Motivation Required :-)

MWeinTwins

I'm a 29 year old part-time physical therapist and part-time sahm to 8.5 month old twin boys. I NEED to lose weight to go off my blood pressure medicine, UGH! Not to the losing weight part, I can't wait for that!! UGH bc I'm on blood pressure medicine and have since I had the boys. Oh, and also, I had them 1 month early due to pre-eclampsia.

My SW as of Monday = 156 lbs and my GW = 140 lbs (or less if possible).

I do Bikram Yoga 1-2x/week and try to do other activities throughout the rest of the week but definitely find it hard to set aside time. I would love some motivation. I know what exercises I SHOULD be doing but just don't. Does anyone have a schedule they go by with working out at home?

Also, I find it hard to stick to a "healthy" diet bc I am addicted to fast food and junk food. I know what I SHOULD eat but I don't all the time. Call me crazy but I love chips, sweets and carbs! I just started slim-fast on Monday to kickstart my body into losing weight and I feel like I'm going through withdrawals, which I probably am. Has anyone else felt like this?

Has anyone read WOMEN, FOOD AND GOD by Geneen Roth? And if so, what did you think of it?

Thanks for reading this and I would love any advice or motivation to keep going.... please friend me if you can be of any help.

Newfiedan

Instead of looking at it as an optional deal to lose weight you need to make it a must have in your life, it sounds to me like you have not hit that turning point yet. Junk food is just like a drug, same for eating healthy, its not hard at all once you make it a must have for you and your well being. If you have not hit that point in your life then sadly you probably will not make it a life long change. Once you get clear of the junk and start eating right its amazing what the body does in turn for you. I have never felt better in my life, I am in better shape in my mid 30s than I have ever been and for me the change was very easy because I made it a must have. Look at junk food as a drug to which you are addicted see if that changes your perspective. Slim fast is junk plain and simple, read my blog and look at the post I put there for the men, the same rules apply to women.

chanstriste13

hiya! congrats on the exercise you are already doing - that sounds great! i'm the same way with food - i really crave the stuff that is the worst for you to eat! i am doing a lot better now, and what i do is always allow myself what i want. but here are the rules: it has to be *portioned*, it has to be *planned* and it has to be *accounted for*! so long as i do that, i find myself perusing my diary and thinking to myself...'it really probably isn't the best idea for me to hit burger king since i was at wendy's two nights ago...'

this is far from perfect, but it is *so* much better than how i used to be! i'm trying to clean up the foods i eat a bit more now. it's tough, but i think it will totally be worth it. i'll probably never have a totally 'clean' diet, but i know i can do a little better than what i'm doing now!

as for exercise...i would just pick a time each day and stick with it. give yourself one hour. try getting a good mix of workout dvds so you don't get bored. i workout in the mornings (9:30-ish) monday through friday, and the weekends are my rest days, though my husband and i usually go hiking if the weather is good.

anyhoo...hope this helps! good luck!

ps~ i drink slimfast (the powder kind) every morning for breakfast because it takes me a few hours to want to chew things in the morning (i know, pretty weird), but i wouldn't recommend using it for any other meals - eat real food!

susanswan

Hello, Looks like your Yoga will really be great exercise! As for your diet my personal opinion is that you need to get rid of the junk. I would be worried about having high blood pressure at such a young age and the effects of taking blood pressure medicine long term. You may find the "medicine" that you need right at the grocery store in the produce aisles! I have fought with sugar cravings and any type of carb cravings my entire life and felt so controled by them. I was way beyond enjoying them, I NEEDED them! I kept trying to control myself but couldn't. I ended up making a drastic decision that I really, really did not want to make. I finally got rid of the white flour and sugar in my diet (including white rice and white pasta, too). I found that in less than two weeks which were not all that easy, my cravings simply went away! Now I feel in control. Yes, I'd still like to have chips, cookies, crackers, and anything at all with sugar, but I can make a critical decision now and remind myself that these foods will cause a downhill spiral for me. They do you no health favors at all, either. It's just a suggestion, you can take it or leave it. I followed Dr. Oz's You on a Diet book. It was more than just an eat this don't eat that book. The way he explained what medically is going on in your body is quite convincing such as "eating sugar and white flour has the similar effect of throwing shards of broken glass down your blood vessels." He made me want to eat the right things. With your two beautiful babies, I know you want to be healthy and live a long time and keep them healthy, too. Good luck to you. I think weight loss is like a storm. Everyone must find their own way to survive. This is just the path that I chose.

deanie0515

Hello, Looks like your Yoga will really be great exercise! As for your diet my personal opinion is that you need to get rid of the junk. I would be worried about having high blood pressure at such a young age and the effects of taking blood pressure medicine long term. You may find the "medicine" that you need right at the grocery store in the produce aisles! I have fought with sugar cravings and any type of carb cravings my entire life and felt so controled by them. I was way beyond enjoying them, I NEEDED them! I kept trying to control myself but couldn't. I ended up making a drastic decision that I really, really did not want to make. I finally got rid of the white flour and sugar in my diet (including white rice and white pasta, too). I found that in less than two weeks which were not all that easy, my cravings simply went away! Now I feel in control. Yes, I'd still like to have chips, cookies, crackers, and anything at all with sugar, but I can make a critical decision now and remind myself that these foods will cause a downhill spiral for me. They do you no health favors at all, either. It's just a suggestion, you can take it or leave it. I followed Dr. Oz's You on a Diet book. It was more than just an eat this don't eat that book. The way he explained what medically is going on in your body is quite convincing such as "eating sugar and white flour has the similar effect of throwing shards of broken glass down your blood vessels." He made me want to eat the right things. With your two beautiful babies, I know you want to be healthy and live a long time and keep them healthy, too. Good luck to you. I think weight loss is like a storm. Everyone must find their own way to survive. This is just the path that I chose.

First Welcome to you! I think you will find this place very motivating, which is why I quoted Susan.... what awesome advice! Well put and encouraging!! Love it. Good news is you really don't have ALOT of weight to lose so little changes should make a big difference for you!! Good luck!!! You can do it.