Stay at home Mom struggles!

yes i am definitly struggling.i recently had twins plus i have a 20 month old also,so exercising is a big issue.i cannot seems to get time.

I work out at home, usually mid-day, since I cannot commit to getting out of the house (and with a 6 month old and 3 year old, I don't want to put them in a gym daycare, especially this time of year!) And my husband's schedule is unpredictable and by the end of the night, I just want to pick up the house and relax.

I can squeeze in a kettlebell workout in 15-20 minutes and will burn 200+ calories. Can do it during a nap or while they play since they can keep themselves busy for that amount of time (usually!)

Biggest advice, get the junk out of the house. The kids don't need it and neither do you. If it's not there, you wont be tempted. My first week on slow carb, I found that I would eat one of everything I gave my daughter (like an animal cracker, goldfish, etc) but now I keep myself so full that I don't even think of eating any of her stuff. I also try and keep fresh cut veggies easily available. My 3yr old started to ask for them (broccoli, cauliflower) as snacks.

Either toss the bad stuff, or enjoy a last week of junk binge to get rid of it. I made donations of food that were loaded with sugar and used a lot of stuff of my cheat days until my pantry was cleaned up. Now it's full of nuts, some crackers and stuff for my daughter, but I lean towards yummy Emerald Cocoa almonds, PB&Cocoa nuts and PB&J nuts.

Yes! It can be tough. I force myself to workout before I do anything else. Usually during my son's morning nap, sometimes before my husband leaves for work. I don't keep any junk in the house and try to never leave hungry...even if we are going out for lunch I try to eat something before heading out. I can't imagine how tough it must be with your husband working nights.

I can't bring the junk into the house. My husband brought some cookies home, and I was busily trying to get my three boys lunch (3,2, and .5) and I ate two of them without paying a bit of attention to what their calories were. I about choked when I discovered that each cookie was over 200 calories. Same thing happened a couple of days later when I ate two flatbreads with some Greek chicken.

Always keep whole foods on hand to snack on (fruit, vegetables, etc.), and always be aware of what you are putting into your mouth. My worst habit was not paying attention to what I was eating (obviously) so I made up my mind to stop that. Pay attention to the serving sizes and stick to that. We used to hit the drive through once a week, now I make sure that there is something ready for us to eat when I pick my son up from preschool. I'm constantly eating, I'm just making better choices.

Today was my first day of keeping track, i got on this website awhile back and just decided to get serious. It is very hard!!! I can't imagine how many cals i eat when im not keeping track. Hang in there, we can do it!!!!

I use work out DVD's. I have to wait until my kids go to sleep though because I am afraid of hurting them when I am pranching around like a crazy person. It sucked at first to wait until night time but I got used to it after a week or so. I look forward to it now because I take out my days frustration and stress on the work out.

Just keep logging your food and try to fit in a workout when you can. Take the kids for a walk. I like to walk to a playground with them and then walk around the playground as they play. Take some comfy walking weights too!

Good Luck!

I hear you. Our daughter is 20 months old and it can be tricky to squeeze in a workout.

Is there a time when your little one goes down for a nap? For me, I workout with a program I have for my xbox. As soon as my daughter goes down for her nap I zip right downstairs. While the xbox is loading I pick up her toys and such so I have a nice clear area to work out in and then go for at least 25 minutes. The longer I can go the better.

I find that when I'm out and about, I actually have a harder time staying on track. When I'm at home, I have no problem. Probably because the only food I shouldn't eat that I allow into the house are my son's chicken nuggets, which are actually kinda gross to me. Consequently I am a major homebody now!

Crazy, because I'm the complete opposite!! I do so much better if we are out for the entire day. Probably because I'm also a cheapskate and refuse to buy lunch or snacks for myself. Right now, with it being so cold, I'm struggling because we are home all the time - with sickness going around and it being 20 degrees out, can't do it.

I have a 3 year old and 18 month old. I'm home with them during the day and then I work 4pm-11pm. I'm so crazy busy and tired that I haven't exercised since July. I've lost a total of 99 lbs, but still have about 10 I would like to lose. I've been at this same weight since August and I'm finally admitting to myself that I'm going to HAVE to workout to lose the last 10. Especially because I have a size 6 bridesmaid's dress to wear in May. (It fits, but a lil snug in the belly).

Anyway, I admit that my kids eat junk. If I eat part of a pop tart or the rest of their granola bar, I make sure I log EVERYTHING. Sometimes it's only 20 calories, but everything adds up. My daughter no longer naps (BOOOO), so I think I'll try working out today when my son goes down at 1. She can watch a Disney movie or something..

My problem was snacking when it was nap time. It killed me. And finding a quick dinner after the kids came home (they go to bed at 7, but we start getting ready at 6:30 so it has to be something fast when DH gets home). We ended up with pizza or chicken nuggets or hot dogs on far too many nights. Honestly, I stopped buying it. Well, the snacks anyway. I still keep the freezer with nuggets but they are used far less. I'm buying healthier snacks (as little processing as possible) and sticking to them. If there is junk here I WILL eat it.

As far as working out, I just do it. Getting out of the house is saving my sanity. I have a friend I meet up with at the gym and we chat before/after our workouts. If I was only doing things at home, I'd get a lot less done. I prefer to go later in the day (usually around 7pm) since I'm not a morning person and it works better with DH and the kids schedules. Sometimes I have to reward myself with a sauna after.... and remind myself how good I'll feel when I'm all warm, clean, and tired after I'm done. That ALWAYS gets me.