mom of 4 boys struggling with weight entire life

I'm a mom to only two boys, but they keep me busy. So busy that I haven't taken time for myself and the weight has piled on. Now that the oldest is driving, I do have some free time to focus on me. I have sent a friend request.

From my experience training lots of moms, they struggled with weight for one main reason........................they forgot to take care of themselves after having kids. Everything seemed to be about the kids for most of my overweight moms.
So guess what? It's time to take care of you first. The kids will understand and more than likely encourage and support you. You can never get time back, so get serious about it and get it done. Don't think about it, don't dwell on it, don't put it off till the beginning of the month. Start as soon as you can.

A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

You don't need to give yourself a hard time about exercise. Research shows that exercise does not increase weightloss. It only makes you healthier. You can lose weight without it. I have been doing so all this year. And i feel fine and don't feel guilty about it.

But if you want to help yourself, perhaps the easiest way is to buy yourself a pedometer and let yourself be motivated to move about more by the little readouts. Everyone says these gadgets are motivating in that way. And you can avoid all the guilty and stuff that normally goes with exercise. I haven't got one yet but would like one.

But what i do isfocus on
a) eating top quality healthy whole foods all the time
b) avoiding processed foods almost all the time
c) increasing vegetables significantly
d) maximising nutrition
e) reducing calories in a moderate way so that i don't struggle with hunger and appetite and so that i can enjoy my food and achieve steady weight loss at the same time.
f) address stress as soon as possible because stress gives you an appetite for carbs which becomes hard to control. If i can't resolve my problems myself, i get a councillor for support and to work out solutions with. This really does help. But you have to be able to be open and honest about your problems. The longer you keep things hidden, the more stress you will experience the more you will struggle with feelings that undermine your weightloss efforts. Everyone has stress. But most people do not manage it very well. And many overweight people do not manage it at all except by eating.

This year since i have been losing weight i decided not to bother with exercise unless i felt like it. At the time the only research i had to go on was my own. All my past efforts at weightloss included a lot of exercise and i did lose all my weight . But i would stop my exercise for one reason or another and with that the weight would come back. Since then i have come across numerous experts and research who have shown that exercise does not increase weightloss.

I am sick of regaining the weight i lose and now i'im determined to not get fat ever again. I've had it. I started off the year with a pretty good base plan - quit refined sugar and don't worry about the exercise, cut calories minimally, address stress, eat nutritiously. This has served me in good stead since January 3. I have lost around 40 pounds since then and i have not been pushing it most of the time. I lost most of it in the first three months.

Over the year as i have learnt more and i have improved my diet considerably so that now i know what i'm eating is really healthy and i'm enjoying the dishes i'm cooking a lot and enjoying doing the cooking as well. And i've learned about a whole lot of new recipes and foods and am now eating a wider variety of foods than ever.

First i had to include more protein.

Then i learnt a fair bit about the part that hormones play in weight gain and weight loss - not just insulin but also leptin, seratonin, and ghrelin. I have been most interested in leptin. Although its vital that people who've been overweight a long time understand insulin and its role in making people fat so that you can address any difficulties that arise in your journey.

Then i learnt that i don't have to be too strict with good healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts and seeds. Fats are all right. Low fat dieting and foods might even be an enemy. Its mainly when fats are mixed with sugar or salt that the problems with being able to stop yourself eating emerge. And of course you cannot go bonkers with fats anyway but you can eat more and reap the rewards in the improvement in taste of your food without it making you want to eat till the cows come home.

Then i learnt how to manage portion size and how not to overeat by using a system of rating my hunger and satiety.

After a 6 week stint with low carb, i came off it and learnt the value of a support group to help me get on track when my eating was going wobbly.

Then i started doing the 5:2 fasting diet but with ongoing slight calorie reduction on non-fasting days.

My latest thing is appreciating the value importance of fibre for health and longevity. But it is also valuable in any weightloss attempt because it makes you feel full and the foods it is in are nutritious and it is easier to lose weight if you are getting maximum nutrition.

Feel free to join us in our grow 3FC pals.

btw i was motivated to learn about a lot of this stuff from being a member of the 3FC forum.

Hi! I have three boys and they are the same ages as your younger three. Feel free to add me for encouragement.