stay at home mom of 4

missykrissy1982
missykrissy1982 Posts: 1 Member
edited March 2 in Motivation and Support
Im 5ft 5 and 171lbs. Stay at home mom of 4 kids. This is my first summer not working and especially looking after 4 kids (3 are my fiancé's they all moved in in jan ) Now I figured with chasing 4 kids around would make the weight that I gained fall off (gained about 22lbs since aug 2013.) Now a few issues are that I am a picky eater and don't get much actual exercise as my fiancé usually doesn't get home till late (and also exhausted from watching a 3,6,7,and 8 yr old all day). Any suggestions from those that are full time stay at home parents. on how to lose weight?
thanks

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Calorie deficit is all you need to lose weight. That can come from eating less and/or moving more. Change whatever you can change for a very long time (maintenance).

    Log calories in here .....measure your portions

    If you want to exercise I have a suggestion. I'm not a stay at home mom but this is something you can do while the young ones are napping (low impact)...you won't be bouncing around the house. Your older ones may even join in.

    http://www.totallyfreeworkouts.com/search/label/Walking
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Here are couple of good threads with lots of information:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • kmariet7
    kmariet7 Posts: 229 Member
    I workout with leslie sansone dvds and run around the playground doing the c25k... definitely get interrupted but better than nothing!
  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
    I am a stay at home mom of 3 kids age 1,4 and 7. I used to use the kids being at home as an excuse of why I couldn't fit the time in, but in the end I was kidding myself that chasing them around and cleaning was going to get the results I wanted. I started making time for myself to workout at home (never have had a gym membership). I workout usually twice a day now while my youngest naps or with a baby gate up while he plays with his older brother, my daughter usually does the workouts with me, she loves it. I love setting myself up with a program to follow I find being home all day I lack the motivation to just come up with something so I've enjoyed things like 30 day shred or body revolution as well as I love fitnessblender.com they are amazing, and free.

    As for food, its pretty simple just eat at a deficit if you want to lose, count your calories and practice portion control while still eating things you like. If you want to eat healthy then start with things you like and add flavours you like, eventually your taste changes and you can start being more adventurous, I know our family has branched out a ton in the last year.

    In the end yea being a stay at home mom means scheduling difficulties and a heck of a lot of interruptions while working out or trying to cook healthy but its worth it if you really want to put your mind to it. It is very easy to lose your needs and time for them while taking care of everyone else, but you being a good example of health and fitness for your kids (and hubby) is important for their sake too.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 862 Member
    I'm 5'5" and went from 165 to 129 in about a year by eating at a calorie deficiency and sneaking in exercise whenever possible. That includes getting creative, like jumping rope or jogging in place while fixing dinner. I jog in place while watching something on TV around 5 days a week (it's the only time I watch TV, so I look forward to it), and do fitness videos on YouTube after my daughter goes down for the night - Jillian Michaels and kickboxing are my favorites. We also take walks as a family in the evening around the neighborhood. Since I do most of the cooking I get to control what we eat, so I try to balance healthy with the more "fun" food.

    I'm a picky eater as well, but I don't want my family to suffer because of it, so on the days where I make something for them I don't like (seafood is the main thing), I'll thaw and cook a chicken breast for me beforehand, and usually just dunk it in some honey mustard. Lots of protein, and I don't have to choke down fish. *shudder*

    My husband is military and can work long hours or be gone for a period of time; when that happens I just do my best to power through it. I usually tell myself I'll just do 5 minutes of the workout just so I can say I did something... by the end of the 5 minutes I'm usually more energized and just finish it.

    Try some different things until you find out what works for you! If you have a hard time fitting in the exercise, focus on a calorie deficiency and you should still see the scale drop if you're accurate about what you eat. :flowerforyou:
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    I use my kids for exercise sometimes. I like to do foot races with them, run around the playground doing an "obstacle course" or just play tag or hide and seek (and actually look for them once in a while).
  • HappyHope0123
    HappyHope0123 Posts: 101 Member
    Have a jumping jacks contest with them. Buy them all a hoola hoop, and get yourself a weighted one. See who can go the longest. Play soccer...not just kick the ball, but actually play and run! Kids are a ton of fun, and all the exercise is great for all of you. How about bike riding?

    Counting calories, cutting calories, cutting out sweetened drinks, cutting down carbs, these are all helpful.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    The local gym has babysitting and it's been my life saver. But I still have to get up before everyone else to sneak in my home workouts until school starts again.
  • Laoch_Cailin
    Laoch_Cailin Posts: 414 Member
    I'm a stay at home mom of 3. I've a 7month old, 3year old and 7year old.

    I am only really starting on mfp food side of things but I got into my exercise when my youngest was 8 weeks. You need time to yourself when you are at home all day with kids. I talked to my husband and I joined a local bootcamp. He makes sure he is home 3 nights a week so I can make class at 7p.m and I go to a Saturday morning bootcamp while the kids are in bed. If I can't make class for any reason I do an exercise dvd after the kids have gone to bed (7pm bedtime). Otherwise I walk with the double buggy when I can with my oldest cycling beside me.

    I'm just trying to eat a bit healthier and mind my incoming calories on top of this now.

    You just need to sit down and work out what will work for you then stick to it. Really hope you find what works for you x
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