Struggle

Sam,

I am in the same boat as you! ( I don't work full time, just part time, but I also homeschool the older kids) I have had to be deliberate about finding time for me. Right now I get up at 0530 . . . hit the gym which is about 3 miles from my house . . . come home and get the kids and the husband going in the morning. If I don't get it knocked out right away then I am struggling to find the time the rest of the day.

When grocery shopping I make my own list. After I meal plan for the week for the family I make a list of everything that I will need for lunches or alternate dinners and snacks for the week. If I don't have those things readily available I will start snacking on whatever and driving through fast food to meet my hunger needs.

I "tell my husband" what I need to do. If I didn't get a morning workout in I will tell him "I have to hit the gym tonight after the toddlers are in bed" That way he'll look at me after the kids' bedtime and say, "Are you ready to go to the gym" just as my body hears the couch and afghan calling my name.

I signed up for a 5K in May and I have been faithful to stick to the training program. Right now I can run a mile with relative ease (Check back with me in a month or two when the plan calls for a 3 or 4 mile run)

Hope some of this helps, My progress is slow and steady and I just have to choose to focus on the positives and not beat myself up over imperfections.

OK first off, don't think of this as a "diet". The word diet refers to what you eat so the word is being miss used most of the time. There are all kinds of diets. Junk food diets, high fat diets, sugar filled diets, etc, etc, etc. You need to think of this as a "healthy lifestyle" change. Notice the word diet is no where in that sentence. Also notice that everyone in your household can be on the same healthy lifestyle. From the babies to your husband. Eating healthier foods will benefit everyone whether they need to loss weight or not. My grand kids eat what I eat and they love the foods that I serve them because they taste good but are healthy.

Fad "Diets" never work for long and usually when people stop them that gain back everything they lost plus some. When you change your lifestyle it becomes a way of life, not a fad. This also sets good examples for your children and will help them to not do what all of us have done to ourselves. We lead by example.

Welcome to our family and we will all be here to help you with your journey.

I understand totally, I am stuck right now and it is easier to just ea the crap then stick with a diet, BUT we will all doo this. Come up with a goal, a date. a reason to lose and right in on your calendar, keep it as your computer screen saver. and just take one day at a time. do not worry about when you slip. but just start again the next day.

Hi Sam, welcome! Desirai gave some great advice! Like many people, I found that dieting doesn't work for me. I started tracking what I ate with a different tracker at the beginning of February and switched to this one a week or two later, and along with getting my exercise, it has made a difference (12 pounds so far this month!).

I'm not on a particular diet, but tracking what I eat has found me modifying what and how much I eat. I haven't given up any of my favorite foods, but I do find I eat them much less often and less of them when you see those big numbers on the screen. I also spend 1 hour on an elliptical machine 6 days a week. I know that's a time commitment for a busy guy, but that's what it takes for me. I'm 41 and don't burn the calories like I used to, but you may be able to get by with half that (30 mins /day).

Stick with it, drink your water, and get your exercise. It's worth it!