why cant I stay on track

Hello out there!
I am trying to lose 30 pounds. I have a 10 month old son, work 12 hour shifts as a police/911 dispatcher, and I just cant seem to stay on track. Granted, last week me and my boy were sick, but in general, I cant maintain an excercise program. I am a member of a gym and I enjoy the workout classes, but cant get to them (babysitter) like I would like, and I dont like to do dvd's at home.
I also have trouble staying away from fast food.
What do you all do to stay on track? I am running out of ideas and getting tired of fighting it.

Sounds to me like you just need to get creative. Not being able to get a babysitter is understandable, but if that's the case, then you might need to just find a way to do dvds at home. Put your son in a stroller and go for a jog. During lunch break, go for a 20 minute walk/jog. During bathroom breaks, do squats and lunges. Before showering, do a few wall pushups. Try this 20 minute routine while your son is taking a nap, since it's a quiet routine and no equipment is needed outside of a milk jug: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

Above all, your eating habits will make or break this. You can't outwork a bad diet. You can still eat fast food if you want, just choose better options. Skip the sausage/egg/cheese mcgriddle, get an egg white muffin. Things like that

Maybe you aren't in the right place mentally at the moment. So many people yo yo diet but then one day something just clicks. I tried for years to lose weight but its only this past year that I really found the mental power and dedication.

Apart from that I just try not to have too much temptation in the house and I try to find workouts that make me feel empowered as they are addictive. Have you tried lifting? You can do that at home with a cheap set of dumbells or sand filled milk cartons when baby is napping.

I definitely hear your frustrations. I also don't like the exercise DVDs. Maybe if you can't get to the gym you could put your baby in the stroller and go for a walk? Even 20 minutes would be good. I know, its so much easier said than done. Also, if finding a babysitter to go to the gym is a problem.. are there any gyms or the YMCA or something closeby? I know some gyms and the YMCA have daycare there.

The YMCA near you might have a child watch program, then you could have both in one place, including choices like classes in pilates, yoga, aerobic dance, etc. Also they can be a little more expensive than other gyms but may offer charity sponsored memberships to people who qualify. The Y near my home has these features.

From just a quick read, it seems like you may fall prey to the "all or nothing" mentality, where you're either "on track" or not. A lot of people set themselves up this way. If you try to drastically change your habits, it's too much stress and you won't keep it up. What changes can you succeed at? Make one commitment, stick to it, then add another.

Realistic goals I have found to be helpful:

1. Log everything. This is the first and most helpful habit to aquire. You have to know how many calories cause you to gain, lose, or maintain. You can only obtain this knowledge through accurate logging. Once you have it, even when you're "off track" you are able to say 'Well, I ate 500 cal over my goal every day this week. Predictably, I gained a pound."

2. Commit to 20 or 30 minutes a day of ANYTHING. And do it. Write it down and be accountable. A 20 minute walk every day will become addictive.

3. Drink a glass of water before you eat anything.

It's all about building up habits that you can maintain. You can do it, but you have to find what will work for you. Good luck!

^ This!

& keep in mind, you became overweight by putting on lbs - pound after pound after pound. By making some (any) effort, if not a full fledged fitness regimen, you will be better off from it. It will at a minimum halt your weight gain & make transitioning to a healthy, fit lifestyle more attainable. :flowerforyou:

I agree with most of what has been said. I have just come out of a stretch where I was kind of floundering on diet and exercise. I have gotten back on track and now am moving in the direction I want to go. I have to agree that to a large extent, this is just a matter of a little want to.

And some better choices. Because you work different hours and are caring for a small child, you need to do a lot of planning. One day on the weekend, or whenever you have time to think, sit down with your schedule and a pen & paper and plan your week. Stick with that plan. If you like soups, for example, there are a lot of low fat, nutritional soup options you can cook and have two or three days in a row. This, of course, is just one example. When you have a hectic, irregular, demanding schedule, it is too easy to take the easy way out with fast food and whatnot. Make a sensible plan you can follow and stick with it.

But in the end, you have to really want to make this change in your life. And if you really want to, you will find that you can.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone! I have been walking, and I went to zumba this week but turns out that is giving me plantar fashiitis (spelling??)
so I cant do that anymore. I manage to get to a work out class about once a week.

My mom has that issue. We do therapy every night after my niece (she adopted and raises) goes to bed. She can't run or jump, but we lift and she watches what she eats. The pounds are starting to drop. Weight loss is a calorie deficit in any way, shape or form. You don't have to exercise to lose fat, but it's good for the body.

Log your food. Every single lick, bite or taste. Weight everything. Doesn't matter if you are over your calories. Just log it. I gave suggestions on changes you should make to your eating above.

As an ex-smoker I relate losing weight to quitting smoking. If you don't want it bad enough, you won't succeed. I didn't quit smoking until I wanted it bad enough. I didn't start this journey until I wanted it bad enough. Now? I don't make excuses. If I'm snowed in and can't make it to the gym, I tend to lessen the food I eat and get some good around the house cardio or strength training in.

If you truly can't get a babysitter, that is completely understandable! Do you have stairs? Maybe walk up and down them 5 times. Planks, push ups, squats and lunges are EASY to do while you're watching TV. Running in place or jumping jacks are simple cardio exercises to do at home. I hate doing DVDs too, that's why I find things around the house I can do to get my heart rate up. That's all it takes

But, I'm afraid it boils down to how much you want this. When you want it, you find ways and it's easy. When you're not quite there yet, it's hard and a chore.

You can do this! Set your mind to it and get it done. You'll be so much happier for that decision made!!!!

From just a quick read, it seems like you may fall prey to the "all or nothing" mentality, where you're either "on track" or not. A lot of people set themselves up this way. If you try to drastically change your habits, it's too much stress and you won't keep it up. What changes can you succeed at? Make one commitment, stick to it, then add another.

I Find this to be great advice. the other thing that I have found personally is sometimes you have to "fake it until you make it". There will be people in posts like these that will tell you that you don't want it enough yet, and that may be true, that said you may want to want it enough and for now that might be good enough. Maybe just faking some dedication now will lead to the real thing, but start, it is better to have relapses then to have never tried. In my work I sometimes work with smokers trying to quit, every failed attempt to quit is preparation for the successful time, and there are real health benefits too to trying.

Do something! you really can do this!