# Needing motivation :)



## SerenityMama (Aug 26, 2009)

Hello all I am Cris, a 29 year old mom to 4 (ages 8,6,3,1) and have been battling my weight since child #1. I am currently at 210lbs and a size 18 honestly don't care what my weight or size is as long as my body is healthy. 

We moved from the city to our homestead 3 yrs ago and I was at that point 245-250-- lost a lot the first year here and then got pregnant (I was on bc). Since I have had her I am having a hard time losing weight-- clothes are getting loose now that weather is warming up and I am outside more but I really want this to be the year I kick it into gear.

We garden most of our veggies and this year I will be dehydrating them so I can have them all year . I am the primary "gardener" as my husband works away from here 3 days a week. I do have some work out videos that I do (right now I am pushing the Yoga Meltdown with Jillian) but I get bored with those easy. I am not nor have I ever been a runner but am considering walking/ hiking. My biggest motivation is my husband is bringing home a circut machine, so I can start sculpting and building my muscle back (I loved weight lifting in HS). 

My biggest problems in losing weight is I get lazy/ "to busy" to workout and I really need to do portion controlled eating/ eating regularly-- I get busy doing chores while kids are eating so I skip breakfast also and then snack till dinner instead of doing a real lunch with the kids (I tend to use them being at the table as a time for me to do something kid free) I know that is a big part of my problem and want to fix it. 

My biggest problem is I have no motivation-- no one pushing me-- hubby says nothing is wrong with my body. So I thought I would come here and get some ideas on where to start and hopefully get motivated having others know what I am doing 

Thanks!!


----------



## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Welcome to the forums  You came to the right place, I hope!

Your motivation sits down to dinner with you. You carried 4 of them inside you for 9 months. As you age, the weight will become harder and harder to lose...and it WILL affect your health and how you can interact with your children. 

SO! Maybe get the kids involved in an exercise/play/fun hour after school? The gardening is a great way to get going with weight loss. Getting involved and forgetting time while you dig and pull weeds and gather veggies 

skipping breakfast is NOT good for losing weight. Even a yogurt and some cereal, or a yogurt type grain bar? Make a change in your lunch or breakfast habit. OR, you could try what I'm currently doing. Eat every 2 to 3 hours. Small meals. Soup inbetween bigger meals. 

Also..keep a food journal somehow. Either on line (where it's easy to get the calorie count) or in a notebook. Just try it for one week...see what you're eating...and watch how it changes the way you eat. "OMG! I can't eat that cuz I'll have to write it down!"


----------



## Kris in MI (May 30, 2002)

I second what Ann said.

I have four kids also, and thought "once they all go to school I will have time to exercise/eat right/plan meals etc."

NOPE! They are 20 (and out of the house, Marine Corps), 17, almost 16 and 12. I work part time, during school hours. After school is a flurry of extracurriculars, mostly sports. 

Even if it's tough now, get in good habits. Sit down and eat (and use the right size portion) at breakfast and lunch with your kids. Do not snack any more often than you allow them to snack (which shouldn't be much, only once between meals unless they are more than about 7 hours apart).

Jump around and act like a kid with your kids. They might think it's easy doing 25 jumping jacks, but you'll probably pop a sweat doing your 25 with them. Or challenge them to sprints, one child at a time, versus you. You'll have to run much further than any of the kids by the time they are tired out! Use that 1yo as a weight and do some weight lifting that will make him/her giggle.


----------



## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

welcome :thumb:

It sounds like you certainly are getting enough exercise with those little ones, gardening and all. What I'd look at first is your eating habits. Definitely not good to skip meals. How's your blood sugar? And the quanity on your plate when you do eat?

It really was a shocker when I first kept a food journal. Like Ann said, Writing it _all_ down had me thinking "do I really want this?" That was the beginning of learning about nutrient dense foods, empty calories, etc.

I'd enlist your kids, not only to use as exercise equipment , but as food monitors. They'll learn and become nutrition wise also. That in itself would be motivation - to give them good eating habits for their life.

Keep us posted on your decisions and journey....


----------



## PamB (Jan 15, 2008)

you are in the right place. I will try to keep you motivated. 
I 'lost' my job a little over a year ago, and told myself that once this happened I would be happy, lose weight, get my house in order, etc! well here I am and none of those things have happened. 
The job loss was ok, we really didn't need the money I was making, but it sure didn't change me when I no longer had to get up to go there every day. 
So I think sometimes we all need a little kick in the butt.
That yoga meltdown sounds great, I do like yoga.
hang in there and I think the journaling is a great idea, I need to get at that again. 
It will come off slowly, but I have learned slow is better.
Pam


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

I recently read on SparkPeople that motivation is not a feeling we wait on to come over us... Motivation is a deliberate decision. We _choose_ to be motivated. 

I liked that. I modified it a bit for me, put a little floral clipart with it, and printed it out on a line-less notecard to remind myself of this every day. 
I just can't be waiting on fleeting moments, or I'll never get anything done! lol


----------



## SerenityMama (Aug 26, 2009)

Thanks everyone, its great know I can come and have people that know how to kick me into gear LOL.

This week kinda bombed in the work out zone-- my fil came last weekend to visit and left us with some nasty head cold or something. My oldest got it Tues/Wed by Thurs it got me good and now everyone is down with it including DH (and my DH is one that NEVER gets sick)-- it one that makes your whole body just hurt. That however hasn't stopped us completely this morning we planted 6 rows 140ft long of potatoes  I am starting to feel a bit better so I am going to try and do my yoga before bed-- I have been doing the "basic" stretch routine showed all week and its helping me still breath although downward dog with a runny nose isn't cool 

I will try the food journal, I am doing better in the "making time to eat" ordeal and we have started planning our meals out for the month which has helped. I do need to stock some more healthy snack items but hopefully soon I will have veggies to munch instead 

Again thanks, it helps being held accountable even if it is to internet aquantiances


----------



## busymomof7 (May 11, 2010)

Hi...how are you doing SerenityMama? I can SO relate to where you are with your weight! I just want to tell you that you CAN do it, even with a house full of children. Do your little ones nap? I know it is tempting to use that time to clean house, etc., but maybe that would be a good time to exercise a couple of days a week. Workouts that I find do-able but very effective are Leslie Sansone. She does walking workouts, some also have jogging and strength training. No complicated choreography or anything. This is just a suggestion. I have a house full of little ones, too, and I know how hard it can be to find time to exercise. 

A food journal is an excellent thing to have...even if you aren't eating like you want to be yet, you can see what your habits are and that makes it easier to make changes later. 

I'm rooting for you...I've been there, too!
~Julie~


----------



## SerenityMama (Aug 26, 2009)

Hello Julie nice to meet someone else that has been where I am 

I am doing pretty good, working out minimum of 3 days a week (when I say workout I mean video, walking or circut machine). I am in the garden everyday now pulling weeds and planting stuff out. I wish my kids would nap but I am lucky if my youngest takes more then an hour. I have started doing my yoga while she was in her highchair eating her first snack of the day and the other day she was standing in my living room and she started doing the stretches herself-- it was so cute!! My oldest said she is doing baby yoga and started doing it with her LOL.

I am doing much better eating with the kids and doing small portions.

I am hoping when I go to town I can find a measuring tape so I can track my inches-- I may just use string and hubbys measuring tape if I don't go to town within the next week. Our scale died so I figured this would be just as good since weight doesn't matter to me. I have also decided that I am making an appointment with my dr to discuss my plan, I want to make sure I am doing everything right and not hurting myself  not to mention I haven't had a full physical since I was in HS.


----------



## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

ah....the Doctor  EXCELLENT plan. Your doc can help by just easing your mind about the physical problems. They can often give you suggestions about YOUR lifestyle and eating. Losing weight/getting in shape is SO personal. What works for me may well not work at ALL for you. 

Excellent news about your workouts and the yoga I bet the kids are going to love this. :clap:


----------



## busymomof7 (May 11, 2010)

Good for you!! I lost all of my weight at home...I've never been to the gym. You can do it! Glad you are getting your dr's okay, too. 

~Julie~


----------



## offGridNorthern (Jan 1, 2006)

Wisconsin Ann said:


> Also..keep a food journal somehow. Either on line (where it's easy to get the calorie count) or in a notebook. Just try it for one week...see what you're eating...and watch how it changes the way you eat. "OMG! I can't eat that cuz I'll have to write it down!"


It is amazing to see what you've eating/drunk when it is in writing. And you're right, it makes you think twice about that piece of pie or 2nd glass of white wine that is so nice and refreshing ...... but would stare back at me on the page ......


----------



## okgoatgal2 (May 28, 2002)

so, how's it going? i'm so far off track it's not even funny. sat is my restart day.


----------



## SerenityMama (Aug 26, 2009)

I am doing pretty well, most of my working out is in one of my 3 gardens (almost an acre total). We are just finishing our main planting so its slowing to only an hour or two a day now-- weeding and fence checking not to mention harvesting. I will be doing great once my veggies are coming in-- I can only tollerate the grocery store veggies so much so we don't do much fresh  

Good news is dh is starting to put money aside as he can tell I will be needing a new wardrobe by winter but might be abot to push off till spring.


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

YAYA !! That yoga dvd is a butt kicker !!! I also have her others ..
Check out 
www.sparkpeople.com
MOTIVATION !! Food tracker, exercise tracker , before & afters pics ..... recipes ......


----------



## nancy237 (May 29, 2008)

Keep healthy snacks around for you and the kids ...
Whole grain, fruits, nuts, low fat yogart ect..

Snacks are needed for you and the kids just make them heathy.

Mine loved the frosted mini wheats , cheese sticks, veg soup, 
fruit...

If you want to give yourself some "toughlove" motivation 
then imagine your little girl at 30. Think of her at a normal weight because 
you set a healthy example and then overweight because you did not.
I would put a random overweight & heathy weight female picture on my frig and only I would know that 
it was my reminder to myself that my decisions will be a model to her...


----------

