[BayouMermaid]

Hi,

I am trying to lose 100 pounds. I started having hormonal problems at 23 and have had weight fluctuations ever since. I went up to 180 and down to 92. I finally reached a happy medium of 115...then I got pregnant with triplets. I ended up with twins boys who are awesome forces - whether for good or evil remains to be determined. All I know is that my living room and kitchen look like we were robbed by inconsiderate burglars on a daily basis!

I gained 60 pounds with them and lost almost 20 at their birth. THEN, I had to have knee surgery to put my leg back together and ended up having to stop the breast feeding (a whole other issue) and being almost immobile for 8 weeks. I quickly out the 20 back on and somehow managed to multiply that until I am now 100 pounds overweight. I have never been so uncomfortable (well, the last 4 or so weeks of pregnancy might be tie) and felt so unhealthy in my life.

I have tried Weight Watchers, but I couldn't stick with it. I have a thing against using fake sugars and oils. Frankly, they taste terrible. I also don't have a lot of time. The boys are constantly on the verge of imminent death - or so it seems. *sigh*

My husband could stand to lose about 30 or so pounds. I just worry about our health more than the way we look. I know what weight I felt "best" at and would like to get there. The added benefit of getting my wardrobe back would be an awesome bonus!

So, I am starting the Power 90 workout (which may, in fact, kill me) and am looking into Shapely Secrets. I cannot afford gym prices and don't have a babysitter or family to watch the boys to *go* to the gym. I really want to be able to play outdoor sports with the little boys and not be one of those moms that sit on their bottoms and can't participate. Plus all thos studies that show that children of obese parents become obese have scared the heck out of me.

Any suggestions would be gratefully taken in!!

Thanks,
Kim

[BlzMaxGnrCCJkMly]

[Lovely]

Check the site out, post where you're comfortable. There's the 100lb club! A very friendly area There are many natural sweeteners out there, so no need to eat fake ones. Honey, agave, stevia. All natural sweet sources.

Best of success!!!

[GrabTheBull]

Welcome, Kim! I have had a lot of success over the past month since joining here. I started a blog, and I've found it really helps. I receive daily reinforcement from blog buddies, plus I force myself to log everything I put into my mouth. Good luck!

-K

[ellis]

Welcome, Kim!
You've been through a lot.
What about starting with a few small changes that will positively affect the whole family? Trying out one or two new healthy recipes a week. Going for a walk in the evenings as a family. Bringing some healthy snacks into the house...

[BayouMermaid]

ellis,

Thanks - the really frustrating part is that we don't eat unhealthily. In fact, my husband and I are determined to be healthy for the boys as well as ourselves. The only snacks we have in the house are fruit, veggies and cheese. That way I am not eating something they cannot have. We sometimes splurge and have tortilla chips with salsa. Beverages are a water, milk, juice, unsweetened tea, and coke. Of course, the boys are allowed unlimited water and milk. We monitor juice because it's full of sugar and we'd rather have them eat the whole fruit. They don't have tea or coke, and I don't drink juice.
I do drink entirely too much coca-cola. It and bread are my two big vices.

Breakfast is usually a protein meal. I don't like oatmeal or other breakfast grains. Lunch is usually whatever I can scrounge for myself. And dinner is meat, vegetables and salad. There is usually a lot of bread in my day. It's fast and easy to do. I know I should take time for myself and actually eat, but I just don't have time. I also don't generally eat the same thing s the boys eat at lunch time - so, it's like fixing 2 meals instead of one! I think it's an organizational thing. Or maybe it's that I am always exhausted. I didn't used to have this problem. People tell me to expect it as I get older, but I am 38 years old...not 100!! I really think I feel this way because I am so heavy. I don't get any exercise (other than chasing two 2.5 year olds around) and have some really bad self-image issues that have cropped up over the last 2 years.

I gained weight on Weight Watchers. I don't know that I like nutri-systems or Jenny Craig like diets due to the fakeness of the ingredients. I also want to do something that will be a change and not just a diet. SO, I just got the power 90 (the regular one, not he 90x that would kill me) and am going to try that - I will try to keep a food log and we are going to spend the weekends cooking and making our own frozen dinners. I used to cook for a living and have some great recipes that are very healthy that freeze really well. It's just getting the time to actually DO it.

I devised a diet for my mom last year that lost her some significant weight as well as lowering her cholesterol and blood pressure. If I had the time to cook like that, we'd be in great shape ... so to speak..

Thanks!
Kim

[AussieDaria]

I know I was really horrified to find out how many kilojoules/calories are in bread. One of the easiest 'fixes' you can make to your normal diet is to look at how you're using bread and find a replacement.

For example, I'm a huge fan of toasted sandwiches. It was simplicity itself to substitute a low-cal wrap for the two slices of bread - and just that change was enough to halve the calories!

Another easy change is to cook meals that are filling and easy, but low on the 'extras' that add huge calorie bumps to the meal. For example, when you make a quiche, go heavy on the eggs! Believe it or not, they're not that high in calories when compared to the 'satiation factor' you get from eating them. The calories in quiche are mostly in the pastry base and the cheese...so do away with those entirely. It's not necessary at all; quiche cooks perfectly fine without any base. (I've seen recipes that suggest using things like wraps/mountain bread for a base...ugh, no thanks. I'd rather do without entirely, thank you, than have a sub-par substitute.) Also, it genuinely doesn't require cheese - but if you totally need cheese, use low-fat for that; it's one of the few meals that low-fat cheese doesn't actually taste bad in, IMO.

You can make personal mini-quiches in a muffin tray; it's simplicity itself. I break an egg into each (large) muffin slot, then stir in finely-diced capsicum, onion, spinach, mushrooms...whatever happens to be in my fridge. Bake for 25 mins at 180C (I have no idea what this is in fahrenheit) and bam! Almost-instant, individual serving portions with (get this) only about 400kj (100 calories) per serve. And they are super-filling; if you jam enough veggie quotient in there, you'll find that it can be a struggle to get through two. (Best part? They're portable - handy for taking to work - and quite tasty cold, too, if you can't find a microwave. If the kids like them cold, they can take them to work for school lunches.)

Anyway, I know how it is to be eating more or less healthy food and still having a weight problem; for me, the turning point - other than being diagnosed and treated for polycystic ovaries - was realising that it wasn't so much what I ate, as when I ate it. Don't eat big meals at night, when you're going to sleep - if you find you're hungry late at night, keep diet jello in the fridge ... or even normal jello, though be advised that might cause a sugar spike that'll send you running for sweets.

Anyway, hopefully you'll find some good advice here, or at least some moral support to help you in your quest. Welcome, and good luck!

[wkgirl]

Hi and welcome!!
it sounds like you have been through a lot in a short time...
How old are your boys? Do they enjoy going outside?
What is YOUR favourite way to work out/exercise?
When you lost all that weight before, how did you do it?
I am a SAHM of 2 boys, and i find it hard to make the time to exercise, even though i really enjoy my time when i do it.