How do I do this?

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Luvsnotcamping
Luvsnotcamping Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
Would love some tips on getting motivated and staying that way. Also, how do you fit exercise into your schedule if you work a full-time job and have a family as well as a side hustle? I’m having trouble finding the time and I don’t want to make excuses anymore. I also love carbs and cheese. Cheese is the best food on the planet! How do I change my diet effectively?

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  • Bondie7
    Bondie7 Posts: 10 Member
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    I am trying to concentrate on one thing at a time, be it the nutrition, exercise, sleep, etc. Try to get one habit down first. The first for me is nutrition; I think that's the hardest as I love chips and fast food. I have not been out to eat in two weeks. I am treating my love of food as an addiction (trying to change my mindset about food).
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
    edited November 2023
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    Weight management doesn't necessarily have to include purposeful exercise. Jobs, kids, chores, and houses count as calorie burners. I'm sure you can find a way to get in a 20 minute walk or some calisthenics in your living room a couple times a week. . . if not, well, work with what you can do.

    One of my old myfitnesspal friends once said, "I can discern one ounce of cheese from 50 paces." :lol:

    I love cheese. What's not to love? I just have to limit it to 1-2 portions a day. Cut off the amount, weigh it on the digital food scale, enjoy it and don't go back for more.

    It's a process. Habits take time to build.

    If you want to be at a healthy weight, there will be changes. Lots of them. Start logging everything you eat using your digital food scale. Study your food diary, learn. There is room for carbs and cheese, honest.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,908 Member
    edited November 2023
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    Motivation is overrated. It comes and it goes. It’s not a magical “on” switch.

    For me, “motivation” is my improving health and mobility, lower chance of being a burden on my kids, my new-found ability (and willingness) to try doing new things, and simply continuing to do things I love.

    I love yoga, and got into weight lifting to build upper body strength because I desperately wanted to achieve yogic arm balances. Doggone if I didn’t discover I loved weights, too.

    When I hit down periods during my (very substantial) weight loss phase, I read the posts over on Success Stories, especially the NSV (non-scale victories) thread. I also stayed involved here in the boards.

    Simply sounding other people out, knowing they were out there with the same struggles and questions has been profoundly reassuring.

    Motivation is what brought me here. It lasted maybe a week. The rest was up to me. Same-old same-old path of abusing my health, or a new and different trajectory?
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,908 Member
    edited November 2023
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    Also, in a time pinch. Can somebody find, share and explain the NEAT thread to OP?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,843 Member
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    springlering62 wrote: »
    Also, in a time pinch. Can somebody find, share and explain the NEAT thread to OP?

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    I hope that that thread explains it self.

    Short summary: Moving more in daily life (not just formal exercise) can be surprisingly helpful in managing body weight, and it need not take much (if any) extra time out of one's day.

    P.S. I eat cheese daily. As long as it's within my calorie goal, my weight behaves nicely. As long as I don't eat so much cheese that I routinely miss out on other essential nutrition, I'm generally healthy. I love cheese.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    Do you have a fitness tracker, like a Fitbit or some other device? You may be surprised how many steps you do during a day just doing life with a busy family.

    I enjoy exercise. Even when I weighed over 200 pounds. So I always tried to fit it in with my family. Different seasons in my life required different solutions though. My husband was away a lot when the kids were young but if he was home, I'd go for a walk as soon as they were in bed. He looked after stories and I left for my walk. Or I'd sit them down to watch 30 minutes of cartoons while I rode my stationary bike. At another time in my life I walked the dog before work every morning while everyone was still asleep. If I had to drop one of the kids off at an activity, I'd walk while waiting for them. If one of them wanted to go to the pool, I'd use the nearby gym while they did that. I often walked for 20 minutes on my lunch hour. I especially loved doing stretching or yoga just before I went to bed.

    I wasn't pressuring myself to do it. Life was busy and a time of walking and being alone with my thoughts was crucial to my mental health. You don't have to go to the gym five days a week for a full-on 2 hour workout. Just make it happen during little windows throughout the day. Also, like someone else said, you don't necessarily NEED exercise to lose weight. But for me personally, I did.

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