[CajunMomma]

Hi I am Shannon. I am 21..and a mom of two girls 8 months and 2 years. I recently started working after staying at home with them all the time. Now I am alot less stressful and have more time to myself and to actually diet and exercise. I am eating smaller portions of food and trying to eat healthier while on a prescription diet aid. I want to lose 63 pounds but I need to at least lose 50 to be comfortable. My current method of exercise is cleaning the house and walking around in walmart (haha) I would like to buy a treadmill to walk on so if anyone has had significant results with those please let me know. It is way too hot and humid here to walk outside...I live in Louisiana... I also like boxing. I would like a good friend I can talk to about my weight issues and share things with because the skinny folks just don't understand. lol K So let's buddy up I need some motivation and a slap in the face!!!

[koalas_momma]

Hi....I'm Chelsea. I just started here tonight. I'm also 21 and I have a 1 year old. I work two jobs and go to nursing school. I want to lose 65 pounds (yikes....I always just said "about 50") I don't live close to you, but none of my friends here want to own up to their problems......just gripe about them.....I can't wait around any longer! I wanna get motivated!

[CajunMomma]

Hey Chelsea. Did you gain weight after your pregnancy? I didn't really gain any and I had lost all what I put on but it just went to my stomach and hip area. It's like all the stress I have is keeping it there. My freakin body shape changed
I can see how you need motivation. It is going to be pretty hard trying to eat healthy with 2 jobs and school and a child. What do you normally do for your meals? My Boyfriend works alot and goes offshore so alot of times I won't cook while he's gone. No use messing up a kitchen just for me to eat and my little girl to peck at. I usually pick something up like fried chicken and fries, burger meal, sub, fajita salad. I have been trying to eat the healthier ones now and trying to cook a little more. I buy chicken breasts (boneless skinless) and cook those and a vegetable when I do cook for just myself. Now when my boyfriend is home it's another story. We eat bar-b-que, steaks, alot of stuff you probably wouldn't know about since you don't live here like gumbo and etouffe (rice and gravy stuff) I don't eat alot of junk food unless I all of a sudden crave it which is once every few weeks and then I go all out and buy chips and dip and oreos and stuff like that. Since I live in my own house and do the grocery shopping it's ALOT easier staying away from foods like that and it also helps my girls to eat a little better. We go out to eat alot too while he is home which is puttin a hurtin on our checkbook so I wanna try to cut that out. I would say I can share some good cajun recipes with you but they are all really high in fat. All the gravies we cook are drenched in cooking oil. That's how I gained 40 pounds since being with my boyfriend because his mom cooks in 3 inches of cooking oil I swear. My b/fs sister's boyfriend (haha) was one of those skinny people who could eat and eat and never gain weight until he started eating there alot too and he also gained 40 pounds.
Where do you live? What kind of work do you do? Girl I don't know how you have the time to do all that and still keep sane. It is so frustrating at times having a kid and priorities when all your friends are going out and having fun. It doesn't seem like you have time for FUN... and I really don't either.
I was in school when my little girl was 7 months and I had to stop cuz I didn't have anyone to watch her while I studied and stuff. I was going for teaching and I stopped one day when I babysat 2 other kids and had my own. I just don't have patience with other kids anymore. They are getting to be so bad. These kids were 11 and 9 too.
So I love looking at houses and selling things and I got my real estate license. It was a 2 week course and I love it. It is very easy and a good job.
I am glad you replied. Thank you. Now let's see if you read all this mumbo jumbo
My yahoo messenger name is jmbandssb and AIM is rockyluvr02. I don't get on much because I am trying to stay off the computer for hours at a time. lol
I guess you can tell that it isn't working but hopefully this time will be positive time spent lol

[koalas_momma]

Well, right now I'm an LPN working on my RN. It's so hard right now, but I'll get through it. My husband has been out of the Marines for almost a year now, and we moved to Illinois. I think it's harder to eat good because he's at home all the time now (although he starts college Tuesday). I work midnights doing private duty (I'm actually at work now). I used to be thin and wear nice clothes and makeup and get my hair and nails done all the time, but since being married and having a baby, I don't do any of it. I think getting married made me ugly HAHA Anyways, I'm trying a "No diet diet" I'm just going to increase my fiber and only eat when I'm hungry. If I want something to eat, I'll get a glass of skim milk. (which is all I can handle) I eat so much bad stuff....mac and cheese, chip beef gravy (my fav), grilled cheese, and we have hamburger every supper, unless we have cheese pizza (like that's so much better) We eat a lot of Barbeque. My husband was stationed in NC, and we had good ol Carolina Barbeque. YUM
Anyways, I haven't gained much weight after pregnancy, a few pounds here and there, but I'm still about the same as I was after I had the almost 10 pound kid and lost all the water weight. I don't see my son as much as I'd like, and to go to a gym for 1/2 hour a day just doesn't seem right. My fun is spending time with my son and forgetting about the dishes and laundry. I get laundry done....just not put away.....then kick myself because I have to iron it all. hehe
Anyways, I don't have yahoo or AIM (here or at home), but you can email me! I need to do something.....even my fat clothes are too small.

[CajunMomma]

I just wrote this long freakin' paragraph and accidently pressed a button on the keyboard and all my stuff was lost, haha. So let me start all over again but sum it up cuz I'm sure you wouldn't want to read all of that lol
My friend got in her comfort zone after having a boyfriend and didn't care what she looked like anymore. She weighs about 300lbs now. She doesn't wear makeup and barely brushes her hair. It kinda bothers me because I try to look good for my boyfriend so he compliments me and then it gives me confidence to try to lose weight.
Try to put some makeup on just because and see if you get any compliments. It will definately give you a boost.
I think that you are probably burning enough calories if you arent gaining any weight now and eating all that food, haha. Changing what you eat some will make a big difference. Don't limit yourself that much to milk, lol. When I try doing that I give up and pig out because my body craves food so much.
I was on a diet and lost 13 lbs from it in 6 weeks and had sooo much energy from eating the right foods. It felt really nice. I gained all of it back because I started my period and didn't stop for 2 months! My hormones went whacko and I craved chocolate and ate so much...and I craved sweets and then something salty. It sucked really bad because I gained all of it back. I just couldn't help but to eat those foods because my body was screaming for it. I'm not going back on the diet because it was very difficult to follow so I am taking a prescription diet aid to help me with energy.
It bothers me that you said you are ugly now!! I seriously doubt that! You have to have some confidence!!! And you should because let me tell you why
You sound like a wonderful loving mother and devoted wife. Look at all you have accomplished! Working, school, a child, a husband...Most people your age can't handle all of that. You have alot going for you. Nursing is an excellent career choice. You can go anywhere and get a job with nursing. Just look you could have given up when you got pregnant but you are still working at it! I think you will lose the weight. Just look at all what you've been through. Think about yourself and pamper yourself just one time and see how much confidence it gives you and how better you feel. Imagine yourself slimmer and sexier. I'm sure you can do it!

[koalas_momma]

Thanks. Sometimes, I just get frazzled, you know? Plus, it was the middle of the night. So anyways, I have been trying to do somethings for myself. I've gained 2 pounds over christmas and new years. I think it was partially because I didn't have school and got too bored. I'm going to try to drink more water!!!!!! My skin is so dry and my kidneys need to exercise too Anways, thanks for the encouragement. It was good to hear something nice. I know its a relly busy time for me, and its good to hear that someone else recognizes it

[CajunMomma]

Hey girl, No problem. I think water makes a really big difference. That is one of the major changes I did and I think it is really paying off. It is keeping me feeling full also and I'm not having hunger pains. I recognize everything cuz I've been through alot having 2 kids and going to school and working and all that but let me know of your progress! Look forward to hearing from ya!

[HarpoChicoGroucho]

Welcome "Mommas" and to answer your question about the treadmill, it's one of the best exercise machines you can get. I've even found it more effective then walking outside. Make sure you have a tv or music on, because it can get rather boring. Make sure you walk fast enough to keep within your target heart rate the whole time. When I first started, I could only walk on it 4 minutes at a time, and now I can do 3 miles with no problem. Good luck!

[CajunMomma]

That's great that you lost so much weight. Not only that you know you are alot healthier from how much you can walk. Good job! I was going to post a seperate thread on it to ask a few more questions, but did it help you lose inches all over or more in your legs and hip area? Thanks for the tips, I will keep that in mind if I decide to buy one!

[koalas_momma]

I have a stair stepper at work, but thats it. That's great you lost so much on a treadmill! Anyone have any luck with a bowfex? I have one, but we moved and I don't have any room for it, so I was wondering if I should sell it or not and maybe get a stationary bike.

[HarpoChicoGroucho]

I gain weight evenly, and I lose weight evenly as well, but the muscles in my calves are well defined now. They are MUCH smaller than before. I never measured inches, so I don't know how many inches I lost anywhere, but I've gone done from a size 26W to a size 18 in pants, and I can wear shirts in large. Koala --- my brother in law just slipped a disk using a Bowflex, so I don't know how safe they are. And stationary bikes are pretty ineffective from what I hear, unless you get a specific kind (the ones they use in 'spinning' classes) Going out and riding a bike is much more effective.

[LAnneCarrington]

I am totally addicted to Exercise TV (an on-demand cable channel in my area that I just discovered recently), which has every type of exercise routines from 10-minute body workouts to Tai Chi to kickboxing and aerobics, among other things. I have to really watch food intake, especially when I am stressed and/or bored. As a freelance writer, I work a lot from home, so I find if I don't have some kind of daily routine in place, I find myself out of the loop and yes..heading to the kitchen. Thank goodness I now have seedless grapes around instead of Reese's Mini-Cups. LOL.

[CajunMomma]

Thanks for the information. I think I may check into a couple treadmills. I don't like sitting down doing exercises yet I don't like aerobics because I never stick to them. I have a lateral thigh strider. That thing is a big joke.
Chelsea since you work in a hospital you ought to go up and down the stairs when you get breaks. That would be good exercise while you're at work.
LAnne I know what you mean about going to the kitchen. I do it all the time. Now I am starting to go to drink a glass of water instead of anything else. Thats why I think a treadmill would be good for my boredom.
HarpoChico That's a really awesome achievement! We are about the same size.
I hope we can all lose the rest of the weight together!