Totally Struggling - Once Again Beginning

seems like you have a lot on you plate. can you delegate any or more tasks to your children?

So, since January, I have gone back to work full time. I am out of the house by 6:20am. I return home in time to pick up my children and do homework, get dinner on the table and run to activities. We return home by 7:30, which is then shower, more homework and bedtime for my 11, 9, 8, & 6 year old. I have been trying to get up at 4:30 so I can exercise. However, I am completely exhausted as I do not get to bed until usually around 11ish, by the time I make lunches, do laundry and clean up. To make matters even more difficult I work in an office where there is CONSTANT temptation. While I thought I had great will power, having chips, chocolate, baked goods and stress around me all day breaks me down. I realize there are many others like me.

How do y'all deal with it? I need to start over and reclaim my health and well being. Regaining the 20 pounds I had lost and the stamina from when I was a stay at home Mom and could work a work out in is very depressing and frustrating to me. I know what I am supposed to do, but it just is not happening. HELP!!!

A little step at a time.
Maybe you cannot find the energy to add more exercise also because you are stressed, and because of all the extra weight you have -I think. At least, when I began, I thought I couldn't find in any way the time for exercise... and now, I'm starting to do it regularly (more or less )
And, anyway, it seems that running all around all day, you are moving a lot
Start by dieting... take at work snacks from home, fruits, vegs.. when you will see the first results, you will feel also more motivated to change your routine in other ways...

I make my kids make their own lunches, do their own laundry and help with the chores. I couldn't take an hour to work out three times a week otherwise. Good luck, honey.

Also this.
My daughter is 5, and she helps me putting in the fridge the food from the supermarket, and by ordering her stuff, little things that she, at her age, can easily do.
At 11 maybe I wouldn't ask my daughter to do laundry, but to wash the dishes, yes, and clean a bit around the house.
It's good for her, in my opinion.

one more suggestion - whenever i go to the bathroom, i do squats or pistol squats. while i'm waiting for my lunch to heat, i do calf raises. I'll also occasionally drop and do a few pushups (but I have my own office too). gets the blood flowing, it makes good use of my time and i get a little resistance training in.

You definitely have A LOT of on your plate Super Woman! I, too, would try to find a way to delegate some of those responsibilities. If you have family, a friend, school - ANYONE - who can give you some help. At the rate you're going, you sound like you're two boo-boos away from a meltdown! :sad:

In all seriousness though, while you have a lot going on, as mothers, we forget to make the biggest and best investment there is - ourselves. If there's no us, then there's no one who can nurture, love, support, and encourage our children - especially if we couldn't even do it for ourselves. You just have to find time for you somewhere in that busy schedule. Trust me, the pay off of taking care of you will trickle down to your babies and they'll be happier that mommy is away for an hour to exercise to go be a true super mom than having you for the extra hour and you're miserable.

Best of luck! You can do it! You're worth it! :flowerforyou:

Focus on what you eat, no amount of exercise will help otherwise. You can stay up all night walking, but still not watching what you eat will mean no weight loss I completely know how you feel regarding kids, work, temptations at the office. Start by not giving in to temptations. Bring your lunch and snacks from home, plan your treats and log everything.
Regarding exercise, since your kids are no longer babies, try to include them in your plans. Like, if they all are in activities at the same time, then plan going to the gym or just walking for half an hour. If one of them needs to wait 10 minutes to be picked up, it is ok, as long as it is planned, the child knows where you are and is in a safe place. Or, if some of the kids are with you, go for a walk all together, or a jog. Also check what you can do at the same places as the kids, like if there are swim classes for kids see if you can join the pool too, if one of your kids is into gymnastics or dance there is a chance you can find a place with adult classes too and so on.
Or plan your exercise for weekends and when your husband is home (or some other caregiver can babysit). For me, this means usually 2-3 hours exercise on weekends and then going at the gym whenever possible during the week late in the evening, after homework, feeding the kids and letting their dad put them to bed.