I can't do this alone

AlanahCFit

I'm trying to change my lifestyle again and become healthy and happy from the inside out. I'm cutting out alcohol, toxic relationships (as much as I can) because these are triggers for me. I'm an emotional eater, stress eater, etc.

I'm a mom and convenience is a huge priority for me. I need healthy stuff I can make for my son and bring it to go. I'd love to add some friends and if anyone has any suggestions for me I'm all ears.

I went to the gym today and did the weight machines for each part of my body and then 30 minutes on the stairmaster. I see myself being able to do 30 mins of cardio daily, is this really enough? I would like to do the weight 2-3 times a week max.

I want to lose as much weight as I can in the next 7 weeks. In 7 weeks I turn 27 and I want this to be my birthday present to myself. I want to add that I'm a fast food, drive thru, soda, chili cheese, sweets, cupcakes, cookies junkie and I don't want to transfer these behaviors to my son~

Help lol

kickboxerlady

you are not alone

ChrisM8971

well 30 mins of cardio daily is way above my current level so cant see why it would be too little, but I guess that depends on what you can do on the calorie front.

I am a cheese addict and food & alcohol had replaced my smoking habit and I piled on the pounds up to the point that I decided to change

Not sure that many of us can do it alone and am always willing to offer support and crave a little back too

Feel free to add me if you wish and we can try give you that special 27th Birthday

needlerknits

Hullo, Lesismore2011! I've never posted here so here goes. I'm also a mom (to two young adults) who I still do a great deal for. It's hard for me to cut out the convenience foods and sweets, but being on a limited income sure helps <G>.

I try to make my quick meals healthier by adding veggies to them. Shredded or chopped carrots, baby arugula, avocado, etc go on my sandwiches. I use nonfat plain greek yogurt in place of some mayonnaise. And really, just getting out and walking. It got a lot easier when I joined MFP, because it gives you calories back for your exercise! I'm a visual person so when I SEE that, it's a real motivator.

I think 30 minutes a day of cardio is great. I am not knowledgeable on the topic, but hey, as my physical therapist told me when I disparaged my little puny exercises, "It's more than you've been doing." You know your life the best - I don't know how old your son is - and 30 minutes daily, every day, does burn calories. I set my goal at 40 minutes of cardio 4 days a week. Some days I manage less, some days more - but I'm ending up exercising 5 days a week (:

One more thing - maybe break it up if you don't have 30 minutes to spare. I remember those days! (Mostly retired now.) So how about exercising twice for 15 minutes? Or 20? Just a 15 minute walk an hour after eating if you can't get to the gym.

Have fun!

maggsiet

Awesome job. Keep focused and think of how much more you can achieve if you have accomplished that in a short time - imagine where you can be in a month or two.

I know what keeps me going is the thought of wanting to be a good role model for my daughter and being around for her as long as I can.

One tip I have found in my weight journey is avoiding anything white – especially sugar. Perhaps you could research how your body converts this and the effect of how it makes you crave more the more you have. I found once I cut this out (as much as one can in our modern diets) I wasn’t yo-yoing searching for that next sugar hit.

Another little tip is- I chop up, once a day or so, lots of carrots and other veggies, put them in a container in the fridge and have homemade dips for when I feel the need to snack. If they are already prepared I feel more inclined to eat that – if they aren’t then I know I would be searching for something not as healthy for me.

Good luck on your journey – we are all in this together !

Gizzy1976

Hey your not alone! Feel free to add me, I will support and motivate you the best I can ????

dawnmcneil10

The good news....you don't have to do it alone!
Convenience foods are hard to kick but not impossible. Mostly you have to work on preparation fix double meals when you cook so you have leftovers and place them immediately in meal containers so you just grab and go. You can get your son involved in preparation too. Get some small containers and have him count out 20 pretzels in each container for example. You can do this with cereal too and chop up veggies ahead of time it all works the same way just have it ready for quick and easy transport. If you spend slot of time in the car keep friendly foods available like almonds, fiber or granola bars, these items keep we'll in the heat or cold and have bailed me out many times.

One thing I would strongly suggest is to not focus on trying to lose as much as possible in 7 weeks focus instead on this being a new start. Take your weight and measurements now and then ignore the scales and the tape and let your birthday be weigh in and measurement day.

You can do this! I also like your current workout plan, you need to have one you can fit into your regular life for the rest of your life. Don't overlook the little things like playing ball with the kids, hula hoop, the see saw at the playground and the swings. You'll love yourself for getting in their and playing like a kid again.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.

bhsishtla

Me too....fall under same category .I want some motivation from friends.May be my age or menopause or my carb addiction is slowing my weight loss.One day I will be down 1 lb, and after two days the scale shows 2 lbs increase.Is it water weight...may be I donot know..but to some extent I am happy with the results.May be I am expecting more...?

amg0678

Nice to meet you! Im 35 yrs old, married with 2 young children. I had never been overweight until I had my children, and have been having a heck of a time tryingt lose it. Ive been on MFP last week and have made some great progress. Its all about changing my bad habits. I would be glad to listen if you ever need a friendly ear

bikiniaday

You arent alone! I do fast food a lot for myself and kids I just get the healthy items and food diary everyday! Always at deficit;) and for me 30 min a day has helped me. I just upped to 40 min to push through plateau. Crunches when I wake up and go to bed arms and just started glutes. You can do it! I average 2 to 3 lbs loss per week, sometimes get stuck, then I change it up. Go girl!

devils44

Your never alone when you use this site. I joined in June 2013 and so far there is a lot of great people with great info to share!!

bwogilvie

Welcome to MFP!

They say that you lose weight in the kitchen and get fit in the gym. In other words, exercise is great for feeling good and building up your strength and stamina, but the way you take off weight is by consistently eating less than your body needs. No way around it, it's gonna be bad some days. Keep the long term in sight, and focus on changes you can sustain the rest of your life. If you will want to eat Taco Bell occasionally in the future, eat it occasionally now, but stay under your calorie limit.

30 minutes of cardio daily and weights 2-3 times a week is plenty. Don't be afraid to lift heavy weights, or to ask for advice at the gym if you need it. Stumptuous.com is a useful site for women (and men) who want to get strong using weights.

For healthy, convenient food, it helps a lot to plan ahead. I'll spend a couple hours every few weekends cooking a big pot of soup, stew, chili, whatever, and then put it in two-serving containers and freeze it. That way my wife and I just need to take something out of the freezer after work, thaw it, and have it with some salad and bread.

A salad spinner takes a little more work to use than buying pre-washed, bagged lettuce, but not that much more, and it's cheaper to buy lettuce by the head. You can buy almonds and other nuts pre-packaged in 100 calorie containers, though again, it doesn't take much more work to do that yourself, and it's cheaper.

If you have a grill (or a grill pan), you can grill squash, zucchini, apples, pears, eggplant, onions, and other fruits and veggies--just cut in half or thick slices, brush with a little oil, and grill until they're tender. Add a grilled chicken breast, a whole-grain bread, and some salad, and you have a quick, healthy meal. A frittata is also quick: sauté chopped vegetables (and some ham if you want) in a little oil until tender (a non-stick pan helps), then mix in some beaten eggs and cook until the eggs set (you can finish the top under a broiler to avoid burning the bottom). It helps to think of vegetables and whole grains as being the main ingredients, and meat, dairy, and eggs as things you use in small quantities to add flavor, except for the occasional treat.

Cooking Light has some other ideas for quick, healthy meals: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy-recipes-00412000077176/

Dawn's advice to cook double is also great. I usually have leftovers 2-3 nights a week, apart from the stuff I freeze ahead.

Good luck!

AlanahCFit

You guys are flippin awesome! Im going to snack on baby carrots with french onion yogurt dip now what ive been doing is having "cooked" meals once or twice a day and filling in the rest with healthy snacks. Ill also cook up a bunch of meat as that takes the longest and just add veggies and make a wrap or sandwich with whole wheat.

WinwillLose

Wraps are great!! Precooked chicken is a must have, and lots of bag salad for me. When I would cook for the kids I would have what ever I make for them in a side dish portion and eat huge salad or veggies. This way I am not cooking separate dishes.

horsewhisper91

And it's more than possible. If you keep to a good healthy diet you'll see results within the first few weeks!

I changed my diet entirely. Eating more fruits. Not just calorie counting. And I can still allow myself some of those sweet old treats every once in a while.

Trust me it's more than do able. You can do it!! Feel free to friend me if you would like more support.

loripav1

What made me stick to this is I made my meals a day a head of time. Like for breakfast timorrow I made me an egg, got 2 breads ready for toast and an apple and a yogirt ready for the morning. For lunch I am having what I had tonight for dinner Which is Mac n cheese and a hotdog and a cucumber. I also love Rice cakes. they are crunchy and yummy and only 60 calories. I also quit the diet soda for the most part. I only drink it once a week. There is something in the soda that still causes people to gain weight even though they say fat free and all that good stuff. Feel free to add me. Ive got a long road a head of me.

reagmatt

You can add me too. I am two weeks in MFP so maybe we can encourage each other. I want to loose 70 pounds within a year.

BetterKimmer

I admire you for stating your issues, and although 7 week is plenty to lose 10-15lbs, do look beyond your birthday, otherwise you may fall back into old habits once you get there. Also, when lifting you might find only slight changes in weight as fat and muscle balance out. I only say that in case you think you aren't getting anywhere in those weeks. Just keep going and try to add in things a little at a time that you will do for the rest of your life. MFP is an amazing tool to teach you how to do so. The people are so supportive too. Definitely add me too!

AlanahCFit

Definitely adding you all *hugs*. Since I'll be doing weight training I have one question: Will that hinder my progress..? I think I heard somewhere that weights will somehow prevent you from losing fat, just make your muscle bigger? My common sense says no, but I need 2nd opinions.

bwogilvie

Definitely adding you all *hugs*. Since I'll be doing weight training I have one question: Will that hinder my progress..? I think I heard somewhere that weights will somehow prevent you from losing fat, just make your muscle bigger? My common sense says no, but I need 2nd opinions.

As long as you eat at a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. Weight training will make your muscles bigger, but not very much, and it takes a lot of time. It will keep you from *losing* muscle as you lose weight, which is what you want. If you just sat around all day and ate less than your calorie needs, you'd lose weight, but a lot would be muscle, since your body would say (if it could talk), "Hey, I've got all these muscles that are sitting around doing nothing. Let's use those to power the furnace!" When you lift weights, the muscles say, "No can do, we're needed. Burn some fat instead." Of course they can't talk but the chemical and neurological pathways in your body are effectively saying that.

borrha

Reading your posts I can say, BOY can I relate! I lost 85 lbs going through a divorce and gained it back plus some while trying to to raise two kids one of which is autisic. Now trying to loose again.I admire your motivation and will definitely add all this wonderful advice (although not for me lol ) to my own arsenal. I wish you the best of luck and lots of success!!! :-)