I need help

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SJH711
SJH711 Posts: 7 Member
in Motivation and Support
I suffer from depression, anxiety, and hypothyroidism. I'm the biggest I've ever been. My goal is to lose 50-60lbs. I get very discouraged very easily. I've quit drinking pop, which was super hard to do. Now I just have to make myself eat better and exercise. If I had someone to help me and motivate me it would be that much better. I'm a single parent of 3 amazing children, and I work full time. I can't afford a gym, nor do I have time for one really. What are the best ways to work out at home? Something that would cost me little to nothing. Also, is there a "group" out there somewhere of woman like me to help motivate one another?

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  • bakerfifty1
    bakerfifty1 Posts: 53 Member
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    Have you ever tried kettlebells? For a small amount of money you could buy a couple kettlebells and do a bunch of exercises at home that dont take much time at all and they give you a good workout. Just a thought.
  • ajm262
    ajm262 Posts: 24 Member
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    If you have cable most have workout videos on demand. Also walking or running is always a good cardio workout. I like to use the mapmyfitness app to see how far I've gone and my pace :) good luck! Feel free to add me as a friend
  • cattivosorriso
    cattivosorriso Posts: 4 Member
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    there are a BUNCH of videos on youtube. just go for the higher quality ones, not people recording their tv :) Jillian Michaels has been kicking my butt all week on youtube! I have a 4 year old and know how hard it can be to work it in - quick 10 to 30 minutes max is about all I can get it in at once. I try to workout before she wakes up. My biggest problem is the mommy vacuum! I catch myself eating anything she doesn't because I don't want to waste food! No good.
  • Ali_cat01
    Ali_cat01 Posts: 4 Member
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    Try getting in some quick body workouts while you're at work(if you're able to, I know some jobs don't allow for that.)
  • SJH711
    SJH711 Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you for the tips! I will try just about anything I can. I will look into kettle bells. Do those yoga balls work? I can't do much at work. I'm always being pulled in different directions.
  • JaiDessaT
    JaiDessaT Posts: 74 Member
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    Jump rope (burns a lot of calories), jumping jacks intervals (30 seconds as fast as you can, 40 seconds rest, repeat for 20 minutes), walking with your kids after supper, body weight intervals (pushups, planks, burpees and mountain climbers 30 seconds as hard as you can push yourself, 40 seconds rest). These are all wonderfully effective.

    Keep your goals to 1 lb a week and then exercise the rest off. Drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. Above all, make sure you find something that is enjoyable (such as evening walk with family). Don't exclude foods you love, just limit to fit inside your calories.

    Good luck. You can do this.
  • JaiDessaT
    JaiDessaT Posts: 74 Member
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    And before I bought weights, I used 16oz cans of beans lol. Also, a gallon jug filled with sand makes an inexpensive kettlebell. If you decide to buy weights, definitely invest in a barbell set over dumbbells. There's a $50 100lb set on Amazon. Lifting weights is transforming my body in a way cardio never has. I still do cardio, but just 20 mins of intervals 3 days a week. Weights 3x a week.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    edited October 2015
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    all great advise above. I would like to add by saying you dont need to excerise to lose weight. It helps and it's great for fitness but if you eat at a calorie deficit you will lose weight. The tricky part is finding that magic "number" where you are at a calorie deficit yet not depriving or starving yourself.
    Working full time, mother of 3, single mom..I am sure you are very busy. My advice to you is don't stress about the excerise too much yet...fit in 10-15 min when you can and don't feel like a failure if you miss. Begin by making your dietary changes priority. Small changes every day and eventually it will get easier.
    Read these forums...great advice on here

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

    edited to add..I have seen quite a few discussions on here with people saying how weight loss has helped them tremendously with depression and anxiety.
  • big2strongCO
    big2strongCO Posts: 41 Member
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    Wow, single mother of three and a full time job. Don't you mean you have two full time jobs! It must be very hard for you to find time to exercise. You have made a great first step giving up soda and eating healthy is the next step, which is easier said than done with your schedule but it can be done. Plan to cook large healthy meals on the weekends and save them for the week (if you are not already doing this). As for working out there are many challenging body weight exercises that you can do that will do a good job at building muscle with no equipment necessary and you can do them in your home whenever you want. I have attached an article that might help. I lift three times a week and some of the most challenging work outs I do are body weight focused. Push ups, planks, mountain climbers, bear crawls, inch worms etc....... and all the variations of each, all can be put together in multiple ways for a kick *kitten* workout and best of all they cost ZERO to do at home. You can add the exercise ball to the mix and really increase the types and variations of the exercises you can do. This CAN be figured out and you CAN do this!

    http://www.shape.com/blogs/fit-list-jay-cardiello/7-bodyweight-exercises-busy-women
  • JustaJoe00
    JustaJoe00 Posts: 777 Member
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    just a thought....my wife has similar health issues...a really good Endocrinologist is worth their weight in gold...I'm guessing you have your levels checked regularly? They can change, we've found....being on the right dosage makes all the difference.....just my 2c. hope you feel better...
  • Syriene79
    Syriene79 Posts: 2 Member
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    Noticed you said you were hypothyroid. Do you feel you are on the right medication/dose? Getting it leveled out will also play a role. Dealing with that, myself. That and eliminating certain foods to see how you feel can help your thyroid too. You've already made a big step by eliminating soda. :)
  • SJH711
    SJH711 Posts: 7 Member
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    Wow. Thank you SO much for all the amazing advice. This helps me a great deal. I do get my levels checked regularly. I used to be really bad about getting it checked. After gaining 50lbs in less than a year I finally started to. It was so easy putting the weight on. Getting it off is a challenge though. My bad habits include only eating 1-2 meals a day, and unhealthy ones at that. I especially tend to skip meals on the weekends. I just get so busy at times. I have been trying to research what foods are best for you, which are best for weight loss, and how much you should eat. I want to do this right. Not only for me, but for my kids as well. I feel that exercise of some sort may help me not be so tired all the time. (Major side effect of hypothyroidism). I'm thinking 30-45 minutes of exercise before I get ready for work?
  • drywall_painter
    drywall_painter Posts: 321 Member
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    I deal with depression when my weight goes up and feel better when I get it under control.
  • DeserveVictory
    DeserveVictory Posts: 133 Member
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    I know a lady who's husband works out of town so she takes her 3 little girls to crossfit with her. Though that may not be possible for everyone. I believe her facility encourages the moms to bring their kids (they have kid size stationary bikes, jumping ropes, balls, etc). Something like that may be possible for you eventually. I believe my friend started by simply taking the kids to the park and running around with them, and by taking them swimming. For the record, she also has hypothyroidism and now collects run/event medals (tough mudder, spartan, disney half, etc). As for diets, she seems to be doing well on the paleo diet. If that is too strict for you, I believe the GI (glycemic index) diet follows some of the same principles about avoiding processed foods and eating more vegetables.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    There are a number of threads here in the message boards dealing with depression and anxiety issues, and if you want I'll post a few I have bookmarked. It might be a good place to look for friends with similar things they are working with.
  • ailenebowtique
    ailenebowtique Posts: 14 Member
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    Hi there... how old are your children? Maybe you can invest on a wii (if you dont already have one) and play just dance with the kids. Its fun exercise while spending time with your family

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