I want to lose weight but I can't seem to stay motivated....

amfisher89

Hi guys, I'm Amber. I am a 24 year old wife and mother of a beautiful 4 year old little girl. I am also the biggest I have ever been. Ever since I had my daughter I have had a hard time losing weight. When I was with her dad I know it was because of all the emotional abuse he put me through. I am past all that now, but I have been having some depression problems and most of that stems from looking in the mirror. I don't know what to do. Some days I feel great, like I can do anything and others I just want to cry and quit. I find it hard to keep motivated in losing this weight. Its hard when you go to school full time, work part time, and basically run a house hold. I feel drained all the time. Anyone have and suggestions that can help?

lexlyn14

I feel your struggle... It is extremely hard to stay motivated when you have so much going on... But you are only 24 you have sooooooo much ahead of you... Don't you want to look great visualize yourself looking awesome a year from now take charge of your body now while you are still young... You will definitely meet the right one soon and look fabulous when you do,,, I too was a single mom when my daughter was only 4 months I worked full time and got my masters degree at night I let myself go for a while but when I finally got control everything fell into place,,,good luck

amandalynnesmith

My advice would be to stop trying to lose weight and start trying to love the body you have now. Until you can deeply and completely accept yourself as you are (instead of beating yourself up over how you look), weight loss will be very difficult. Once you arrive at acceptance, you will naturally want to take the best care of your body. That doesn't mean punishing yourself by eating small diet meals and starving yourself. It also doesn't mean eating unhealthy food or eating past the point of being full.

When you've been close to someone (boyfriend, husband, mother, father, etc.) who has treated you badly, it is easy to start to believe you deserve to be treated badly. Even if you don't realize you think that way, it becomes ingrained in you. If you have health insurance, I would advise you to seek out a therapist for a few sessions to help you heal from your past relationship. You say that it is all in the past, but the poor treatment you endured has had lingering effects that you must address.

Many women feel overworked, myself included. I have a full time job, a part time job, two kids, a house, and a husband. I don't get much sleep and can barely find time to brush my teeth at night. Life is nearly unmanageable. I am trying to find ways to simplify my life and cut out things. For example, I just cleaned out my closet and drawers and got rid of everything I don't use. That saves me time in the morning. Also, I'm trying to streamline my work at my daytime job so that I can more comfortably stay ahead of deadlines.

Jillian Michaels has a good podcast that you might be interested in listening to. Some of her shows talk about strategies for busy, working women who have kids. I can't remember what episodes she talks about this. But I like this podcast in general. Here's the link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jillian-michaels-show/id418368811

Good luck!

wnbrice

MY biggest suggestion would be to take baby steps that dont get too difficult.

Dont worry about the weight as much, it has been there 4 years, you can afford to take a few extra months to get where you need to be.

So I would start with step one just being counting your calories. Just put aside a few minutes to count the number of calories you are consuming day to day.

Thats it, dont worry about restricting your calories at this point. Just write them all down. Do that for a few weeks

Next I would work on eating at maintenance -200. Just get used to eating a little less. Do this for awhile until you feel comfortable eating at a deficit. Once that becomes the norm, maybe work in some exercise with your daughter. So on and so forth, this does not have to be an extreme change and with gradual adjustments you can lose it without stressing yourself(especially with such a hectic life schedule.

blisser99

I feel overwhelmed everyday. I have three kids, a husband, and a full time job. If I'm not working at my job, I'm working at home. Or I'm running errands, or making time for the kids. Feels like there is no time for me anymore. I have been 60lbs over my prebaby weight for ten years and it has never moved. MFP has helped me lose 20lbs in 10 weeks. I want the number to be more, but slow and steady wins the race. Feel free to add me. You can do this... Even if it takes a long time. Start with the food part and then incorporate exercise. There are so many people here that will have your back and encourage you. Chin up. :-)

onwarddownward

When I started, all I committed to was cutting out sugary drinks (and no diet drinks, just water), cutting out fast food meals and getting SOME exercise.

Baby steps.

Vinyarddog

I agree with cutting out sugars , and carbs in general (bread , pasta) Go Atkins if you have a hard time staying motivated - they have a free start up kit on their website - Atkins is very easy to do, and I am full all the time.

baileysmom4

When I am unmotivated to work out, I just say to myself, "go do 10 minutes." Once I am working out, I seldom stop at ten minutes then feel so much better that I got my *kitten* up and got it done! (sometimes its like the couch has some magnetic hold on me! LOL)

Imadarkswan

Yup, I know exactly what you are going through. Some days I can barely function but I keep on.
When you have that much going on I know how difficult it can be. Time is your enemy because it is sooo much easier to do quick and easy box meals (you think) or to stop at the fast food place.

Start small. You do not have to do it all at once. First. Make a goal. Is your goal weight loss or being healthy and fit?
Then make a list of things you need to do to achieve your goal (I love lists)
Work on one at a time.

Feel free to message me or send FR if you like