Losing Weight as a SAHM

kristielove wrote: »

@WinoGelato I recently started back trying to log my consumption. Do I log everything or even every day? No. I'm well aware about calorie deficit to lose weight, however, as I mentioned above, I went from working and regularly doing high cardio exercise, to not getting out the house some days, and at best walking. MFP gave me a calorie limit of 1400 per day to meet my goal. I know you are trying to give tips and advice, but I'm not looking to measuring food, and log Everything that I eat. It can be daunting, and sometimes time consuming. 95%of what I cook is from scratch, and yes it is balanced with starch, protein, and plenty of veggies. I normally stray from eating healthy when I miss meals, or it's been a while since I last ate

Logging is one of the best ways to assure that calorie deficit. You asked for advice, this is going to be the number one piece of advice you will get in these forums. Make it a habit, and it won't be daunting or time consuming. It takes minutes a day for most people, and I dare say that for most, it it were a choice between logging accurately and exercising, they would say that it was the logging that they would prioritize for weight loss success. Fortunately it doesn't have to be a choice, most of us do both.

You can eat the most nutritionally balanced, homemade, cooked from scratch meals that you want... if you eat too many calories in them, you won't lose the weight.

If it were me I'd cut myself some slack and not worry about dieting until my kids were a bit older. I didn't start until my youngest turned 13 months.

That being said 3 kids and a husband who is hardly around keeps me on my toes. I cut out snacks because I found my kids would not eat their meals if they were snacking/grazing through the day. So that helps. My older two are in school so I have time to go to the gym and workout.

My problem is once my kids are in bed and I finally have some me-time I cave into mindless snacking in front of the tv. I'd be super skinny if it weren't for all the calories I inhale mindlessly.

Sorry I don't have better advice, but I think new moms can be so hard on themselves to be back to pre-pregnancy weight so quickly. It's like a competition or something.

kristielove wrote: »

@WinoGelato check and check. For me it takes more than a minute to log my meals. I don't typically eat the same thing everyday. And yes, with 2 babies, sometimes that is a choice I have to make. Also, I believe I mentioned before that my problem areas is having a sweet tooth or snacking, so those most nutritious meals I eat are very rarely over indulged in. But, I've received some great ideas and suggestions over all. Thanks for your added input.

I also went from a very active job to being a SAHM and gained 60 lbs over about 7 years. I have lost that now, and kept it off for a couple of years, even though I still have another 30 to go, at least. I know I will have to count calories for the rest of my life just to keep from gaining weight. All these years later, I still don't fully appreciate how little I need to eat compared to what I used to be able to, and it is SO easy to be off by just the couple of hundred calories it takes to start putting the weight back on.

I don't eat the same foods every day, but I'd say from month-to-month I tend to, and all that data is right there in my recent foods list. I make healthy, home-cooked meals, but eye-balling the portion sizes would easily get me into trouble. I have a sweet tooth & today was foolish enough to finish off the tail end of a bag of Doritos (just a couple of handfuls of harmless-looking broken pieces & crumbs) that easily put me at maintenance for the day (I'm on a 1400 calorie allowance too). I'm not a *you have to weigh & measure every single little thing* person, but I've been stuck at maintenance for the last year even though I've been *trying* to lose again, so there you go! Oh, and a full Olive Garden meal once a week would definitely keep me at maintenance, assuming I hadn't banked for it, which I've never been able to do.

All that being said, I get it. Not coincidentally, I wasn't able to tackle my weight loss until my kids were no longer toddlers, and I didn't have the added stress of full-time school like you have. And if your baby is only 3 months old, your body isn't even really done recovering. Maybe mindfulness is a good place to start for now. Wish you the best!