Coming back... yet again!

Caz_Campbell

I'm away on holiday at the moment but when we get back, I'm going to really try and get back to a focused plan.

I'm 32, work full time and married with 2 children aged 2 and 4. I find it hard sometimes balancing everything but I need to make my health and happiness a priority. I've got about 6.5 stone that I want to lose so it's not like it's just a few lbs.

I've followed many different plans previously, with varying degrees of success but I'm going to give it a go going back to calorie counting. I feel like I want to exercise but I want there to be a bit of motivation to, if that makes sense. On a day I'm struggling a bit, I could allow myself an extra 200 calories if I set myself a target of say burning 300. I was at my lowest weight around the time I met my husband and that was through using MFP to calorie count. I'd reached a point where I genuinely enjoyed exercise and felt motivated enough that I would wake up an hour early (normally 5.30/6am) to be able to do a work out at home. I want to get back to that place where I'm just focused on what really matters - losing weight so I'm happier, so I'm healthier, so I'm a good role model for my children, so my weight never holds me back.

So calorie counting and exercise. Some days it'll probably just be a walk on my lunch break but we're going to get our garage set back up with the exercise bike, weights and yoga mat space for kettlebells, pilates etc.

Can anyone recommend a good book that might help to motivate me? Or work on changing some of my approaches/attitudes towards food?

Anyone in a similar kind of position and want to buddy up?

tinkerbellang83

Caz_Campbell wrote: »

I've followed many different plans previously, with varying degrees of success but I'm going to give it a go going back to calorie counting. I feel like I want to exercise but I want there to be a bit of motivation to, if that makes sense. On a day I'm struggling a bit, I could allow myself an extra 200 calories if I set myself a target of say burning 300.

Might be reading this wrong but are you saying if you feel hungrier, you plan to do more exercise in order to eat more?

If it is what you're saying, this in itself can be counter-productive, looking at exercise as punishment for eating when genuinely hungry or food as reward for exercise can become an unhealthy mindset. Additionally, increasing cardio could lead to an increased appetite.

If you're doing the exercise, you are meant to eat those calories back, but that's to fuel the exercise.

You can look at your calories over a week rather than a day and if there's a day you are hungrier than normal, eat a little more then and eat a little less another day, it all balances out in the end.

Ensure you also have yourself set to the correct non-exercise activity level (work/home life steps) and a suitable rate of loss, even with the amount you have to lose, it's no good losing fast, if it's not sustainable, so whilst you could probably lose at a rate of 2lbs per week, if you can't stick at it because you're feeling deprived, it's far better to choose a lower rate of loss and stick at it.