Fighting to change my life

Time is precious. When you take them to sports practice, instead of going home only to turn around and pick them back up in less than an hour: walk around the field while they practice. Start looking for ways to spend active time with them. Take them to a park, and you can walk around the playground area while they play. Chase them - the younger one will probably get a bigger kick out of it than the 12 year old. Encourage the 12 year old to do squats, etc. with you. Have him be your coach.

Using food as an emotional crutch is a habit that you can work to change. When stressed, try doing something active. Use the adrenaline to move you forward. Food is fuel - not entertainment or a crutch. If there are certain foods you turn to in times of stress, get them out of the house. Replace with healthier alternatives and as you transition at least you'll munch on something lower cal than you did before.

I agree about not needing to go to the gym. There are plenty of exercises that can be done at home. Also, something I do is not keeping junk food around my house. Then if I feel like I need to have a snack (even though I'm not hungry!) I end up having something that is at least relatively healthy, like an orange or a bowl of strawberries. I sometimes go over my calories with my snacks, but when kept to healthy snacks it at least doesn't go over by as much.

I noticed your call for help. So here's another perspective. I've dieted for years. Exercise, as people say, definitely helps. And integrating that into your existing life is a great idea. However there is another issue I think for those of us who have become obese. The main reason I was not able to succeed in my diet is that I'd give up too quickly. And yet I'd remain true to the idea. Looking after myself was much like looking after a challenging kid. There was constant guilt and no amount of effort seemed enough to make a change. My diet doctor recommended 2 possible courses - one was surgery (which I'm pleased to say I chose not to do). The other was to go on an Optifast diet for 3 months. It's available from clinics, and it certainly helps if you do it under the supervision of a qualified and caring doctor. I had lost 20 lbs over 2 years and hit a plateau through which I could not break. With Optifast, I'm not hungry. I don't have to work so hard to make my food or clean up after myself. And I've lost 23 more lbs in 7 weeks. By the end of the 3 months, I'll be within the normal weight range for my height and age. My BMI will be under the obese level and even now I feel absolutely great. The essential advantage of being on a program like this which guarantees only 900 calories a day, is that I succeed in my effort. And it's worth it. Good luck with whatever plan you choose to follow. If you're really determined to succeed, you'll make it.

When mine were young walking hiking and swimming worked best. You don't have to get your exercise at the gym. Not myself but many love the 5am workouts too. As for the food as a stress relief, sometimes doing silly things like having to go up and down the stairs 10 times and drink a glass of water before you snack. The short workout can help with stress and taking your mind off of eating and the water can make you full, so at least if you do eat it will be a small amount. Also I am one that believes there is no BAD food but if your son has adhd and you stress eat, try only having healthy snacks in the house, like baby carrots and stuff like that. That way if you stress eat it isn't as big of an issue. I know diet can sometimes help with ADHD also so it may be a win-win.