Busy Dad, Need Accountability

blinx7

More than full time job, three kids under 6.

Im not too bad on the healthy eating part when I track but am having trouble working in a consistent exercise schedule. Need to do mornings before work because it's the only time!

I can also get impatient when I log a deficit for a week and don't see the scale budge (even if I feel better and healthier).

Only looking to lose around 20 pounds but I'm "skinny fat" so I have a ways to go at the gym.

Looking for friends, accountability, discussion. Especially someone to needle me about how often I've been hitting the weights.

MrSmooth2017

First of all, don’t worry too much about losing the weight. You want to look better. Weight is just a number. If you lost inches off your waist and fat and looked way better would you care how heavy you are? No you wouldn’t.

If you are doing weights and hardly any cardio your weight isn’t going to go down a lot, but you will be gaining muscle, losing fat and looking better.

Train when you can. Get up 30 minutes earlier. Park further away, walk during lunch, stand instead of sitting when you can. It all adds up and excercise forms a small part of your weight loss anyway.

Don’t worry about consistency. Do something. Anything. Anything more than sit down. Thinking about trying to get an hour gym session in when you can’t will just depress you, but if you can take 20 minute walk during lunch, do 20 minutes with a TRX or a kettlebell before kids wake up, and 20 minutes press ups or sit ups or something before you go to bed? It’s more manageable.

Don’t fret about it. Even 10 minutes here and there is good and it’s the cumulative effect over the week it will have. 10 minutes a day over the week is 70 minutes of activity.

Dad of two. Used to weigh every day, now focus on being more active, weights, and not looking at the scales.

You can do it.

blinx7

Thanks the for the encouragement. Your are right, I've been focusing on weights and not really cardio and have seen some strength gains even while dropping a couple of pounds... so progress is being made even if it seems slow when I look only at the scale.

In terms of consistency, your points about kettlebells, etc. are spot on. I think I need to develop a short exercise routine I can do at home after kids are in bed for days I have slated for exercise but that I can't get to the gym. Not as an excuse to sleep in all the time but as a supplement to the days I do go. That would really help with turning an occasional habit and some spurts on and off (depending on work volume / insomnia) into something consistent. If I can get that, I can have the diet dialed-down even when busy as long as I focus on it (i.e., log, which keeps me accountable).

That and being patient. I get really into whatever I do, so keeping calories restricted for a couple of weeks isn't the hard part. The hard part is being zen about the lack of immediate feedback and keeping through with the plan for enough time for incremental changes to being to compound.

TheAssyrian

Like Mr Smooth said. Don't worry about the number on the scale too much. Worry about maintaining good health. Get some weight lifting in as much as possible and make sure you're making good choices. I can imagine having the Rugrats makes it difficult to find time to lift but with the proper mindset, anything is possible

busyPK

There are a lot of things you can do at home - push ups, sit-ups/crunches, planks, squats, burpees, lunges, etc.. You could even do some of it with your kids around or while you are watching TV. I have 3 young kids as well and work FT so I understand finding the time can be difficult, but it is important to also make time for yourself. If you have a spouse/partner then work it out with them and maybe you can step away for the gym if you are a gym person. For me, I'm a single mom, but I have a great sitter for my kids and she comes and gives me 2 hours away to jog outside, or go to the gym, and it's the best money spent as when I'm done I'm more active with my kids and engaged with them.