OMG!!! What have I let myself become??

kimmydear

I'm not a single mom and can't imagine that challenge, but I do have 3 kids and a hubby who works 10 hour days. When he gets home, it's time for him to go to bed because he gets up at 3:00AM. I also work from home 15 hours a week. That doesn't sound like much, but for me it is. I give my 15 month old my full attention when he is awake from naps and my other children my full attention when they are home from school. So work happens during one nap and late into the night, and my exercise time is only 22 minutes of a dvd during the other nap. It's not much but for now it's something. I also walk whenever I can. We too live on a very limited budget...we don't have fresh stuff all the time but when we run out, we eat canned and frozen. You can do it!

kdeaux1959

If you really cannot change what you eat, reduce portion sizes. As far as activity.. A simple walk on a regular basis will help. Best wishes. You can do this. You have met the biggest obstacle.. You realize that you want to change directions.

LatinaGordita

When I first started my journey in January I just walked for 30 to 40 minutes during my lunch break. I have incorporated zumba in the last 2 months however a coworker has seen my progress so I continue to walk, to support her. You may have a co worker that may want to add physical activity in there life ,and it helps to have a walking partner.

I also started taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Park your vehicle farther from the door so you can get extra steps in. A pedometer can help you track your daily steps.

In the weekends depending on the age of your son, you can go to the park where you can walk and he can ride his bike, or you can push him in a stroller. You can ride bikes together! Include him in your weekend physical activity!

Every little physical activity helps!

As far as food, the best thing is to plan ahead. Prepare lunch and log it the night before!

You can do this! I lost my first 20 lbs walking! Try workout videos as well, The biggest loser videos get you moving and aim to all fitness levels.

Best of luck!

deliseann

PORTION CONTROL!!!

PiperGabrielle

Good News: You don't always need to buy fresh fruits and veggies! Canned and frozen have just as many nutrients as the fresh stuff. Frozen is the best way to go in my opinion. They are picked at the peak of the season and flash frozen to keep them fresh. Just heat up the veggies, I love steamed vegetables, or let the fruit thaw. Thawed mangoes are good, they have a quality about them that is different from fresh. Canned fruit on the other hand can be tricky. It is stored in a syrup usually unless you get the ones labelled otherwise, but the "light" syrup is too sour in my opinion. If you can find something stored in fruit juice that is perfect, but otherwise just give your fruit a rinse and the syrup will wash off so you don't get it's added calories.

What really helps me is to blog about my dieting. I had no idea that I would even be a part of the community joining this site. I really just thought it would be a good way to log my food intake so I knew how to control myself. So far I have been very good about keeping my calorie intake around the suggested amount.

I hope I helped a little, you can also read my blog at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/PiperGabrielle
Just ask me questions directly on there if you want. I'll try to help!

KourtneyP83

I completely understand how you feel. Do you have an aldi where you live? They have the CHEAPEST produce EVER!!! I can go in there and spend next to nothing and come out with a full bag of produce. I would definitely suggest trying that. You could buy the calorie king book and write your calories down if you can't always get to a computer or app - just suggestions - good luck!

FloraSin

Just wanted to throw out some suggestions after reading your post. Might have already been said, but I didn't want to read the whole thread. XP

First, I can't check my phone at work either (though mostly because I'm in customer service and it looks very unprofessional for my cashiers to text, so I lead by example). I would add up at the end of the shift when I got home and always be over. I started packing my lunch and snacks the night before. That way I could know I wouldn't go over.

Second, packing my lunch and planning ahead actually saved me a lot of money. Not sure where you live, but the grocer near my house has a selection of these delightful microwave lunches called "Smart Ones" and they're reasonably healthy as well as low cal. I've yet to come across one more than 340 calories. Plus, they are totally yummy.

Filling up a water bottle all throughout the day is a lot cheaper than buying coffees or sodas and way better. lol

Finally, I find I'm a hundred times more motivated to be on the move with my Fitbit, which I always wear, but if you just want to track steps and the basics, I have an old running watch that I got for 15 bucks at walmart which was fantastic. (Fitbit was my reward for running so regularly and meeting my goals).

Last thing, is that you in your picture? You're beautiful. Lose the weight to make yourself feel better and happier with you. You already have the pretty part down pat.

jenbusick

Congratulations on making a start! Don't get discouraged already, though; you don't have to do it all at once. Just make small changes, one at a time, and they'll start to add up.

If you can't change what you eat, change how much. I find that most restaurant meals are reasonable if you cut them in half. The other half can be lunch the next day. If you can, get your hands on a food scale and start actually measuring portions -- you can even measure how much you would eat, versus how much is one serving. It's surprising. That will go a long way.

Make small changes that you won't notice. I switched to reduced-fat cheese, and I don't even notice the difference (fat free cheese is another story, but I don't notice the reduced-fat).

Buy a pedometer, or ask for one for your birthday, and see how many steps you normally walk in a day. Then start trying to add steps.

Just pick something small, and when it feels natural, pick something else.

Good luck to you!

kathyc609

I was obese for 18 years and am 6 pounds from a normal BMI ~ you can do this!
Wishing you much success - i will send u a friend request

gatewaycropper

Don't allow yourself ANY excuse. You can plan what you're going to eat the day before. Get your doctor to write a note on a prescription pad stating that it is imperative that you are allowed to utilize this program at work so you can log on. I went from a 22 to a 14 petite since Sept 2011. I lost about 30 pounds before I ever started doing ANY exersize at all! Even if you are on a fixed budget, stick to the fruits and veggies and protein. I just spent about $30 on a big Protein Powder but if you consider what I've saved every day on my usual breakfast, that's a steal! Don't let yourself make any excuses! You can do it!!!!! Whatever your personal cost is, do not go over your allotted calories and you should drop weight. And you don't need any equipment to do sit ups and run/walk/dance/go up and down your steps.

PiperGabrielle

I also wanted to mention that Target has a sale, $9 Workout DVDs, at least where I am. I would check those out. They are a fun, money-saving way to get some exercise and they are reasonable in timing, like a half hour to an hour. You can always pause them and come back too! My favorites are cardio, like dance or Tae Bo!

pbajwally

The most important thing is don't overwhelm yourself... you will get discouraged and quit. Take one day at a time. I have read all the responses in this thread and every single one of them is spot on: plan ahead, get activity in where you can, include your son! Don't dwell on the things you can't do -- go with what works.

I have started and failed so many times I've lost count. No one can make you do this - you have to truly want this, and it sounds like you are there! So just take it ONE DAY AT A TIME. Seriously. It sounds so silly and you've heard that phrase a million times, I'm sure... but this is what I tell myself EVERY DAY: Get through today. Track today. Get exercise today. Drink water, today. Love myself, today. Believe that I am making a difference for myself and for my kids, TODAY.

I said that March 19. So far, so good and now I'm getting at least an hour of exercise a day & the tracking has become habitual... almost comforting. It's a control thing! You find ways to make this work when you realize you want it more than anything. You CAN do this. You WILL do this. Believe in yourself.

JessieArt

You can do it! Hang in there!

Do they have a Farmer's Market near you? We started going every weekend. It's so much cheaper than the grocery store and SO much better tasting. We've been going for a month now. Because we're eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies my kids have lost weight too.

Walking has also been the biggest tool for me. If I stick to my calories and go for a walk I lose. Walking burns a lot of calories and it's FREE!