I am having the hardest time right now.

MacguyverMommy
MacguyverMommy Posts: 104 Member
edited September 23 in Motivation and Support
....and I have a million GREAT excuses, but I am sick of em! Let me rattle a few off, and maybe some of you can find better retorts for me, so I can stop feeling like such a failure at this!:embarassed:

My husband and I bought out first house Dec 9th. I basically fell off the health and fitness wagon that day. The kitchen remodel (no kitchen, no appliances, except for our frige in the Living rooom) has left us with take-out EVERY NIGHT. (at least we know the good and the bad pizza places arond here now :ohwell: )

My beloved treadmill (use to clock 25-30miles a week) is in the garage, and we cant fit it thru the hallway in our house.... its too big and the halls are too narrow! One of our goals for the house is to turn the garage into a gym/rec room, but finances do not allow for that right now. Currently the garage is a plethora of cobwebs and dead (better be!) cockroaches, and boxes.

I figured at the start of the New year, that this kitchen thing was not going to let me not work out any longer. We joined a gym. The NEXT DAY my car was broken into at the gym and everything of mine was stolen. ...long story short, we cancelled the gym membership (which we couldnt really afford anyway)

So then I was like, OK, well, FOOD REALLY IS IN MY CONTROL, and I just need to get a grip and use myfitnesspal and LOG EVERYTHING! Well, that didnt work. I cant even properly log half the stuff we eat, because at restaurants its impossible to figure it out. Also, I will do well til 730ish, and then I eat double that calories I had all day.

So now I am terrified of the scale and I wont go near it. The way my jeans are fitting is enough for me to know that I have gotten seriously out of shape over the course of 6 weeks.

Most of all, Ii feel like I keep failing and I am not in control of anything fitness related in my life. Its really making me sad. I need some help/motivation/ideas. ......anyone? .......anyone??:sad:

Our wedding anniversary is Sunday,and I know that my husband is also going to want to go to nice restaurants, eat some wedding cake and watch football... which also is not conducive to my jiggley situation. I feel like right now there are just TOO MANY obtacles.

I want this soo badly though!:explode:

Replies

  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,571 Member
    O.K., I see you live in California (a little stalkerish there!) so take the time you would have spent on the treadmill and go outside. You don't need a gym to run/walk/do lunges/whatever. No kitchen really is a pain but sinc eyou have to eat out every night, it is not a treat so don't let it be one. Get the boring stuff-grilled chicken, salad with dressing on the side or no dressing at all (balsamic vinegar by itself is really good and only 5 cal per T). You can do this, you have done it so go out to celebrate your anniversary (that IS a treat and special occasion) and start moving. AS far as the after dinner eating is concerned, you can literally tell yourself the kitchen is closed! When you get home from eating, brush your teeth and get a huge glass of water. That almost always works for me and after a couple of days of not giving in to the snack monster, you'll stop having those evening munchies. Stay away from the scale (unless that motivates you) and try to get in some exercise everyday. Good luck!
  • 311Phil
    311Phil Posts: 397
    ....and I have a million GREAT excuses, but I am sick of em! Let me rattle a few off, and maybe some of you can find better retorts for me, so I can stop feeling like such a failure at this!:embarassed:

    My husband and I bought out first house Dec 9th. I basically fell off the health and fitness wagon that day. The kitchen remodel (no kitchen, no appliances, except for our frige in the Living rooom) has left us with take-out EVERY NIGHT. (at least we know the good and the bad pizza places arond here now :ohwell: )

    My beloved treadmill (use to clock 25-30miles a week) is in the garage, and we cant fit it thru the hallway in our house.... its too big and the halls are too narrow! One of our goals for the house is to turn the garage into a gym/rec room, but finances do not allow for that right now. Currently the garage is a plethora of cobwebs and dead (better be!) cockroaches, and boxes.

    I figured at the start of the New year, that this kitchen thing was not going to let me not work out any longer. We joined a gym. The NEXT DAY my car was broken into at the gym and everything of mine was stolen. ...long story short, we cancelled the gym membership (which we couldnt really afford anyway)

    So then I was like, OK, well, FOOD REALLY IS IN MY CONTROL, and I just need to get a grip and use myfitnesspal and LOG EVERYTHING! Well, that didnt work. I cant even properly log half the stuff we eat, because at restaurants its impossible to figure it out. Also, I will do well til 730ish, and then I eat double that calories I had all day.

    So now I am terrified of the scale and I wont go near it. The way my jeans are fitting is enough for me to know that I have gotten seriously out of shape over the course of 6 weeks.

    Most of all, Ii feel like I keep failing and I am not in control of anything fitness related in my life. Its really making me sad. I need some help/motivation/ideas. ......anyone? .......anyone??:sad:

    Our wedding anniversary is Sunday,and I know that my husband is also going to want to go to nice restaurants, eat some wedding cake and watch football... which also is not conducive to my jiggley situation. I feel like right now there are just TOO MANY obtacles.

    I want this soo badly though!:explode:

    I know how you feel. ultimately you will get to the point where enough is enough. you will shed those excuses and KNOW that you have to do this for your well being. Its hard to eat right in your situation. one thing that helped me get motivated was reading "the biggest loser's 30 day jump start" cookbook. it is not only a cookbook but a 30 day weightloss plan with diet and exercise in it. I don't follow it day by day, but i use it for inspriation in eating better and working out. I have had my downfalls, and the people here have coached me through it. the people here are great! Get small walks in throughout the day, park farther away from things, take the stairs...etc. small changes get bigger results.
  • 1983Miller
    1983Miller Posts: 89 Member
    Don't worry, you will get back on track, how about a DVD I just bought Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, and boy is that a workout and it will fit through the front door! My suggestion for eating better is this fabulous restaurant calorie counter, it has saved me from feeling like a hermit and only eating at home, I can now eat out and make good choices ahead of going to the restaurant. This site is so neat, you can pick up to 25 items off the menu of popular places to eat and you can print out the chart which will give you calories, carbs and more.... http://www.fastfood.com/nutrition/
  • Grit_Girl
    Grit_Girl Posts: 6
    Ok....first piece of advice. BREATHE. I know how you feel. It's hard to keep an accurate log of take-out, but you can do it! Measure out what you are eating (1/2 cup of teriyaki chicken, 1/2 cup of rice), & find something similar on the log. Get "takeout" from your local grocery store. Things like instant salads, fruit salads, a 6-inch veggie sub with mustard (no mayo!), 1/2 cheese, no oil & vinegar, soups. If you're getting pizza, grab a salad from the nearest grocery store, too, to cut down how much pizza you're eating. Healthy snacks like a handful of raw unsalted almonds don't need to be refrigerated or prepared! A banana with 1 tablespoon peanut butter is one of my favorite treats.
    As for the exercise issues, put a space heater in your garage, plug in your treadmill, & get to it! Get a couple good videos & use 'em. Keep faith in yourself & lean on us here @ MFP. We're all here with the same main goal...to get/be/stay healthy. We're here with you.
  • rebecky27
    rebecky27 Posts: 842 Member
    Don't dwell on what is stopping you, start fresh! While the treadmill is being held hostage by the cobwebby garage, find another way to get your steps in. Take a brisk walk, even cleaning can be found in the exercise here as a way to get calories burned. Imagine the calories that can be burned cleaning out that garage!

    Have you tried typing the name of the restaurant or the name of the menu item you ate into the food database? I've only been on this site for a few days and am absolutley amazed at how much is in there. They even have the local store's name brand food items in my area in the database! Even if you find a food that is very similar, put it in there. It won't be exact, but it'll be close and give you a better idea at what you have consumed in the day than not journaling anything.

    Every day is a new day! Don't let past mistakes get you down, just think to the future and what changes you can make now and going forward.
  • 1983Miller
    1983Miller Posts: 89 Member
    My favorite sweet tooth recipe: 1 Granny smith apple sliced and drizzled with 1 tbsp of Sugar Free Caramel Coffee Syrup, Caramel Apple Treat to not feel guilty about only 81 calories and satisfying!
  • MacguyverMommy
    MacguyverMommy Posts: 104 Member
    Thank you for all of the great ideas, everyone! This is exactly what I need.:flowerforyou:
    OK, I am going to really focus on this through the weekend. Come Monday, I want a plan though! I do well with plans. But its a double edged sword, bc I get really hard on myself when I fail and I give up.

    This is the plan for now:
    1. LOG ALL FOOD. If its too hard to log, don eat much of it!
    2. SWEAT ONCE a day.... yes, I will use my DVR and watch some of the workout stuff. I love Jillian Michaels, and I think she has ONE DAY of her shred on DVR. Free workouts are the best! Running outside is just not fulfilling for me at all. I also do not have an ipod or anything, so its very monotonous. The treadmill with a space heater would work... but the plug outside is a "2 prong" and my treadmill is a 3 prong. Its also not a regular amoutn of voltage... so an electrician may need to come out. I will ask my contractor about that.
    3. KEEP LOGGING ONTO THIS post, so I can stay motivated! I really appreciate all of your advice and help. I hate failing and I am really getting down on myself about how I look. 3 weeks ago it was how badly I felt... so I AM SERIOUSLY down in the dumps right now.

    I hope that writing this stuff out loud...:grumble: will also help to keep me accountable.
  • RachM
    RachM Posts: 113 Member
    My advice would be this: Take a day and clear out a space in your garage, clean away those cobwebs, dead roaches (poor you!), and dirt thats in there and make it a place you can work out in! Hello calories burned cleaning that place! I really liked the idea of getting a space heater, and if youre still chilly get yourself a nice had and some mitts and youre set! Get yourself some workout videos - jillian michaels has some great ones for pretty cheap! As for healthy eating - stock up on friuts and veggies that you can keep in your fridge to snack on, hummus, etc. If you live near family ask in you can borrow their stove to boil a bunch of eggs and ycook some chicken to top off salad! Good luck to you, You can do it!!
  • meadows654
    meadows654 Posts: 164
    Have you ever tried a mini-trampoline or resistance bands or a balance ball or a speed jump rope? All items that aren't too expensive and can fit down the hall! As others have mentioned, workout DVDs or Wii games are great. Also, a lot of chains have their nutritional info on their websites so if you can't find it on MFP, go find the info there and just enter the calories on you log. Also, the freezer is your friend. I know it's not great to do all processed food all the time, but buy some Smart Ones frozen dinners, plug the microwave in the living room if you have to and nuke up a lower calorie meal. Play devil's advocate with youself and everytime you come up with a reason why you can't do "A" come up with a plan "B." You can do it!
  • clohessy
    clohessy Posts: 394 Member
    They sell an adapter for three prong plugs for two prong outlets. Go to hardware section of any store!
  • NlKKA
    NlKKA Posts: 185 Member
    Start with setting small goals for yourself. This helps you to not set yourself up for failure. My quote for my fitness pals today was, "Remember your dreams to succeed starts with your mental acceptance that you can achieve. Push harder today so you can smile at the results tomorrow." It's not going to be an over the night change but in time you will see the progress you've made as you achieve each goal. One of the things that I've done to motivate myself is to start preparing for a 5K walk which is in May 2011. Find events in your area that you can afford to be a part of and register. This gives you something to look forward to. As far as having control over your eating habits you have to find something positive that works for you. For instance you can set up a reward system which is something I've seen on here quite a bit (i.e., if you go a week eating under your calories - pediacure, if you go a month doing well on calories - massage, and so forth). You can do this and I'd be more than happy to add you as a friend to help send you motivation and support. Make TODAY a day you'd like to relive TOMORROW!

    I wish you much success!
  • sgreene87
    sgreene87 Posts: 323 Member
    Just because you don't have a kitchen doesn't mean you can't cook. Plug in a microwave, get a george foreman grill and a crockpot and baby you are in business! If you don't have a fridge, just buy what you need to make your meal/meals each day. A cooler with some ice will keep it fresh for at least 24 hours or so. Grill some chicken, microwave a sweet potato and some veggies, find low cal crock pot ideas here or goolge it. The possibilities are endless. Believe me, I know what it is like to live without a kitchen, I did it for three years! I couldn't afford to feed a family of my size by going out each night, so this is how I cooked and it was not hard at all. Heck there are times that I still cook that way even though I have a gourmet kitchen now.
  • MacguyverMommy
    MacguyverMommy Posts: 104 Member
    GREAT IDEAS EVERYONE!


    So, I did not get to work out today, but I DID get an adapter thing, so my treadmill is "useable," and tommorow... I am cleaning out the garage!!!:blushing:

    By Friday I should be back in business, with regards to workouts. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!:bigsmile:

    Does anyone have or know of a way to get these inspirational quotes emailed on a daily basis? Alot of you wrote quotes/sayings that are TRULY helpful, but I forget under pressure.....:explode:

    I would love to find a way to have them with me at all times... ya know?
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