Starting over...how do you all find the time???
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I fully understand what you are going through. I don't think everyone can appreciate how busy life can get for some of us. Here are a few tips:
1.) Log your food and exercise early in the day. I find this helps me know what I need to do for dinner (add calories, remove calories, etc.) and also keeps me accountable to my choices. If I didn't have that candy bar on the list, I can't eat it in a moment of weakness because it would mess up my careful tracking!
2.) Use your lunch breaks at work to run errands, study, log food, or work out. If you bring a healthy packed lunch, you can eat it very quickly and then use the remainder of your lunch break to do something productive. This frees up time later in the day for other priorities.
3.) Not sure what kind of work you do, but if it is a desk job and you can take breaks at will, aim to take 2 10 minute walking breaks during the day. I do this to stretch my legs - and I walk all through the building, take the stairs, etc. for at least 10 minutes at a time. It is a short enough break that no one really misses me (I have co-workers who take longer smoke breaks than that) and it gets me moving. Along the same lines, use the time before or between your classes to take a brisk walk around campus. Every step gets you closer to your goal!
4.) Work-out videos are a great way to exercise. You can do one when the kids are busy watching TV elsewhere or doing their homework. I would aim for ones that are 20-30 minutes long since your schedule likely won't allow for anything longer.
5.) If it is the end of the day and you haven't had time to work out, force yourself to do 15 minutes of something healthy before bed - push ups, weights, jog in place, etc. You won't miss 15 minutes of sleep. (Along those same lines, I do wall push-ups in the shower.)
All in all, make small attainable goals with your time. 15-20 minute blocks are obtainable with your life. 2 hour gym sessions are not. You can do it!0 -
Also, I would have to say that "perfect" doesn't exist in any one life area. I do the best I can to balance everything and shift priorities according to what's going on.
If you are working full-time, going to school full-time and your husband is working out of town, maybe you need to settle for 30 minutes of quick exercise 3 or 4 times a week, or settle for changing your eating habits a little at a time instead of trying to make drastic changes.
You can do ANYTHING you want to do, but you can't always do EVERYTHING you want to do.
If I get accepted into the graduate program I applied to, we will definitely be budgeting for house cleaning services, because there's no way I can do a DNP program, work full-time, be a good mom AND keep up with housework while not being a raving lunatic.0 -
You can start by just eating better. Losing weight is mostly what you put into your body. I cook on Sundays in BULK. Grill 6 chicken breasts, steam a ton of veggies, and make a whole pot of brown rice. Also, make a crockpot meal that you and the kiddos can enjoy... so easy, too! Just throw all the ingredients into the crockpot before you leave for the day... cook on LOW for 8-10 hrs.
Then once you get into the swing of eating right then add a 2-3 days of workouts. Even if it's waking up 30 min. early and doing a 30 minute Jillian Michaels DVD. Walk on your lunch break... walk for 45 minutes and eat for 15.
Remember you are worth it... and your family needs you to be healthy. Good luck 0 -
We are busy people. I have 3 kids, 12,9, and almost 2. I use fitness DVDs for exercise, I get one that is 20-30 minutes. My kids do it with me. The bigger ones goof off quite a bit, and the baby jumps around and lifts her arms and legs to the music. It is really funny to watch her.
For tracking, I have the app on my mobile phone so I log on the go. I try to log it as I sit down to eat it, or in my car before I actually take off for where I am going.
For food prep, I do a rough plan of what I want to make for the week. I go to the grocery weekly, I save time by having my older kids help me fill the buggy. I will have one get one item from the shelf, while the other gets something else, while I get another item. The 9 year old stays in my aisle, while I may send the 12 year old to the next aisle. I can usually cut about 30 minutes off my trip. When I get home, they help me carry in the food, and I start washing and bagging my fruits and veggies in individual bags according to portion size.
Each morning, I have a yogurt and fruit for breakfast, and put together a sandwich and grab a few of my pre bagged fruits and veggies and cheese snacks for the day's lunch. For dinner each night, I fix something that I can put in the pressure cooker, or bake, or a crock pot meal. For the crock pot, I wake up about 15 minutes earlier, and throw everything in. For the bake or pressure cooker, when I get home, I change into my work out clothes, put the food in the oven or on the stove top, then do my exercise. By the time I am done, it is ready to be eaten or stirred or turned. I get home at about 5:30, we usually have dinner at 6:30 or 7. I do have a great husband, so if I need help with the dinner, he is there to help, but mornings are not his thing, so I am on my own on a crazy morning.
I kind of have this down to a routine now, and it works for us. I hope this gives you some ideas that you can use, or at least motivates you in some way! Good luck on your journey.0 -
My husband travels quite often, so I understand the dilema of having the kids at home and trying to work out. What I finally ended up doing was buying a couple of fitness DVDs and getting my butt up at 5AM to complete them before the kids get up.
Other than that, I like to challenge my kids to a good handball game after work against the garage door, or we go for a bike ride once a week or so.
On weeks that my husband is home, I still get up at 5AM, only go for a run outside.
If I didn't do it at 5AM, it just wouldn't get done at all, so there's my suggestion.0 -
There are several workout DVD's that are 30 minutes or less and dedicated to people that don't have much time. I would suggest doing something along these lines. Also, workout with your kids in sports and running, etc. I find myself challenging my nieces to run with me by seeing who can get to something first (I know they will win) it's a challenge for me, and it's fun for them. Also, working out while reading or listening to lectures, etc is a good choice. You have to make the balance in your life and see what works for you.0
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I tend to log it at work or at school.... I'm a full time student and full time employee as well... it gets tough, I have the phone app so that makes it a lot easier to take 2 min to track the food.
Some days when I don't have time to search it all, i'll scribble what I ate on a piece of paper and then when I get home log it in.
Food plans are helpful, but in the end it's super hard to stick with them. I enjoy seeing how many calories certain foods I eat have, because then I feel less likely to buy them later on after watching them ruin my calorie goal. the first two months I used this off and on, and didn't commit... just give it time and FORGIVE yourself when you slip up. this is for you not for anyone else.... so be honest to yourself.
to recap: get the phone app if you can, if you are pressed for time just write it down on a paper and upload it later, and one more thing....
I try and keep in mind a few good 'go to foods' when I can anticipate needing a snack. I always get myself in trouble when the sneaky hunger kicks in and I eat on impulse... nip that in the butt by planning ahead, assuming you will need a between meals snack, and resist the urge to justify that cookie or whatever your vice is by having something small ( i like in kind bars) on hand.0 -
I completely know where you're coming from. I struggle with the same thing as my kids are 4 and 20 months and my husband works long hours and pretty much 7 days a week. By the time I get home from work I have to put the children to bed and then cook my dinner, can't go out for a walk or anything as my kids are in bed & we have no one to look after them.
At the moment my only exercise is walking in my lunch break and walking with the kids on my day off. We are in the process of getting our bikes roadworthy so we can get the kids in their bike seat/trailgator bike, but I can only do that when my husband is around as I can't take both of them. Started trampolining on a Saturday morning a year ago but had to give up as I was missing most sessions due to no childcare. May be able to start it again when my son is a bit bigger and I don't have to worry about him running off while I'm taking my turn. But I am just doing whatever I can whenever I can, yes I'm sure I would get fitter quicker if I were able to get to an exercise class or the gym in the evenings, but every little bit is better than nothing.
Just don't give up, like you said you know how important it is, so whenever there is an opportunity to be active - grab it with both hands x0 -
Been there, done that.
Before I got remarried I had three school age boys, a full time day/desk job and went to school 3 nights a week. Granted, I was nowhere NEAR as heavy as I am now, and maybe that's because I moved around a LOT more then.
What I would do is park as far away from wherever I needed to be and briskly walk to where I needed to be. Took the stairs instead of the elevator to class. I also would eat at my desk and keep working and use lunch and break periods to hit the stairs or walk around the facility.
Yup....It's hard. Absolutely, because there are but so many hours in the day. HOWEVER, you have to be sneaky about it and pull one over on the clock and make ways to exercise.
Even now, I work the same desk job as I did back then, I sit on a stability ball, take the stairs whenever I need to run upstairs, and do little office workouts (wall squats, wall pushups, etc), when things are slow.
Hope it helps...0 -
I agree with the person that said to concentrate on your eating right now. I think you need to make it a priority to make up these batches of food on the weekend. And not just lunch but think about breakfast and snack as well. When I'm writing up my grocery list for the week, I make sure to include things like fruits, veg, yogurt and protein bars for snacks, eggs and/or oatmeal for breakfast, meat, cheese, bread & veg for lunch as well as all the dinners for the week. Then I make up batches of things like 6 days worth of oatmeal and enough chicken salad for the week and put them in those little containers. Then all I have to do in the morning is throw my yogurt, oatmeal container, a couple pieces of fruit, a veg, my protein bar and throw together a chicken salad wrap quickly and I'm good to go. You could also boil up a dozen or two eggs to have for snacks/meals.
As far as exercise, goes, just fit in what you can. Even if it's only 10 minutes a couple times a day on your breaks at work, that's better than nothing!0 -
I'm not going to lie. It's freaking hard to find the time somedays. Both DH and I work full-time and we have a 15 month old. I am very involved with my church and outside activiites as well. I do my workouts on my lunch break and aim for 3-4 workouts a week with the understanding that some weeks it's just not going to happen. Days I can't make it to the gym I try to at least get a walk in and some bodyweight exercises.
We don't eat out very often although there are days like today where I have two meals out (Subway - half for breakfast, half for lunch). I try to keep my fridge, pantry and office drawer stocked with grab and go options (string cheese, 100 calorie almond packs, Greek yogurt, protein bars, etc). I find I do much better if I preplan our meals for the week. I know exactly what I'm going to cook every night and I try to plan it so I'm only really cooking every other day and then we have leftovers. Days when I'm so rushed I don't have time to plan I have a few eat out options that I know can fit into my calorie goals. I do much better if I input my planned meals and snacks into MFP in the morning so I can see what/where I may need to adjust. I can do that from my phone and it only takes about 5 minutes.
Most important I know that this is not a race. It's taken me a year to lose 33 lbs and I need to lose at least another 35-40. I am not going to get a prize if I get there sooner rather than later. This can't be a diet and it can't be a quick fix. It has to be something sustainable.0 -
Husband stationed in a different state
Three kids
Full time job
LOVE sleep
I will echo everyone else in saying that time will never find you; you have to make it for yourself.0 -
men have it easyThere is 168 hours in a week. I find it hard to believe a person can't find time to exercise!!!
Nothing but Excuses!!!!0 -
men have it easy
Did I really just read that?0 -
Put one of your work out days on the weekend or an off day when more of your time is free. Then there's less pressure to find an hour and a half the rest of the week. Maybe just find a half hour and start there. Look for gaps in your schedule and opportunities to be active. Last week I took my little girl to a dance class and instead of waiting to watch her (as usual), I hopped in the adult class at the center at the same time as her.... having enough time is a real issue and not an excuse. Alot of people would find solutions in this thread beneficial so don't take some of these responses too personally. People who had to give themselves a big kick in the rear can sometimes sound harsh but its just passion for good health. Good Luck!0
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I find the smart phone and the MFP app makes entering as you eat or in spare moments feasible.0
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You are busy!
When I'm busy I opt for easy meals that I can throw together - chicken sausage and baked frozen fries. Protein smoothies and protein bars. Nope, it's not ideal, but it gets me through and keeps my waistline down.
once you get into a habit, and find what works for you, it'll get easier. You just have to deal with the aches and pains until then. Stick with it. It'll get easier - it'll still be work, but it'll get easier.
Also, don't aim for perfection. Do your best, and your best will get better 0 -
When I have a busy day and can't find the time for a full workout, I take 1 or 2 exercises and do 16 reps of them every hour on the hour. For example, I'll decide on squats and push-ups. Every hour of the day I'll stop and do 16 of them. It literally only takes minutes but by the end of the day, you've done over a hundred of them each.0
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make the time!0
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what works for me is to just do what i can, as i can. Constantly try to make better choices regardless of where and what you eat. Totally agree with the thought of making yourself priority but as the single mother of two now mostly grown boys, i know how hard that can be. There is not always enough time in the day! Find the foods your family loves that are easy/convenient for you and healthy....and don't think of it just as a "you need to lose weight", start thinking of yourself as trying to make sure your kids grow up knowing about and loving to eat healthy foods....if you keep that mission in mind, you might find it easier to make the time to cook/eat healthier and exercise more! You aren't just doing it for you, you are doing it for your family! Now that my children are grown and one of them despises healthy eating (which i never taught him, i thought it was just "for me" because i had the weight problem) I really regret not understanding that how i raised them to eat, would of course influence how they ate and consequently might give them problems as adults. Ugh!0
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I save myself a lot of time by preparing more than one meal at a time. It takes the same amount of time to cook one larger meal (that can be served as leftovers again the next day) as it does to make a smaller one, that I can only serve once.
Exercise when you make time, but 75% of this process is about how you eat.0 -
Clearly she's not asking for pep talk, or motivation to make time because she understand how important it is...she's asking for tips and ideas! Going for brisk walks on your breaks and lunch breaks worked for me. I would eat my lunch at work, use the lunch break for either exercise or logging or whatever it is you need to do.0
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Hello!
I work full time, have two kids (ages 9 and 6), and I'm also a full time student. My husband works out of town, so I have the kids by myself the majority of the time except for school nights when my parents take them. I know that it's important to eat healthy and exercise, but I honestly can't find the time without giving up sleep. How do you all do it? I know it's important to log everyday and I was doing really well for a little while and then school started back up again.
I've tried making my meals ahead of time and logging them into the system before I eat. That seems to work, but then the next week, I won't have time to make my meals for the week and I fall behind. Half the time, I'm eating on the run, or I eat something late at night when I get home from class. I try to keep only healthy options in the house, veggie burgers, vegetables, yogurt...those are pretty much grab and go type of things, but then I realize I'm not eating the minimum calories per day and as we all know, that's not healthy. I was walking during my breaks and lunch at work, but then I started having to do homework or study during those times and the walking trips stopped. My goal is to eat healthier, exercise more, and set a better example for my kids, not really to lose weight.
I have a little less than two years left in school, I'm not going to quit and I'm part of a cohort so I can't take less of a course load. I'm just busy, but I know that I can't be the only one like this! If anyone has any tips, I'd be thankful if you shared!
Thanks!!
i have 5 kids, ages 14, 13, 11, 10, and 7. my husband is over worked and never home. my 4 daughters play softball and are on 3 different teams, each team having 2 practices and 2 games each week. my son has a problem with his heart, and eventually needs a pacemaker. until then, he is in and out of children hospital and back and forth to dr appointments. i too, am a full time student. my only advise is to find the time, make the time. if you want something bad enough, you will find that 25th hour in the day to make it work. good luck to you!0 -
Hang in there! It can be tough, I know. I hope more people post some time saving/multi tasking ideas and less "make the time" comments.0
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I am similar to you in that I also have 2 children, work full time and am a student. I exercise (walk) on my breaks at work. I try to squeeze in exercise on my lunch break as well. The first thing I do when I get in the door (at home) is my Jillian Micheals DVD. Then I worry about dinner, baths, homework, etc. Sometimes, life takes over and I am not able to get it all in but, I do what I can to make it happen. When I go grocery shopping, I pick out a few things I can take to work and leave there such as portioned out almonds, fruit, peanut butter, etc. That way if I am not able to preprepare food, I will have healthy options available. Good luck!0
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Believe me I am there and making myself the priority is something I struggle with, I posted the exact same question not to long ago. I have a hard time with the logging too, especially on the weekend when everyone is home, to sit down to the computer and log my meals, I am still new here so I don't know all the tricks to making this easier. I don't have a cell phone with an App, and sitting at the computer some days just isn't an option. This past weekend I didn't log on once, nor did I go back and log what I ate when I finally logged onto MFP yesterday. What I did was eat the foods I knew would keep me at or under my calorie goal, plus I made sure to fit in exercise, I recently bought an elliptical trainer and I love it, I set it up in the family room, I exercise when the kids take naps, watch TV or play. This weekend I exercised while we watched movies on Saturday night, we were all together and I didn't feel like I was taking time away from my family, I have 4 children oldest 12 youngest 7 months. Mommy guilt is mommy guilt we all feel it in our own way. I am at home right now but return to full time work in April, I am trying to find solutions that I can maintain. I love MFP and I am finding it easier, but I do find that I now have go to foods that I eat just because I know how many calories it adds up to and I can just copy it from day to day if needed. But it has also inspired me to create and experiment with new recipes and the build your own recipe tool is great, but I do find it time consuming, but again I am new, I made a new recipe last night and it took me half the time it did, compared to my first try. So it does get easier and less time consuming. When I go back to work I plan on fitting exercise in immediately after work before I pick the kids up from daycare. I don't know if this will end up working or not, I may have to try first thing in the morning. I would love to be one of those people that have logged in 365 days in a row, so far only manage 25, but for me this isn't realistic or maintainable. and bottom line that's what it's got to be.0
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Hang in there! It can be tough, I know. I hope more people post some time saving/multi tasking ideas and less "make the time" comments.
I work out on my lunch hour and prior to that, I did exercise videos at home.0 -
Hi, I find it very helpful to eat a very simple diet. Eat roughly the same thing for breakfast and lunch everyday. That makes it easy to plan ahead and track. Get some simple snacks that you can store in a backpack or your car-100 cal packs-you can make your own in ziplocks to save money. Use your planning and prep time wisely and make things in bigger batches than needed so you have some go to leftovers for dinners. Food has a bigger impact on weightloss than excersize so make that your focus at first.
Good luck0 -
No kids, but I'm pretty busy working full time, taking an evening class, and have a townhouse by myself that I need to keep up (thankfully this schedule started after yardwork season!), and well I want to have time for personal/fun activities or I'll go crazy.
Pack your breakfast and lunch when you clean up dinner in the evening. I have lots of things to build lunches around in my freezer that I've gotten at Costco. Sandwich thins and various toppings (laughing cow cheese, light salami, PB&J, etc), bags of carrots/mixed veggies (bag these up in single portions when you buy them it only takes about 10 min), hummus to dip, a little dessert that won't break the bank (apple, clementine, banana, portion of animal cookies), yogurt for breakfast (this could be a pre-made yogurt, I've started using 1 cup gladware with plain greek yogurt, frozen mixed berries and a sprinkle of granola for crunch). Track all of these things as you put them in your lunch box because you're still at home, it's evening so you're less likely to be in a rush to get to work/school, and you can barcode scan everything as you pack. Then you have a fair idea of where your day will be and what you can do for snacks/dinner through out the day. Keep a handful of almonds or a portion (1oz) of beef jerky in your bag to avoid buying impulse unknown meals.
If you often stop at a work/school cafeteria find a healthy meal and always stick to that one. I calculated out the calories in the garden burger/grilled chicken burger and fruit salad combo in my cafeteria and depending on the sauce it's about 500 cal, it's great when I can't pack a lunch and it's easy to track. If you don't have a cafeteria and must resort to fast food know ahead of time what doesn't break the bank for you.
As far as exercise, I'm in a desk job I try to get up and move around when I can, just stand up when you're on phone calls and pace at your desk or march in place. Climb the stairs up and down during your 15 min break. Park in the last row (makes a big difference on my pedometer). Try using a pedometer to monitor your activity level and figure out different things to increase it on days you absolutely can't fit in a workout. I feel less bad when I realize those laps around the grocery store were ticking away on my pedometer for 1000 extra steps on my errands after work!0 -
I suggest starting with small goals. Work out 2-3 days a week. Be good Mon-Fri with eating. Don't beat yourself up if you "mess up" one day by not eating the healthiest or missing a workout. Stay positive. Try to stay in the mentality that every day counts, not the mentality that you'll do it tomorrow. Good luck!
Exactly. Small goals to start. If that don't work, make smaller goals.
Start off slowly working more and more in. That is what I am doing. Started off doing 15 min walks and ordering only the sandwich and not the combo from fast food. It was baby steps and took patience but I was able to add more time for exercise and healthier foods.
It is what you are doing with your studying, finding more time here and there. School, family, health are all high priority. Its hard to find a balance but just take baby steps.
Good Luck!0
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