Need Help-Weight Loss (NTR) also posted on Health Board

jjoli

My daughter is turning 20 months on Tuesday and I don't look any different than I did right after I had her.  I have tried to stick with things for exercising, I just can't seem to find a daily motivation..  I know for health reasons I need to lose the weight and also just too feel better and look better.  I am tired of not being happy about not being able to just slip on a pair of jeans and tshirt ad feel good about myself.  

DH says he loves me how I am, which is comforting at times but also it doesn't help trying to change.

What do you recommend for keeping motivation tricks, tips, goals, I am at a loss.. Stress is my # 1 killer for things.  I eat pretty healthy that isn't the problem mine is sticking with an exercise program.  I have found a few things I do like: walking (need to air up my stroller wheels), Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, and I also have a dancing with the stars dance video I have yet to use, but I know I will like it because I love to dance.  What is the best way not only for motivation, but too make up a schedule?  ex..Monday walk and shred..Tuesday..etc etc.

I can't over do it of course, but I think doing more than one thing a day is my best shot and looking and feeling better.

I am going to post my weight and goal and it is scary, but I think it is easier if I have it out there.  I currently am 265 lbs and my goal and healthy weight is 165.  I have 100 lbs to lose and that is one of the scariest things about this.  I don't feel like I have 100 lbs to lose but then again when I look atmyself I can see where it is distributed. 

I don't have many friends, and I cannot afford a gym so I am looking for inspiration and advice and help I guess to losing my large amount of weight.  I know it will take at the least a year to lose weight and a life time of keeping it off, but I am ready for it and I need it.

I would love to have some support from somebody and maybe even someone to kick my ass  a little.

melody921

First of all, it's good you're looking at a healthy, slow weight loss. How tall are you? I'm just trying to get an idea of whether your goal weight is accurate. It can be very hard to stay motivated, so I've found the easiest is to choose an activity I really like so it doesn't feel like work. Walking with the stroller is great because it's good for DD to get out and gives you some exercise. Popping in a workout DVD during naps is another great way. Don't look at it as deprivation, just that you're taking care of yourself. Reward yourself along the way, perhaps with a new piece of clothing as you meet mini goals. Also, have you thought about getting a trainer or signing up for an exercise class so there is accountability and some other people to inspire you? Good luck!

Princess_Lily

I was in total denial of my weight, up until DS was 6mo, and then I started to workout.  I went from 220-165lbs (prepreg weight) and I want to lose another 35-40lbs.

For me, my motivation comes from the "look" of feeling sexy.  Celebrity bodies inspire me to get close to where I want to be.  I know I can never look like them, but hey if their look gets me to stay on that treadmill for 30 more minutes...then I'm there.  Sometimes I have my good days and my bad days.

I have few friends, and the ones I do have don't live in town so I go to the gym by myself.  I'm not one for videos or weight watchers.  For the past 16months I have done calorie counting and excerise 3x per week.  My metabolism is substantially less than what it was 10 years ago, so in order to properly lose, I need to count a specific number ever day...I journal.  In all honesty, if I were you, I'd find the money to go to the gym.  Mine is a monthly payment of 35.00.  To me, 100% worth the price though, because it forces me to use my gym membership, where I could be among other people and find their motiviation to keep me going.

In all honesty, the only person to "kick your ass" is you.  Yes, you can hire a personal trainer, but at the end of the day when your home...will your personal trainer be there to tell you not to eat a cookie/extra serving of dinner?  Nope.  At the end of the day, its up to me.  Sometimes DH will give me the second wind I need when I'm feeling too exhausted to be at the gym...but most of the time, its me.

Walking is a start if you've led a sedatary lifestyle, however, you need to push your body moreso to get that cardio.  So, start walking but thats the first step.

davis0905

For me, I have found that I have success with sticking with an exercise program if I adhere to working out every other day--I have to be strict with my schedule.  If I miss 2 days or more of working out, I fall off the wagon and it's difficult to find motivation again.  I just make myself jog/run every other day for at least 30 mins.  If I get bored with running, I will mix it up and try a Pilates DVD or J.Michaels workout DVDs.  I joined the Y in January and it has been a huge help because of the childcare they provide. I think once you establish a good routine, you will start to actually enjoy the exercise and you will look forward to it.   Oh, and I don't know if you have a Y near you, but they do have a special discount rate for lower-income individuals--you might look into it to see if you qualify.  I see men and women of all sizes and shapes working out there--it's very inspiring and motivating. 

Happy2beMrsT

I think the first thing I'd suggest is taking an honest look at your calorie intake. Before starting my diet in January I would have told you that I also "ate pretty healthy", but it simply wasn't true once I took note of EVERY single thing I put in my mouth. I joined Weight Watchers online for a three month period (I think it was $50 for three months). It was the BEST thing that I could have done. I'm not a meeting type person so the online version has been perfect for me. Then you just have to be accountable for everything you eat. I realized that I was putting a lot more in my mouth that I realized! I'd give DD1 a snack & pop a handful of goldfish in my own mouth at the same time, I'd get her a cookie while we were at the mall & I'd eat the 1/2 she didn't finish, etc. Now that I pay attention to all those things....the weight has come off EASILY, I promise. To be fair, I didn't have as much to lose but it's a great process. The best part about WW is that you really could just do it for a few months and teach yourself to eat properly, then just follow the program on your own and stop paying for the online services. If I were you I'd scrape the $50 together and give it a try!

Also, I know a lot of people think working out is the key but I disagree. Working out is great, but if you continue to eat the same, you are not going to see the results you want. I will also say that watching the numbers go down on my scale was all the motivation I needed to keep up the program....it also motivated me to get back to my workouts!

Need some extra motivation? Overweight parents are FAR more likely to have overweight children...do it for your DC!

Good luck to you!!!

robinsokj

Start a food journal and be totally honest in it. 

Find someone, whether it be in real life or on here who will be your work out buddy.  Make yourself accountable to them.  If you you're working out "with" someone you're more likely to stick with it.  

Good luck!

katlizabeth

This is a little silly, but I'm pretty tight with money and not into splurging on myself, so each time I worked out I gave myself $2 to spend however I wanted...and I'd save up for a few weeks and buy a Friends DVD (this was several years ago).  It was an extra motivation for me.  Good luck to you!

FirefightersBride

I am a big fan of www.sparkpeople.com. Its a free calorie counting website and I've lost 20lb on it. I thought I ate pretty healthy too...before i really started keeping track and I discovered that I really wasn't!

As far as the exercise goes...really try to make a routine. Like a PP said...finding the $ for a gym membership is the thing i need to really get moving. They provide child care, so I also get some ME time. Mondays I rest, tuesdays= cardio and weights, wednesday- grocery day, but I might do a Wii workout, thursdays- cardio/weights, fridays- weightlifting class, saturday- cardio. 

If you'd like a "buddy" for accountability, I'd be happy to do it! Just PM me

Linz29

Weight Watchers is fantastic.  I have lost 30 pounds and am a Lifetime member now so it's free.  I too was in denial.  I was 145 PP, 200 the day I had my LO and still 165lbs 18 months later.  Now I am down to 135 and the only regret I have is not joining sooner!

whirli

I started with 100 pounds to lose, lost 40 put 20 back on.. so frustrated lol. A couple things that help me: 1.) a very supportive DH who will diet with me 2.) fun exercise I can do at home with the toddler (I do just dance on the wii) 3.) small rewards for every 5 pounds lost, big rewards for every 25 pounds lost 4.) DH and I cook a not-so-healthy  tasty dinner every friday night after a good dieting week and I have some wine and a small dessert. Knowing I have that to look forward to makes it really a lot easier to resist daily temptations. 5.) If I fall off the wagon, not beating myself up to much, recognizing it and not letting it spiral out of control. 6.) Not cutting too many calories. I think my goal is around 1800/day for slow consistent weight loss (includes a couple extra calories for nursing) so I don't feel deprived.

All that said, I am definitely an emotional eater. DD has given me a rough stretch of teething, sickness and developing for what feels like the past few months and her sleep has gotten horrible. Needless to say I've been really tired and feeling run down (and I'm currently fighting off bronchitis) so I had lost some progress and gone back to comfort eating/drinking.

Anyway, best of luck to you (and me lol). Maybe we should start a weekly check-in thread to keep everyone motivated and accountable.  Personally I'm feeling much more optimistic with spring right around the corner. I can't wait to really get outside with DD every day and run around with her.

teeah22

I made a workout schedule on a calendar with exactly what I was to do each day.  I have deviated from it here and there but have stuck to it for the most part (this is week 6 for me).  Being scheduled with exercise has really helped me stay on track.

soko987

If you like to dance, I suggest checking out a Zumba class. I like the group excercise format for several reasons, but the biggest one is that it's much harder to quit. Giving up would entail stopping mid routine and walking out in front of a class of 20 people, as opposed to giving up on the treadnmill.

I also signed up for a 5K - again, the motivation of potential public humilation was enough for me to move my ass.

jason&robin

I started doing WW in Jan. My mom was doing it through her work and she picked me up a package that had the calculator and point books. I have never been to a meeting and I ended up joining the etools so I could use the recipe builder. I have lost 18lbs. It has been great. The package was only 25 bucks or so.

I also love reading and listening to audiobooks. I try to walk every night once the kids are in bed so I can listen to my book. It helps motivate me. I also like to dance so I play Just Dance on the Wii so I am getting active. Since it's warmer out, I have been taking the kids out more and that has helped too. Chasing after them is a good work out.

 

Good luck!

essey1234

i had no  choice after LO, i wanted something i would stick to that wasn't crazy and that I would do. So i joined a boot camp. 1 month commitment, it was half an hour a day 5 days a week, you have ppl waiting on you and pushing you hard. then the results were so good that that was my motivation

M.Amy

Everything I have read says that the first place to start is to keep track of what you eat. You may be making healthy food choices but how much of it are you eating? I joined WW at the beginning of the year because of weight I gained AFTER the baby and until I started writing everything down I had no idea how much I was eating.  I knew when I was eating poorly but when I thought I was making healthy choices it turned out I was eating too much!

I also agree with PP to make your first goals smaller. Try just 5% at first. Choose a goal that is achievable quickly so that you get a taste of success.

Good luck!