I NEED MOMMY MOTIVATION !!

Jillian also has her 30 day shred DVD which is quick. It's tough but you definitely will get results if you stick with it. Something else I do to help me burn extra calories and get a mini workout in is taking the kids to the playground/park and while they play you can do various squats, calf raises on the steps, lunges, climbing on the equipment, etc. Yeah, it feels silly but sometimes that's the only option we busy mamas have! It's a rough road, but you'll get there!

Hey there! Busy mom of 4 here as well - ages 6, 8, 10, and 12 now! I have lost 62lbs since the beginning of last September. I know all about the body changes that you go through having so many children one after the other and you think you can never get back into shape - but you would be wrong! I never thought I would get rid of my "mommy pouch", but now its almost gone. I've gone from an 18/20 pant size to a size 10. It hasn't been the easiest journey, but it hasn't been the most difficult thing either. I workout about 6 times a week and have had a 1200 calorie diet until this last week. I've increased my calorie intake to 1300-1500. You just have to get used to taking care of yourself more often, which is difficult to adjust to. Once you get going and see how great you feel you are going to want to keep going. I know I am a better Mom for it - much less grouchy all the time with tons more energy! So just know that it can be done, you can do it!!!

I'm a mother of three. I work full time as a night shift nurse. You can still be a knock out! Keep those heads turning! It's just got to be important to you. I run every day before my kids get home from school. I'm up and moving when they get home. I had a mommy makeover last April to fix what they broke lol! I'm in better shape now then I was when I was 20.

I have an almost 4 year old. For the first 3 years I didn't do any exercise and still had my baby belly. I had no energy to play with him. Then I started doing 25 min of Jillian Michael's DVD's every day since last August, have lost the weight, and now I actually have the ENERGY to play with my kid! Just commit to doing it, and in 3 - 4 months, you will feel SO GOOD, so much better, that you won't want to stop!

You don't have to do hours at the gym. Just get a DVD you can pop in when you have 20 min. The little things ADD UP! I have lost 30 lbs since August doing 20 - 25 min a day of exercise plus counting my calories here on mfp.

get into the habit of logging food carefully, and stay within your calorie goal, and you should lose weight. Aim for slow and steady fat loss, e.g. 1lb/week. Eating too little is counterproductive in the long run. Try to get more exercise and physical activity (doing physical activities with the kids may be a good way to combine this with parenting. And it's good for them too). Eat back at least 80% of your exercise calories. Whatever changes you make, they should be easy and sustainable. Focus on the long term, i.e. staying at goal when you get there, rather than trying to lose weight quickly.

I have 2 kids, aged 4 and 7.

Hi Suzanne - firstly good luck - you've made a great choice coming here for information and support, I know it's helped me and other people a lot!
My kids are alittle older - 8 and 11. I walk them to school, walk myself to work - always did but now I've picked up the pace. When they're playing in the park or doing sports I keep moving instead of sitting/standing watching. I've started doign a few body weight exercises - planking and push up challenges on here have been great! I'm still trying to get back to the size I was when my two were both under 5 - I hink moved a lot more chasing them then!!
You wanted before and afters - I've got a before and in progress for you, stll a long way to go but not bad progress since November - I've done it mostly by logging and sticking to a weekly average goal.



Sometimes I eat a little under goal, most weekends I go over but over a week I'll average around the goal calories. I think I've got something sustainable here because I'm eating real food, family meals, just watching portion control and keeping things in balance by logging. I've become much more aware of everything I eat and that has helped me cut down massively on snacking.
Making a hot drink or a pint of water instead of going straight for the bread loaf or biscuit tin when I'm bored/stressed has really helped me too.

Feel free to add me.... I log in daily.

Hi there! I'm a mom of four as well and my little ones are spaced about the same as yours.... when I had my fourth I had four kids ages 6 and under. They are a bit older now (12, 10, 8, 6) and it does get easier to balance everything. I think my best advice to you is to remember that you don't need to be selfless ALL the time. Take time for yourself once in awhile -- they will be fine.

The great thing about losing weight the MFP way is that you don't have to have an extremely limited diet since the last think you want is to have to make separate meals for yourself. You can make this happen! Know what you are eating and track it, add more veggies and fruits as you can. You'll be teaching your children the right way to eat at the same time and that's awesome!

Feel free to add me (anyone) I log in everyday and my diary is open to friends. I didn't track over the weekend because we were at waterpark, but otherwise I'm here all the time.

It can be done! I have an 18 month old and 2 step kids (9 and 12), so it's definitely hard to make time for yourself and exercise. Here's what worked for me
-FitBit! I LOVE my FitBit. I love that it links with MFP. I love that then I can see the exercise value of "mom time" like walking my son to the park, running errands, etc. I walked 7 miles yesterday without even hitting the gym.
-weight lifting. I did NO cardio to lose my baby weight. I simply lifted weights, logged my food and tried to eat better. Increasing muscle mass increases your resting metabolism, and makes a HUGE difference in how you look. Nothing nutty- just dumbbells and kettle bells. Simple exercises.
-Easy food- I keep the steam in bag veggies, like green beans and broccoli handy. I steam them in the microwave for 4 minutes and sprinkle with sea salt and a little butter and it's DELISH. That plus a bean burger or some grilled chicken- the whole thing takes me less than 15 min to prepare. I am happy to pay a little extra for food that's pre marinated, pre cleaned, pre cut, etc.
-making exercise a luxury. I started really enjoying working out because it was the only time I wasn't making someone a snack or changing a diaper. Focus on yourself and tune out responsibilities as best you can.
-Get the garbage out of the house. I keep no tempting junk in the house. Any treats like cookies or chips are either baked or a flavor that the kids like and I don't. If it's not here, I'm not going to eat it.
-Make a vision board. I pinned pictures of what I wanted to look like to a bulletin board in my closet. It was nice to have that visual reminder when I get dressed each day.
-Find a walking buddy. now that weather is nice- get a local friend who can do an AM or PM walk with you! Nice time to chat.
You can do it!

Hello there, this is my progress picture. I am a mom to 5 ages (almost) 15, 13, (almost)12, (almost) 9 (boy), and 3. I know if we do not take care of ourselves it's only going to make it that much hard to take care of the ones we love. When I finally (and it took me a long time) got this through my thick skull. I started making life long changes. These are only progress pics, as I still have weight to lose, but that is what 30lbs looked like on my frame!

Height: 5' 1"
SW: 176lbs
CW: 144.6lbs
GW: 120lbs

YOU CAN Do This!!!