I'm a SAHM to 4 kids (7, 2 and 4 month old twins). I'm just so busy and exhausted all the time. I'm finding it really hard to find my motivation and even the time or energy for exercise. I'm about 223 pounds and would love to be at leas 130. I just REALLY want to be below 200! I haven't been below 200 in about 10 years.
I am a SAHM to 3 kids. So I know what you are going through. My two younger ones are 1 year and 2 days apart.... it is hard.
I get up early. Even if I have to sit up and fling myself out of bed and do the cardio. I am happy afterwards and it gives my the strength to avoid "cheating" on my new dietary plan.
If I have time when the kids are in bed I do other things for a workout too.
Lilybug -- I think if you are ready to make a commitment to being healthier, there are lots of ways to start that don't take time at all. I believe a big key to losing weight IS "eat less, move more" And I'd add, start by taking baby steps to your goal.
Eat Less -- watch what you eat! Think portion control. Don't eat the leftovers your kids leave on the plate. Many people find it helpful to write down every thing they eat. I do that, although I admit to being completely resistant to the idea at first. You can write on a pad of paper if you like. I track all my food on nutridiary.com. Lots of people use fitday.com. They are a little tricky to learn to use at first, but very helpful tools.
You may find that over time, you start to learn more about nutrition and start preparing meals that are healthier, but don't worry about that yet.
Move more -- you don't have to carve out lots of time for this. Do jumping jacks while the coffee brews. Park further from the store. Take a couple of extra trips up and down the stairs rather than yelling up... Again, over time you may find ways to carve out exercise routines, but start small! And with every little thing you do, remind yourself of the commitment you've made to your health!
I find that many days it's less about motivation and more about commitment.
Planning planning planning. I don't have little ones, but I work 8 hour days, have two hours travelling each way to work, and I tell you, there are days where I just don't feel like walking let alone exercising.
The good news is, you don't have to exercise in a gym, or around a running track. There are exercise dvds to do at home, you can put on a nice loud cd on and dance with the kids, when the weather improves you can go to the park, or the pool.
It isn't easy, and really, for me, motivation doesn't come into it. If I waited until i was motivated, I would never do anything. I know now what it takes to lose weight and I know, in the words of Sir Nike it takes a "Just Do It" attitude.
Everytime someone ask me if I have lost anymore It make me go at it harder...I have told everyone I know so I got alot of people look at me to see if doing it..
Planning is everything for me too. I commute 2 hours a day, 1 there 1 back and then work a 9 hour day. At first I was going to the gym after work but recently I've been going every now and again before work. If I do the gym bit before work I am in a much better mood all day, have more energy and can get home at a reasonable time! It means I have to be up silly early but this plan seems to be working out better than going after work.
For meals, I tend to lean towards meals that can be leftovers the next day, so lots of stews, oven baked dishes etc. I try to find ways to save myself time by planning grocery lists, planning what meals we'll have through the week. I pack my gym bag the night before so when I get up I can just go.
Lilybug, I have three children, including a set of twins. My oldest is 7, and our twins are 5. But I remember all too well what it was like when they were 2 and 4 months. At the time I even worked a full time job (I'm a SAHM now too). Let me assure you, though, that you can carve out time to exercise. It really doesn't have to be a big, structured to-do. Try putting on some up beat music and dance around with a baby in each arm. It is fun, your babies will love it, and it IS a WORKOUT! Play a game of chase with your oldest two children while the twins enjoy watching from their swings or bouncy seats. Also, consider getting up BEFORE the kids and fit in a few jumping jacks, a little running in place, etc. Then, do it again as soon as you put everyone in bed. At first you will feel much too tired and will have to force yourself to do it. But after a week or so you will begin to realize that you have much more energy throughout the day and feel less worn out when the day comes to and end.
I understand your time crunch, really. What I realized, though, was that I had plenty of time for exercise but I didn't have time for a commute to a gym, or even time to pack up the necessities to take two babies and a toddler for more than a very short walk. I mean, by the time I got one fed, the other needed to be changed. By the time I got through changing somebody needed to be fed. I considered it a good day if I got to brush my teeth before noon! LOL! The good news is that as they get older it will be much easier to make time for yourself.
Another thing is to ask for help when you need it. I know that when I first became a SAHM I took the job very seriously. I didn't want to ask DH for help because the kids, home, etc. had become my "job." But, it is perfectly okay to ask your husband to watch the children for half an hour while you sneak off to get a little exercise. Taking care of yourself will make you a better wife and mother and an all around happier person.
I agree with the others that planning is key when it comes to what you will eat. But more important is just watching your portion sizes. At your weight (I started at 214, so I know) you don't have to make major changes to your diet in order to lose weight. You'll find as you go along that you WANT to make healthier choices. But, for now, just try to eat less and move more. Consider the types of food you cook now and think about how you can alter the recipe to make it lower calorie and more health friendly. When you cook something that can be easily doubled do so and stick the second batch in the freezer. Pretty soon you'll have it stocked with healthy meals that require no prep time at all.
Also, right now, try not to think in terms of losing weight. You have a lot of things on your plate right now. The last thing you need is one more thing stressing you out. Start adding in exercise, eat better food, and reduce your portions. You can bet that if you just do those three things your weight will take care of itself. As the twins get a little older you'll be able to focus more on the details of weight loss.
wow! thats busy im sure! you must be great at multi tasking.
the four month olds are great weights. (sounds funny right?) i baby sat a 3 year old and 9 mo old twins and only one was crawling so the other one always wanted me to carry him so he could keep up with everyone else. anyways- the point is, my arms got sooo toned that summer from lugging the little guy around! i know 4 mo olds weigh less... but you've got two. jk! hehe
also- the 7 and 4 year old like to play tag right? dance? play twister? try doing fun active things with them that get you all moving. you'll burn cals that way.
doooonnnntttt forget to take time to make yourself real meals and snacks (even if that means doing it the night before...) if you are anything like me you will make not so great choices if you are grabbing things last minute when youre starving.
and finally- dont be too hard on yourself! you just had twins!!!!! in another 6 months then you can start being hard on yourself. lol. 10 months on, 10 months off. right?
i think its great you are trying to lose the extra weight and you can soo do it! take it slow and pat yourself on the back for the small things!
How do you find the time/motivation??
