First ever post, and one hell of a rough realization
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I am a huge fan of working out at lunch. It puts you into a fast pace gotta get it done mode so you get back to work. Do weights for 30 fast minutes will give you the cardio and the muscle workout you need. Since I sweat and mess up my hair, I just use a quick blow dryer to get it back in place, some deoderant, and I am right back at it. The kewl thing, no kids around, no food and I am not too tired yet from my day!0
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You've done it once, you can do it again!!! Plus that 20 lb went on faster this time than last so it hopefully will come off faster.
As for working out, get a stationary bike (no noise) if you want to do really morning exercise or involve your son in exercising. My 5 yr old loves when I do work out videos. You can do them before or after dinner. The rule in my house is he has to stay on his side and ask questions at the end only. If he wants to stop than great here are your action figures play with those. Everyone needs to exercise!!
Best of luck.0 -
You do owe it to yourself and your son and that's the best realization and inspiration to have! Just focus on the journey, not the destination. Every step, forward or backward, will grow you and teach you.0
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Also it may be time to start teaching your son to ride a bike! You guys could ride bikes together it would be so fun. I loved doing that as a child with my parents. Who knows someday you guys could even do a trail ride vacation or race together.
Best of luck to you. Proud of you for not giving up.0 -
I know I'm not the first to say "been there, done that", but I thought I would add my story. Long story short, I started at 220, got down to 153 (3 pounds from my goal!), plateaued, gave up and gained 45 pounds back. Started over at 198. It was the fact that I was SO near that dreaded 200 that got me started again, but it's been very hard. Lost 20 pounds last spring, semi gave up and maintained over the summer. Lost another 13 this late fall/early winter. Pigged out like a glutton over the holidays and put 5 pounds back on.
Starting over is hard because, instead of celebrating your victories, you feel angry at yourself for having to do it all over again. But you can't go back and change the past and you can't predict the future. You can only decide what to do with today.
So, today, make good choices. Remind yourself why you are doing this, without bringing up the past. Then, tomorrow, do it again.0 -
Do something low impact: fitnessblender low impact workout for beginners is pretty good. Working out can be accomplished without a lot of thumping on the floor.0
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I agree with the others, try to fit in a little more activity by parking further away, etc. Also, maybe try to get more active with your son. Sign up for a class, take a walk to the park, and if you're rushed in the evenings trying to prepare dinner, maybe try to pack a picnic dinner to take with you.
Also, I found that if I do some strength training (weights) instead of cardio, it doesn't burn as many calories initially, but it helps to increase your muscle mass, which helps to increase your base metabolic rate, and I guess there have been studies that show that people who regularly lift weights are able to keep the weight off better. So it will still burn some calories, but it won't make as much noise, so your neighbors won't be able to complain.
Good luck.0 -
I am a single parent of two and though much older now I am still tied because I do football runs every night of the week except Monday and 3 football matches between them over the weekend. Does it have to be the gym, is there a park nearby could you go and kick a ball around and play hide and seek or just have a lovely long walk with your little one for half an hour. As a working mum that would give the opportunity to spend some time with your lovely boy at the same time as getting some exercise albeit not necessarily in the form you would wish.0
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You are preaching to the choir sister!!! I gained 60 pounds with each pregnancy. It took me a better part of 5 years, but I finally lost the weight I gained with my daughter. I was working on losing the additional 20 I wanted to lose when I got pregnant with my son. Swore, I swore to myself I would be healthy this pregnancy. I would eat all the right foods. There was no way I would gain 60 pounds this time. I was right, I gained 65, lol. Now, my son is almost 2 and I absolutely hate to look at myself in the mirror and I am tired of being tired. I have started going to the gym and walking around the track on my lunch and then when I get home at night I do my situps, pushups, and I play with my kids at night. For now, that has to be my workouts. Do you have a place nearby your work you can workout on your lunch? Just walk, or climb stairs, etc.0
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Just signed up! I have been working out & dieting since Dec. 2012, as of today, I have lost 8 lbs. I go to the gym 3 times a week for 30 mins. I have not had any bread, pasta,rice, potatoes, kinda similar to the Atkins or South Beach plan. Done the Atkins a couple of yrs ago and lost 16 lbs in a month & a half.. but gained it back as soon as I stopped.
So far so good. I have always been tall & skinny, but I have let myself go in the past 8 yrs, so I have a lot of work to do. I don't want to be "skinny" just healthier, at least a size 9. My 12 yr old son is over weight and I'm hoping if he sees me trying hard and losing, it will motivate him to do the same. I hear you can lose 3x more with support from friends who are dieting also. I like my cocktails, so this is my only issue at the moment, the fruit juices I like are full of sugars, so I need to find some different mixers. 
Excited to get started, and hoping to have friends support & support some friends! 0 -
I saw 200 lbs on the scale today....The decision to change my body and my life are real, but why are my actions working so hard against me? How can I stop being my own worst enemy?...
I am a 25 year old mother of a beautiful 5 year old boy- don't I owe it to him to be healthy? Don't I owe it to both of us to be happy?
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Just take strength from the fact that your story is my story and the other posters on MFP and know that by little changes each day can and will add up to get you where you want to be. Today I brought my lunch from home then snuck out for a 15 minute walk around the block - the 30 minutes goal had seemed to daunting and as a result I'd been postponing it for a week. I'm going to try for a 10 minute quickie after work and another 15 minute walk tomorrow...and after that, we'll see.
Those 15 minutes were mine and I feel more refreshed and positive than I did prior to the walk.
Your full time and attention is for your beautiful 5 year old...but the 10-15 minute "breaks" you take for yourself will get you back on track. Keep us all up to date as to how you're doing.0 -
I found this quote and I want to share it with you my dear...
"DON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF. THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WILLING TO DO THAT FOR YOU. LOVE YOURSELF AND BE PROUD OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. EVEN MISTAKES MEANS YOU'RE TRYING.."0 -
Wonderful quote! Thanks!0
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want the real answer? I'll only give it if youre listening....
HINT: It requires 8 minutes of reading and it does not include any sarcasm and youll finish feeling like are the master of your own destiny again.0 -
Add me please! I need the support! :happy:0
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Same here I swore to myself last time when I got below 200 that I would never go there again. Then after I has my son I was at 215 and instead of losing it I gained 40. I will be so happy to see 199 again but have a way to go!0
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have you tried going to the gym in the morning before work? May be a bit easier.
I would LOVE to, but my son has to be at school at 8am, and I start work at 830a, and there is no daycare before 11am.
I've tried working out at home early in the morning, but my downstairs neighbors very politely said this was an issue. They have a 2 year old so i can see how me jumping, lounging, skipping at 5am is an issue.
How well do you know your downstairs neighbors? Maybe they could watch your little boy for you in the mornings while you go workout? Would be a nice, neighborly compromise if you know them well enough to feel comfortable leaving your son with them.0 -
Get workout dvds and do it at home. You got this! I got rid of my gym membership because I always found a reason not to go. When you're at home and all you have to do is pop a dvd in, there are no excuses. Get up 30 min earlier, do it after your little man goes to bed. I will add you as a friend and we can help keep each other accountable. You can do this!! Weight loss is hard, I have struggled with it for YEARS. Lost weight, gained it back again, it's a horrible cycle and you have to make the decision every day to do it. Others may say, oh its easy just don't do this or this. Well if it was that easy, EVERYONE would be skinny.0
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Just from my experiences:
1.) Exercise...and more importantly, activity is great for overall fitness and an important component of controlling your weight. That said, it isn't abslutely necessary to losing weight. Just build a reasonable deficit into your diet for weight loss and no exercise is necessary from a purely weight loss perspective. Just try to find 30 minutes 3 times per week for good heart health...it doesn't have to be at a gym...you don't need a treadmill or an eliptical machine. Just take the kiddo to the park and run around or go for a nice walk, etc. It's all you really need for good heart health and a basic level of fitness. As a friend once told me, "use your diet for weight control and exercise for fitness."
2.) Sustained, long term success requires a change of mind set. Those I know who have had long term success in controling their weight...and those that I know who are "naturally" lean and thin simply make better decisions. From a purely weight loss POV, a calorie is a calorie...but IMHO, long term success is dependent on changing ones eating habits and making better overall choices as to what they eat regularly and making that a habitual part of the natural diet...not just the one you go on for weight loss. That's not to say the occasional BBQ or burger or whatever is a bad thing...it's mostly the decisions that are made in the interim that matter most.
I have a few "naturally" lean and thin friends and I used to be so jealous and thought..."well, they're lucky and they can just eat anything they want and maintain that." It wasn't until I really started talking to them about their diets overall that I began to understand that, yes...while we were at the BBQ they ate the way everybody else was at the BBQ...like little piggies...but they didn't really eat that way all the time or even frequently, it was just my perception that they did. If I really took the time to look at their plates, I would have noticed a fair amount of portion control taking place as well; they had a fair amount of food on their plates to be sure...but nothing compared to the mountain of BBQ on mine. It's like they have a working fuel guage in their bodies that just says enough is enough....or I had a big day yesterday, think I'll take it easy for a couple of days. My guage is broken apparently so I have to actually think about it and log my calories...but I'm hoping that by changing my eating habits overall that my guage will once again work.0 -
I was hoping I'd never see that 200 number again as well; but thanks to the holidays I was right back there. After only one week on MFP and 2 days of getting back to the Senior Rec Center, I'm down almost 4 lbs. I'm determined to keep going down and never see that number again! Good luck to you!0
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My story is the same, I lost 60lbs. I gained 30 back, It's horrible!0
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One trick I used was I would put on up beat music and dance while I cooked supper and cleaned up after. Then my 3 girls and I would race up and down the hall of the house. The other thing we would do is I used the girls as weights. I would lay on the floor and left them up with my feet, since everyone got a turn or 3 that worked my legs.0
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I'm just starting, but I understand the frustrations you face. I've been dealing with weight struggles my whole life, I'm really hoping that this is the change and community I need to make it happen for good!0
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I feel your pain... I'm starting over this year,(again) my fortieth birthday is one year away and I know that if I'm ever going to lose it. I have one last shot at this. I know finding time to exercise is so hard but add as much walking as you can - all throughout the day and adjust your diet a little to help compensate. Good luck and keep us posted0
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I don't have a child but my gym is 40 miles from my home in the city where I work. For insurance purposes I must go 12 times per month and I car pool with someone who is not able to do the gym yet. Thus, at least 1 day per week to get a good, long work-out, I leave my home city at 4:30-4:45 in the a.m., hauling all my clothes, etc. I have no motivation to do this at home - sort of a case of "I have to pay for it" to do it. It is really hard! Don't get home until at least 6:00 at night and in winter in North Dakota, if the roads are bad, that makes it worse. I sympathize with you as it is so easy to have the backsliding, etc.0
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You owe it to both of you to be healthy. First off, though going to a gym is certainly fun, you don't have to go to a gym to exercise. You have a little boy - go outside and play with him. Walk, ride bikes, play soccer ... exercise while spending quality time with your child. Also, there are a million workout videos - some available free online. Workout in your livingroom either in the morning before he gets up or in the evening after he goes to bed. Though I no longer have children at home, I do have a dog who sits home all day while I'm at work. I would feel guilty going to a gym to workout knowing she's alone there needing a good walk. Afterwork we walk 20-30 minutes. Then I do some sort of workout video before dinner. I save a lot on gym memberships, too!0
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One trick I used was I would put on up beat music and dance while I cooked supper and cleaned up after. Then my 3 girls and I would race up and down the hall of the house. The other thing we would do is I used the girls as weights. I would lay on the floor and left them up with my feet, since everyone got a turn or 3 that worked my legs.
^^This sounds like SERIOUS fun!0 -
I don't have a child but my gym is 40 miles from my home in the city where I work. For insurance purposes I must go 12 times per month and I car pool with someone who is not able to do the gym yet. Thus, at least 1 day per week to get a good, long work-out, I leave my home city at 4:30-4:45 in the a.m., hauling all my clothes, etc. I have no motivation to do this at home - sort of a case of "I have to pay for it" to do it. It is really hard! Don't get home until at least 6:00 at night and in winter in North Dakota, if the roads are bad, that makes it worse. I sympathize with you as it is so easy to have the backsliding, etc.
Your insurance requires you to go to a gym? Do they know it's 40 miles from your workplace? I would check with them to see if you can do alternate exercise. That just seems very micro-managed!0 -
awe....ok. you've had your pity party now it's time to turn that into the motivation to climb back onto the 'take care of me time" bandwagon. When you are at your lowest, you are at your closet to being highly motivated. again. the only trick is to catch yourself a little sooner next time. and recognize your progress and triumphs. Do you know how many people and how much weight is gained from November to January 2 each year? Tons- average 10 to 15 pounds and YOU ARE STILL DOWN 5!!!!!
IT's really, really hard to keep the long view, the big picture, but you, we have to. If you hadn't worked at all, how much might you have gained versus 5 pounds down now? Learn from how you moved through your year- summer is harder for you than you might have thought - working out at the gym might not be an option if you have a more demanding job. Or, your job 'benefits' may not be worth the cost and toll to your health. Hiking? Walking? those can be done any time, anywhere. Activity is as important as the food choices you make.
You can do this. And all this is my effort of pep talking ME too! We swear it won't happen again, this is it- but we have to eat to live, every day. we can't avoid it, so we have to always work on being mindful. I have to buy, and eat, grapefruit- apples- I have journal- and look at the time of year as well as the time of day- and most of all, we need to be kind to ourselves. you can do this.0 -
I have a 5 year old little girl. I bought her a bike but she would never ride it so thinking, if i had one too maybe she would!!!! So i went a bought a bike and the very next day she started riding hers! (it was much more fun for her if i rode with her instead of walking beside her) And i didn't expect to enjoy it so much but i did! This gives me a way to get active and spend time with my daughter. Also it helps because she looks forward to that time together so much and on them days i do not feel like it, she insist that i do, so she's my little cheerleader that keeps me going!0
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