Anyone else scared for September to roll around and school to start? I'm already freaking out about it, lol. I've been on such a good exercise routine and clean diet program this entire summer but I'm afraid that with the kids starting school soon it's going to kill any sort of progress I've made the past few months.

The mornings and afternoons won't be my problem because this year I have both sons going to school so I'll have a big chunk of the day to myself to eat right and get my exercise in. The problem for me, lies in the evenings.

Previously, I'd be knee-deep in homework and things like folding laundry that making dinner seemed so daunting. A lot of the times, I'd make convenience food like mac n' cheese with fries or hot dogs or pizza. I did that a lot. I still exercised but my junk food diet hindered my progress. I don't want to make the same mistake again. I don't have a ton of time to make a dinner from scratch and my DH gets home after the kids are in bed so I don't have any help.

But I'm determined not to slip back into my old habits. I realize now that being fit and healthy is 80% diet so I have to stay the course for myself and my children's sake.

Anyone else have the same fears about the school year starting with regards to your progress?

Yes but in a totally different way. I go back to uni in September, and a couple of friends know I was gonna try and lose weight this summer. And I look no different. Not looking forward to that! Oh and my housemates have lost weight so I'm the fat one now. Awesommeeee. :P

Oh and I found out my new fridge in my new house is tiny. We have a shelf each, and they are no bigger than 6 inches tall. I can't fit salad, veg and fruit in there! Plus lean meat and low fat yoghurt!! I have no idea how I'm going to eat healthy in those conditions!

And I have a really bad habit of grabbing chocolate from the vending machines between lectures to stop my stomach from grumbling.

We've just got to hope that we stay motivated!!

I am the exact opposite, lol. I took a break over the summer from trying to lose weight because I was so busy with the kids at home and the food at family gatherings and vacations, I just gave up and successfully maintained.
Now that the kids go back in 10 days (not that I am counting or anything I can exercise how and when I want to as opposed to when I can squeeze it in and control what I eat for lunch without being tempted by what the kids are eating.
Each of us has our own unique battles.

When I worked I got off about 6 most days and after picking the kids up and driving home I'd be lucky to walk in the door by 7:15 so i used to spend a good chunk of the day on Sunday making meals for the week (well thru Thursday usually). Maybe you can try something like that to take the evening stress off.

My kids went back this week. I went back to work as well. It's hard the 1st week, but I've got a healthy food grocery trip to get good for me food for work. this Monday I will begin my normal kickboxing in the AM routine. Oh' how I've missed it!

All I have to say is YOU CAN DO IT! Include you kids in the dinner menu and only give quick healthy choices. Like grilled chicken and salad. Yum! One of my faves!

I'm worried about fall classes starting up. It's my last semester, so I have to stay on top of my studies. I work a full-time job and will be taking 9 credit hours of class. I'll be going to work at 8 am, leaving for class, going back to work, and getting off work at 6:30 pm. Then I'm planning to go to the gym, come home, eat dinner, do my studies, and get ready for bed? Blah! It sounds like a nightmare just thinking about it.

The good news is that I already have these habits down pat. It's very difficult for me to pick up good habits when I'm overly stressed about school and work, but keeping up the habits I already have should be straightforward. Here's hoping!

I am posting this not in a competitive way, but to show that you really have a lot more opportunity to do this than many people and you should not be nervous out keeping on track.

I'm the single mom of a young kid (and there is no dad in the picture at all, so that means I'm a single mom 100% of the time with no time off where the kid is with the other parent). I work full time outside the home to support us both. We have to leave the house at 7:15 am every day, and don't get home until after 6 pm. And then I still have to fix and dinner for both of us, plus cook my lunches for the following day, supervise homework and reading, get clean up and laundry done, etc. My job doesn't allow for me to work out during the day (just not enough time to change, exercise, shower and get dressed again), so I have to squeeze that in, either by getting up at 5:30 am, or pushing myself to do some of it at night once I get my son settled in bed. The idea of having hours during the day to myself where I could exercise as much as I wanted, plus have the time to shop for and cook healthy foods sounds like unimaginable luxury.

So maybe looking at things from that perspective, you'll find that you have many advantages at your disposal that you hadn't thought about. With the time you have during the day, cook suppers then or at least get all the prep work done, so it's minimal effort once you get caught up in the evening stuff. Ditto with getting all the chores done - there is no reason to save that all for the end of the day when you want to be able to focus on your kids.

And it sounds like the the real challenge is the food part and making good choices - you've got several months of habit building done now, and you know how good you feel when you give your body the good fuel it needs. So just keep going!!

I got hired to teach in the fall. I'm worried my new position will compromise my weight loss, but I still managed to lose weight when I was working more hours as a Pre-k teacher. So I guess I can do it, but I still have concerns

I feel the same way - especially from NEXT WEEK through October because I'll be in grad classes AND doing my research. I have no idea how much time my classes/homework (they are 5 days/week) will take up of my time, and most likely I'll have to do my research on the weekends - when will I exercise?? I am planning on pre-packing a lot of my lunches and snacks so that they're easy-to-grab... and I think that I will pre-cut lots of veggies for my dinners during the week (steaming vegs only takes 4 minutes, it's always the cutting that takes me forever...)
@cantgetenoughchoc - could you get your own minifridge for cheap off of craigslist (or similar)?