Hi All,

I'm at the beginning of a major life change... I HAVE to change my nutritional and fitness habits! For ME, and my family. I have 4 kiddos, the last three were born within 3 1/2 years...so no time for Mom for many years! Thankfully, I didn't gain much with pregnancies, and always returned to pre-preg weight within a few weeks. Unfortunately, I was 100 pounds overweight to begin with! My baby is now 18 months, and weaned 3 months ago, so I don't have the nursing factor to consider any more. And, we are officially done, so I can lose the weight without a pregnancy/nursing pause.

Anyway, after that long intro...I have a long way to go-105 pounds, and have had a really hard time gaining motivation. I'm hoping that I can use this forum as a source of accountability. I've read many of the success stories and have been truly encouraged.

I am planning to use the Body for Life program and want to incorporate weight training. Initially, because I am so out of shape, I'm planning on taking lots of walks with my kids.

I'm turning 40 this December and want to give myself a great gift of better health!

Looking forward to being here!

Jolaha. You'll get lots of support and motivation here. Looking forward to getting to know you.

you must be EXHAUSTED!!!

Welcome Jolaha!

I joined a week ago because I also need accountability. I know what to do to lose weight, I just need to know somebody's paying attention to whether or not I actually do it.

Welcome!!!!

I'm so glad you've found 3FC. It's a phenomenal place for support, encourgement, advice and yes - accountability.

It sounds like you've got lots going on at home. G-d bless you!!!! 3 in 3 1/2 years. WoW! Are there twins involved? It sounds like you can really use and benefit from some YOU time. Just remember that taking care of yourself, making yourself and your health a number 1 priority will not only GREATLY benefit you, but your family and everything around you as well. A happier and healthier you makes everything run more smoothly and makes those difficult times a bit less trying. You know what they say, "If mom ain't happy, ain't no one happy".

Good luck to you. You can do this. Without a doubt. I look forward to hearing lots more from you and hearing about your progress.

Welcome to the group. Wow 4 kids, you must be tired. Good luck on your weight loss and I look forward to reading your success story.
cheryl

Welcome! Wow, 4 kids!

Looking forward to getting to know you around the boards.

Lynn

"3 in 3 1/2 years. WoW! Are there twins involved? It sounds like you can really use and benefit from some YOU time."

Nope...no twins. #1 DD was 3 when #2 DS was born...15months then #3 DS...27months til #4 DD.

So YES, I can really use some ME time. But I truly love being home with my kids. We homeschool, so we are together 24/7, which on most days is a really good thing!

But, I am EXHAUSTED most of the time. This as much as my health is a huge motivator. I want to really be there for my kids, being able to have fun and run & play. Right now, by the time the afternoon hits, I'm pretty much spent for the day!

Thanks for all the welcomes! And Robin...your before/after photos are awesome! 40 weeks???? Do you have your story posted here somewhere? I'd love to hear about your journey.

Blessings,

Laura

Wow I could barely handle 2.... and i was 25 at the time i'm impressed I so could not do it at 40!

and welcome...

Thank you sooo much.

I was amazed, just simply amazed at how much more energy and stamina I have now. I used to practically pass out on the couch by 3 PM every afternoon. My hubby now calls me the energizer bunny. I don't stop for a second. It's just the greatest. I only wish I would have done it when my kids were younger.

I'm sure I've posted my story enough times to make everyone a bit ill . I just can't find one right now. Oh well. When I hit goal and I WILL hit goal, I will write up my whole long winded story in detail with new before and goal pics.

For now I dug up this I from an old thread though, it was titled something like "Secrets for Success".

A few things that have helped me so far:

-Planning, planning and then planning some more. I NEED to know what's on the menu and to know that I have healthy, TASTY food coming my way. This also involves keeping a well stocked house. In the beginning it meant emptying the house of all junk. My 3 teenagers and 1 DH no longer let me do this as much. Oh well.
-In the beginning - no eating out. And now, just a rarity.
-Drinking lots of water. It keeps me hydrated, keeps my mouth busy, keeps me full. It satisfies me.
-Looking at this as what I am going to GAIN, not LOSE by giving up the high calorie/high quantity of foods
-Keeping a journal. Especially in the beginning, this was VITAL. Whenever I would want to breakdown and eat something - I would turn to my journal and read/write the reasons why I am doing this.
-It's really important to be honest with yourself. So I think for me, calorie counting is the only way to go. Just cutting back didn't work for me. Neither did just elminiating the junk. I NEED to set limits and tracking those pesky little calories keeps me honest with exactly what's going into my body. For me it is the ONLY way. Those little suckers really, really add up.
-When getting off track, it is mucho, mucho important to put it past you and get right back on the band wagon. Slip ups are bound to happen and luckily we don't have to be perfect. There IS room for error. The less errors though......
-I think someone's already said this, make exercise like brushing your teeth and doing the laundry - you don't HAVE to like it, you just HAVE to do it. Not doing it was NOT an option for me.
-I had to put my weightloss front and center, something very difficult for women and mothers. I had to really, really focus on it. ALthough it might have been selfish, in the long run - it benefits everyone and everything around you. There is not one person in the family who will not benefit from my being healthier and HAPPIER.
-Yes, it's calories in vs. calories out, but I knew I had to make those calories nutrient rich. For so many reasons. Fiber keeps you fuller longer as does protein. That's a GOOD thing. I like volume (recognizing my weaknesses), so for me vegetables makes perfect sense. So I eat lots and lots and lots of them.
-Yes, everything in moderation. BUT in the beginning, that wouldn't have worked for ME. I had to completely and totally do without. I didn't know from moderation. That's why I was 287 lbs. I had to totally and completely give up the sugar, flour, pasta, chocolate, bread, rice, cakes, cookies and stuff. Not even the 100 calorie packs. Not even brown rice. Just inviting those into my diet was an invitation to start the cravings going. Plus it just put me in the wrong frame of mind. Frame of mind is very, very important to me. And most importantly - I overeat them. I just don't have much control with them, it's a weakness of mine. So therefore I had to elminiate it. Even in the beginning when I refused to touch any of the stuff, it didn't matter to me. I did NOT feel deprived. I felt EXCITED that I was taking such good care of myself and an end to my unhealthy, inactive life was in the near future.
-Don't be afraid of the scale. It's just a tool. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't move in the right direction sometimes. IF you eat right and exercise you most DEFINITELY WILL lose the weight. Especially when starting out at such high weights. It's a given. It is the one advantage the morbidly obese have. So when I had a slow week, I really, really had to tell myself this.
-But you must be HONEST with yourself. Really, really honest. You can't expect the scale to magically move down, if you haven't eaten right and exericsed. It just doesn't work that way.

Thanks for sharing your story rockinrobin. There are some great tips in there!

Molly there were lots of good tips in there from everybody. Here's a link to the thread:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109574

Hi and

You know, Robin, in another post you mention that "exercise is like doing the dishes," and in this one, you say it's like "doing the laundry." I've got to say - I admire you even more now than before. I do my dishes most days, but not all. And laundry? I am the queen of laundry pile-up. What an amazing woman you are if you are disciplined enough to complete those tasks on a daily basis!

Welcome to the forum jolaha!! I hope you make yourself set aside some 'me' time - you'll have so much more energy after you lose a few pounds and start incorporating some type of exercise into your day which will ultimately benefit not only yourself, but your family also!! I look forward to seeing more posts from you.