Tips for busy SAHM of 4??

amreba
amreba Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
Any tips to help a very busy SAHM of 4 succeed? Lots of stresses in life, having a difficult time putting myself first ... thanks!!

Replies

  • KimiAR
    KimiAR Posts: 117 Member
    I have four too and stay at home (homeschool)- keep in your calorie goals, drink a good bit of water, don't eat what your kids don't finish! And walk... A lot. Mine are 7years old to 10months old. I got a fitness tracker in May and am getting my steps up to 10k. You don't have to spend a lot of time fussing at it to get it to work. Just take the 60 seconds to add your foods accurately and it will work.
  • Hyperbum
    Hyperbum Posts: 93 Member
    Mom of 4 also. I'm not technically a SAHM as I work three nights a week but I usually have my kids home. My advice is walk. I pace all the time. If you want to sit for a few set a timer (sounds crazy but I would never get all the housework, homework and time for me in without it). I walk the legnth of my porch miles a day. I walk my drive numerous times. I walk around doing one thing at a time when I could grab numerous things at once. Of course calories in needs to be lower that your daily calories out. Try to make your calories good ones. I focus on protein and fiber, get the base recommendations then go from there. Water is also major. I drink a lot of water >140oz per day (a lot for me anyway). Stay strong and you can do it! You have 4 kids hell you can do anything ;)
  • LokiGrrl
    LokiGrrl Posts: 156 Member
    Agree with the steps. You can get a free pedometer/tracker on your phone, I use Pacer, and it's kind of fun to try to get in more steps than yesterday.

    If the kids are young enough you can bring them in on it, make it fun, how many steps can we do today, how can we take more steps, etc. Kids can have fun with stuff like marching in place to get in more steps, or walking backward, or doing silly walks like "how would you walk if you were a FISH?" Or a lion, or if you had six legs, or no arms, you get the idea. Nature walks are also fun, I used to do them with my son as young as three, and we looked for different things each time, a certain kind of leaf or plant or rock or whatever (this also helps them learn to identify local flora and fauna, which will serve them well later in life). You can paste the things you find into a book or use them for art projects, or if they're like my kid they can make "magic potions" with them or put them on their "nature shelf" until they get sick of looking at them and then they will nag you for another walk! This was in a regular neighborhood btw, not out in the woods. When it was too hot to do daytime walks, my dad used to take my son out to search for nightcrawlers, or my mom would take him "owling" which apparently is looking for owls or possibly just taking an evening walk while talking about owls, I was never sure.

    Or if the kids are old enough, or you can find someone to stay with them for an hour or so, you can institute a solitary walk for yourself, clear your head, etc. With the time crunch it can be hard, I know, but as important as the kids are, you're also important enough to spend time and energy on. Good luck!
  • jhmomofmany
    jhmomofmany Posts: 571 Member
    I'm a SAHM of nine- eight still at home. I know your frustration! The solution really depends on what your goals are. What's the top one or two changes you would like to make? Biggest mistake I made was trying to change too many things at once- that adds stress and makes achieving your goals even harder.
  • KatrinaDelRey
    KatrinaDelRey Posts: 100 Member
    I have three kiddos so the biggest thing for me is to make sure I plan out meals and snacks ahead of time so I'm not grabbing a bite of this here and a sip of that there or else I would completely derail myself!
    I also set a time for us all to go outside and do something be it a walk or we do sprint races. The kids think it's funny but it gets us all moving
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
    I have 5 so I feel for you! What are their age ranges? I make all mine get up and walk the dog with me early before it gets hotter than hell. I push the baby in his stroller and they ride their bikes. We just walk in circles around the neighborhood. There is also a park nearby with a splash pad so sometimes we drive there and do the same then all the kids cool off in the splashpad. I also sometimes do a dance off to you tube songs which wears them all out and gets us moving. My whip and Nay nay is pretty good!
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    Mine are 1, 3, 5, and 7. I try to do food prep on Sunday's for lunches for myself. I workout during the toddlers nap time. I've lost 90 lbs since my youngest was born, you can do it!
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I have four as well (1, 4, 6, and 9). Planning meals, doing prep work ahead (LOVE my slow cooker), avoiding finishing off their leftovers, and keeping your own foods/snacks well stocked so you aren't so tempted by theirs has helped me. Finding time for exercise can be challenging (my husband works odd hours and travels quite a bit), but I try to get outside with the kids every day that we can (weather permitting) and do get to the gym as much as possible. The good news is that most of weight loss boils down to diet, and that doesn't really take any extra time or effort, just a bit of forethought and planning. Those of us with large families are no stranger to planning (a simple trip to the store is like moving an army, lol)! Just apply those same strategies to shopping and meal prep; plan ahead, make lists and stick to them, have contingency plans in place, pre log your day, etc. you can do this!
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    Get a FitBit or other pedometer so that you have an accurate picture of how "busy" you really are.
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    You can lose weight without exercise. I've lost 67.4 lbs with no exercise.
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    I would recommend buying a food scale, weigh and measure everything. Also, log everything you put in your mouth, even if it's just a little bite, the calories add up that way.
  • the_dani_girl
    the_dani_girl Posts: 9 Member
    edited July 2016
    I'm a mama of two (2 years old and 6 mo) and I have two part time jobs. I've lost all my baby weight, actually lower than my prebaby weight now, and just working on 5 vanity pounds. What works for me: do NOT finish the 2 year olds food, log all calories (and I try to overestimate when not sure on calories), clean the house often, cook from scratch as much as possible, use a salad plate for all my meals, and eat protein with every meal. I have a hard time finding time to work out, but because I need to tone up a bit I'm going to get a workout DVD that I can do before the kids wake up. Amazon, here I come!


    ETA: I'm down from 192 at delivery of munchkin #2 to 142 and I'm 5'9".
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Don't overeat. With 4 children I imagine you are already pretty active. I know when I had kids at home I rarely had time to sit.
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    Get a FitBit or other pedometer so that you have an accurate picture of how "busy" you really are.

    I will say that the Fitbit really opened my eyes to how much exercise you get with kids. Chasing an early walker round the house and controlling the older kids gives me 10k steps and 50 flights of stairs on average per day without having to leave the house.
  • arose1122
    arose1122 Posts: 167 Member
    Exercise helps but isn't necessary. I echo nearly everyone else with... prep your meals when kids are busy/sleeping, weigh and measure your foods, drink lots of water and don't nibble on what you make for the kids unless you log it. All the little bites really do add up, especially when it's calorie dense like peanut butter.
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