Okay, let me see if I can keep this brief. I am 27 years old. I have got five young childen and only two go to any kind of school. I go to school online myself taking 7 courses and taking care of house and home. My husband works construction, so by the time he gets home, he is ready to just sit back and relax and his patience level is usually pretty thin (working with your brother can do that to you) so its not feasible for him to watch the kids right off. By the time he gets to where he can move around again, there are things he needs to do around the house, so he can't watch the kids while I get in a workout. I can't afford a babysitter even to help me with that issue. Then, there is the issue of my eating. First off, due to be so busy, I have a very irregular eating schedule (yes I know this is bad for a dieter) and I absolutely hate most all health foods. I like russet potatoes and corn as far as veggies are concerned. I like to eat meat but by the time I cook it, I don't really feel like eating it. When I am able to eat, I don't eat much even when its foods that I love. Now, don't misunderstand me, I'm not starving myself. I just can't seem to get everything in my life organized and prioritized right so that I can do what I want to do! I desperately want to get rid of this excess weight. But I don't know how to settle the chaos in my life to do it! I am going to go back down to 4 classes online after this semester, but I don't want to keep saying "Well, when this happens, then I'll start getting in shape". That leads to nowhere. There will never be a perfect time, so Im asking for any tips on helping me with this. I already know I should eat more regular, but as far as what I eat, I have not found ANY way to cook veggies to where I like them unless its something like a cup of broccoli and 4 slices of American cheese! I'm my own worst enemy alright and common sense and logic doesn't seem to help me. I've made plan after plan, wrote it down, and everything else! UGH!

Im suprised you are not thin, just from never having time to eat with your busy life! The key is to just breathe, and I know it seems hard, but you are your number 1. Not the kids, or the husband. If you dont care for yourself, how can you care for them? Take one day and one meal at a time. Spaghetti for example. Everyone loves to eat that. Make your own sauce. It´s easy, pu a few (or a can) of diced tomatoe some shredded carrot and cubes of zucchini and onion. Cook it all together and add your spice and you will never be able to taste the veg, and it is really healthy. Trade out all the white bread/rice and pasta in your house to brown. little things work wonders.

Good luck and welcome!

With your busy schedule, I wouldn't worry so much about finding time to exercise just now. Start with the diet, which is 80% of weight loss anyway.

Calorie counting means you can eat what you want, it just has to fall within your allotted calories for the day. So don't stress so much about your veggie problem, instead focus on fruits at the moment. Get your 5-10 fruits and veggies with lower cal fruits though - like berries, canteloupe, papaya, citrus fruits etc. Even if you start with making 5 a day your goal!

Another great idea to start to incorporate more vegetables into your life is to make soups out of them. Puree them into a smooth consistency after cooking - maybe start with a basic carrot or tomato soup. My oldest son (who is EXTREMELY picky about vegetables) will eat virtually any veg in soup - as long as it's pureed. It's really a textural thing for a lot of people.

Anyhow, this is within your power, even with your time constraints. GL!

Have you thought about any sort of frozen meal delivery? Normally I don't think it's the best choice but I think in your case it could be the best option. You seem to have put an insane amount of pressure on yourself, I don't agree that you don't seem to ever get a break because he's in construction. Do you have other family to help? 5 small kids and full-time school is a lot more difficult than a full-time standard "job".

Aside from practical solutions such as meal delivery, I think a major life overhaul will help. I can't imagine sitting down to go to the bathroom with your plate let alone trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Your stress must be through the roof.

You watch 5 small children all day everyday and have a course load. Make your husband watch the kids. Your job is much more stressful than his. And you don't get to leave and take a break to unwind like he does.

Wow 5 small children. I had a hard time with 2, you are a hero woman.
You have gotten some great advice. I will give you a few more budget friendly tips. As for not eating right or often enough, this is what I have found works for me when I am really busy on the weekends. I have found a protein powder that I like. In the blender I use the powder, frozen berries, ice and soy milk (silk). It is sooo yummy and fills me up. They are generally around 250-300 calories depending on what I add but I use it as a meal replacement or snack replacement. It really is quick to make.
For exercise, I have found some DVD's that break the exercises into 10min workouts. If you have 10 extra minutes, pop in a DVD and go to town. I bet your kids would love to work out with you.
Hang in there, you can do it!

My sister does this. Her kids (4 and 6) LOVE to do dance DVDs with her. She does Sean T's Rockin' Body, but if you have Netflix there are lots of dance workouts on there and your kids would probably really have fun dancing with you.

yeah this!!! It takes 2 honey! Your job is SO much harder! I commend you! Forget the exercise for now, your so busy, but you can plan your meals. Make the kids eat what you eat. Plan your meals for the week before you grocery shop and just buy what you need, and I'm sure you cook meals for dinner etc too right? So whenever your packing lunches, making breakfast etc. Cook for you and and everyone else. That way you know what your eating is healthy and your family will be eating it too. If hubby doesn't like it oh well, then tell him to watch the kids!

You are probably doing homework on your computer a lot right? Open another thread asking for easy meals, websites for diet friendly meals, etc. Then use that information as a resource to build you a menu plan. If you menu plan, then when you are stressed and in a hurry, you can quickly scan your choices and pick according to your energy that night. Make sure you have some choices that are quick meals (but better choices). It also saves you time in the grocery store. I tend to print the recipes as I go (for anything I found online) and put them in a folder with my menu. It doesn't take a long time to draft a grocery plan from it and it is easy to find when you are ready for a meal.

In the area I used to live in, one of the major grocery chains (Giant Eagle) had grocery delivery! It sounded expensive but it truly wasn't! I was very surprised! They also had like a 3 month free delivery charge (which was like $7 for $100 order!) when I signed up. It was just a little more limited. That particular store had a fabulous online system. Check your stores next time you go. A quick question like that never hurts. Ask the customer service desk.

Start with one thing. Learn to log and look at your foods. Then when you have a chance, start planning your meals. Next work in some walking or some exercises where your kids can join you. Don't forget to look back at your data every once in a while and look at what you are doing and think about how you can improve.

Mostly you have to have some plan. If you start too big, it will be too overwhelming. While you don't want to wait a year to move on to the next step, a few weeks getting used to a change might save your sanity. Gradually build.

Keep your online diary (whichever one you choose) open in a tab on your computer at all times. This will make it easier for you to log periodically in between spurts.

Remember that your poor eating habits and the foods you eat will influence your children when they are adults. Do you want them to be over weight and have food issues?

A great place to go for help getting organized around the house is www.flylady.com.

I am a SAHM to two very small kids. Fitting in exercise is NOT easy, I know. I set a reminder app on my phone that dings every hour during the day and reminds me to do a set of exercises (at 10am it's pushups, at 11am it's tricep dips, etc.). Actually doing the set of exercises takes like 30 seconds, and even a screaming baby can wait that long. It's not much and I wish I were doing more, but it's the best I can do right now. So maybe something like that would help?

Also, with spring/summer weather here, we'll be heading to the park now. "Playing" with the kids on the playground gives me a little burst of cardio/exercise. Everything helps, right?

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I will certainly put some thought into all of this! For now, I do have one small excursion planned. See, I LOVE to walk. I could walk all day, sometimes. I have managed 5 miles at one lick before. This weekend, my BFF and I are going to tackle an 8 mile nature trail! So excited about it! Even if we don't walk all of it, it'll just be great to get out and do SOMETHING. And thanks for the link to flylady.net, QuilterInVA. Just from looking at the homepage, it looks like exactly the website for my life!