I can't do this alone

you are not alone

Hullo, Lesismore2011! I've never posted here so here goes. I'm also a mom (to two young adults) who I still do a great deal for. It's hard for me to cut out the convenience foods and sweets, but being on a limited income sure helps <G>.

I try to make my quick meals healthier by adding veggies to them. Shredded or chopped carrots, baby arugula, avocado, etc go on my sandwiches. I use nonfat plain greek yogurt in place of some mayonnaise. And really, just getting out and walking. It got a lot easier when I joined MFP, because it gives you calories back for your exercise! I'm a visual person so when I SEE that, it's a real motivator.

I think 30 minutes a day of cardio is great. I am not knowledgeable on the topic, but hey, as my physical therapist told me when I disparaged my little puny exercises, "It's more than you've been doing." You know your life the best - I don't know how old your son is - and 30 minutes daily, every day, does burn calories. I set my goal at 40 minutes of cardio 4 days a week. Some days I manage less, some days more - but I'm ending up exercising 5 days a week (:

One more thing - maybe break it up if you don't have 30 minutes to spare. I remember those days! (Mostly retired now.) So how about exercising twice for 15 minutes? Or 20? Just a 15 minute walk an hour after eating if you can't get to the gym.

Have fun!

Hey your not alone! Feel free to add me, I will support and motivate you the best I can ????

Me too....fall under same category .I want some motivation from friends.May be my age or menopause or my carb addiction is slowing my weight loss.One day I will be down 1 lb, and after two days the scale shows 2 lbs increase.Is it water weight...may be I donot know..but to some extent I am happy with the results.May be I am expecting more...?

You arent alone! I do fast food a lot for myself and kids I just get the healthy items and food diary everyday! Always at deficit;) and for me 30 min a day has helped me. I just upped to 40 min to push through plateau. Crunches when I wake up and go to bed arms and just started glutes. You can do it! I average 2 to 3 lbs loss per week, sometimes get stuck, then I change it up. Go girl!

Welcome to MFP!

They say that you lose weight in the kitchen and get fit in the gym. In other words, exercise is great for feeling good and building up your strength and stamina, but the way you take off weight is by consistently eating less than your body needs. No way around it, it's gonna be bad some days. Keep the long term in sight, and focus on changes you can sustain the rest of your life. If you will want to eat Taco Bell occasionally in the future, eat it occasionally now, but stay under your calorie limit.

30 minutes of cardio daily and weights 2-3 times a week is plenty. Don't be afraid to lift heavy weights, or to ask for advice at the gym if you need it. Stumptuous.com is a useful site for women (and men) who want to get strong using weights.

For healthy, convenient food, it helps a lot to plan ahead. I'll spend a couple hours every few weekends cooking a big pot of soup, stew, chili, whatever, and then put it in two-serving containers and freeze it. That way my wife and I just need to take something out of the freezer after work, thaw it, and have it with some salad and bread.

A salad spinner takes a little more work to use than buying pre-washed, bagged lettuce, but not that much more, and it's cheaper to buy lettuce by the head. You can buy almonds and other nuts pre-packaged in 100 calorie containers, though again, it doesn't take much more work to do that yourself, and it's cheaper.

If you have a grill (or a grill pan), you can grill squash, zucchini, apples, pears, eggplant, onions, and other fruits and veggies--just cut in half or thick slices, brush with a little oil, and grill until they're tender. Add a grilled chicken breast, a whole-grain bread, and some salad, and you have a quick, healthy meal. A frittata is also quick: sauté chopped vegetables (and some ham if you want) in a little oil until tender (a non-stick pan helps), then mix in some beaten eggs and cook until the eggs set (you can finish the top under a broiler to avoid burning the bottom). It helps to think of vegetables and whole grains as being the main ingredients, and meat, dairy, and eggs as things you use in small quantities to add flavor, except for the occasional treat.

Cooking Light has some other ideas for quick, healthy meals: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy-recipes-00412000077176/

Dawn's advice to cook double is also great. I usually have leftovers 2-3 nights a week, apart from the stuff I freeze ahead.

Good luck!

Wraps are great!! Precooked chicken is a must have, and lots of bag salad for me. When I would cook for the kids I would have what ever I make for them in a side dish portion and eat huge salad or veggies. This way I am not cooking separate dishes.

What made me stick to this is I made my meals a day a head of time. Like for breakfast timorrow I made me an egg, got 2 breads ready for toast and an apple and a yogirt ready for the morning. For lunch I am having what I had tonight for dinner Which is Mac n cheese and a hotdog and a cucumber. I also love Rice cakes. they are crunchy and yummy and only 60 calories. I also quit the diet soda for the most part. I only drink it once a week. There is something in the soda that still causes people to gain weight even though they say fat free and all that good stuff. Feel free to add me. Ive got a long road a head of me.

I admire you for stating your issues, and although 7 week is plenty to lose 10-15lbs, do look beyond your birthday, otherwise you may fall back into old habits once you get there. Also, when lifting you might find only slight changes in weight as fat and muscle balance out. I only say that in case you think you aren't getting anywhere in those weeks. Just keep going and try to add in things a little at a time that you will do for the rest of your life. MFP is an amazing tool to teach you how to do so. The people are so supportive too. Definitely add me too!

Definitely adding you all *hugs*. Since I'll be doing weight training I have one question: Will that hinder my progress..? I think I heard somewhere that weights will somehow prevent you from losing fat, just make your muscle bigger? My common sense says no, but I need 2nd opinions.

As long as you eat at a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. Weight training will make your muscles bigger, but not very much, and it takes a lot of time. It will keep you from *losing* muscle as you lose weight, which is what you want. If you just sat around all day and ate less than your calorie needs, you'd lose weight, but a lot would be muscle, since your body would say (if it could talk), "Hey, I've got all these muscles that are sitting around doing nothing. Let's use those to power the furnace!" When you lift weights, the muscles say, "No can do, we're needed. Burn some fat instead." Of course they can't talk but the chemical and neurological pathways in your body are effectively saying that.