[mdcampbell23]

O.K. here it goes I am a stay at home mom of 3. I do fill in at a job occasionally. I weigh 188 lbs. and am 5'2. Needless to say a little over weight. I don't want to be skinny but would love to lose between 45 and 50 lbs. I don't have the money to splurge on WW or jenny. To me with kids that would just be selfish at this time. I try to start exercising but after no results in 3-5 weeks ( I start off with the best of intentions) I give up!
What and how do you decide what you will do ? No one in my family has ever really dieted and exercise was not important.

HELP!!!

[707Goddess]

Im the same (sort of ) im not a stayhome mom but i am a mom of 4 and they do make me feel guilty about spending money on myself not on purpose but ya know what i mean anyways with that outta the way let me say to you that WW is not expensive if you can come up with 25-30 doollars get on ebay and buy the starter kit its all in there everything you need (and 3FC of course) i only went to one meeting and bought the starter so i could do it at home I cook all meals at home and no not healthy all the time BUT with WW and the flex point system YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING
well you can but you may not want to just cause you dont want to go over your points
sorry if this doesnt make since i just felt where you are 2 months ago and decided
IF IM NOT HAPPY HOW IS MY FAMILY GOING TO BE HAPPY............
now i have only been on 1 1/2 weeks but it's a start i actually feel like i have a purpose in life again .........
so sorry for rambling but i hope you find something that fits you and your life style

[707Goddess]

And sorry iforgot to say
and there is TONS....................... of support here

[mandalinn82]

Have you looked at the calorie counters forum here? Calorie counting is an easy, inexpensive plan, if only because you don't have to have information you have to pay to get...you can find calorie counts for foods, estimates for exercise, etc. all for free, here at 3FC and at other places online. You can use a free website, www.fitday.com, to track your daily calories and exercise so you can keep an eye on yourself. And for me and many others, calorie counting really *works*, and is adaptable to your food preferences, lifestyle, and even cooking for families.

In my experience, exercise without additional exercise doesn't do you much good in terms of weight loss, though it does make you healthier. You have to watch the calories you're putting into your body as well as the calories you're burning through exercise to really get results.

PM me if you have any additional questions about calorie counting, or check out the Calorie Counters forum for lots of recipes, tips, and other information you might find interesting.

Welcome to the forums!

[mdcampbell23]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I 'll check it all out. I cannot live like a tent anymore, I have got to change.

Melissa

[kateful]

I agree with the prior poster. Calorie counting is free. The battle of the bulge is won in the kitchen, not in the gym. I do believe that exercise is important. Very. Heart health and all that. However, every time I've tried to start a "diet/exercise" plan, it has failed because I burn myself out on the exercise thinking walking farther and faster is going to make me lose weight. In fact, when I do that, my loss usually stops. Don't know why.

Anyway, get moderate exercise--play with your kids, walk to the park, do a little weight training at home early in the mornings (dumbells are cheap at walmart) and eat fewer calories.

[TamiL]

I have to agree, counting calories is the cheapest way to go. I don't do much in the way of excercise other than walk the dog a few times a day. I used to walk alot farther but my weight wasn't moving off any faster. Now I do maybe a mile or two a day and watch what I eat. I've lost almost 50 pounds since the last week of April, my weight loss is getting very slow now because my body seems to like the weight I am at but its still coming off. Patience is the key here.