Mom of 2..... frustrated. NEED ADVICE PLEASE

We're in similiar situations! I'm also a stay at home mom with no sitter or time for the gym. I started with simply counting my calories and logging EVERYTHING that I eat/drink and make sure I don't go over 1200 each day. I still struggle on the weekends.

When I decided to start working out, I started with a pair of 3lb weights and a couple Jillian Michaels dvds. 2 weeks ago my boyfriend bought me a stationary bike and I LOVE it. I ride it while my daughters asleep and just watch tv and pedal away. You could also take your kids for walks, I know my daughter loves being outside!

It can be slow going at first, but every little thing adds up. You CAN do it!!!

First, you don't NEED exercise to get in shape. Focus on diet first. I'd suggest not trying to lose weight too quickly. For me, that leads to "dieting" which is hard and I often quit. What worked for me (5'9", and 3 kids) was small changes in my food. Set your weekly goal at 0.5lbs per week, set your activity level at "lightly active" since you are a SAHM. This should give you a good amount of calories. You should be able to continue to eat the food your family is eating just in reasonable portions or by doing things like not having a side the family is having (yesterday I skipped the mashed potatoes and gravy but still had the meat and salad, I still eat chicken nuggets and hot dogs with the kids sometimes too). Try to do whatever you can to get more active. Go on walks with the kids, turn up the radio and dance, climb on the playgrounds with them, dance around as you clean, make extra trips up and down stairs with the laundry, etc.

Then, once you get all that figured out then you can look into getting some DVDs you can do in the mornings or evenings while the kids sleep, or start going for walks if the husband can cover, etc.

Hello there *waves* i'm a mum of 2 boys (ones 2 and the other is 3.5) i was around 130lbs when i got pregnant and when i finally said enough's enough i was 219lbs >.<

I never been to the gym (cant afford it and dont have time).

I started off readjusting my diet, using MFP and stealing slimming world recipes from the magazines and i also started going out for a jog whenever i could - when the husband got home and kids were in bed i'd just go out for even 20 mins i couldn't run well or fast but it was a start!

Then i invested in some good home dvd's that i started doing when the kids were napping or again once the hubby was home and i stuck with the running thing, still wasnt very good (infact STILL not that good) but i tell you theres nothing like it especially when you've had a stressful day with the kids theres nothing like running to blow out the cobwebs and the stresses of the day!

I've not done any purposful exercise in about 3 months now (and only gained 3lbs woo hoo!) but when i do the nursery runs i never use the car, i go on the bike (with youngest on the bike seat and eldest in the tots trailer ouchie!) or power walk pushing the stroller, with kids, thankfully, there are easy ways to get exercise in.

take them to the park and race with them, get yourself a toddler carrier and carry them whenever you can, run around the house with them or chase after them, bike rides and long walks all the things the kids like

But yeah really its gotta start with what you eat, thats the hardest part to change BUT its the most effective.

watch your portion size (thats my problem until i started weighing stuff i didnt realise but i was eating twice maybe three times as much as i should've been) and no unconcious or emotional (or stress) eating!


Please feel free to friend me i've actually been on MFP for about 18 months now but just recently had to restart my account cos i forgot my details but friends are just the most important thing on here, when i see everyones good work in my news feed it makes me feel more determined!

oh and the workout dvd's i'd personally suggest are Jillian michales 30 day shred (i've done that had fab results without following the diet plan and am just about to start her ripped in 30)

the thing i liked most about her shred is that its a short dvd 20 mins, its easily done in your living room, you can feel the results as you go along because the workouts get easier and your stamina increases quickly AND the best thing is that you know you gotta do it for 30 days so you know when you wake up theres no way you can say to yourself "dunno what exercise i'll do today maybe i'll get around to it later"

I'm a mother of two as well...I havent even bothered getting a gym membership because I dont have time...I bought resistance bands, an exercise ball and some free weights to start off...Get a couple of cardio dvds...Start eating clean, go through all our cabinets...Just cook the same recipes for your family so you don't have to worry about cheating and they'll eat healthy as well...Take the kids for walks, its fun for them and burns calories

My kids are three and a half and 19 months. I find eating right and working out to be exceptionally difficult. I'm always focusing on them and forget to eat until I'm starving and then just shove cookies into my mouth.

I've had a lot of success on this site. I've been logging my food and trying to change small habits at a time instead of trying to do everything perfectly at once. I've also learned to work in exercise in the course of the day. (20 flights of stairs = 1 mile. Some days I just walk up and down the stairs a whole bunch.) I've also found some exercise videos on demand which have helped a whole lot.

Good luck! You can do this.

hmmm... I tried to quote but it didn't work.... that first paragraph is not written by me sorry!

I started my weight loss journey on 2/16/10 -- my daughter's 3rd birthday and my lil guy was 18 months at the time. In the last 20 months I have lost over 110 lbs. You have to ditch all the reasons why you can't and focus on what you can accomplish.

I joined Weight Watchers (I love the meetings and found them immensely helpful and supportive), but MFP is an excellent option and is free. I do both now.

Anyway, when I first started, I focused on my food and water. Tracking was and is the hardest thing for me (the MFP phone app is so awesome, didn't have a smartphone when I started). When I started both my lil ones napped. So I would do Wii Fit when they napped. As it warmed up, I logged hundreds of miles on the double stroller. I like to change my exercise up, so I've done quite a few things over the last two years. Wii games are fun -- LOVE their Zumba! Right now, most of my exercise is walking/jogging. My husband is extremely supportive and when he's home I find a time that works and lace up my sneakers and go for a walk/jog. In the last 20 months, I have spent less than $100 on exercise stuff. A good pair of jogging sneakers and Wii Fit (Zumba was a gift). There is no reason you have to join a gym. I had hand weights stashed away as well as resistance bands, easily found for not much investment. Also lots of inexpensive workout DVDs . . . Jillians 30 Day Shred is quite reasonable. There are also many helpful videos on youtube in regards to exercise/strength training.

I approached this as a job. I invested lots of time finding recipes and meal planning. For me, planning and having the right ingredients for dinners is KEY. I love skinnytaste.com Her recipes are very family friendly. I still have to work around the kids, even tho now at 3 and 4 1/2 they are both in preschool, but they go at different times, so I still always have at least one kid with me and there are no more naps to work out around.

You can do it. Focus on what you can accomplish and forget about why you can't.