Open to suggestions/tips

GingerB88529

I'm not looking to go on a "diet", more so looking to change my life style and habits. Any suggestions on making the transition to a healthier life would be great! I'm a busy single mom of 3 little ones and work a full time job during the day/evening. I'm looking for the best at home work outs to help lose the first 10 pounds until I find the right gym or class. Wish me luck

MichelleSilverleaf

Stick with things you like, don't go chucking out things you enjoy in the name of "healthy". Learn to make things like desserts and calorie dense meals work in your calorie budget, or find lower calorie replacements that you like (for example more often than not I'll swap ice cream out for sorbet, can't go wrong with an 80 cal treat!). Get yourself a food scale and weigh everything but liquids, prepping ahead of time will help if weighing all the time is difficult and it's just plain convenient. A calorie deficit is what will help you lose weight, but if you want some stuff you can do at home bodyweights are nice and convenient (some in this link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1), there's also things like yoga and probably a plethora of different exercises on youtube that you could do at home. And take it all one step at a time, don't overwhelm yourself with many changes at once.

W8WarI

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

Stick with things you like, don't go chucking out things you enjoy in the name of "healthy". Learn to make things like desserts and calorie dense meals work in your calorie budget, or find lower calorie replacements that you like (for example more often than not I'll swap ice cream out for sorbet, can't go wrong with an 80 cal treat!). Get yourself a food scale and weigh everything but liquids, prepping ahead of time will help if weighing all the time is difficult and it's just plain convenient. A calorie deficit is what will help you lose weight, but if you want some stuff you can do at home bodyweights are nice and convenient (some in this link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1), there's also things like yoga and probably a plethora of different exercises on youtube that you could do at home. And take it all one step at a time, don't overwhelm yourself with many changes at once.

I also'd weigh liquids because of surface tension!

Plus when sick, cough syrup {liquid medicine}; has calories too!

kommodevaran

A good lifestyle change can feel remarkably unremarkable. To lose weight, you basically just have to eat less. Getting in good routines is instrumental. My suggestions are like Michelle's - work with what you have. You don't necessarily have to go to a gym, or do any dedicated workout - parenthood and work has you moving already. Don't add more time consuming tasks. Schedule and combine tasks. Cook and eat family meals together.

Presleykay22

I used YouTube for workout video till I found a gym that worked for me

amusedmonkey

A diet that you enjoy is more likely to stay. I would log your foods without sticking to calories first just to observe where most of your calories come from. Then you could think of ways to either reduce the quantity, frequency or change the way you prepare these foods. I also find it helpful to have a few "go to" meals that I know are satisfying when I don't feel like thinking too much about jigsawing my food into my calorie budget.

One more tip is I found helpful is to re-arrange my fridge where lower calorie items are easier to see and grab and higher calorie items are hidden in the corner or under some other container. The act of having to move stuff around to reach for a higher calorie item becomes a conscious decision instead of a mindless "see and grab" action, and would usually mean you are planning for it that day, at least that's how it works for me. Same goes for pantry items. I have canned beans and weetabix in the front (I don't tend to overeat those, your chosen items may be different) and condensed milk in the back under a hundred boxes and cans.