with working full time, activities after school for the kids. I used to get up at 4:30 to exercise but I switched job locations for what I thought would be less work and now have to get up at 4:30 to be on time to work. I agree with all of you about your tips. We crock pot meals when we can so I'm always on he lookout for healthy recipes. I've divided the chores and was happy to pay a little more allowance for the help. I pack healthy lunches and snacks so I'm not eating crap at work. Sometimes finding time to workout is my biggest challenge.

BananaJoanna

Here's a huge thumbs up to bringing lunch to work. It's probably the single habit change that has had the biggest impact these past few weeks, on both my body and my budget! Sometimes I still bring it to a local food court, though, as buying lunch was as much about getting out of the office as it was about eating. But I found the days where I would convince myself that having pizza for lunch "just this once!" were happening a couple of times a week, and I was paying for it!

ARCHMB

This is my first post - was looking for a good fit and hopefully this is it. I'm also a working mom of two with a very long commute. Not much time to exercise, though if I find it, I'm usually too tired to do anything. I agree wholeheartedly with a previous post about taking lunch to work. It really helps keep me on track during the day. My challenge is on the evenings when I need to feed the family, or on the weekends when all bets are off. I will try weekend mail prep to see how it goes. Any good recipe suggestions for that?

BananaJoanna

ARCHMB wrote: »

I will try weekend mail prep to see how it goes. Any good recipe suggestions for that?

Do you have a slow cooker? This is what started getting into meal prep when I returned to work: http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

ARCHMB

Yes, I do have a slow cooker. Thanks so much! I will try some of these receipes - there are a lot! - and let you know how they turn out. If you have any favorites, let me know. Thanks again!

Thick_n_Fit_Mom

jpresley7979 wrote: »

I recently went back to work after being a stay at home mom. I sit most of the day now. I stress eat, graze the snacks in the break room and eat out more. I'm also rushed and throw together dinners that are not the healthiest but they are quickest.
Any advice for a very busy working mom trying to loose weight, with "no" time to work out? I already get up at 5, and want to crash by 9:30 after getting the kids to sports, house chores (dishes, laundry) & homework done.
What has worked for others?
And anyone out there in a similar situation want to be accountability friends?
Thanks!

It comes down to making yourself and fitness a priority! I too am a,working mom, however, I made the decision , to make my fitness, nutrition or whatever it may be, a priority just like everything else in my life. If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way! #NOEXCUSES

mlrtri

Meal prep on weekends is a life saver. Crock pot and my new favorite Instapot are very helpful. I do a lot of doubling what I make and freezing meals for later. It's not easy. I have scheduled 2 times for me to go to the gym each week and I make myself go. That was all I could make it happen with all our schedules. I then exercise at home 1 other time and try to add my kids into activities. We take a lot of hikes, bike rides and play a lot of tag. I have let the barriers in my way keep me from getting healthy in the past. I have decided to address my barriers and come up with a plan of action. Maybe you walk while waiting on a child at his/her after school activity . Maybe you take a 20 min walk after dinner each night or do some home exercises a few times a week. It's not easy but it is worth it. I can not believe how much more energy I have since I started exercising. Happy to cheer you on if you need a friend.

anglilacs

I'm not as busy as some of you who posted. My husband does his fair share and the kids are not in as many evening activities yet. But, I always seem to be tired nonetheless. So, I walk 15 min in the morning, 25 at lunch, and 15 min before I get the kids on the drive home. Much more doable for me than trying to do one long chunk. I also cut way back on drinking - down to once every two weeks, which really helps me.

I've accepted that it will take me a while to lose the weight. Most days, I'm under my cals out but not always by 500 calories. I take pride in the small changes I've made and I'm seeing changes on the scale now too.

BananaJoanna

mlrtri wrote: »

Meal prep on weekends is a life saver. Crock pot and my new favorite Instapot are very helpful.

HIGH FIVE, fellow Instant Pot lover! This changed my life.

mlrtri

BananaJoanna wrote: »

mlrtri wrote: »

Meal prep on weekends is a life saver. Crock pot and my new favorite Instapot are very helpful.

HIGH FIVE, fellow Instant Pot lover! This changed my life.

Healthy, fast, tasty.... I was skeptical at first but it has delivered in all areas.


I think when we are moms (parents) and spread so thin already it is important to have patience. I can't get a ton of hours in at the gym but as long as I am slowly chopping away at this extra weight I am happy (or trying to be). Get your meals figured out and add a few exercises in. You can always add more. And seriously, get an instapot.

adrscheuerman

Yaaasss! I am struggling with getting a good support network! Add me!

MTmimi

Hi there! I'm another full-time working Mom. It's not easy to juggle it all and take care of yourself too. But we can do this! I like a lot of the tricks that the other Moms use to fit in their exercise and better food choices. Some other things that I do are: get help with cleaning (and don't fret over a little mess)/ meal prep; have gym buddies with kids; use the day care at the gym; take walks at lunch; eat healthy left-overs for lunch; and pitch a fit if my husband doesn't step up ;-) I know not everyone is in a position to get help with housework- but it is a great way to free up some of your precious time- plus you've delegated that job to someone else. My hubbie pushed back on this one (didn't want a stranger in our house/ too expensive etc) and still complains...but boy what a relief for me. I'll never look back. My friend tells me that you can get local kids to help with homework, and you can even farm out the drop-off/ pick ups for activities. I haven't gone that far yet. My other big liberator is the gym day care. My kids weren't big fans originally, but I bribed them with vending machine drinks that I quickly weened them off of, and I make sure that they are buddies with my gym buddies kids. I also think that you should enlist your husband's help in finding more time to take care of yourself. Now that you are at work full- time you should share the responsibilities at home. I know that this isn't always easy to accomplish...but my trick is being a little lazy (just not doing things), a little sweet ( understanding when he needs time/ making time for us), and a little mean (making a stink about it when he falls short).

simply_sarah_

I am in the same boat, newly back to work mom with no time to work out! For dinners we've started cooking only on two week nights and having leftovers the other weeknights. That's been helpful, but requires cooking extra when we do cook (usually about 4 nights a week total). Since I don't have the time or energy for exercise yet, I am starting by just tracking everything I eat and aiming for the calories required for "maintenance" or slightly below. Two weeks in and I'm losing weight, so I'll take it! Obviously even though I'm sedentary, I must be burning enough over supposed "maintenance" that there's a deficit. My next goal is to try to incorporate 10-15 minutes workouts using exercise videos 2 or 3 nights a week after putting toddler to bed. I do like and believe in the value of exercise, but my life feels so hectic that this seems the most feasible for now! Good luck!

willow00

I’m in the same boat. My kids are 7 & 10, so it’s a bit easier to get some exercise time in. I’m in a registered hiit class twice a week. I found having a commitment meant the family worked around it and I couldn’t put it on the back burner till I’d finished all the chores. On the weekend i make a big pot of soup & freeze the extras in lunch sized containers. I can grab a different soup for work each morning as I rush out the door. One other thing that helped was my husband got an Apple Watch and he’s more motivated to walk with me to get his steps in.
My biggest challenge right now is evening snacking. I’m trying to notice when I’m eating out of exhaustion & just going to bed & leaving chores for the morning. Looking forward to having some support & tips