How Do You Parents Of Young Kids Do It?
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Im a single mum to a boy who will be 4 next month, i also work whilst hes in nursery 5 days a week so never get any child free time. Im very lucky that he will eat whatever im eating, all except salad that is. So meals are quite easy in my house. He likes helping me choose veg from the shops and tries to help when im cooking (yes it means things take ages to get done but its teaching him things that are good for him so worth it)
As for working out well thats a different story... i try to take him to the park more often to get some extra walking in and i can manage a short workout dvd (30 mins) if hes sat playing his ds. I tend to do yoga/pilates in the evenings when hes in bed.... ohh and i take him swimming as often as possible although to be honest i get much swimming down as im holding him! In the summer its great as i put the sprinkler on in the garden and we both run under it ect... but alas far too cold for that at the minute.
Ohh i also plan all my meals for the day in the morning, i tend to log them all so i know where i am with calories ect too. If things change then i will obviously edit it as and when i need to.0 -
Well, I have a 6-year old autistic boy, who goes to school during the day and I don't go to work but I am a full time online student. I usually will go to the gym about twice a week, sometimes not at all. I did buy one exercise dvd, as a back up when my son is not at school. On the weekends, I cannot work out at all.
As far as meals, I cook two to three big meals a week and swap out for variety. I also keep fruit and canned veggies on hand. I make big meals so that I can eat on them throughout the week, when I don't have time to cook; otherwise I would probably starve to death. I buy food in bulk from the wholesale club to last me longer and I have a deep freezer, so I don't have to go to the store as much.0 -
I have a 4 year old who never gets tired lol I carve out time for my workouts few mins of relaxation time to unwind after I have taken care of him0
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You have to want it bad enough and make it work. I have a 4 yr old boy and 3 year old girl and work full time also. I am married though and it hasn't always been easy but I have had several talks with my husband about him being supportive of my efforts and me trying to improve myself. At first he would try to sabotage me (not intentionally every time it was just what was "easiest" for him, guess he doesn't like change) but now he is a lot more wiling to help me make things work. I usually ask him to pick the kids up after work on my gym days (M-W-F) but if he can't for some reason I take them with me and they stay in the child care room while I workout (45 minutes). Then we go home, I make dinner, they eat what I eat but sometimes my husband wants things like mac n cheese or tater tots or hot dogs, etc. so I just have a substitute (like tonight I will have a hot dog but I will have a lean beef dog instead of the others that they like and instead of tater tots or mac n cheese I will microwave myself a sweet potato and we will all have a vegetable). Then after dinner either I clean the kitchen or bathe the kids or my husband does it. On tuesdays and thursdays I work out at home and my kids join me trying to do the moves and I think it's great, I feel like I'm teaching them healthy habits early on. I also try to get them to eat the healthy dinners I make and they usually do, in fact my kids probably won't touch the tater tots tonight, I have left over mashed sweet potatoes in the fridge. Anyway, sorry for rambling, you will make it work if you want it to bad enough. I used to use every excuse under the sun then I said enough is enough, I need to make this happen and I have been successful for over a year now.0
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My husband watches the baby for 30-45 minutes while I exercise, Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. That's all I get, and to be honest, it's enough for me. Is your wife willing to help out to give you time to exercise?
To be honest, I don't understand not having time to eat right. To me, that's the easiest part. You don't have to have hours in the day to make a home-cooked low calorie meal. If you only have time to go to the drive-up at a fast food place, you can make healthy choices there too.
My husband is the cook, and some people tell me, "Well you're lucky because you don't have to cook. He can make you healthy meals." Well, when he does cook, he usually does keep my goals in mind. If he wasn't cooking, though, I'd probably be going the drive-up and getting a ten-piece Wendy's nuggets for 450 calories and still losing weight.
Excuses are just that. Excuses.0 -
I'm a Stay At Home Dad with a 3 year old. With everything that goes on around here on a daily basis can be taxing on food choices. When I first started @ 358 lbs. 3 years ago, I wanted to commit myself to something I could commit to. So for a week I ate like I normally did and documented everything. At the end of the week I went over the results. YIKES!!!! I didn't jump in and oversell myself on reducing my caloric intake. I picked a couple of things and stuck with those until I knew I was in control over them. A week later I picked a few more, then a few more . I'm down to about 200 lbs. now. I cook a lot of meals and freeze them too.0
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I work out in the evenings when the other adult is around, 30 min is all I get. I don't do any special meal planning, we eat what the kids eat, I just watch my portions. No one's eating junk food but we're not exactly eating super healthy either, since I don't get a lot of meal prep time. I usually go to bed around midnight. It is what it is.0
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I'm a mom of an almost 3 yr old boy and a 16 mo girl. i work 32 hours/wk outside the home and i have a 15 min commute.
5:30am home workouts, right now it's Jillian Michaels' body revolution (inc enough time to workout and get showered and dressed before kids wake up, sometimes i have breakfast if I have time)
7:00am kids up, everyone run around.
i either pack my meals during my youngest one's nap time in the morning around 9-10am and i'm going into work at 12pm or I pack my meals the night before if i go into work at 9am.
while i work, i keep a running grocery list and meal plans ideas on my desk as it comes to me. on Friday, i take that list home with me.
I grocery shop either Sat or Sun morning. i meal prep Sun afternoons. i have 2 crockpots and i have the oven going and the stove top going.
Before bed, i'm on MFP planning my meals for the next day.0 -
Well, either way you have to eat...you can either choose to have a diet that consists largely of nutrient dense foods (many of which are lower calorie) or a diet that consists largely of nutrient void and calorie dense foods. It takes planning...I'm the cook in our house, so I'm pretty much a slave to the kitchen as soon as I walk in the front door of my home after work...I do that and prepare dinner while my wife takes care of the baths, play time, etc.
Also, much of this is about redefining your ideals of "healthy"...I eat much of the same food that I ate when I was overweight...I just eat less of it. Really, that is the most important part. i do eat more veggies now and more fruit and I eat less junk...but by and large, my weight loss is attributable to actually portioning out my meals and keeping it real.
Exercise time is harder to come by and it is important, but not nearly as important to weight loss as getting your diet under control. You can't out exercise a bad diet. Exercise simply allows you to eat more and achieve the same results to do the fact that you are increasing your body's calorie requirements. It is also just really good for you in general...but you don't have to do this 2 hours per day nonsense that so many people seem to think is necessary.
A good cardio workout can be had in 30 minutes 5 times per week. Sometimes that's going for a walk with the family around the neighborhood. I also take my bike with me to work and I ride at lunch a few days per week. Twice per week my wife and I take turns going to the gym to lift weights...she usually takes Tues/Thurs and I take Mon/Wed and then we all go together as a family on Saturdays (utilize the drop in child care at the gym for a couple hours)
IMHO, you have to make the time for these things, if for no other reason than being a good example of good livin' to your young ones.0 -
I'm the mom of a 12 year old and a 14 year old, and I don't know the answer because I made every excuse in the book during their younger years. And guess what? Making excuses doesn't burn any calories so I stayed the same weight. I look back now and wish I had started down this path much, much earlier. I know it's hard to schedule in those workouts so maybe tag team with the other parent (if they are in the picture). But mostly focus on eating right. And don't put it off or you'll be my age wishing you had been a better role model when the kids were younger.0
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I am blessed with grandparents that live close by so we go visit them & they play with my boys while I use their street to get 30 mins of cardio in. I go to my in-laws one day & my mom's the next. You can also invest in a double stroller & take them on an adventure, they would enjoy the sights. I too work FT & my older son (8 yrs) year old son plays sports, so it's hard. Me and my younger son (4 yrs) use to just wait around during practices but now we take advantage & hit a park or something. He plays & I make use of the walking track. As far as food goes... use the tracker. It has been the key to my success with food. Make smart decisions. Be conscious of what you are eating. Be conscious of serving sizes.
ALWAYS REMEMBER... We all make mistakes. We all give in to temptations. Just try not to let one mess up turn into a day full of mess ups or a week full of mess ups.
I wish you all the best! Enjoy the journey. I will try to do the same.0 -
Little kids love to exercise. Put the baby in the bouncy seat and do calisthenics. They think it's hilarious! The 2-year-old can do it with you. Bundle them up and put them in the double stroller and walk. And you can use the baby for weight--think baby lifts, squats, etc.
As for eating, you are at a prime stage to start feeding them they way they should eat for the rest of their lives. My kids (16, 14 and 4) will eat ANYTHING because I've never catered to them by feeding them kid food. My 4-year-old loves to stand on a chair by the counter and help me cook.0 -
Eating I'm okay with. I generally make very simple meals, usually with adequate macro nutrients. Sometimes I'll skip the side dish or whatever if I don't have room in my calories. We do get fast food probably once a week, but I try to make healthier choices, having an idea of the calorie content of must menu items.
Lately I have been having a really hard time fitting in exercise. I work 50 hours a week and have 3 kids plus a husband who works a weird schedule and does endurance mountain biking (long training hours). I'm not willing to give up time with my children in the evenings for exercise. I'm going to either have to start working out after they go to sleep or before they wake up. I have dumbbells at home which which I can get a decent workout, and a stair climber. I just need to start making it a priority again.0 -
I'm 90-ish lbs overweight. Have a 2+ year old (26 months) and a 8 month old. Also work FT.
How do you exercise? Eat right? The evil word, diet? How do you take care of yourself AND your family?
I'm stumped!
TBH, I waited until my kids hit their teen years and had gained 100 pounds before I even considered it. (That's not advice, btw, just fyi)0 -
calorie counting + sticking to goals as closely as possible(most of it is what you eat rather than workout).
Add in walks during lunch break, or workouts on the way back home or mornings/sometimes lunch break and weekends. You and your wife could take turns watching the kids while the other worked out!
Good luck! Its hard, but we need to make time for ourselves!0 -
I did not read the responses so this may repeat what others wrote.
1. Plan ahead
2. Make the time and stick to it. - I told everyone in my family that after dinner was my hour. I stuck to my guns and no matter what used that hours to workout.
3. Use your lunch break at work- I would bring my clothes go for a walk and then change after. If it was raining I would do stairs.
4. Control the menu- Since I cook all the meals, I decided what we eat. That is all.
I will be honest, it is not very easy. But I also have friends on here who are single with no kids but have very demanding jobs. But we all find a way to get it in. Make peace with yourself that it will take a while and stay within your calorie goal. Another thing...I did, was incorporated my kids into working out. I would put on music and dance, squat, jumping jacks anything for 30 mins.0 -
I'm a single full time working mom. I get up before she does to workout. I try to plan my meals and not keep too many sweets in the house. It's tough but it can be done0
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In for all the blissful folks that think it'll be easier when they're older.0
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Simple:
24/7 nanny
24/7 cook
1/7 trainer0 -
I have 3 children (one doesn't live at home anymore) Two are now 8 year old twins. I also for 50 hours per week run an in home daycare.
My workouts now are done at nap time. When my own kids are home..I find something to occupy them while I work out (movie,crafts what ever) On occasion nap time does get interrupted (pick ups, drop offs, licencor etc.) - no problem i just find time to do a turbo work out (20-30 minutes)
My family...husband included eat exactly what I eat for meals. I do NOT cook anything separate nor make different meals for each. This was one thing I refused to do as it just adds unneeded chaos. Like someone else said - KEEP IT simple! Your children will learn and later appreciate what you have taught them. I do not eat anything funky so my kids generally eat everything I cook. The absolute only exception is with seafood - Adults will have baked haddock or whatever and the kids will have fish sticks.
Before working from home - my lunch breaks were my workouts. You can take a walk / jog / run during this time weather permitting. Have stairs at your job - use them!!
Young kids also go to bed early - i know this is hard sometimes but do your workouts then if you are incorporating exercise in your daily schedule.
Want to go to a gym - most of them have daycare services right there...:)
Best of luck!! The hardest part of it all..is forming the habit. Once you have the habit - the rest is easy0 -
I think most of the people here have said it: Plan your meals.
If you have a little time to go to they gym--go. On days you don't have as much time make exercise part of the activities with your kids. I would take a little wagon with us on walks and when the kids got tired I would pull/push them. Play ball with the kids or tag.
And it doesn't get easier as kids get older. Schedules get even more hectic with school functions, sports practice and games.
Good luck!!
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Be organised with grocery shopping and plan healthy meals you can all eat. I don't mess around making different meals - we all have the same thing. And make sure you have time to exercise. It's the only 'me' time I get, and I love it.
I'm 26 weeks pregnant and also have a 4.5 year old and a 2.5 year old. I work part time as a teacher, and my husband does shift work. I go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week, and was going more before pregnancy.
I don't do complicated things for dinner, just things like chicken or fish and veg. Today I had an after school meeting, then had to pick the kids up from 2 different places, and my husband's on late shift, so I just made quick cook pasta with tomato, and I had a salad too. I want my kids to grow up knowing about eating healthily.
I'm lucky as I don't work full time, and I get the school holidays, but if I did I'd just do classes/gym in the evening once my husband was home, and I'd go at the weekend. Now I just fit my gym sessions around work and my husband's shifts, and I go at the weekend too.0 -
In for all the blissful folks that think it'll be easier when they're older.
I can say for a fact that it was easier when I had just a 3 year old and not the boob-monster 7 month old. Once my youngest isn't sucking my life-blood (milk) every hour and a half when I'm home (evenings and overnight), I'll be able to make the time to exercise again. The feed, lift, feed timing just didn't/doesn't work for me... and getting up early when you're only getting sleep in 1.5-2 hour stretches isn't an option either. :laugh:
On the other hand... Body weight squats and lunges with said baby can get her giggling like a fiend... so that happens.
Food, on the other other hand, is purely choice. It's just as easy to choose healthy foods as unhealthy ones. :drinker:0 -
I have 6 kids 2 of which are 2 year old twins. If it's important to you you will find a way. I'm not saying it's easy but it is possible.0
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I have two boys 7 and 10 and married. At least one boy is involved in a sport at all times. I work outside of the home 40 hours a week.
I do meal prep on Sundays and then during the week I get up at 3:30 in the morning to work out. I get myself ready for work then wake up the crew. While they are getting ready I am making lunches for my husband and I and cooking breakfast for everyone. We are out the door by 6:45. At night the boys do their homework while my husband and I cook dinner. After dinner everyone gets free time to relax or do whatever they want.
It is organization and routine.
eta: I don't "diet' I eat the appropriate amount of food to achieve my current goals. I eat healthy and work out.0 -
It is a good question, and I just trying to figure it out myself how to find the time to exercise.
I have a 5 yrs old and a 1 yrs old, and I work/school FT.
When I was a SAHM in the first 9-10 months of my babies life, I was able to manage it. Also when I was working /schooling FT , but had only one kid I was able to manage it. This multiple kids AND full time away from home is the stage that totally kills my time/schedule, no to mention the lack of sleep due to nursing at night. It gets easier with time though. The babies will sleep through the night and that makes a huge difference on energy level. Also around age 4- yr , they start to play by themselves a LOT. You have 2 kids close in age, in a couple of yrs they will play with each other , and that free up so much time. My son was 4 yrs old when the baby arrived, and it was already much easier age. Now we are the baby stage again, which is harder. My son started school and there are practices and activities, but still sooo much easier because you are not needed every single minute.
I think it is easier just focus on the food first. You all need to eat , so planning to eat healthy is the first step. I do a weekly meal planning on the evening prior to the day of grocery shopping, which is for me Saturday morning. I spend a 30 minutes on this, and when i am planning I check the cupboard/ fridge to see what do I have at home , and make a shopping list on my smartphone by checking out the weekly flyers. I stick to the list , but ensure that no additional run out for food happans during the week. On Saturday morning I do grocery shop with the baby while I dropped of my 5 yrs old at practice. When we get home we eat lunch and my baby naps after that and I scheduled my son weekly TV time for this time . This gives me 2 hrs spare time, which I use for weekly meal preparation. I chop up all kinds of veggies and put them into containers to be ready to meals. I also eat celery, pepper , parsnip as a snack, and I also chop them up put into containers with water and they go to the fridge, and I just take out from them at the morning to pack into lunchboxes.
I also may fry ahead a whole back of bacon , again goes to the fridge . I cook 12-18 hard-boiled eggs , take off the shell, and put into the fridge. I fry a few lb onions once a few weeks in butter and keep in in the fridge as well.
On Sundays I usually make roast pork/beef or chicken in larger quantities, and cut the leftover up into cubes and between the cut up meat, hard-boiled eggs and cut up veggies I am set for taking healthy lunch to work for the entire week.0 -
Get the whole family in on it!! My husband who is not overweight is focusing with me on not losing weight but living a more balanced healthy lifestyle. We with our 2 boys (3yrs & 4yrs) are setting fun reasonable goals like last week we challenged each other to no eating out not even a vending machine item and if we slipped up it meant no cell phones for one day. Needless to say we did it!!! We also took our kid to the farmer's market which they love and let them pick out items for our meals this week. It's not easy it definitely is taking work. Sunday I spent 1 1/2 hours making meals for the week but guess what when I woke up on Monday I didn't have to worry about what to put in lunches and dinner was already taken care of so I spent the Monday night with the kiddos in bed watching a movie which we haven't done in forever! So yes a little more work here and there but it is so worth it. So to sum it up get the kiddos and family on board make set a goal and lastly plan plan plan!!! Good luck let me know if you need any help.0
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Sorry but in my experience it is MUCH easier to make time for myself now that they are in middle and high school.0
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Sorry but in my experience it is MUCH easier to make time for myself now that they are in middle and high school.
My friend has a 13 year old and is always saying that it's so nice to have her life back now! He does lots of sports but he's able to cycle/walk to some of them, or his dad takes him, so it's not always my friend who has to. She has loads of time to herself now. Apart from the gym, I get no time to myself with my young kids.0 -
I bet! Usually 10 yr olds kids do not keep mantaing "up,up,up" and scream if their mom won't pick them up in that secondSorry but in my experience it is MUCH easier to make time for myself now that they are in middle and high school.
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