50 Lbs to Lose

I can't offer any advice because I too could stand to lose about 20-30 lbs myself and I know what I need to do.....but I just wanted to say have you ever heard "There ain't no such thing as a fat girl in a gym" at least you are actively doing something about it. I just wanted to give you a big yay! You go girl! for some support.......

Me and my girlfriends all go the Y. The childcare is free and we go to some really fun classes. We love pilates and zumba. They are so fun! Plus, sometimes we go just for the childcare LOL! seriously, I go when I need a break from the kids and I actually have a great time working out. Everyone there is so nice, I have made a ton of friends there. The other moms that go just sort of feel connected. Plus there are sweet deals this month. You could join today for $17 becuase it is the 17th - no joiner fee!
I also am a weight watchers lifetime member - it works!

I have about 40 lbs to lose, so I know what you mean. Good on you for taking the initiative!

www.sparkpeople.com is a free site that can help you. They have meal plans and exercise plans plus a whole community of support. I think journaling what you eat is as important as what you eat. Plan your menu and then go shopping. Make sure you eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.

As for exercise, walking is great. And 10 minutes of exercise adds up if you do it several times a day. Park a little farther from the door at the mall or grocery store. Take the stairs at work if you can (I know that's not always possible). Do sit ups and push ups in between commercials when you're watching tv at night. Brush your teeth after you have your last snack of the evening - it helps

Good luck! You can do this!

Walk, walk, walk! It's FREE and your children can join you! Keep a pedometer on you. Try to get in 10K steps a day. I've been doing this since early Fall and have managed to take off 34 lbs and still going. Keep a food journal. Shut yourself off from food after 7 p.m. Eat your biggest meal in the morning, have a decent sized salad for lunch, and just something very light for supper. Feel free to pm me anytime...I can use all the help I can get as well :)

Write down everything you eat to help you be accountable. it is amazing what we don't eat when we write it down. Walking is the cheapest. We have some great hiking trails, great weather now to do that.......not sure about your area. Sometimes the community centers will have indoor walking track.

5 groups of veggies or fruit a day and lots of water. Eat Carrots and cucumbers and blueberries when late at night....... your body will adapt and start to crave that instead. Make a schedule two times a week for you to
eat junk food but make it on a work out day :0)

Lots of luck...it is hard work......get a support group.

My husband and I are starting out with small changes. Like - using extra virgin olive oil to cook with instead of butter. Switching to whole grain bread vs white bread, stopped drinking soda and more water, etc. Maybe look at what you are currently doing and see what small things you can change out first. Like, to add more veggies in your diet put spinach leaves on your turkey sandwich, or if making scrambled eggs add in your spinach there. Not sure for everyone else, but to me spinach is pretty tasteless so adding it to thinks I don't really notice that it is there (but its a great veggie to eat!!). What about making chili at home? Add all sorts of good veggies to that too. Like I said, we started with the small things and chosing a healthier option or "the lesser of 2 evils". hehe. If you eat fast food alot and can't avoid it, you should get on their website the night before and go over their nutrition menu. Most of them allow you to "Create" your meals and tallies up your calories for you or you can pick 2 different things and then compare and see which is the better choice. We do this for my husband b/c he works out on the road Mon thru Fri and stays at hotels. So, he has a harder time being able to cook healthy things at home so he is left with fast foods.

Good luck!

Hey another "fatty chiming in here". I am a believer in low-carb diets....I can easily lose 5 pounds a week. I stick to salad, tuna, chicken, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, celery and peanut butter, etc. I try to stay away from the real fatty foods like bacon, steak, etc. Staying on it is the hard part - if I make it 8-10 days, I am lucky. Rid your house of all the good stuff, that helps - but then the kids hate ya. You can do this!

Take your baby for a walk! I hate going to the gym! but putting my kids in a stroller and walking around the park really helped me. Start out small, then work your way up. I would do a 15 min. fast paced walk (with a 5 min warm up and cool down) then add 5 mins to walking every couple of weeks until you are up to your 45-60 mins. It's very doable if you are going into work early- plus you won't have to pay for a gym membership. I would also suggest you go with a friend- it is a lot easier to stay motivated if you have an exercise partner. If it's too cold right now for the walk in the park- do the gym thin until it warms up.
Also, I have a friend who lost 25lbs by not eating anything after 8pm. This is something i am going to try to work on- I need to stop eating late at night just because I'm awake!
Good luck! You can do this!
~C.

I'm right there with you M.. I have weight that I have go to get off, but can come up with plenty of excuses for not working that hard at it. One thing I know for sure, Weight Watchers works! It does cost money though and I understand about limited resources. I would suggest taking a lot of veggies with you during the day and water, tea, or diet drinks. All of those things are "zero" Weight Watchers points, which means you can have as much as you want. Good luck and keep us updated.

I grew up in a mobile home so I totally know what you are talking about! lol

What about something like boot camp exercises in the backyard? That way you don't have to pay for a gym or extra daycare fees. I was trying to get up and exercise before my kids got up using the free on demand stuff on tv. You can look up all kinds of boot camp exercises on line.

I do the eating at night too and I just had a talk with myself that I've got to squash it! Even though it's only things like cereal with skim milk, it's just more calories I don't need. Sometimes though I get started with it then add something else that's in the cabinet. Just a bad habit all the way around.

Fruit is easy to carry along with you. If you can even take a few minutes to stop and eat you could take a salad with lots of raw veggies and a lean protien (like grilled chicken breast).

Hi
Start slowly and simply.. this way, it doesn't feel like such a shock in lifestyle change.. one, PREPARE your food.. the night before and partially on the weekends (or whatever your days off are) by that I mean.. IF for example you make broiled chicken, make some extra and put that in a tupperware for your lunch.. include chopped veggies.. you can cut a bunch up ahead of time and keep them chilled in a container... also, IF you like rice or even pasta, add that to the chicken and bam.. a complete lunch.. thing is. I am not one to cut out all carbs or stuff like that, instead it's about portions and planning "PP" additionally, IF you drink soda.. can it .. so to speak :) rid your place of it.. drink water.. as you break down fat, the water will help you cleanse your body..
Oh and if you must bring a sandwich.. try alternatives to bread like PITA... often if you get the smaller ones, they are less in calories.. I like to put turkey, cucumber , avocado and a little olive oil and vinegar on them and there you have a tasty treat!
about exercise.. again, start simple. USE THE STAIRS whenever possible... you say you drive all day.. ok do you get a lunch break?? can you walk at least 15 minutes of that break?? then work up to more..
also, before u pick your child up from daycare.. and if safe to do so, walk... try walking at least 30 mins a day. you ll notice a difference .. eventually, you'll have to amp it up.. but 30 min is a good start...
one last thing I do is try and plan out my dinner menus for the week.. this way, I don't go home and eat everything in sight..
I've lost 17lbs total just following my own advice I gave you. granted, it's taken longer than IF I took a different route, but I am looking for long standing changes.. ive lost weight quickly before, now I am looking to lose and tone up.... it's a slow process.. but it's been working. I was close to a 16 at my peak.. now, I am in a 12.. my goal is to about an 8 or 10.. I am short so those sizes are better for me.. also, I like to see how I feel at each size... maybe a 10 is where I might land..

best of luck.. you can do it!!

Hey good for you for posting this and knowing things have got to change! I think what might be a big help for you (that might be controversial, but oh well) would be to do a diet like Atkins or The Zone which will help you lose a good amount of weight in 1-2 weeks, and get your spirits up. Then you'll feel great because you'll actually see results and that might be the oomph you need to keep going with a good healthy diet (The Zone gets healthier and not as strict after the first weeks). I did the Atkins diet for 2 weeks followed by the Zone because I came back home one summer from college and was standing up in my friend's wedding and NEEDED to lose 15lbs to fit into my dress - and in THREE weeks! It worked and I have been good about keeping my weight in check (aside from being naughty during my first pregnancy) since. I was at St. Vincent de Paul's thrift store this morning actually and saw The Zone diet book for 25c. So go for it! It's not an expensive diet, but it does work. And of course Atkins is kind of weird at first, but it really does work I promise :)

Oh and I forgot! I wanted to lose the naughty weight I'd gained while pregnant with DD1 before my wedding two years ago, so I checked out different Denise Austin video tapes from the library every week and did one every day or so for 3 months. It really helped me get into shape and I like her a lot! I'm not into many of the exercise gurus, but I think Austin is great.

M....you make me smile:) You can tell by your post that you enjoy life. Usually those of us who enjoy life also enjoy food (which isn't all bad). If you are serious about losing weight, I would start by a no eating after dinner rule. Or, if you're dying to eat, purchase some low-cal popsicles or something little to fill the void. I've had good luck with dieting M-F and giving myself off on Sat and Sund. Have gum or tick-ticks in the car for when you feel the urge to munch. Remember, hunger goes away long enough if you ignore. If you can even squeeze in exercise 2x/week, I think you will rev up your metablolism. I'm a Zumba teacher and it is fun and I've had students who only come once a week still lose weight. Good luck and keep your sense of humor and positive attitude:) F.

I need to lose about what you need to lose. I have already lost 10 pounds and need to lose at least 50 more. I am a fatty too. Eat less processed food is the first thing. No mcdonalds or other fast food. I would say,eat something from subway. They have many sandwhiches less than 6 grams of fat. Take some baby carrotts along,red grapes,apple slices. Drink lots of water. exercising 4-5 times a week is important. Exercise will actually give you more energy. See if there is someone where you live who could watch your child while you go to the gym after work. You could also join weight watchers. In any respect,good luck. Be paitient and stick with it and you will lose the weight.

M., good for you! Your sense of humor will help lots.
Do you have a place to walk where you live? Maybe your son would like to go with you and he would be developing a good habit also.
Try to eat as many fruits and veggies as you can.
Don't try to change everything at once.
You might also see if you can check out Brad Lamm's (from Dr. Oz) new book at the library. It's called Just lose 10. I am a distributor for the products he recommends if you decide you are interested in them. But there's lots more in the book about finding out why we do what we do and how to change.
Good luck and God bless!
Victoria

Hi M. -
I too have 50 pounds to lose! I am starting today. I was lucky that my grandparents gave my husband and I money to get a treadmill for Christmas, it is being delivered today. I am going to walk for 30 minutes every day while the kids are napping, to start out. If you already have a gym membership and can go , GO!!!! I am a SAHM, with no childcare, so I have to find ways to work out at home whne they are napping, or else take them out in the stroller - but it is too cold or that right now, thus the treadmill....we also have a bowflex we are going to start using....but treadmill is more important to me right now to get back in cardio shape, then I will add in the weight lifting/resistance.

I know exercise is my big hurdle, because I don't really have any major bad eating habits. Here are the things I believe I am actually doing right, some things you might want ot try if you aren't dong them....( kind of wish I had more bad habits to just cut out like soda or candy - might be easier) - I eat breakfast every day, usually oatmeal or cereal and skim milk, and a piece of fruit, apple banana or orange. I eat the same portion sizes as my kids who are 4 and 2, they are big eaters for their age, but they burn it all off between growing and running around like little maniacs! At lunch, I usually eat leftovers from the dinner before, protien, veggie and a fruit. Supper is a family meal at the table, usually pasta with meat sauce, or a meat main course and two or more veggies on the side. I try to get in lots of veggies and fruits, meat portions should be about the size of your palm, and the rest of the plate should be filled with veggies. I don't keep around traditional "desserts" - fruit is our usual dessert, and occassional treats, like once a week we have baked goods or something for dessert. We eat only whole grain breads and cereals and our pasta is usually whole grain or a lower carb style pasta too. I don't eat after dinner. I basically only drink water, maybe a soda once a week, if we are out to dinner.

Before my first pregnancy and again after my daughter was born, I did Follow the Micheal Thurmonds 6 week body makeover - an infomercial diet plan, that is customized to your metabolism/body type, by you taking a multiple choice quiz at the beginning and then it tells you which sets of pages to pick out of the whole kit to apply to you specifically. It worked great for me, I lost 14 pounds in the frist 2 weeks before pregnancy, and I lost 20 pounds total on it after baby - and I was only following the eating plan, not the exercise part!!! Basically, you eat all day, 6 mini-meals, protiens, carbs, lots of veggies, and some fruits, all whole foods, try to avoid processed anything. Drink lots of water, at least half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. I would like to do it again, but it i salot of cooking and alot of eating and with 2 toddlers, I can't keep up with it. The exercise plan is customized to your specific body issues too, he reccommends at least 60 minutes of walking each day of 5 days a week, and then I think it is 3 days a week of resistance/elastic band exercises.

I am reading a book right now by Candace Cameron Bure ( DJ from Full House), called "Reshaping it All" it is a Christian based weight loss motivational book and it is very good, in my opinion. It was $9 on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Reshaping-All-Motivation-Physical-S... . She lost 25 pounds and has kept it off for 15 years, even getting back to the idela weight for her after 3 pregnancies!! And she did it a normal way like we would, not the typical hollywood ways. She gives out the advice and plans and recipes and motivation she used; she doesn't count calories, but conciously eats less, but still loves good food, exercises and lost it little by little, not super fast - made it a whole famly lifestyle, too, so he kids won't have to deal with the same issues as they grow up.

Anyway, it takes determination, practice, not giving up, and making it part of your life - not a "diet" for such and such amount of days or weeks, till you lose it and then going right back to the old way - then you will gain it all back - you have to totally change the way you think about food and exercise for life! Hard but we can do it! Oh, for packing food, take a cooler and put in ready to eat foods, like apples,bananas, grapes, carrot sticks, celery, cucumbers, bell pepper slices....sandwiches in pitas, or tortilla roll ups....anything that is finger foods to eat on the job, but is still not "fast food".

Do it for your son and YOU!

jessie

Hello, Sister! I have about 30 pounds I would like to shed. Reading your post helped me find the motivation to get to my health club this morning. I loved the quote someone wrote about there being no fat girls at the gym. So true! If you're there, you're working on it and people really don't judge.

My goal lately has been to limit the calories in each meal or snack I eat. There are ways to eat 400-calorie meals. Snacking is my downfall also. An open bag of chips kills me.

My advice to you (and myself) is to try to do something physical every day. Walking seems to be the easiest on my body. We just bought a Wii for Christmas, and I love to dance to some of the dance games out there. I bought them for my kids, but I think they're a great workout for me.

Smaller portions, doing something physical every day. Those are my baby steps. You'll find something that works for you!!

Good luck! And thanks for inspiring me to get out there today!!
S.

ok girl, well I have 70lbs to lose, so I feel you!!! All I can say is thank God I am tall! But well still a bit of a chunker with this much weight!LOL :D Anyway, I just joined Biggest Loser Club online and I really like it. It was $40 fo three months and they sent me three books, one of which was a cook book which is great and another one with all the success stories/pictures and I haven't actually looked much at the other so I am not too sure what it is all about. But what I like is you can log your food daily. You fill out a questionnaire and they tell you how many calories you need daily plus the breakdown of carbs, fats, protein, fiber etc. As you log your food it breaks it down into those categories so you can see if you are point in more than just your calories. Right now I get 1400-1800 daily. Anyway, I have lost like 6lbs doing it. I do go to the gym a few times a week, so if you could find one you like that would be good. Most gyms have childcare, so maybe you could do the time you suggested twice a week and then just make your third time on Saturday and just take the kids. That way you are not overloading your week. If you do decide on BLC online, they give you workouts with video clips of things you can do right at home, and you really won't knock your mobile over doing it!!!! :D Maybe even have the kiddos do it with you. Or you can go to the gym and do the workouts they create there. So hope that helps, the first thing is to get your eating right bc it is like 70% of your success. Working out is so great, but even if you can't find the time right now, just eating well will do the job. I lost like 40lbs on Weight Watchers after college and never put it back on until I had babies, and I didn't excercise at all to do it. So if nothing else try Weight Watchers online, if you do what they suggest, you will pull the weight off. Good luck!! I am right there with you but this is my year to get skinny again!!!

since you say you drive a lot for work, How bout you park farther away than you have to and briskly walk from your car to ...wherever. Always keep healthy snacks in the car, esp non carbs like dried fruit, apples, water bottles, nuts are supposed to be very healthy eve tho they have a lot of fat and they are supposed to keep you from getting hungry again. and some snacks for your son so yoiu're never tempted to do fast food. Good luck!

Can you do the stairs at work?

I exercised like a mad woman for 2 years & lost exactly 0 pounds. I tried to eat a healthy diet, but i was hungry ALL THE TIME!
Then I weeded out everything with high fructose corn syrup on the label. I consistently lost 2-3 pounds per week & was NEVER hungry as long as I didn't eat out where I couldn't control the HFCS. I didn't need to exercise at all, although I like to keep limber, so dancing around the house is a must for me. Lots of peanut butter & danish jam toast for bf, sloppy jo's made with 3 fresh veggies chopped small, chicken, fish, fish, fish, & turkey. Fresh lettuce is delicious if you line your bowl with it before adding your hot dish. Lots of avacado & olive oil. I stopped using salt & my bp went down 30 points!
It's a little harder now that I lost over 30 pounds, but the health benefits for you & your kids are well worth the trouble. Learn to saute everything you eat with water & add your oil requirement at the end of cooking (grapeseed, olive, or canola). HFCS does NOT ALLOW YOUR APPETITE TO SHUT OFF. 25% of our children will be obese because of this stuff. Sucralose & Aspartame is also no good. Serve spring water to your kids for a treat.
Remember: Sugar is ok. But. . .
The more sugar you eat, the more you want.
Good luck to you!

You should try the books "Eat this not that". Its amazing how you can make a difference with healthier choices. Then try doing things with your son. Get some snow pants and pull him around the yard in a sled or something like that. Try to find indoor activity areas where you could kick a ball around with him or something. As the weather warms up visit all the local parks and look at wild life and stuff with him. If you ask me its a lot more fun than a treadmill at a gym. If you are looking for something to do in the evening that won't shake the place go to the library and check out yoga videos to try. Get beginner ones not weight loss ones. They have gentle stretches that will still burn calories and get your blood moving without jumping around or twisting you into a pretzel. Just work on finding activities you enjoy then work from there. Good luck!

M., you have to check out the Hi5 program. My friend is already down 30 pounds since the first of December and I have other friends that are down at least 10 pounds in the past couple of weeks. You can visit http://www.hi5la.com or shoot me a message and let me know how I can help you achieve your goals!

B.

Definitely keep a food journal. It's hard to do but will keep you on track. You can even sign up for an online service like ediets. But a notebook will do and it's cheap!