These past few days (Friday-Monday) I have been awful! Haven't stuck to my plan and haven't worked out. I am determined to do this though. I've been babysitting a lot so "bored eating" has been a problem. today I brought more snacks (fruits) so that hopefully I can stay on plan. I normally like going to the gym in the AM but I have been babysitting early morning to evening and then I am so wiped out I just go home and sleep. ugh.

Looking forward to better days ahead.

Making it to the gym with time constraints can be a killer. Many gyms are open pretty late during the week though so even making it there and working out for 30 minutes at 9:00PM is still beneficial. The toughest part is just getting over there. =3 The accomplished feeling when ya leave is the best though!

Everyone has slip ups. The main thing is that you are not giving up and are getting back on the horse. You have got this.

your doing great with bringing some healthy snacks along with you to babysitting! i used to babysit too and all those yummy snacks were always around. if you can get away from them, but some peanut butter on your fruit! its amazing. and since you are tired when you get home, yoga at home can be great for you. i get home late all the time and i am so tired, yoga really helps me!

Other than packing your meals and snacks (if it's a long day), you could try chewing gum when you're serving the kids their food, especially if it's munchy kind of food that seems tempting. Another option is to take the kids out for a walk to the playground (if they're an appropriate age). Then you all get some fresh air and you get a little bit of movement in!

Thanks everyone! I just now saw this! I will definitely be trying out some of these.

How old are the children you babysit? Would it be possible to exercise while babysitting by including the children and making it a game? To get ideas do some internet searches for "mom exercise with baby" or "mom exercise with toddler" (you're the babysitter, not the mom but so what?). If the children aren't big enough to follow along with free-form calisthenics or an exercise DVD (you should be able to borrow one from the library if you don't own any) why not just put on some music and tell them you're having a dance party? You could play tag with the kids or some other activity that keeps all of you moving and burning calories.

If those things aren't options, exercise while the children nap. Sit ups, crunches, leg lifts, pilates, yoga are all forms of exercise that burn calories and build muscle without requiring a lot of space or being noisy.

Bringing your own snacks is a great idea. Make sure you track your foods and think about what you can have for low-fat protein that will fill you up and give you energy to chase the little ones around.

It's great that you're looking for options and not just giving up. Keep up the great work. You're doing great.

Worththeeffort2 -- Those are fantastic suggestions! I will definitely try it Usually it's a 5 year old and 6 month old but school has but kind of ridiculous so sometimes I have all 3 (an 8 year old too).

This thread is giving me a little goggle. We are compulsive eaters. Of course we think the solution is in food! Of course, our disease is telling you that playing meal plan games or compulsively eating fruit is the solution. That's what we compulsive eaters do.

Of course, we also know, deep down, that eating differently is not the solution because food was never the real problem. Deal with the boredom directly. Don't put food between you and your feelings about your job. Use your higher power to get through it.