Moms Losing 40 pounds?

Weight loss starts in the kitchen. I'm a single mom who works full time and maintains a home. MAKE time! You've got this!

I work 40-50+ hours per week, with two busy kids. One who seems to constantly have some sort of sports practice, and a 2 year old who is lovingly high maintenance. It isn't easy, but its very possible. Diet first- find filling lower calorie meals, prep on the weekend, and don't beat yourself up over shortcuts. I eat a frozen meal or boxed soup at least once per week, and eat lunch out another day or two. When I don't feel like dicing vegetables or didn't make it to the grocery store, I'm fine with the frozen backups I keep. When my counters are too cluttered to make room to cut raw chicken, I'm okay with an easy omelette for dinner. I do weigh everything- I find the time involved negligible but so important.

As for exercise, I find that it helps so much. One- it gives you more calories to eat. Definitely a plus. Secondly, it can help you to really appreciate the value of a calorie. I do a combination of things here. One- I make the time. I get up at 4 am at least 2-3 weekdays and get my self to the gym. Two- incorporate the kids. Especially when the weather is fair and the days are long, we play soccer or walk to the park or race each other (this is their favorite). Three- some time is better than no time. If I get 10 minutes in in the morning and 5 minutes doing stairs during the work day and 15 minutes doing zumba on my wii, its still more valuable than doing nothing.

I've lost 55 lbs doing this, and I have every confidence that the sum of all these things will make it a sustainable lifestyle for me.

I have one child and a husband at home. Because I dont want my 1.5 hour 6 day a week interest to take away from our family time in the evenings, I go in the morning at 5 am. I prep breakfast for the family the night before so my mornings arent a rush. I wake up at 3:45 every morning to get my me time. I am not a morning person at all. That is how I get my training in.

Weight loss comes from being in a caloric deficit. I UNDERSTAND YOUR PAIN of eating a treat then overdoing it. I cant help myself with cookies and cake. You can have these things. Buy them in singles on the day you plan to eat them. If you fall down get right back up. Don't wallow in it and just mess over the whole week.

Don't beat yourself up. You can do this!

edited to add I was 189 lbs and am at 143 lbs now I have been maintaining for a year. You can do this

I also work full time and have two kids. I don't know how old the OPs kids are, but mine are 10 and 7. They are old enough to be home alone for an hour or so. So right when I get home, I give them a few minutes, then change into my gym clothes and head out for an hour to get my workout in. I know if I make dinner or sit down and watch television, I'll skip my workout. So I do it right after work. It is something I do for myself and it makes me a better mom.

You could also just wait until the kids go to bed and do a quick 1/2 hour workout on your own at home if they are too little to be home alone. Make it a habit and schedule it in.

I do agree that you lose weight in the kitchen, you get fit in the gym. So eating is what you need to focus on, but move as much as you can. Maybe take a walk every day when you get home with the kids. Or have a family Xbox time?

Regardless, you are not alone!

It's taken me years to do something. I had back to back twins and I'm a stress eater and a binger, so not a good combo. The first 3yrs were about survival so I popped whatever was easy into my mouth whenever I could. Then depression hit, more eating.... Now I'm looking at surgery in May to my foot and ankle and there's no way I can lug my body around on crutches so the weight must go. I can't exercise so it's by diet only. Today I hit the 10lbs mark. I'm taking it only 10 at a time