5 kids in 3 1/2 years!!! Weight loss support, please!

bethinagain
bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
edited September 20 in Introduce Yourself
Yes, it's true. I gave birth to 5 children in 3 1/2 years. My last pregnancy was a set of twins and when I brought them home from the hospital we were greeted by my 1 yr old, my 2 yr old and my 3 yr old. As you can imagine, all 5 in diapers! I'm proud to say that I've only gained 18 lbs from all of these pregnancies. But, it is the worst 18 lbs ever. It's all sagging skin on my tummy. My arms and legs are toned and firm. My hips and butt are a bit larger. I would like to lose the 18 lbs along with an extra 10. I wasn't at my thinnest before I got pregnant. So it wouldn't hurt to lose a little extra.

My problem is that it is impossible to work out at home. As soon as they see me in the living room to work out they all start climbing on top of me or crying because I shut their cartoon off to put in a workout DVD. I can't go in another room because they are to little to leave unattended. I can go to the gym but it will cost me $15.00 an hour for a babysitter while I'm there. I could work out when they all go to bed but that's the only time that I have to sweep, mop, do laundry and dish's. I get done with all that around midnight then it's straight to bed with pure exhaustion.

Can anyone give me any good tips, idea's or suggestions on how to fit in cardio rather than paying my babysitter evertime I want to work out at the gym? I'm going broke just because I want to lose some weight. I've already done wonders with correcting my daily intake of food. A great healthy diet, I must ad. Which I've lost 6 pounds in one month, but it's the workouts that I'm lacking.

Replies

  • MayLan
    MayLan Posts: 1,515 Member
    Wake up really early like at 5:00am and get in a workout. For this, you would have to go to sleep between 9:00pm and 10:00pm.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    Is it possible for your husband to care for them for a little while so you can get out to the gym or for a run outside? I can only imagine how great an hour or so away to take care of yourself would be.
  • karamae
    karamae Posts: 136 Member
    Wow, that's quite an accomplishment! And only 18 pounds gained, amazing! I'll be the first one to tell you, losing weight isn't so much about exercise but more about what goes in your mouth. If you can stick to your allotted calorie intake you should lose weight for sure. Exercise is definitely good for the body but it sounds like you are doing enough running around as it is! And as for waking up early, that's a great idea but if you're anything like me an extra hour makes a huge difference in a productive day or non productive day and just isn't happening any way you look at it! lol

    Good luck and enjoy those babies! :)
  • MichelleWagner50
    MichelleWagner50 Posts: 240 Member
    WOW!! I cannot imagine! I have 3 kids ages 11,7 and 4. That was enough for me!
    Maybe you can try to make it fun with them in your workouts somehow. Use your kiddos as your weights :-)
    Good luck and remember that this time goes fast...they will be out of diapers and letting your work out before you know it. Enjoy it as much as you can and try to get some sleep!! :flowerforyou:
  • wendyrezvani
    wendyrezvani Posts: 18
    I would say make the kids part of your work out. I didnt have 5...but babys will sleep and other 3 good age to do jumping jakes etc. wii is great and I bet they would dance with you. I would play airplane and stuff like that. my boys 13months apart good luck
  • BassBoneBabe
    BassBoneBabe Posts: 226 Member
    Just to add a little something, you can get a small step and step up and down while you are doing dishes (if by hand) or while you are folding laundry. It would add something to your already hectic life! And remember, chasing children burns calories as well. :-)

    Good luck to you!
  • harelik
    harelik Posts: 3
    Wow, I think that is amazing. I think your focus should be on your food intake and eating healthy. Also as was suggested, see what types of things you can do with your kids that can be exercise, such as having them sit on your stomach while you do crunches etc. I dont know if you can get outside to push them in a stroller or not, but another idea. And realized that you might not want to make it about the scale, but make it about how you are feeling. Sleep deprivation can make it hard to lose weight and I am guessing that you might miss out on some sleep, so you might want to just focus on EATING BETTER AND MOVING MORE (the motto that I am trying to use), then if the scale goes down great, if not you will still feel better. Good luck with it all.
  • sr2000
    sr2000 Posts: 230 Member
    If you have easy access to a computer near the kids you can do an online workout while they watch their cartoons. If you have a laptop with wireless then you can even stay in the same room with them. Sparkpeople.com has several 10 minute cardio and strength workouts that you can do throughout the day, whenever you have a spare ten minutes, you might even be able to do a few at a time or spread through the day, whenever you find the time. That is what I did when I was a nanny for 3 little ones. Sometimes I would hold on of them while I did some of the workouts, or sometimes they hopped along with me and tried to follow along. I know it's very hard to find the time to workout when you're soooo busy with your kids and the house, but just try not to stress about getting in that 30-45 minute "exercise" routine, carrying your kids around and cleaning is exercise in itself. And if you can fit in few extra 5-10 minutes of metabolism boosting cardio workouts that don't steal too much precious time, then all the better.
  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
    Wow, you are one impressive woman. I have a 2 1/2 year old and she "works out" with me. It's really hard to keep her entertained while I'm working out, but she's happy and I'm getting a work out. I recommend getting Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD or check your "onDemand" to do it for free. It's 20 min and a GREAT workout. My daughter gets very excited about me working out. Most of the time she ends up running around in circles next to me but she's right there and I'm getting it done. It is exhausting and I generally do level 1 when she's awake and save level 2 for when she's napping or in bed. But 20 min?? Anyone can find for that (although I'm not sure i would recommend you finding the time rather then sleep).
    My biggest idea is to take a walk with the kids. I'm not sure if you have 5 kid stroller, but that's how I started exercising. I would push my daughter a 1/2 mile every day, then it turned into a full mile, then 2 then 4 then I walked my first half marathon (without my daughter) last October.
    Best of luck! I also agree you do not necessarily have to exercise to lose weight. I lost 50 lbs a few years back and never did any form or exercise.
  • bethinagain
    bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
    I was so scared to post my situation. Some websites have very mean people on them that have nothing nice to say. All these responses are very helpful. Great idea's and realistic. I'm so happy that I just joined this website. It is filled with members that truely want to lose weight and help other's out at the same time. I am going to try to incorporate my workouts with my children......this outta be fun! LOL Thanks again everyone!
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