[mytwinsmommy]

Hi,

I have finally decided that I need support in losing weight..I had lost some weight prior to having my twins...but it seems harder now because there's never time for me. Especially with two 3 year olds wanting my attention and I really want to be a good example for them.

So I'm struggling and determined and I figured this might help me reach my goal.

It's been seeming so hopeless and far away and I'm really tired of feeling crappy about myself, I have leftovers from my twin pregnancy and struggling with that, and I'm a little disappointed in it.

Hopefully in less than a year from now I will be a success story...looking forward to talking with you all...there's comfort in knowing I'm not all alone in this...

[mandalinn82]

Hi mytwinsmommy, and welcome!

We have lots of different forums here where you can find support, tips, ideas, and more! Look around, then start posting where you relate! After a while, this place becomes so valuable for the support it provides...it certainly has for me.

[Cleveland]

Wow!
Mandalinn82! You have lost so much weight! Any special hints you could pass along?
Mytwinsmommy - I'm a mom too. Only now my daughter is in third grade and I think I have become The Fat Mom. I think the support from this site is going to be good for me. I just joined today and already have gotten good support and some great positive attitude.

[V Woman]

Hi! I have two and a half year old twins, and can relate to everything you said. It is hard! I just started here too and am really struggling. Veronica

[mandalinn82]

Cleveland - another member just PM'd me asking for the plan I was using...I'll copy/paste it here as my tips for you:

I am a dedicated calorie counter - I eat between 1300 and 1600 calories per day, and do 50-60 min cardio six days a week. I also strength train for an hour once or twice a week.

I've found that to minimize hunger while on a reduced point/calorie diet is to get TONS of fiber and tons of water. If you eat lots of foods that are low volume but high points, you don't get as much food for your points buck! So for example, for the same 250 calories, I can have a third of a cup of cashews, or I can have a full cup of cheerios, with a full cup of sliced strawberries, and a full cup of light vanilla soy milk...3 cups of food vs. 1/3 of a cup, and I'm full a LOT longer. You can click the "My Fitday" link under my name/picture to see a sample of what I eat in a day...I don't spend time hungry! I enjoy food too much!

I also learned how to cook some foods that felt comforting and filling for lower calories/points. So for example, on my fitday today you'll see pita, grilled chicken, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and broccoli - pita pizza! Solves a pizza craving, and you get a big portion with a side salad, with WAY fewer calories. I still make pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs - but I make the meatballs with ground turkey meat, cook only 3/4 portion of pasta per person, and bulk up the serving by adding lots of peppers and onions, cooked until soft in a little bit of chicken broth, and mixing them in with the pasta. I still get my spaghetti and meatballs, and a big portion of it, but for fewer calories than if I made it the traditional way. You have to experiment with reducing the calories in YOUR favorites and bumping up the vegetable count with veggies prepared in a healthy way (roasted, steamed, stir-fried in chicken broth, etc).

Finally, planning is SO important. I find I start eating off plan when I don't have a plan to start with. Every week, on Mondays, I plan out my dinners for the week, buying and cooking enough for 4 portions so my fiance and I will have dinner and lunch for the following day. I go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients for those dinners, all of which average about 400 calories, and my staple snack items (berries, plain yogurt, crackers, laughing cow cheese wedges, turkey deli meat, 100-calorie snack bars with fiber (South Beach bars), and oatmeal for breakfasts, etc. Every night before I go to bed, I map out my foods for the following day...breakfast, lunch, the planned dinner from my menu, snacks, and dessert. That way, when I wake up in the morning, I know exactly what I'm going to eat and when. I plan in my multivitamin, my water, and my exercise. Having a plan really helps me to stick with it.

Let me know if you have any other questions - use the support here and keep posting/writing...you can do this!