This one is for all the mommies out there trying to get fit!

Ok, so first of all since my daughter was born 3/3/10 I have attempted to get back in shape (only gained 25lbs during and lost it all so can't blame the weight on that) but never accomplished much besides sitting and complaining to my friends about my weight. Now I am at my highest ever. So how do you juggle working full time, and a little one (mine is 4yrs), oh and a hubby and still fit in working out and all that good stuff. I am struggling to workout at 5am which is my only time. Also my hubby has a much bigger appetite than I do, but we both want to eat healthy. I don't want to end up cooking three dinners a night. Also on a side note do you mommies who work full time find time to make a full breakfast daily for your little ones before they go to school or daycare? Or do you just give them a snack since they do feed them as well at the school. Sorry I am aware this is all over, but I am just trying to see what all you other full time working mommies do to as a routine to juggle everything! Thanks in advance! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    I'm with ya! It's tough. I have to work out first thing in the morning or I will find an excuse not to do it. Every. Single. Time. I work 10 hour days, 4 days a week with about a 2 hour commute each day, so my days are long. For me what works is making sure I'm in bed by 9:30ish so I can get up between 5-5:30 to get my workout in before getting ready for work. Also, pre-logging and pre-packaging lunches and snacks so I can just throw them in my lunchbox in the mornings. I make sure to get in a good snack before I leave work so I'm not starving and don't eat the whole house when I get home. That's key for me.

    On nights that hubby is home, he eats what me and our son eat, or he can make something for himself. He's not picky though, so he pretty much always eats what I make, although he usually eats about 3x as much as I do. I always try to have cooked, cut-up meat and veggies in the fridge to heat up for my son so I don't have to cook anything if I don't feel like it, and I can just eat a bowl of cereal. I can't answer the breakfast question because our kiddo stays home with us (we work opposite schedules), so he just eats a normal breakfast at home.
  • Fat2Fit_imready
    Fat2Fit_imready Posts: 363 Member
    Hey, so I’m a mommy of a 5 year old (04/01/09) and work M-F, 40 hrs a week 830am-5pm! I cook Sun-Thur and then do our every day duties like clean, make lunches, bath me and my son etc. So this is how I manage to eat right and work out…..

    I have a strict cooking schedule that works for me! My man works two jobs and isn't home until 930-10pm. So it’s just me doing everything after work! I basically cook the day before, for the next day’s lunch and dinner! So Monday I’m eating Sundays leftover, Tuesday I’m eating Mondays leftovers, Wednesday I’m eating Tuesdays leftovers Thursday im eating Wednesday leftovers and Friday im eating Thursday leftovers. So after work, dinner is already made from the night before! After I eat dinner, me and my son will either go for a walk around the neighborhood, or we’ll go to the high school down the street, they have a outdoor track, and walk the while my son rides his bike! If you check out my food diary, my lunch and dinner are usually the same! Good luck though! Its trial and error and you just have to see what works for you!!


    oh and i highly recommending pre-logging when you can! takes the stress out because you already know what your eating for the day!
  • wordyroo
    wordyroo Posts: 98 Member
    I was managing to get in a quick 20-minute workout two-three times a week for about a month either while dinner was cooking or as soon as my husband got home from work so he could watch the kids. Then last week I tweaked my back getting my daughter and her carseat out of the car (she's 4 months old). It seems every night this week something has happened to prevent me getting back to it. I really need to get up at 5:30 and do it then, but half the time my daughter wants to nurse at that time or she's kept me up all night nursing so easier to stay in bed. :ohwell: So I'm trying to get in at least 7500 steps a day to stay at least minutely active.

    As for meals, we eat the same thing, I just eat smaller portions. I pack my breakfast, snacks, and lunch the night before while I'm cleaning up the kitchen from dinner.

    I don't feed my son before I take him and his sister to daycare. They eat breakfast about 15 minutes after I drop off, so it seems silly to feed him twice. He usually has an applesauce pouch and some milk or juice when he wakes up to tide him over. That takes 5 seconds to hand over. We'll have to rework this when he starts school, but I have another 3 years before I have to worry about that.
  • allie_00p
    allie_00p Posts: 280 Member
    Ok, so first of all since my daughter was born 3/3/10 I have attempted to get back in shape (only gained 25lbs during and lost it all so can't blame the weight on that) but never accomplished much besides sitting and complaining to my friends about my weight. Now I am at my highest ever. So how do you juggle working full time, and a little one (mine is 4yrs), oh and a hubby and still fit in working out and all that good stuff. I am struggling to workout at 5am which is my only time. Also my hubby has a much bigger appetite than I do, but we both want to eat healthy. I don't want to end up cooking three dinners a night. Also on a side note do you mommies who work full time find time to make a full breakfast daily for your little ones before they go to school or daycare? Or do you just give them a snack since they do feed them as well at the school. Sorry I am aware this is all over, but I am just trying to see what all you other full time working mommies do to as a routine to juggle everything! Thanks in advance! :flowerforyou:

    My daughter is 2 and I work full time as well. I have to do my workouts in the morning, otherwise other things come up, and I also feel like I'm losing more precious time with my family. I workout three days a week, leave for the gym around 5:15 so I can get a workout in and get back by 6:30 to get everything ready and get us out the door by 7:15... tho this often ends up closer to 7:30 :ohwell:

    I keep cereal at the daycare for the little one in the mornings, then send fruit & yogurt with her in the mornings to supplement that. We usually don't have time to eat breakfast at home. I pack her lunches (usually leftovers from dinner) and snacks as well because our daycare does not do meals.

    Everyone eats the same thing for dinner, I try to plan out a month's worth of dinners in advance to cut down on shopping trips (the more grocery shopping for me = more impulse buys). I do have a very difficult time getting dinner on the table every night, it takes a lot of pre-planning (which I'm not great at) and it's draining if all I do is cook at the end of the day.

    :flowerforyou:
  • CStellaGo
    CStellaGo Posts: 273 Member
    Tough love coming at you friend......My daughter is also 4 (11/16/09) and I sat there feeling sorry for myself and finding excuses up until December of last year for my weight. I had one really bad evening that made me realize that I was DONE. I hated myself and something needed to change. It really has to be something within you that makes you want to change yourself and your habits and once that happens nothing will stand in your way and no excuse will be good enough for you. I am not a morning person AT ALL- I have tried to do morning runs and it never works out for me. The biggest thing that helped me with dinners was PORTION CONTROL. I always would eat until I felt full but guess what if I eat what a serving size is listed on most things then most generally I am full. If not I eat carrots or something that is filling but not high in the calories. I work full time- 9 hours a day 5 days a week at the least. I don't cook breakfast and I am bad about getting breakfast ate unless its some fruit I can eat on the way in to work or when I first get to my desk. My daughter usually eats at daycare or I will give her fruit or animal crackers on the way in as a snack depending on the time frame. As for my work out time my Fiance is completely behind me and my journey. He understands how important it is to me and will usually help make arrangements so I can get my workout time in. I go running in the evenings if he is home (He is a tow truck driver so he gets called out all the time) if he is not home then after I put my daughter to bed I go do some sort of workout. I try to burn at least what I am over on my allocated calories. One time Fiance wasn't home and I had to get a run in so I ran laps around my back yard for 30 minutes- I am sure my neighbors thought I was nuts but my daughter loved it and was a huge motivator giving me a high five every time I made it past her. You have to figure out what works for you. Just because something works for someone else does not mean it will work for you. Look deep down and see what is holding you back and once you can figure that out and how to fix that you will succeed.
  • abigail659
    abigail659 Posts: 63 Member
    Hi There! I'm a mom of 2 boys (ages 9 and 12) and I work full time (8-5) and going to school online. They are older than your little one but my boys usually eat cereal, poptarts, eggo waffles or toast and jelly before heading out. I don't cook full breakfast for them since they will also eat at school. I have certain days to workout and those are usually Monday and Wednesday and I go right after work 5:30-6:30. I hate waking up early so I have to put the mindset that Mon and Wed are my late days. On these nights my husband grills or cooks easy things like hotdogs, nachos etc for the kids and him (He's not into eating healthy YET). Since these are not weight loss friendly for me, I will pull out the George Foreman grill and cook up some chicken or fish and eat with a salad or veggies (Fish Tacos with cheese is my fav and I can eat that every night). The other 3 nights I cook meals for them and will either eat smaller portions or continue to make my separate meal on the Foreman. The Foreman is so easy and I can usually cook a meal in under 10 minutes. Most nights, before I go to bed, I will prep my breakfast and lunch for the next day. Breakfast is normally something simple such as yogurt, fiber one bars, banana, OJ bottles, oatmeal, PB toast (stuff I can eat on the drive to work). I make sure to get everything set out and ready to make or grab on the counter since I'm usually literally running out the door. It's a work in progress but this works for me right now. Soon my boys will start fall baseball so I'm sure my planning will be thrown a curve ball (haha).
    Good Luck!!!! Best Wishes!
  • CassieR6
    CassieR6 Posts: 280 Member
    Thank you all for the responses! :smile:
  • feedmedonuts
    feedmedonuts Posts: 241 Member
    Following. Due in December with my first. I work 12 hours a day, not including commute/time it takes to get ready. I don't really know HOW I am going to do it, it stresses me out :sad: I have a hard time getting it done WITHOUT a baby in the picture!