Having a hard time!!!!

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So, I know this journey is not ment to be easy! I am struggling.. A lot! I dont ever feel like i have enough time. With a 9 yr old in dance and a 2 yr old, house, job, and a demanding family. When should i have the time. I feel awkward working out at home, I also feel dumb. I cannot afford to work out at a gym. i am dieting. Cutting out all most all processed food, sugar, and carbs. I do have hypothyroidism. I know that does not help in the weight lose journey. Why am i not seeing the results so many others are by eating cleaner? Why is this harder than i had anticipated, what else can i do?

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  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    I walk on my work breaks and at lunch. Take long after dinner walks with your family. Invest in a WII Fit or get an exercise or dance video. Dance with your kids! Any exercise is better than sitting on the couch. It's spring. Go on Saturday hiking/picnic adventures. Resist eating your 2 year old's plate leftovers. Cook with the 9 year old instead of ordering pizza. Just some thoughts...
  • Btease23
    Btease23 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks. I do walk with the kids when weather permits. We only eat out once a week. It just gets to be to expensive. I am hoping that by using this app. will help. Often times, like last night, Ill make something they want to eat like pasta (dont care for it myself) so i opt to have a salad with chicken and olive oil Italian vinaigrette.
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    Are you counting calories? Or just "clean eating"? You can still gain weight eating too much "healthy" food.
  • ShrinkingViolet1982
    ShrinkingViolet1982 Posts: 919 Member
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    I find my little guy makes it hard to find to exercise, but after he's in bed or before he wakes up is really the only time I have. I'm struggling to find enough energy to fit it in, but you just have to do the best you can. Have you looked at some at-home routines? There are Youtube videos, free online charts of exercises you can do right in your living room with no equipment and hardly takes an hour if you're pressed for time. I don't belong to a gym anymore, I do miss it, but it just makes sense to save the money right now.
  • JohnDavid1969
    JohnDavid1969 Posts: 34 Member
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    You don't need to exercise, eat clean, cut foods you enjoy, cut sugar, cut carbs or cut processed foods. What you do need to do is eat at a calorie deficit. That doesn't take any more time than eating too many calories. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. You're excessively over complicating it - which is what the diet industry trains us to do so don't feel bad about it or take it personal. Work on accurate logging and eat at a calorie deficit and you'll see results.

    This, this, THIS. A hundred, thousand times this.

    Don't focus on 'eating clean' or cutting this or that nutrient or food.

    Calculate how many calories you need (based on your weight, activity level, age, etc.) to eat in order to be at a caloric deficit, and you will lose weight. Believe me, that's 99 percent of it.
  • Btease23
    Btease23 Posts: 5 Member
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    I just started counting calories. I try to eat 4 to 5 smaller meals throughout the day. I keep to a minimum the processed food and sugars. or not at all. I do not gain but i also do not lose
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
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    Btease23 wrote: »
    I just started counting calories. I try to eat 4 to 5 smaller meals throughout the day. I keep to a minimum the processed food and sugars. or not at all. I do not gain but i also do not lose

    If you just started counting calories then you really do just need to give it time. Eating clean or 'dirty', processed or unprocessed, makes no difference if you aren't eating at a deficit. Try to be as accurate as possible with your logging. If you are able, get a food scale and weigh all your solid foods and use measuring spoons and cups for liquids. Double check the accuracy of entries that you're using in the database, as a lot of it is user entered and can have errors. It really truly doesn't matter if you eat 3 regular meals, 5 small meals, or 1 giant meal a day, purely for weight loss it comes down to the calorie deficit.

    You can also play with what types of food provide satiety for you, which is a very individual thing. Some people feel full from higher protein, other people do better with large physical volumes of lower calorie food, like a giant bowl of veggies. You just have to experiment and find what works for you.
  • cassafrass85
    cassafrass85 Posts: 8 Member
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    I have hypothyroidism as well. With that make sure you are getting your labs done at least every 6 months, if you haven't gotten the right dosage of meds make it every 3 months to make sure your on the right track. Also, don't feel dumb working out at home, I used to feel dumb as well but your kids will see you working to become a healthier version of yourself and will teach them to live a healthier lifestyle as well! It's a win win! My daughter who is 11 works out with me and is a huge motivator for me. Lol I have 4 kids so I know the struggle is real. Get in what you can when it comes to exercise but don't obsesse over it! Sounds like you get plenty of movement in already!
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I have lost over 100 lbs and didnt do a lick of exercise due to medical issues. I also have been on thyroid meds for 28 years and still lost weight - once your levels and meds are at the right level, your thyroid wont be an issue.
    Saying you "eat clean" is meaningless, because there are so many interpretations, and it is entirely unnecessary - just count calories and you will be fine.

    I really suggest getting a food scale, and putting your info into the MFP calculator to get the info you need about the appropriate calorie level for your goals. Dont be too ambitious - if you only want to lose 20 pounds, dont plug in that you want to lose 2lbs per week, start a little slower - you will get more daily calories allotted and will be able to sustain that way of eating with fewer problems.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,735 Member
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    You don't need to exercise, eat clean, cut foods you enjoy, cut sugar, cut carbs or cut processed foods. What you do need to do is eat at a calorie deficit. That doesn't take any more time than eating too many calories. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. You're excessively over complicating it - which is what the diet industry trains us to do so don't feel bad about it or take it personal. Work on accurate logging and eat at a calorie deficit and you'll see results.

    SO true!

    You don't have to do a complete lifestyle revolution in one big jump. Take it in simple steps, and think about your goals.

    If your most important goal is weight loss, then just log your food here, eat on a schedule that's normal and happy for you, and try to hit your calorie goal (or close) every day, by portion control.

    If you then find that some of your routine foods don't fill you up, consider switching things up, replacing some of the higher-calorie items that aren't filling with other foods you enjoy, and also find more filling. That could be more high-volume/low-cal veggies, or a bit more fat (healthy fat is ideal, like nuts, olive oil or avocado, but most other kinds of fat are fine, too), or some more lean protein.

    You may also find that varying the number, timing or relative volume of meals/snacks helps satiation, too. But satiation is very individual, so you'll need to think about it yourself and maybe try different alternative combinations of foods/timing until you feel best.

    On the exercise front, a good start is just trying to move a bit more. It doesn't have to be big formal exercise, especially at first. Those walks with the kids sound great. If you're watching TV with them, maybe just stand up and move around during the commercial breaks. Just move around. Play.

    As you lose a bit of weight, and get more used to moving about more, then it may feel more natural to want to think more about what kinds of exercise activity would be fun for you. If we find something fun, we want to do it, and do it more often. It doesn't have to be tedious!

    In the long run, as things shape up, you can keep reviewing your food log here if you want to, to further improve your nutrition. There are lots of reports and things on MFP you can use to figure out what may still need some improvement, and ask for help in the forum about how to improve it.

    If you were remodeling your house, you probably wouldn't rip up every single room at the same time and try to replace it all, while still living there. You'd probably think of a gradual plan to move through the house room by room, getting one or two done before moving on to the next, so you could still live there comfortably. Improving weight, fitness, and nutrition is no different: A gradual, progressive plan is easier to live with.
  • KassLea22
    KassLea22 Posts: 112 Member
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    Btease23 wrote: »
    So, I know this journey is not ment to be easy! I am struggling.. A lot! I dont ever feel like i have enough time. With a 9 yr old in dance and a 2 yr old, house, job, and a demanding family. When should i have the time. I feel awkward working out at home, I also feel dumb. I cannot afford to work out at a gym. i am dieting. Cutting out all most all processed food, sugar, and carbs. I do have hypothyroidism. I know that does not help in the weight lose journey. Why am i not seeing the results so many others are by eating cleaner? Why is this harder than i had anticipated, what else can i do?

    First of all, are you on medication for your thyroid? I have hyperthyroidism as well but ironically I'm very thin. However I know how my appetite and my energy level changes when I've been taking the wrong dose or when I've gone off my medication.

    I would say trying to make a few smarter choices here in there in terms of your diet will probably be less overwhelming than just cutting everything out and going cold turkey. I think portion control is probably the most important part of anyone's diet so maybe focus on that. I'm not a dietitian or nutritionist by any means. I just feel like it would seem overwhelming to completely change the way you eat overnight.

    As far as for exercise, just start walking even if it's just 10 minutes a night or in the morning and work your way up. The best part about working out at home is that even if you feel awkward no one sees you! There are great resources on Pinterest and Instagram for workouts you can do at home with little or no equipment. Any equipment you would need is maybe some lightweight, resistance band, and A mat.

    If you maybe share some more of what your goals are, we could probably help you out a little bit more but best of luck to you!