First ever post, and one hell of a rough realization

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wonderful quote! Thanks!

Add me please! I need the support! :happy:

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.

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.

My story is the same, I lost 60lbs. I gained 30 back, It's horrible!

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!

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.

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!

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.