H.E.L.P.

Hello All... I'm turning 30 in less than two weeks & I'm at my highest weight ever :sad: I used be at my ideal weight, but after I had my second child things just got ridiculous. Not only did I gain weight, but I kept gaining. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just to be on top of my game... always eating healthy, in the gym just about every morning & drinking nothing but water. Now things are the the exact opposite. I drink lots of juice & soda, I continuosly order out & I don't even know what the inside of a gym looks like these days. I just can't seem to get the mentality & motivation back. Oh and did I mention, I was born, raised & live in Philly... Home of the Cheesesteak!

Just an idea, but having done the same thing I would say what happened? Children. They take up a lot of time and energy and I love mine to bits but ....I wish I had realized what I was eating and feeding them a lot earlier. Then maybe they wouldn't be battling obesity the same way I was. (Was! positive thinking!)

So, if you can't motivate yourself for yourself

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think about what you are feeding your kids. Because if you are drinking a lot of pop and ordering in all the time then the kids are probably injesting the same stuff you are. It might not show up when they are young but it will when they hit the teen years and then you're going to try and get them to eat healthy and the vicious circle starts again.

Do it for yourself and for them. You will all benefit. So start with one thing at a time - cut out the pop, then the processed foods. You will get whining and snivelling and yelling (and it won't all be you) but in the end you can do this. There are a lot of delicious drink options that you can mix up and keep in the fridge so the kids don't feel tortured.

Good luck!

Hello All... I'm turning 30 in less than two weeks & I'm at my highest weight ever :sad: I used be at my ideal weight, but after I had my second child things just got ridiculous. Not only did I gain weight, but I kept gaining. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just to be on top of my game... always eating healthy, in the gym just about every morning & drinking nothing but water. Now things are the the exact opposite. I drink lots of juice & soda, I continuosly order out & I don't even know what the inside of a gym looks like these days. I just can't seem to get the mentality & motivation back. Oh and did I mention, I was born, raised & live in Philly... Home of the Cheesesteak!

I grew up on cheese steaks but wouldn't touch them now if you paid me. Yuck!! greasy sloppy messy disgusting artery cloggers is all I can think of now when I see one. First make small changes for yourself. Cut out the soda period. Don't even drink the diet stuff. Then try to cut out all fruit juices or cut back on them to 4 oz's once a day. Personally I don't drink soda or juice. Never liked any of that stuff. For exercise start with walking. Set small obtainable goals for yourself and each time you reach a goal if you award yourself don't award yourself with food. I award myself with clothes or going to the movies or new makeup or getting my hair done.
You have to really want to do this. If you don't want it your not going to stick with it. Do it for yourself and no one else. Don't expect others to do it with you or help you out. You're going to have to stick with the plan you set up for yourself and be your own advocate. There are so many rewards to losing weight and getting healthy. Lots of people notice and will complement you, you get to wear a lot of really nice clothes, you will look much younger, your health will improve, you'll add years to your life etc etc.

Good luck and stick with it.

Thanks a bunch... I definitely plan on cutting out the soda A.S.A.P. Soda is no longer an option. I trying to get some walking in, but its so hard. I work a 10hr shift & its a desk job. I have to be to work at 6am, so going out in the morning isn't an option. Then I go home to 2 little ones. I'm trying now to work out a schedule where I can get some exercise in.

How long is your lunch break and do you get the "15 minute breaks"? My trainer suggested to me on the days that I may have a 18-20 hour day is to just take 10 minutes here and there to walk, if you do this three times a day, there ya go 30 minutes of exercise. Even if you can't get outside to walk, walk around the inside of the building, if you have multiple floors on your building use the stairs whenever you have to go to a different floor or when you have 10 minutes, go up and down the stairs for those 10 minutes. If you can park a little farther from the door at work, the grocery store, the mall, ect that helps too.
I agree with cutting soda and juice out since they both are high in sugar. If you need to wean yourself off, with the juice, you can start cutting it with water until you're down to water. You can get fresh fruit, cut it up and put it in pitchers of water to drink (one of my friends even slices cucumbers and puts them in her water) if you want a little flavor to your water.

This recipe is from Men's Health. Not sure if the calorie count is accurate.
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/healthy-recipes/healthier-philly-cheesesteak

A Healthier Philly Cheesesteak
This man-size sandwich from Jessie Price, co-author of Eating Well: Comfort Foods Made Healthy, packs just a fraction of the fat and calories found in its traditional counterpart.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 red or green bell pepper, sliced
2 tbsp minced fresh oregano, or 2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced hot banana peppers (optional)
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 oz thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone cheese
4 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted
[1] Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir until brown, 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, oregano, and black pepper and stir until the vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes.
[2] Add sirloin and salt and cook, stirring, until the beef is just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
[3] Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables and beef with flour; stir to coat. Stir in banana peppers (optional) and broth; bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables and beef, cover, and let stand until melted, 1-2 minutes.
[4] Divide into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted-cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.
Nutritional Information Per Sandwich:
440 calories, 45 g protein, 31 g carbs, 15 g fat, 5 g fiber

Just an idea as far as the desk job goes. My sister also works a desk job and finds it really hard because she just sits all day. Just to increase the amount of movement she gets, she keeps a LARGE glass of water on her desk and tries to finish it in the first hour of the day. That way in about 45 min she has to pee. She goes pee, and then refills the water, and tries to drink that one before she has to go pee again ect. This way at least once an hour she is getting up and going for a (very short) walk. Also, great cleansing of the system drinking that much water!! If every time you get up you do a few stretches too, you are going to feel a lot better through-out and get more movement in your day

I'm thinking BBQ'd new york strip, grilled veg and a light sprinkle of cheese sounds pretty good. Leave the grease out! Too bad my BBQ is buried under a foot of snow right now...

Sharita, Good morning. Well, first of all you have started out in the right place. Fitness Pal friends can definitely keep you motivated as well as HELP out with suggestions. Its just up to you to do it. Secondly, I use to be a fitness trainer and nutrition advisor. Over all my years of experience and trying different diets the one I feel most people understood and had success on was the South Beach Diet. I'm not endorsing it, I'm just saying it works for most. Get the book if you don't already have it and read the first section before it gets into the meal plans. Its a wealth of information that you can slowly or quickly use for you everyday diet. And if you choose to do the diet plan it is amazing. I just got back started in my workout regimine due to a year long recovery and I too have just started the South Beach Diet again. SO, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Good Luck. David