Need encouragement

jackswife1207
jackswife1207 Posts: 59 Member
edited September 23 in Introduce Yourself
Hello, just joined today. I heard about this site from co-workers who talked about how wonderful it is.

I have lost weight in the past but gained it back plus 20 pounds. So I know I can do this but just can't seem to motivate myself. I am a school nurse. I have 2 kids, one that has Asperger Syndrome and requires a lot of attention. He is on medication which has caused him to gain 30 pounds in a year and we are working on that. So I NEED to do this for myself but also to be a better role model for him. By the time I get home in the evening and get everything done, i am just so tired I don't want to do anything else. The cold weather doesn't help either. I just want to curl up with a book and forget the world.

I have stopped buying much junk/snack food so that it's not a temptation for my son and I. I recently have been on weight watchers online but it's not been motivating either. I'm walking with co-workers on some days after school. Occasionally I exercise at home but could really step that up. I have lost about 7 pounds in the last 6 months but haven't done much since. Not great numbers!

How did you change your thinking patterns and get motivated?

Replies

  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    You just have to want it really bad. It has to come from within you!!!!
  • juliedk
    juliedk Posts: 9
    how? ... i'm still working on it too ... day by day ... minute by minute ...
  • KellyS0828
    KellyS0828 Posts: 32 Member
    One of the hardest parts is getting started. Be dedicated to yourself. Tell yourself that you are doing this for you, so you will feel healthier, and feel better. It's hard to tell your kids to eat a certain way or to get outside to exercise, if I'm not doing it myself. I know when I first started, I had to really push myself. I had to make myself walk or do a exercise video after work or on my days off. Even now there are times that I just hate doing it, but you feel so much better afterwards that you did it. And if you have a moment or a bad day, pick yourself up and start over with the next meal. Good luck to you, you can do it!!
  • anewattitude
    anewattitude Posts: 483 Member
    Well I think you already mentioned a great motivator which is your son. Like you said he needs a healthy role model and that would be you. You also need to do this for yourself. I totally understand the tired afyer work and its cold outside syndrome. I live in Canada.. need I say more? I hate the cold and its freezing here! BUT once you just decide to get moving you will actually end up with more energy and the funny thing with exercise is its a natural high! Once you get in the routine you will wonder how you ever got along without it. Set small goals to start.. say doing a workout dvd or going for a walk ( bundled up of course)). You will get there. Just remember, in order to help your son with his health issues, you need to work on your own :) The other benefit as well is your workout time can be all about YOU.. your time to let of steam from a hectic day while getting in shape :)

    You can do it!
  • grapevines
    grapevines Posts: 4 Member
    hi~

    i'm pretty new on here too. i have been looking at the food diary of a friend who has had success so far. though it's only been a few days, it's been helpful to see what she's been eating so i can try to get myself on track. sometimes it's hard to know what is good and what is not and researching takes a lot of time (which can be a motivation killer for me when i'm tired). so if you can find someone to piggy back off of a little bit that might help. good luck!
  • JPriceGA
    JPriceGA Posts: 508 Member
    I don't have kids, so I can't even imagine how hard it is to keep your focus on your health when you're busy being a Nurse to everyone else! The good thing about this site, is you don't need motivation... you just need to fill out the initial goal information, then WRITE DOWN EVERY MORSEL THAT YOU EAT, EVERY DAY.

    That's it. Oh, and if you exercise, write that down too.

    Pretty quickly, you'll begin to say things to yourself like, "Oh, I had NO IDEA that I was drinking XXX calories!" or "Wow, I actually came in under goal for the first time today!"

    If you're consistent with writing it down - EVERYTHING - EVERY DAY - your behavior will change. And you will change... and your son will change...

    Then one day, you'll be motivated to stay within your calories for the day, and maybe even to exercise too!
  • jackswife1207
    jackswife1207 Posts: 59 Member
    Thanks for the encouragement. I have done ok this week. I've been under a couple of days and over a couple also, but not by much. I've gotten on the treadmill or walked at work 4 times this week, even though there were times I really didn't want to. But you are right, I did feel better after doing it. I'm waiting to weigh myself tomorrow morning at school since that was the scale I used for my initial weigh in. I'm anxious to see how it goes.

    Thanks again for the encouragement!!
  • nmoreland
    nmoreland Posts: 183 Member
    I have found that I put in the food I am going to eat before I eat it. That helps me see how many calories I will consume. I have not really changed my diet, just paying attention to how much I eat.

    I also have a heart rate monitoe (with the chest strap) that I wear when I am working out. It is a motivator for me to see how many calories I have burned. When I first got it, I actually had to stop myself from checking it out when I was in the middle of my workout. :)

    Once the scale starts going down, even if it is just a pound or two, that is motivating for me too.
  • xbox_widow
    xbox_widow Posts: 3
    Hiya! I'm quite new here too, just joined last week, and also have the ongoing battle with how to balance my life (kids, work, fiance, studying ...) with healthy eating and exercise. It's hard, but I guess you have to just be really clear what your priorities are and how it'll fit in.

    For instance, I am aiming to get fit as I feel unhealthy, and I want a size 12/14 wedding dress next year. So I've decided to aim for 1lb or 2lbs per week of weight loss and 60 minutes of pre-planned exercise a week. It may not sound like much but it will fit in around my real life (you have to be realistic or you'll just set yourself up to fail) and it's a vast improvement on losing no weight and doing no exercise. And if I manage to lose more than that or do more exercise then it's a big bonus and a nice pat on the back for me!

    Good luck! x
  • anidiotabroad
    anidiotabroad Posts: 16
    Hi guys and gals.

    Been on here for around a week now and I have to say its a great site. I have been wanting to loose a bit of weight now and get back to my happier weight of around 8 years ago. I am recently single and realised I had let myself go a bit too much (must have been a comfort thing) but now its about time I pushed myself.
    I have been training and eating more healthy for around a month now and am already seeing great results and feeling loads better about it too, so thats great motivation straight away. But I think it is easier when other people like yourselves are doing this too, so I'm sure we can all show support for each other and we can all do really well then look and feel great!

    Feel free to add me if you would like support and a pat on the back :-)
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