Trying to lose to be a better me for my family!

HOPEPATRICK74
HOPEPATRICK74 Posts: 54 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am trying to get healthy so I can be better for my family. I have cut down on my serving size and have actually went to counting the crackers I eat so I know it is exactly 1 serving. I log daily everything I eat and find that I am staying below my daily so far each day. I have only been doing this since Monday though. I find it difficult to find time to exercise, but, I have found that pretty much anything counts as exercise, yesterday I counted cleaning becasue I am in the process of moving and cleaning the old place was quite a bit of heavy cleaning. I hope that after I get moved I can get a more stable exercise routine.

Any thoughts or POSITIVE reinforcement would be greatly welcomed. I have read through some of the posts on here and found that not all of them are that supportive. I have a good support system at home which is helping. My husband is supporting me in my journey and my oldest son is very supportive. My two younger ones don't quite understand that words can sometimes hurt, so I have tried to talk to them about it. I hope I will get through eventually.

I have my food diary open, please feel free to look at it, and if you have any suggestions for me to get more food in at the same calorie count let me know. I know I need more fruits and veggies, I will work on that this weekend after I get paid, money is a little tight right now with my move and all. Dinner suggestions would be nice, I eat about the same thing every day for breakfast, snack and lunch. I work in a life insurance company, so movement is limited as I am on the phone most of the day. So that means I am literally tied to my desk.

Please feel free to add me as a friend, I am looking for a support system outside the home as well. And I will do my best to motivate you as well.

Replies

  • helen195
    helen195 Posts: 90 Member
    Hi - sounds very similar situation to me, sitting at a desk all day does not help. Feel free to add me. I have a family and cook most things from scratch - I use my slow cooker a lot, makes cheap cuts of meat really tender and tasty!
  • Yanagibashi
    Yanagibashi Posts: 58 Member
    1. Good for you for making the decision to lead a healthier lifestyle!
    2. Glad you have support at home. Some people here are supportive and encouraging and some are...not.
    3. Haven't looked at your food diary yet, but so long as you don't put loads of dressing on them, vegetables are great at filling you up on the cheap.
    3. I know what you're going through. I work at a P&C Insurance company and I'm tethered to the desk too. Sometimes you have to just carve time out of your day to get out and exercise. I gave up my morning internet time in favor of the gym. I miss the internet in the morning, but after just a few days of getting up early to go for a brisk walk or go to the gym, I already can feel a difference. I have more energy in the mornings and need less coffee to make it through the day.
    4. If your family is supportive, why not involve them? You could all have an after dinner walk. Especially with the younger ones, it can be setting a good example to get some activity in every day.
  • twentyco
    twentyco Posts: 70 Member
    Great job getting started!

    My only real recommendation is to take things slowly, changing one or two things at a time. You are doing great so far with logging. That is how I started also --- just logging everything and trying to stay under my calorie goal. Then I added in drinking more water throughout the day (I am still not great about this). It was months before I added any significant exercise, beyond perhaps a short walk on the weekend. I'm now in the process of trying to add some exercise on most days. I can walk a lot further now than I could when I started, and also have an exercise bike that I use a couple of times a week. I also have a desk job, and work at home a lot of the time so the kitchen is nearby ... but I have tried to turn that in to a positive by telling myself that I can make something healthy for lunch, like a salad or fruit, with access to the kitchen.

    I also agree with the suggestion of getting your kids involved by taking a walk in the evening, or something like that. My daughter is very active and athletic (unlike me) but she is also really supportive, taking walks with me and cheering me on when I'm on the bike. She also says things she shouldn't sometimes, but she is learning --- if it is not about this, she would say things she shouldn't about something else, I'm sure!

    Best of luck to you on your journey. Feel free to add me if it is helpful. And take one day at a time. You may have days when you struggle --- but just keep going. Persistence and consistency has been the most important part of this for me.

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