How Do You Parents Of Young Kids Do It?

Well, I have a 6-year old autistic boy, who goes to school during the day and I don't go to work but I am a full time online student. I usually will go to the gym about twice a week, sometimes not at all. I did buy one exercise dvd, as a back up when my son is not at school. On the weekends, I cannot work out at all.

As far as meals, I cook two to three big meals a week and swap out for variety. I also keep fruit and canned veggies on hand. I make big meals so that I can eat on them throughout the week, when I don't have time to cook; otherwise I would probably starve to death. I buy food in bulk from the wholesale club to last me longer and I have a deep freezer, so I don't have to go to the store as much.

You have to want it bad enough and make it work. I have a 4 yr old boy and 3 year old girl and work full time also. I am married though and it hasn't always been easy but I have had several talks with my husband about him being supportive of my efforts and me trying to improve myself. At first he would try to sabotage me (not intentionally every time it was just what was "easiest" for him, guess he doesn't like change) but now he is a lot more wiling to help me make things work. I usually ask him to pick the kids up after work on my gym days (M-W-F) but if he can't for some reason I take them with me and they stay in the child care room while I workout (45 minutes). Then we go home, I make dinner, they eat what I eat but sometimes my husband wants things like mac n cheese or tater tots or hot dogs, etc. so I just have a substitute (like tonight I will have a hot dog but I will have a lean beef dog instead of the others that they like and instead of tater tots or mac n cheese I will microwave myself a sweet potato and we will all have a vegetable). Then after dinner either I clean the kitchen or bathe the kids or my husband does it. On tuesdays and thursdays I work out at home and my kids join me trying to do the moves and I think it's great, I feel like I'm teaching them healthy habits early on. I also try to get them to eat the healthy dinners I make and they usually do, in fact my kids probably won't touch the tater tots tonight, I have left over mashed sweet potatoes in the fridge. Anyway, sorry for rambling, you will make it work if you want it to bad enough. I used to use every excuse under the sun then I said enough is enough, I need to make this happen and I have been successful for over a year now.

I'm a Stay At Home Dad with a 3 year old. With everything that goes on around here on a daily basis can be taxing on food choices. When I first started @ 358 lbs. 3 years ago, I wanted to commit myself to something I could commit to. So for a week I ate like I normally did and documented everything. At the end of the week I went over the results. YIKES!!!! I didn't jump in and oversell myself on reducing my caloric intake. I picked a couple of things and stuck with those until I knew I was in control over them. A week later I picked a few more, then a few more . I'm down to about 200 lbs. now. I cook a lot of meals and freeze them too.

I'm a mom of an almost 3 yr old boy and a 16 mo girl. i work 32 hours/wk outside the home and i have a 15 min commute.

5:30am home workouts, right now it's Jillian Michaels' body revolution (inc enough time to workout and get showered and dressed before kids wake up, sometimes i have breakfast if I have time)

7:00am kids up, everyone run around.

i either pack my meals during my youngest one's nap time in the morning around 9-10am and i'm going into work at 12pm or I pack my meals the night before if i go into work at 9am.

while i work, i keep a running grocery list and meal plans ideas on my desk as it comes to me. on Friday, i take that list home with me.

I grocery shop either Sat or Sun morning. i meal prep Sun afternoons. i have 2 crockpots and i have the oven going and the stove top going.

Before bed, i'm on MFP planning my meals for the next day.

I'm the mom of a 12 year old and a 14 year old, and I don't know the answer because I made every excuse in the book during their younger years. And guess what? Making excuses doesn't burn any calories so I stayed the same weight. I look back now and wish I had started down this path much, much earlier. I know it's hard to schedule in those workouts so maybe tag team with the other parent (if they are in the picture). But mostly focus on eating right. And don't put it off or you'll be my age wishing you had been a better role model when the kids were younger.

Little kids love to exercise. Put the baby in the bouncy seat and do calisthenics. They think it's hilarious! The 2-year-old can do it with you. Bundle them up and put them in the double stroller and walk. And you can use the baby for weight--think baby lifts, squats, etc.

As for eating, you are at a prime stage to start feeding them they way they should eat for the rest of their lives. My kids (16, 14 and 4) will eat ANYTHING because I've never catered to them by feeding them kid food. My 4-year-old loves to stand on a chair by the counter and help me cook.

I'm 90-ish lbs overweight. Have a 2+ year old (26 months) and a 8 month old. Also work FT.

How do you exercise? Eat right? The evil word, diet? How do you take care of yourself AND your family?

I'm stumped!

TBH, I waited until my kids hit their teen years and had gained 100 pounds before I even considered it. (That's not advice, btw, just fyi)

I did not read the responses so this may repeat what others wrote.
1. Plan ahead
2. Make the time and stick to it. - I told everyone in my family that after dinner was my hour. I stuck to my guns and no matter what used that hours to workout.

3. Use your lunch break at work- I would bring my clothes go for a walk and then change after. If it was raining I would do stairs.

4. Control the menu- Since I cook all the meals, I decided what we eat. That is all.


I will be honest, it is not very easy. But I also have friends on here who are single with no kids but have very demanding jobs. But we all find a way to get it in. Make peace with yourself that it will take a while and stay within your calorie goal. Another thing...I did, was incorporated my kids into working out. I would put on music and dance, squat, jumping jacks anything for 30 mins.

In for all the blissful folks that think it'll be easier when they're older.

I have 3 children (one doesn't live at home anymore) Two are now 8 year old twins. I also for 50 hours per week run an in home daycare.
My workouts now are done at nap time. When my own kids are home..I find something to occupy them while I work out (movie,crafts what ever) On occasion nap time does get interrupted (pick ups, drop offs, licencor etc.) - no problem i just find time to do a turbo work out (20-30 minutes)

My family...husband included eat exactly what I eat for meals. I do NOT cook anything separate nor make different meals for each. This was one thing I refused to do as it just adds unneeded chaos. Like someone else said - KEEP IT simple! Your children will learn and later appreciate what you have taught them. I do not eat anything funky so my kids generally eat everything I cook. The absolute only exception is with seafood - Adults will have baked haddock or whatever and the kids will have fish sticks.

Before working from home - my lunch breaks were my workouts. You can take a walk / jog / run during this time weather permitting. Have stairs at your job - use them!!

Young kids also go to bed early - i know this is hard sometimes but do your workouts then if you are incorporating exercise in your daily schedule.

Want to go to a gym - most of them have daycare services right there...:)

Best of luck!! The hardest part of it all..is forming the habit. Once you have the habit - the rest is easy

Be organised with grocery shopping and plan healthy meals you can all eat. I don't mess around making different meals - we all have the same thing. And make sure you have time to exercise. It's the only 'me' time I get, and I love it.

I'm 26 weeks pregnant and also have a 4.5 year old and a 2.5 year old. I work part time as a teacher, and my husband does shift work. I go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week, and was going more before pregnancy.

I don't do complicated things for dinner, just things like chicken or fish and veg. Today I had an after school meeting, then had to pick the kids up from 2 different places, and my husband's on late shift, so I just made quick cook pasta with tomato, and I had a salad too. I want my kids to grow up knowing about eating healthily.

I'm lucky as I don't work full time, and I get the school holidays, but if I did I'd just do classes/gym in the evening once my husband was home, and I'd go at the weekend. Now I just fit my gym sessions around work and my husband's shifts, and I go at the weekend too.

I have 6 kids 2 of which are 2 year old twins. If it's important to you you will find a way. I'm not saying it's easy but it is possible.

It is a good question, and I just trying to figure it out myself how to find the time to exercise.
I have a 5 yrs old and a 1 yrs old, and I work/school FT.

When I was a SAHM in the first 9-10 months of my babies life, I was able to manage it. Also when I was working /schooling FT , but had only one kid I was able to manage it. This multiple kids AND full time away from home is the stage that totally kills my time/schedule, no to mention the lack of sleep due to nursing at night. It gets easier with time though. The babies will sleep through the night and that makes a huge difference on energy level. Also around age 4- yr , they start to play by themselves a LOT. You have 2 kids close in age, in a couple of yrs they will play with each other , and that free up so much time. My son was 4 yrs old when the baby arrived, and it was already much easier age. Now we are the baby stage again, which is harder. My son started school and there are practices and activities, but still sooo much easier because you are not needed every single minute.

I think it is easier just focus on the food first. You all need to eat , so planning to eat healthy is the first step. I do a weekly meal planning on the evening prior to the day of grocery shopping, which is for me Saturday morning. I spend a 30 minutes on this, and when i am planning I check the cupboard/ fridge to see what do I have at home , and make a shopping list on my smartphone by checking out the weekly flyers. I stick to the list , but ensure that no additional run out for food happans during the week. On Saturday morning I do grocery shop with the baby while I dropped of my 5 yrs old at practice. When we get home we eat lunch and my baby naps after that and I scheduled my son weekly TV time for this time . This gives me 2 hrs spare time, which I use for weekly meal preparation. I chop up all kinds of veggies and put them into containers to be ready to meals. I also eat celery, pepper , parsnip as a snack, and I also chop them up put into containers with water and they go to the fridge, and I just take out from them at the morning to pack into lunchboxes.
I also may fry ahead a whole back of bacon , again goes to the fridge . I cook 12-18 hard-boiled eggs , take off the shell, and put into the fridge. I fry a few lb onions once a few weeks in butter and keep in in the fridge as well.
On Sundays I usually make roast pork/beef or chicken in larger quantities, and cut the leftover up into cubes and between the cut up meat, hard-boiled eggs and cut up veggies I am set for taking healthy lunch to work for the entire week.

Sorry but in my experience it is MUCH easier to make time for myself now that they are in middle and high school.

Sorry but in my experience it is MUCH easier to make time for myself now that they are in middle and high school.

I bet! Usually 10 yr olds kids do not keep mantaing "up,up,up" and scream if their mom won't pick them up in that second