Difficulty starting and keeping a routine

elandralee · December 2016

Hello all, I am 240lbs with a goal weight of 170. I have lost weight before and that's as thin as I want to become. My issue is I can't get into a routine and keep up with it. I have a daughter now and never have the time to go to the gym. I have exercised at home a few times and it wasn't bad, it's just I rarely remember or find the time. I work full time and my daughter is only one so she needs a lot of time and attention and nobody can watch her for an hour or so while I work out. I feel like I'm in a pickle and I can't lose the weight this time. I've tried soup diets and even green smoothies. Any suggestions?

kd_mazur · December 2016

I work out during my lunch break at work. you mentioned that you struggle to remember or find the time, so maybe you need to schedule the workout into the day instead of searching for time to fit it in.

kindrabbit · December 2016

Weight is lost by remaining in a calorie deficit. If you consume fewer calories than you use in a 24 hour period, you will loose weight.

Exercising can help by giving you a bigger deficit and therefore making it easier to stay within your calorie goals, but if your goal is to loose weight, counting calories is all you need to do.

Have you calculated how many calories a day you should eat to hit your goal? Do you weigh everything you eat and drink on a digital scale? Do you log everything you eat on MFP?

If you need a hand with doing those things let us know and we can help you out

SueSueDio · December 2016

Forget the fad diets, and start weighing your food so that you can count and log your calories accurately.

You don't need exercise for weight loss - it can certainly help to increase your deficit or give you some extra calories to eat, and it's definitely great for your general health and fitness, but it's not strictly necessary in order to drop the pounds so don't worry if it's too difficult to fit much in right now.

You could also try some at-home workout videos - there are a ton of free ones on YouTube and on various websites. Personally I like Leslie Sansone's "Walk at Home" videos as they're easy enough for me to do at my current level of (un)fitness, and 10 or 20 minutes at a time is easy to fit in while supper is cooking for example, but there are many different types if that doesn't appeal to you. Try a few until you find something you enjoy.

You could also try to get a bit more activity into your work day - take the stairs whenever you can, park a little further away, get off at an earlier stop if you take the bus or train, that sort of thing. Use a bathroom on another floor, if you have that option, and try to take a walk around the building during breaks or lunch. Lots of little things add up and help to keep you moving.

I'd also second the idea above to schedule time for fitness as you would any other appointment, if you find that you don't make time for it otherwise. See if you can find something your daughter would enjoy too, perhaps dance around while holding her or something like that?

Check out these handy stickied threads for lots of good advice on getting started with "the MFP method", and don't forget to look at the Success Stories forum section for inspiration too!

cnbbnc · December 2016

Well, as far as remembering...you just have to remember. And you don't have to go to the gym.

Are you off on weekends? If so what I would do is shoot for 30mins of exercise while the baby is napping (assuming she takes a nap...). If she is awake, she can sit in a seat next you and look at tv/play/eat some cheerios or something while you do it. Or put her in a stroller and walk the mall or something...

Then during the work week I would aim for two more days the same way or after she goes to bed. Baby's can be tough but this is totally doable. You just need to get into a groove with it.

SideSteel · December 2016

Many gyms have free child-care services. The YMCA for example allows you two hours of child-care while you are working out.

Your weight loss will primarily come from your diet however exercise is a valuable habit to get into and so it's good that you're pursuing it.

klk4670 · December 2016

I get it Routes are nice but between the time it takes to work out and then, shower/get ready and everything in between it can be over whelming, and time consuming. Inhave realized that with my busy schedule it is all about counting calories and fitting excessive in thought the day. For example have you tried working out WITH your baby? For example when you are holding him/her do squats, or lay on the floor and "bench press" the baby. It makes it a fun game for them and exercise for you.

Other things you can do are walk sits when brushing your teeth, or when sitting at work do Sissor Legs- sit up straight in your chair and hold your legs straight out in front of you (your body should be in the shape of an L) then open and close your legs like a sissor. Do as many as you can and try to increase the number every day.

jessef593 · December 2016

Eat at a caloric deficit and don't fall for fad diets. They don't work and only try to trick you into buying something or giving them ad revenue.

trigden1991 · December 2016

You don't need exercise at all (although it is useful if you can). Just eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.

lacollop · December 2016

All my granny had was a cleaning routine, and she could lift a solid oak table by herself.

Alpha12 · December 2016

Exercise can be walking during lunchtime at work. That's a good start. You can also find gazillion short routines for free on youtube, and all you have to do is 10-minutes at at time, say 10 min in the morning plus 10 in the evening in addition to your lunchtime walk. It all adds up and before you know it, you'll develop a habit.

As far as remembering to exercise.....do you remember to brush your teeth? It's as important as that. Good luck to you!

mgalovic01 · December 2016

Exercise is good, but you can't outwork a bad diet. Fad diets are not sustainable, so you just regain what you lost when you go back to eating the way you used to. The best thing to do is to gradually make small changes to your regular diet. Getting into the habit of preparing your own meals. Switching from enriched wheat products to whole grains. Reducing the intake of sugar, and fried and greasy foods. Start eating a lot more fruits and vegetables. Switch from pop to water, 100% fruit juice and tea. Pinterest has lots for good ideas and recipes. I liked a bean burger I found there. Also, an avocado sandwich. Actually, my girlfriend found them. She found this oatmeal, yogurt breakfast recipe too. A little bit at a time, and in time you'll find you've lost weight and kept it off. Not to mention, the many other health benefits that come with a healthier diet.
Same thing with exercise. If you begin to gradually incorporate it into your life, instead of making a drastic change all at once, you're much more likely to stick with it.

EauRouge1 · December 2016

I have had the same problems keeping up with a new routine or habit for my whole life. I just find it hard to incorporate something new into my regular routine. I've kept up with my latest routine for the last couple of months and this is what has helped me:

Start easy. If you're unfit then don't start something like Insanity. If it's too hard then it's easy to find an excuse not to do it. You don't have to be sweaty and puking at the end of every workout to get fitter. If all you can manage is one push up or one walk around the block then do that. Do it every day for a week or a couple of weeks and then maybe after that try two pushups or walk around the block twice. You don't have to be ready to run a marathon in 6 weeks or anything crazy like that. Don't overdo it and you'll find it easier to keep it up.

Keep a workout record. I've started using a bullet journal and that's what has helped me stick to my fitness routine. If you don't like pen and paper then there are lots of apps you can use. Fabulous is a good one for starting new routines, Habitica is a another good one.

Personalise it. I tried a few different routines and took the bits I liked for my own routine. For instance, I hate mountain climbers and burpees with a fiery passion so I don't do them (yet.... never say never!). You can google to find out which muscle groups each exercise works so you can make sure you're doing a good, all around workout.

Don't be afraid to do a bit of trial and error to find something you love.

Hope that helps a bit

It's made me feel much more energetic and I can really feel the difference already. Even though my workouts aren't particularly strenuous compared to some people's workouts, consistency is the key.

elandralee · December 2016

Thank you all so much, I'm gonna start with counting calories and add in exercise primarily on the weekends

DancingMoosie · December 2016

Do you have fit-for-moms stroller strides in your area? They have great workouts that you do with your baby. When I was a nanny, I would take the baby on long walks. You can stop and do body weight exercises, too(lunges, pushups, etc). You can also get up early and do a workout at home before baby wakes up, exercise while baby naps, or right when she goes to sleep. Pre-plan your food. It doesn't have to be a fad diet. I like to focus on lean protein with veggies.

Annie_01 · December 2016

Google "exercises for mommy and toddler". There are many sites that give you ideas so that the two of you can spend time together. Also check youtube.

Difficulty starting and keeping a routine

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