Cutting my heart out and placing it on a platter

Evanstl

Ok, I have been on the emotional and fat roller coaster for many many years as I'm sure a lot of people have. I have been a MFP member for almost a year, mabye not quite yet. Anyhow Ive been up and down up and down. its like I get going on a good strecth and then vacation, or trauma, some excuse comes along and gets me waaay off track and its so hard to get back on track. I'm to the point I dont even know where to start anymore. I need a basics 101 or kindergarten lesson here. I am at the point where clothes are not fitting and anytime I see myself in the mirror or a picture I feel physically ill and sick to my stomach that I cant believe that I have let my self go this far. I dont enjoy life anymore, I dont enjoy myself anymore and I want to change that. You would think that tight clothes and all the other unfun stuff would be a big enough motivator but its not. I need to hear from someone who has struggled and struggled like I have and what finally snapped, or clicked that made them turn healthy for good. I need help with exercise and above all nutrition and cooking and cooking nutriiously for a family of 3 small children. Someone or lots of someones please please help.

tanniew78

First off you are not alone. Second, I am a work in progress myself. If you need a friend, add me and maybe we can do this thing together.

Laura_Ivy

It's hard but it is achievable. On days off try to prep veggies so that it's easy to cook nutritious meals or even buying them pre-cut if your budget allows. Buy yogurts to bring to work and nutritious snacks that you can keep on hand for times the munchie monster attacks I hard boil eggs and my kids love them,canned tuna ,whole wheat pastas instead of enriched white pastas. Just start off slowly and eventually you'll find your body craves good whole foods. Lots and lots of water!!

I'll help cheer you on since that's what I need as well. It's never easy taking care of ourselves especially with working full time AND then coming home to take care of your small children. Hugs

dargytaylor

I guess my biggest motivator to loose some was my biggest pants were to the point of not being able to button and i refused to go up a size!! Plus that damn muffin top was really really annoying me!!

i find that pre planning my weekly meals helps me TREMENDOUSLY! I also cook a big pot of soup on Sunday and that is my go to for the week for lunch, plus usually some chicken. I buy the portion control by perdue, a bit expensive but it is the same cost as buying 5 frozen meals! I usually cook the chicken with a bit of spices @ 350 for 30 minutes while getting ready to for work in the morning.

Check out skinnytaste.com she has wonderful recipes that are definatley kid friendly!

Small changes make a big difference.....before you know it, it will all fall into place for you

If you can't make it to a gym, try out some exercise videos. Jillian Michaels 30 day shred is a good place to start. Do a search on this forum for the 30 day shred, lots of people use it.

Also, check out some before and afters of some people, talk about motivation!!

Good luck to you, please add me if you would like...........:flowerforyou:

dargytaylor

Also, a must in this journey is logging food! I was amazed when I first started at how much i was / could actually over eat!!

Evanstl

Thanks guys I'm just not sure where to start. Eating 1 good meal per day or more? Working out 6 days or starting small with 2 or 3 days a week. I think I need baby steps to start off and gradually work my way into it. Thanks for ur input

Pebble321

I think we are all works in progress, I doubt that any of us is perfect every single day.

I have had up and down times this year, but the best thing for me was just to keep going.

I think that if you sit around and wait for the "right" time to start something, then you will never start. Just start doing something... anything!

Here's my suggested baby steps for getting started:

Week 1. Commit to writing down everything you eat, healthy or not. You don't have to change anything, though I found that as soon as I started logging, I was more concious of what I ate.

Week 2. Commit to a healthy breakfast. Don't sweat the other meals, just work on one at a time. If you don't know what to eat - google "healthy breakfast recipes" and pick something that sounds good to you and is easy for you to make.

Week 3. Commit to doing some exercise every day. Even if its a 15 minute walk, or dancing around the house for 10 mins a few times a day

Week 4. Commit to a healthy lunch.

You get the idea- each week (or every few days, its up to you) make one more small change. It mightn't seem like much, but you are taking really positive steps. And don't get distracted by the scales - in fact, I'd suggest weigh yourself today, write down your weight, then put them away for a few months, you'll know if you are getting smaller by the way your clothes fit. Weight is a pretty crummy indicator of success when you are struggling to get started - much better to set yourself small goals ("today I'm going to do some kind of movement for 15 minutes") than huge ones ("I'm going to lose 15 pounds before new year"). The second one is probably not going to happen, so you are just setting yourself up for another failure and no one needs that.

Good luck, you can do it!