I've Tried This Countless Times.....

julie_1217 · March 2016

I swear I've tried this weight loss thing so many times that I've lost count. Life happens and I end up getting off track and then it takes me forever to get back on track. I'm feeling pretty gross these days & I've gotta do something and I've gotta get my butt in gear.

Right now I'm 30 years old, I'm 5'4" and I weight 190lbs. I have a 3 year old & a 6 month old and I work FT outside of the home. I struggle with finding time to fit in exercise and I start out good with eating & counting calories, but then by the time I get home at night and things get crazy it all goes down hill.

This morning I did a weight loss calculator on Calorie Count .... My goal weight is 145. My lowest adult weight was 165(ish) but that was 2010/2011. According to Calorie Count ... If I consume about 1,200 calories/day I'll reach my goal weight around the beginning of November (11/3/16) - that would be fantastic. I did a 1,200 calorie diet before along with Biggest Loser Yoga and I was pretty successful, but as with everything else I stopped for one reason or another.

I'm determined to do this! If you can provide support and/or help kick me in the butt, I would appreciate it. Feel free to add me! I need all the support I can get. I've gotta stay focused this time!

-Julie-

angelwowings23 · March 2016

If you want to add me as a friend, I can try to keep you on track and motivate you...if you do the same for me.

A lil' background on me...I've been an avid exerciser since 19 (I'm now 31). I've never had a need or desire to really do any dieting as I have never been a big or bad eater. However, since having my daughter in June 2014, I've just had this intense drive to look even better than I did pre-pregnancy. So, I got into a pretty intense workout regimen (kicking it up a notch from pre-pregnancy days) and then decided that if I was going to really see some changes, I needed to commit fully (which means...with food). So, I started in January with a full-on strict meal plan, eating regularly, more cleanly, no bread or bad carbs, no sugary stuff, etc. etc. Anyhow, I'm down about 11lbs from then (down about 20lbs from pre-pregnancy weight...didn't even know I had that much I could lose!). My weight fluctuates a little from water weight when I occasionally have a cheat day/meal. However, I'm finding it super hard to stay motivated at this point because I'm not seeing results like I thought I would. I really am not even sure if I need to lose more weight at this point. I just want the remaining tummy and hip fat to completely disappear. The only way I can figure this is going to happen since exercise hasn't done it in all these years...is the diet. I just need help getting back into the mindset I started with so I don't completely fall off. Want to team up?

LivingtheLeanDream · March 2016

Determination is the one thing we all need and its great to hear you are now ready.

Let me say that perhaps 1200 might not be enough, for most of us it isn't and thats why we feel deprived and fall off the band wagon.

If you are eating 1200 cals (and that means being accurate about logging your food/using a food scale and choosing verified foods in the database), you can also eat some exercise calories back, thats the lovely thing about doing exercise, apart from feeling great and getting a boost from the workout we also earn some cals (be careful to only eat 50-75% of them back though - to account for over estimation of calorie burn/inaccurate food logging)

All the best for your weight loss journey.

julie_1217 · March 2016

Sounds great to me!! I just need to stick with it ....with all of it. It seems I do good for a while, but then life happens (aka there's an excuse of one form or another!). I'm hoping that if I get on track with eating then start fitting in exercise. My issues now is - when to do it. If I do it after the boys go to bed, then I'm showering at night and going to bed with wet hair (my 3 year old swears my hair dryer wakes him up - across the house!) .... if I work out in the morning, I'm going to need to get up around 5am, and some days it's a struggle to get up at 6am!!

And I know if my mindset isn't there, then I'm only setting myself up for failure. Honestly, I can say that's it's been a while since I've been 100% with tracking - well since before I got pregnant with my youngest. So 2014?

LivingtheLeanDream · March 2016

You're a busy mum so its not easy to get exercise in, perhaps for now just concentrate on what /how much you are eating.
Perhaps aim to lose 1- 1.5lbs per week so you don't feel too deprived and try and fill up on protein and fats - that'll help curb hunger.

Alot of weight loss is mind over matter, we think of food and we want to eat it but we're not necessarily truly hungry.

I found drinking water and also tea helped.

Once you have a few days better eating done you'll begin to feel more positive.

angelwowings23 · March 2016

Oh, believe me...I get it. I have to get up at 3am to work out so I have enough time to shower, get ready for work, get my daughter ready for daycare, drop her off, drive to work (I have an hour and a half commute each way), work from 7:30-4pm... By the time I get home, it's dinner time so I'm not going to hold up that process to get in a workout (hence getting up so early to knock it out). So, it's dinner (after I take the dog out and feed her), get ready for bed, and then hit the hay. I MAYBE have an hour of down time (which is usually where I sometimes cave and have some wine...thank you very much, stress) before I go to bed and do it all over again. Life is hard for us working moms. Once you get into a real groove with working out, though, you're never going to want to stop. I think we NEED that time for ourselves. Just you and your workout. It's just a piece of your day that you get to enjoy yourself and bettering your body. Super important in my opinion. The key is to start slowly or you'll burn yourself out on everything. So...what sort of workouts do you like to do??

OyGeeBiv · March 2016

A few points:
1. Losing weight is all about calories in vs. calories out. Exercise is great for a whole host of reasons, but it's not essential for weight loss. Just eat less than you burn each day.
2. Exercise doesn't need to be to the point of sweating up a storm and needing a shower immediately. Add more walking to your day if you can. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Walk up and down every aisle in the grocery store even if you don't buy anything in that aisle. With nicer weather coming, take your kids out for a walk after dinner.
3. It's okay to take a shower when your kids are awake.
4. Lift your kids often. They're "weights"! You can make up games where you're getting a good workout but all they know is mommy's playing with them.
5. Pre-plan and pre-log your meals as much as possible. I'm sure you're careful about what you feed your children to make sure they're getting a balanced diet in the right quantity. Do the same for yourself! When you pre-log, it's easier to see what you need to add or subtract in order to get to your goal, and it's easier to stick with it.

julie_1217 · March 2016

I broke my L foot a couple of years ago and have had a couple of surgeries on it over the years ... so I'm sort of limited to what & how much I can do. However, if I'm careful, it's not awful. With the weather getting nicer, I've been trying to take the boys for walk when we get home, before I start dinner ... and some nights after dinner we all go for a walk as a family. A couple of years ago, I was doing the Biggest Loser Yoga DVD which was nice because rain or shine I could do it. I don't mind running around outside, going for a walk or getting activity in with my boys .... but I hate to take away the precious few hours we have together by going off by myself to exercise. By the time my husband gets home, we eat dinner - we only have about an hour & a half or so until the boys are getting ready for bed.
Last night my husband took the older one out & rode bikes after dinner ... and then the 4 of us went for a walk (2nd walk of the day for me & the boys).

I'm thinking getting up in the morning is my best bet. That way in the time after they go to bed & I go to bed, I can continue to do some cleaning. I just need to make my self get up those first few mornings to get into the habit. Once my body is used to waking up earlier, I'm sure I'll be fine .. but it's those first couple of days that are the hardest. And I just need to force myself up ... I know that ...

angelwowings23 · March 2016

Yep. You're in my boat. Mornings seem to really be the only option. I would start off easy and low impact. That'll be easiest to get into and the safest with your foot. If you enjoyed the Yoga DVD, maybe you'll like Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I'm a high impact/intensity workout person but I did enjoy that yoga workout because she was in motion versus just holding static poses. It is doable for beginners but you get a cardio effect for sure. It's only about 30 minutes, too, and there are 2 levels. That would be my suggestion. Currently I'm doing a hybrid of Insanity: Max 30 and PiYO. If you're looking for more of a program, maybe you'd want to look into PiYO, as well. Decent intensity but low impact so it wouldn't hurt your foot. The results people have gotten with this program, combined with a good diet...are really quite amazing. Those two are just suggestions on starting workouts you'd like. The dread factor is so minimal it'd make getting up in the morning less "painful". Lol.

sanfromny · March 2016

I think you have very realistic goals so that is a great start!!! I'm a wife, mom and work f/t also..Have you tried a 10 minute workout video? It's great for me to stick in a quick calorie burn wherever and whenever I can. Jessicasmithtv on Youtube has a quick 10 minute walking interval video and of course there are many others. It's however you can get it in. I started my journey around 220lbs years ago and yo-yo'd many times until I found what works. I'm down to 156 now with my goal weight of 137 (I'm 5'2")
Stick to MFP, don't obsess over the scale, be honest with your logging and be active when you can! I wish you wellness!

julie_1217 · March 2016

Thank you so much for the encouragement & help!

kommodevaran · March 2016

Chances are 1200 calories is too little for you and the real reason you couldn't do it, and if that's the case, it probably isn't going to work this time, either. You will need a longer perspective; first, learn how fast you can realistically lose the weight, and do it in a healthy way:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Then, you want to keep those pounds off for good. Getting in good habits that work with and not against your beliefs, taste, schedule and lifestyle, is important. You can and should work on your new habits in the weight loss phase, and not postpone it to after you've hit goal weight.

("After" is an illusion, by the way - it's only "during". After is when you're dead.

)

Don't try to be perfect. Just try to do better.

mel35645 · March 2016

You can do this and we are all here to motivate/ kick you in butt when needed. Don't get caught up on a number take it day by day and see how you feel. When you reach your healthiest weight you will know it.

jenmomto4 · March 2016

I'm in the same boat . I'm 5'5 198 lbs. I'm 36. I have 5 kids ages 13, 12, 9, 4 and 2. I weigh what I did when I delivered my babies. I keep starting and stopping . Once I stop I gain back all I lost. I run 5 days a week . I have pcos and hypothyroid so have to eat only 1200 calories a day in order to lose. I have a very slow metabolism. I need accountability.

snowflake954 · March 2016

It's not easy being a young mother. Try getting up at least half an hour earlier at first, or do 1 hour every other day to start. You'll have to try different things to see what works best in your case. Don't cut your calories too low, or you'll be too tired. This will sound dumb, but enjoy life while your kids are young--it passes so fast. You are not Superwoman, so give it your best shot. It may take you longer, but be more doable. I agree that you'll wind up stronger and have more energy if you can manage to fit the exercise in. Good luck.

Isabelle_1929 · March 2016

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

You're a busy mum so its not easy to get exercise in, perhaps for now just concentrate on what /how much you are eating.
Perhaps aim to lose 1- 1.5lbs per week so you don't feel too deprived and try and fill up on protein and fats - that'll help curb hunger.

Alot of weight loss is mind over matter, we think of food and we want to eat it but we're not necessarily truly hungry.

I found drinking water and also tea helped.

Once you have a few days better eating done you'll begin to feel more positive.

I totally agree with this. It is an important point.

You should never make your diet depend on exercise. Why? First, because unless you are an athlete, it's not the most important thing in the loss weight equation. But more importantly, it's rare that we have a valid and honest excuse for what we put in our mouth, but it is very easy to find plenty of reasons (often, good ones) not to workout.

Afura · March 2016

You may not be new to it, but it's worth reading the posts in here - Most Helpful Posts
I'll chime in too with @RunRutheeRun to just concentrate on what you are eating, that's the most important part of weight loss. I'm also one of those 'use the scale' advocates, while it's annoying it helps you keep track down to the gram to make sure you're not overestimating (happens even with measuring cups/spoons).

I've Tried This Countless Times.....

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