Busy mommy with terrible eating habits and zero discipline...

the reason you can't stop thinking about food (trust me, been there, done that, still a struggle sometimes) is because you're telling yourself you can't have those things. Fit it into your day... calorie budget. Think of calories like money to spend and then evaluate if that food you want is really a good investment to your day. That helps.. i literally fit 2 ice cream sandwiches in every day even when I'm cutting..

Add me please... Same boat.. Two part times, a 6 and a 13 years old and studying at the same time... Feel with no motivation and last year I gain 10 pounds...(and I was already overweight). Love good and junk food and get bored easily of healthy foods...

I used to be you, very busy, full time job with two young boys. They are teenagers now and more self sufficient. However, you owe it to your kids to teach them good eating habits while they are young so they don't struggle so much when they get older. I wish I could go back in time and teach my kids better habits and limit the junk, but I can't.

debubbie wrote: »

Hi Ashli!

Sounds like you are cutting some of the fun food out of your diet and torturing yourself! I still eat goodies and things that aren't good for me (cookies, cheeseburgers, fudge) by making sure they fit into my calorie goals for the day. I still try to eat veggies, salads, fruits, and healthy foods about 75% of the time.

If I know I am going to be eating out with friends later in the week, I try to build a "bank" of uneaten calories, exercise hard that day to have some exercise calories to eat back, try to find healthier low calorie alternatives on the menu to form the bulk of my meal and then split anything sinful and calorie laden with several friends. By splitting, I get to enjoy several bites of something I truly enjoy but don't feel like I have to eat it all if I order it just for myself.

I know moms that work out with their kids and the little ones think it is a game. The 13 year old may be willing to walk or jog with you too. You may be able to sneak in mini workout sessions of 10 minutes throughout the day a few times each day by doing pushups, planks, squats, lunges, and walking up and down stairs.

Feel free to add me.

The above is excellent advice. Also, try not to change everything at once. It can be overwhelming and you won't stick to it. Rather than "dieting", which is temporary and produces temporary results, try slowly changing your habits one by one: increase your water intake, cut out sugary drinks. Then reduce desserts to only once or twice a week. Then cut out snacking. Increase the amount of veggies per meal while decreasing excess carbs. These are just examples as I don't know your current habits, but hopefully you get my point. Best of luck to you. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I'm experiencing the same as all of you. I was on Weight Watchers a couple years ago and was very successful at it. But then life got in the way and I had to quit. Unfortunately, I didn't take my lessons learned, was stressed out beyond imaginable and gained all the weight back. I can't afford Weight Watchers but Fitness Pal seems to have a similar program... tracking things, etc. I'm hoping I'll take what I learned the first time around, including time for myself which is the hardest thing for me and be successful at it. With it being so cold, I need to figure out activity inside. I know there are apps out there, but need to find ones that I don't consider "exercise" and more "activity." It's all about the lingo for me. It can't be "diet", it's "change." and it's not "exercise", it's "activity." Have to psych myself out to make it work. Like I said, I'm new to Fitness Pal so if anyone has tips, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Mother of a 2 yr old and 6 month old! Nursing too befriend me

Some people have given some great advice!

I'm a mother to 3: 9 years old, 7 years old, 3 years old. I work full time for the government and go to school part time. To say my life is busy always seems like an understatement. BUT I always go to the gym. Usually 6 days a week. Why?

Because I want to lead by example for my kids. I want movement and nutritious foods to be their "normal."

All 3 of my children know why we don't eat fast food very often. They all know they HAVE to eat their veggies at dinner. It's not that we don't get treats, because we most definitely do, but they understand WHY we only get the treats every once in awhile.

As a busy mom, I'm in better shape AFTER 3 kids than I was before getting pregnant with my first when I was 18. The struggle is there. It's hard and it takes work but I know that I'm worth it. My kids need me. How can I be there for my kids if I am slowly killing myself with a "normal" American diet?

You can all most definitely add me. You will see I struggle every day but even 1 baby step in the right direction is better than doing nothing at all.

Much love for all us hard working mamas!

Hi! I'm a mom of two girls age 7 and 5 both very busy with soccer and Girl Scouts...and a step mom to a 18years old and just got a new 4 legged kids(a puppy) and with cookie season starting here in Texas next week I'm already going crazy with trying to fit my runs in.. but like one of my very close friend says you have to make time.. schedule a hour a night or even 30 minutes each night and thats your work out time... your you time. that what I do.. my husband has learned not to b**ch about it cause it what I want to do to make myself better... I have my plan printed out and hung up so he know when and what I'll be doing durning the time. he helps with the kids... as for the food... prep your meals once or twice a week.. I do snack and lunch prep on sundays for my week and come up with what I'm going to cook for dinner and make sure I have the food on hand so I don't just go to a drive thru.. Hope this helps
Friend me if you would like to!!!

Mom of a 2.5 year-old, and I 100% agree with all the comments about keeping your fun foods within your calorie budget!! I don't like to think about how many calories I'm "allowed" in a day. I think about space. If I can eat foods that are low calorie but super high in vitamins and nutrients, that's a bargain because I'm getting a lot of nutrition while leaving more space for fun stuff. Peppers and hummus? Love 'em. Not because they're a "healthy diet food" but because they pack in a ton of vitamins, nutrients, fiber, protein, and iron while leaving a lot of space for fun foods later.

One major piece of advice: Figure out what your basal metabolic rate is.

A lot of people think that losing weight means they have to go into massive calorie deficits and that feeling hungry/hangry all the time is just part of the deal. Thing is, your body burns a certain number of calories whether you're exercising or not. That number is your "basal metabolic rate" (BMR). It's the number of calories your body needs to do basic things like breathing, making your heart pump, and digesting your food. If you simply laid in bed all day and did nothing, your body would still burn well over 1000 calories just to do all of the stuff it needs to do to keep you alive. If you don't have enough calories at the end of the day to meet your BMR, your body slows everything down. You'll feel tired, hangry, and just plain miserable. And you'll have trouble losing weight because that slow down means your metabolism is in the tank.

If you can find the sweet spot between your BMR and the calories you would need to maintain your weight, it's so much easier to stick with a weight loss plan. So much easier. There are two different formulas to figure out your BMR: Mifflin-St. Jeor and Harris Benedict. With my husband and me, I figure out both. I tend to aim for the Harris Benedict number (it's always the higher of the two) because I usually feel exhausted and hangry when I get below that. Not a good sign.

I just lost 10 pounds over two weeks, and that included Christmas and New Years. I wasn't trying to lose anywhere near that much. I have MFP set up to make sure I stay in a range to lose only a half a pound a week. I still had cake and pistachio gelato and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Yesterday, I had grilled cheese that included butter on the bread and full-fat cheddar cheese. Twice. Lunch and dinner. I put full-fat Caesar dressing on my chicken Caesar salad. One evening, to make sure I didn't go below my BMR after I logged a 1 hour walk, I had to have a double serving of gelato (pain and suffering, let me tell you! ). When I weighed myself the next morning, I'd lost 2.5 pounds. Crazy!

My weigh loss has slowed to a more reasonable rate this week... and that's a good thing. I'm in a "cutback" week in my workout schedule, so it would have been scary if it had kept going at the same rate. Even when I rev things back up next week, I'm not expecting the same rate of weight loss. I shared my experience from those two weeks just to give an example of how you can definitely eat fun foods and still have success losing weight. It's really important to make sure you're at least getting enough calories to hit your BMR. If you've gotten enough nutrient-dense foods to fuel your body, that means you've got plenty of space for fun foods. "Oh no, I've hit my goals for my vitamins and nutrients, but MFP is telling me I need more fat and protein in my diet today! Mmm... sounds like ice cream."

Yas789: I totally get where you are coming from. Logistically it is extremely difficult to find time to cook nutritious meals when you work full time and are taking care of kids the rest of your time. We eat 2 meals a week of healthy prepared foods. We are lucky enough to have a place in town that does this. If this is feasible financially (for us ~$15 main dish for 4) and add your own veggies, I highly recommend it.