Thats how I'm feeling today, I just want to be THERE now! I know I'm pretty impatient, and thats always been a huge struggle for me.. I want what I want and I want it NOW! I've been plugging away at this since mid- January and I've lost 14 pounds - impressive for me. I feel good, some of my clothes are fitting better.. this is all fine and dandy. But I just don't SEE it, I feel really fat and ugly. I need to feel better about my body and myself, but I just don't know HOW.

Another huge thing for me is that I had planned to do this 10km run in April, but haven't been able to get out for runs to train for it. I feel like such a loser, and not in the good way. If this goal was SO important to me, how come I can't manage to diet AND run?? I keep thinking that once I manage to "even out" with the diet aspect - but quitting sugar and wheat (I'm allergic to both) is incredibly hard, and every day can be a struggle.

Wow, I didn't know this post was going to go this way, I think I was ignoring the running thing and making excuses. I guess it bothers me more than I actually realized.

Any tips on how to work fulltime, diet, AND exercise?!? I just can't seem to find the right balance to get them all in. Thanks in advance!

-Aimee

I'm in a similar situation as you. I work, go to school, have a social life and still need to make sure I have time to work out and constantly watch what I eat. I think the key is planning well... not such great advice but it's the best I have. Every week I modify my schedule to fit it all in, sometimes that means I have to get up extra early to hit the gym or do homeowrk on my lunch break, but in the end it will all be worth it (at least that's what I keep telling myself). We will always have our good days and our bad days that will never go away happens to everyone on the planet. Keep your chin up knowing you are doing the best you can!

Aimee,
I think we're stuck in the same rut!
It seems like I can only really stay on top of my nutrition when I'm slacking at the gym, and when I work out I eat more. I'm a runner too, if you want we could keep track of each other and it might just keep our chubby legs moving! You're planning on doing bloomsday right? We can work towards it together

Let me know. And keep your head up, 14 lbs is really awesome; good job!

Allergic to sugar? That's a bit unusual (well, who am I to say, there are folks out there allergic to sunlight and even water - for the latter they can only handle it in milk-form!)

A few things to help you rev up for running when the time comes is go to the gym/Y and treadmill (some of the larget ones may even have an indoor track) - or you can get a cardio DVD and work out in the living room and help you prep until it's a bit warmer.

I'm in a similar situation as you (fulltime job, formerly fulltime job + grad school and boy did I let myself go then!) -- but I find time to exercise after work (great stress relief), if you're tired take a little nap first before exercise. As for food, I just count calories and eat a varied diet so it's not particularly complicated (to be on the safe side I also take a multivitamin).

hi swim, congratulations on you loss! that is wonderful! Know what you mean about the impatientce and "wanting it here and now" If only we could all wave a magic wand! Your doing terrific! don't lose sight of your goals. Take it step by step, concentrating on each and ever day! at least that's how I do it, sometimes it can be overwhelming to think too far ahead. I have my ups and downs, even when im doing good! god, some days, its like ohhhhhhhhhh, you know what I mean? Then i have to remind myself, step by step, day by day! sounds like you had a bad day, regardless of your success (and its been great) sounds like your just having one of those godforsaken awful days! lol your doing great, keep at it, and with time, with each and every passing day or weeks, you will feel so much better


another thing, I'm just going to come right out and say it. THis april run sound like it got you down girl, who says you can't do it? so what if you havn't so called trained for it yet? lol buckle up! get ready and go, THis is very important to you, clearly!. forget the lingo of " i cant do it" you can and you will! of course you can! this is so important to you and so good i think for your overall plan so I would focus on making it number one! seriously! screw the housework for now, lol, let all else aside. THis is YOUR TIME. Start the so called training that you mention and get ready girl! You can do it. do some mind work , convince yourself, **** , say ok thats it, o matter what .........im doing the april run! and go for it! train baby, train! and for gods sake dont feel yo havnt trained enough, make up your mind that your going to do that april run no matter what! and beleive me!, with that tude in place, you will train. I want to see you kick butt on this thing let me know how your doing okay? you are doing awesome girl, keep up the great work :

hi swim, congratulations on you loss! that is wonderful! Know what you mean about the impatientce and "wanting it here and now" If only we could all wave a magic wand! Your doing terrific! don't lose sight of your goals. Take it step by step, concentrating on each and ever day! at least that's how I do it, sometimes it can be overwhelming to think too far ahead. I have my ups and downs, even when im doing good! god, some days, its like ohhhhhhhhhh, you know what I mean? Then i have to remind myself, step by step, day by day! sounds like you had a bad day, regardless of your success (and its been great) sounds like your just having one of those godforsaken awful days! lol your doing great, keep at it, and with time, with each and every passing day or weeks, you will feel so much better


another thing, I'm just going to come right out and say it. THis april run sound like it got you down girl, who says you can't do it? so what if you havn't so called trained for it yet? lol buckle up! get ready and go, THis is very important to you, clearly!. forget the lingo of " i cant do it" you can and you will! of course you can! this is so important to you and so good i think for your overall plan so I would focus on making it number one! seriously! screw the housework for now, lol, let all else aside. THis is YOUR TIME. Start the so called training that you mention and get ready girl! You can do it. do some mind work , convince yourself, **** , say ok thats it, o matter what .........im doing the april run! and go for it! train baby, train! and for gods sake dont feel yo havnt trained enough, make up your mind that your going to do that april run no matter what! and beleive me!, with that tude in place, you will train. I want to see you kick butt on this thing let me know how your doing okay? you are doing awesome girl, keep up the great work :

Hey Swimgirl, sorry to hear you're feeling down! I really enjoy your posts, BTW.

Well, I work full time also, and I always thought I didn't have time to exercise, but it turns out I do. I've made it happen. Seems like once I decided to take the time, just a little time, there it was. Start with something you can do, like a half an hour walk or run or jog (I don't run myself, so I don't know what you would do) either before you go to work or during lunch or after work. I remember this one guy I knew, he would change into gym clothes at lunch and go out and run up and down the multilevel parking garage dribbling a basketball. Then he would change back and eat his lunch. Now that's more than I could ever do, but it shows he got creative about it.

Losing 14 more pounds is great, and I know what you mean about wanting it to be DONE for crying out loud!!! But keep going! You'll see the difference, hang in there!

Jay

Aimee your doing great and you know that.

There is always time for exercise! get up early hehe

When you hit 199 im coming to visit you and were going shopping!

I was just thinking about this this morning. I work 7-3:30 and I have a 20 minute drive to and from work. I get up at 5:20 or so the way it is to get myself and my kids ready to go. I don't get home until 4 and then I sit down and talk to them about their day and it's time to make dinner. After dinner is cleaned up it's bath time and bed time. By then I'm ready to drop wherever I land. I am certain I can't exercise at 9 at night. I'm too pooped....and it will only make me not want to go to bed which I need to do. I am thinking about getting up at 5 and getting in at least most of my WATP video. It's not appealing to me but what else can I do?

On second thought, I think I'll just do this until it gets nicer and then I'll go for a walk with my kids and they can tell me about my day while we are out. That sounds MUCH better.

Oh, sorry I turned this into a post about myself! Congrats on the 14 pounds. That's awesome! I can't wait to hit 14 pounds lost!

We actually talked about this, the "I want to be there NOW!" thing, in today's WW meeting. It does get to be a slog ... and the results are not close enough ... But someone in our group pointed out that we ALL do things that take way more time than our weight-loss programs: we hold down jobs, we get college degrees, we raise children, and in those things we don't expect results today, we know it will take years to achieve what we are aiming for. This is one more long-term program.

I'm 51 and my goal is to get Lifetime Member status at WW, so I guess I think this is going to be a constant in my life for years to come. That helps me re-focus when I get impatient.

Now, spring -- I want that NOW! Get this winter out of here! That's my instant-gratification wish of the day. LOL!

Aimee, I understand wanting to be at goal and wanting it today You're doing wonderfully though, you really are. It's hard to do this I think because on one hand we try to be conscious about our food with every bit we eat, we try to exercise and schedule that in, we (or at least I) spend a lot of time thinking about my weight loss each day, every day. So there's that, but then along the same lines we try not to obsess about our weight and focus on it too much, which I find so hard to do! Thank heavens I don't have a scale at home. Then there's the amount that we want to lose and all of that - TIME. People say that we didn't put this weight on overnight and it won't come off overnight either. I totally get that, but I also wish it was easier with this time thing.

I wanted to say something more enlightening or witty, but I guess what I want to say is that I understand Keep working on it though because there will be days when the time will pass more quickly with everything else you're doing, the season will change, and you will be so glad you kept at it.

Tips for exercise - fit it in when and where you can. It's ideal to have a consistent routine, X days a week, X time each day, etc. If that works for you, then that's awesome. If it doesn't though, then 1) try to be more active in general - take the stairs, park farther - I know they're little things but every little bit helps I think and they add up overtime and 2) exercise when you can. Maybe that means during the weekend or another time. Maybe it means a 15 minute walk instead of 45 minutes at the gym... simply said, do whatever you can Also, people say that weight training builds muscle which burns more calories than fat, though I don't know if you are specifically aiming for cardio and its overall benefits.

Wow - thanks for all the replies. It's nice to hear I'm not alone! There is maybe 1 person in my day to day life thats trying to lose weight, and I don't get to see her that often, so I do feel alone in this a lot.

Exercise is definitely a huge struggle for me, I start with great intentions to get up early and then am SO tired I just reset my alarm for more sleep. I have started doing pushups and crunches at night, and at work on my second 30 minute break I walk from my end of the mall to the exact opposite for my regular coffee (normally I'd go to the place right by my work).

Running is definitely a passion - so I am going to make that my commitment on my days off from work. It's been hard with all this rainy, or rather POURING rain days.. I don't do the gym thing, mostly because of the cost. Who wants to dish out 120 bucks a month for a membership?!?

Jen - Bloomsday is also a goal of mine. I get that same thing - when I'm running I eat more, and I eat more of the foods I shouldn't be. I figure that I *need* the energy from the bread/sugar to get me going, and then it gives me SUCH stomach aches that I can't end up going for the run.

JayEll - thanks! It's nice to hear people actually READ what I say! Sometimes it feels easy to get lost in this board. I appreciate the feedback!

I will find a way to do this.. I mean I have to. This weight IS going to come off, and I want to find some sexy muscles under it! Thanks again everyone, I really do appreciate all the posts!

-Aimee