Late Fall Slump

[trinityroyal]

Help!

I'm slipping into the late fall slump, where I look out the window at the short grey days, and then sit on my ever expanding bottom.

I was doing so well for the first few months post-babies. Back to fighting trim, and getting out for walks with the babies almost daily.

Not anymore. I sit in the house, play with the babies, and eat WAY too much. And it's starting to have an effect on my body. I haven't gained a whole lot of weight, just a little bit, and I suspect some of it might be muscle from lifting my giant baby boy (14 lbs. already!!), but gosh.

So...I need help with motivation. I've been cooking a lot, so there's a lot of healthy food around. I've forbidden husband from indulging me with sweet or salty treats when I whine, so the temptation's not in the house. But how do I get up off my duff and start moving, when the days are grey and I'm so tired, and getting depressed about gaining weight (which makes me lazier and tireder, and less motivated)...

Any ideas?

Trinity

 

[KTMom91]

I know what you mean, Trinity. I need either a jump start or a swift kick. Because I was sick, I didn't go to the gym. It's been about a month now, and it's gotten cold, so the sundress I wore over my bathing suit isn't going to work any longer. BUT...all my sweats are in a dresser drawer that has stuff piled against it. I would have to clean up the pile to get to my sweats, and I can find lots of excuses for not cleaning up the pile.

I know I should go to the gym every day, I don't want to be diabetic or this heavy forever, I know I'm a stress eater and with Hubby possibly being laid off, I'm eating and eating and eating. We have a class reunion next year, I want to look good, I'm tired of my knees hurting...

Someone please come and kick me if I don't get to the gym on Monday. Please.

 

[Wiped Out]

I completely understand. The past two weeks I have only been to the club twice each week. I'm bound and determined to get back on track this week. I think the cold weather and short days makes it easy to get demotivated.

Maybe we can all encourage one another by posting more often. I know that at times when I know someone else is going out on days when I don't feel like going it will often motivate me as well to go.

 

[KTMom91]

I started clearing the pile, only to discover that the toy panthers had peed on it, apparently quite a while ago. The items are dry, but they STINK! Tossed a bunch of clothes in the washer...now I need to discover the true extent of the damage.

 

[Star*]

You want motivation girly? Or is that girley? girly,girley, girly, girley? I can't decide. You pick....but here is some motivation and a success story I'm finally happy to share. Putting tada first to truly motivate - TADA

I AM IN A SIZE 22-24 JEANS
MARCH 1, 2009 (280 lbs) ​

I AM IN A SIZE 12 JEANS
Nov. 1, 2009 (205 lbs)
​

I started eating breakfast EVERY morning.
I exchanged anything that had sugar in it for sugar free items.
I started eating less bread and pasta - if I do eat bread it's wheat and calorie reduced.
I went to 1% milk - actually when you start doing sugar free? Whole milk will taste too sweet.
I use a smaller plate and make 1/2 of my plate vegetables - steamed.
I have one portion of meat
I use Splenda Blend (I hate Splenda)
I still have my coffee with 1/2 & 1/2
I have a snack of 130 calories at 10 or so or a fruit like an apple cut up to make it seem like I'm having MORE - (hint)
I made sure that the crackers I have as snacks have no more that 4g of sugar. Like Wheat things - Artisan cheddar, Kami rice crackers (you can have 11 of the sesame kind), Sunchips - I think you can have 15 of those.
I have Weight Watchers Frozen dinner for lunch or a bologna and swiss on 45 calorie a slice bread, with a Jello sugar free jello for dessert
I have a snack around 3o PM like another bunch of grapes or another pack of crackers or some cheese cubes -
I have a nice dinner, and then have Jello Moose sugar free WITH SUGAR FREE HEAVY WHIP CREAM *mmmmm * and a glass of 1% milk
I drink WATER all day long - 4-6 bottles (I like Dasani I think it tastes best and treat myself to it)
and I don't eat ANYTHING after 7:00 PM - NOTHING.

THAT is a killer for women - eating after 7:00 - especially if you have issues with sugar. It takes your body about 12 hours to process the food you've eaten - if you keep eating after 7:00 - it's like trying to cram more paper in a shredder...that you never empty. What happens to the shredder????? Same thing happens to the body - (Its gotta go somewhere)

Other great hints - Frozen veggies are better than canned. Canned has higher sodium and sugar content to preserve it. Frozen can be microwaved - the equivalent of steamed.
There is a popcorn out now that is endorsed by Weight Watchers - in the right hand corner it says 1 point by WW. It's lower sodium and calories than other popcorn.

PRETZELS ARE HUGE WEIGHT GAINERS.......Salt, dough - bad bad bad.

Start reading the SERVING SIZES....and stick to the calories and Sugar grams.....Try to keep it under 20 grams of sugar a day.....to loose and at first try to keep it under 1600 - 2000 calories. You can get on the government web site to get a free calorie diet guide. I got mine by asking my doctor. But it had a lot of stuff that had sugar in it ......

Dropping Sugar and Starch which TURNS IN TO SUGAR - like potatos and pasta was key for me to drop weight. I'm not a big meat eater....so that wasn't a problem. Bread? Well I like bread....But I learned a saying here that I have kept on my fridge since the first time we opened healthy living.

NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS THIN FEELS.......

and whomever gave me that.....??? I love you very much and thank you so so much. It's helped in moments of weakness.

I've also found Sugar free candy at Walmart - like Mounds, and Turtles, and all kinds of stuff. Sugar free GUM......sugar free hot chocolate. now it's become FUN for me and DF to find Sugar free stuff. He's gone from a size 44 pants to a 38 .......

And not that we've exercised tremendously.....but you FEEL better and you start MOVING more and when you don't eat after 7:00 PM.....YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING FEELING LOADS BETTER and I AM NOT GRUMPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. It took about a week and a 1/2 before I really felt the effects of that and I've NEVER been a breakfast person - but - we have three kinds of cereal we rotate - that are good and low in sugar grams: Cheerios, Rice Checks, Bran Flakes. Also good is Oatmeal and Cream of Wheat. You can have Eggs and bacon - Scrambled eggs and cheese - and pancakes with sugar free syrup - but FYI????? I bought 1 bottle of Kroger Butter syrup and 1 bottle of Kroger sugar free syrup and poured 1/2 and 1/2 into our old bottle that says - Butter syrup. NO ONE KNOWS......AND....in the SUGAR bowl? I put Splenda Blend. LOL....No one knows that either. hahah. Everytime DF fills HIS sugar bowl? I dump it back into the bag of Dixie crystals, take out the splenda blend fill HIS sugar bowl and he has been using Splenda blend for six months - but will SWEAR to you me and his buddies that he can't use that Splenda junk because it's just too sweet. again.

For desserts - we have Popsicle sugar free fudgesicles. There is no such thing as sugar free icecream that we've found. There is No sugar ADDED - but if you check the sugar grams in it - it's pretty high.

Activia also has a sugar reduced yogurt - three flavors - peach is my favorite. I think per container it has 3 or 4 g of sugar. DF likes the Yoplait thick and creamy - but he swears he's doing those to save the lids for breast cancer. (uh huh)

We found out too that you can have Baked lays - like 14 chips....for a snack. Actually once you start doing this lifestyle - you can't really EAT 14 chips- you'll stop around 8 or so. Especially when the weight just starts falling off. It's incredible. I went so fast from 16 to 14 to 12 it freaked ME out. I like it.

Another thing you have to give up? Fast food. Do you know it takes 3 solid hours of exercise - intense exercise of sweating and really moving to work off ONE Big Mac??? Not worth it. Besides their beef is full of MSG. Headache city. And french fries? Ugh.

Peanut butter is good, Tuna is good, Salmon is good. Fish is good. We usually do Captian D's once a week - While my Dr. would tell you that battered fish is not good I disagree.

If you like nuts? Your serving for a snack is about 1/4 a cup. That's not much.

But just watch your sugar content.

I would highly recommend going to your doctor and getting a complete physical before you do this just to be sure that you are healthy from the get go. Also - to be weighed in and talk about your intentions on weight loss.

Have you considered a Mommy and Me Gymboree? Or a jogging stroller? You looked pretty svelte before the twins. Active and all - Or maybe you could get someone to give you a 30 minute break a day so you could just go for a walk and have some ME time.....you know around the block? Or try Craigslist and beg for a treadmill and set it somewhere in the living room where there is a tv and put on a DVD of some exotic place and jog there - lots safer?

T- If I can do this - YOU can do it. Wait .....I'm supposed to say that like that crazy guy with the frizzy hair.......ahem.....

YOU CAN DOOOOOOOOOOO Eeeeeeeeeeeettttttttttt.



​

​

​

 

[trinityroyal]

Star! WOW! I'm so proud of your wonderful results! That's great.
Must feel great slipping into those size 12s. You're half the woman you used to be, and that's meant in the best possible way.

Thanks for all of those tips. I have been given the go-ahead by my doctor, and know what works well for my body as far as eating etc. husband and I have made a pact to clear the house of all the bad-for-us stuff, and I'm taking steps to just do away with it rather than eating it so as not to waste.

It's really the exercise portion of the equation that I'm struggling with right now. Finding the time to exercise at all, and then finding the gumption to get up and do it. I haven't gained a terrible lot of weight, just enough to make my waistbands pinch. So I want to get a handle on things now before they go too far in the wrong direction.

I have taken a few baby steps:
1) Planning to meet with my Latin dance teacher for coffee next week, to talk about getting back into dancing regularly.
2) I've started doing Pilates again. So far I'm doing it 3 or 4 times a week, but I want to work up to every day.
3) Letting husband take our car to work, so that if I have to go out, I have to walk and push the stroller. Great exercise, that.

My next goal is to clear off the treadmill in the basement. Right now it's box storage, but it should really be my running track. I will try to get to it this weekend. I miss running terribly, but trying to run outdoors with the babies is just too much right now. And I'm just scared to venture into the basement. It's such an unholy mess that I avert my eyes whenever I walk past the rec room.

I suppose clearing it out would be a good workout in itself...there's a thought!

Trinity

 

[Star*]

How about - finding someone that will trade you for unwanted junk in your basement for cleaning it???? There are TONS of people here begging to clean out attics, sheds, basements garages for the junk - so they can sell the stuff at flea markets to make money. If I wasn't organized or didn't have time? I'd puruse the Cragislist under wanted or barter and see whats available.

If you KNOW what works for your body - then you are ahead of the game already. I'm glad for you on that.

I forgot you were the HOT LATIN DANCER MOMMA.....ssssssssssssss...hehe.

You need to be walking around the house in those 3" heels then. THAT would be motivation for me....cha cha cha....

Since I have the rhythm of a bullmoose in rutt? I decline to dance....but I love to watch and chair boogie.

You can doooo eeeeeeeeeeet TRINITY!!!!!! Show my niece and nephew how to Samba.....

 

[KTMom91]

No kicking of me will be necessary...I went to the gym and walked in the water for 30 minutes. Had my Frosted Blueberry Mini-Wheats for breakfast. They stick with me longer than Cheerios do, and my cereal selection is limited to the ones without malt, since I'm allergic.

 

[Wiped Out]

Star-What a great success story!

Trinity-Good for you on the Pilates and I'm glad you are going to start dancing again!

Mary-Great you made it to the club today!

I didn't have such a great day but took the day off from working out (would have been day 5 in a row) because my knees are killing me.

I'm hoping to get back on track with eating and the health club tomorrow!

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Trinity, I know, that with both my kids, I looked forward to my daily stroll. No matter the weather (many times even in the rain), lovely and warm, cloudy and cold, I opened that old stroller, stuck the baby in, and got out.

It was even more important with easy child, my first. I had been a "working woman" with a very challenging job. As much as I wanted to be home with my baby, staying in the house all day would have driven my batty!

I say pack those little babinos in that stroller and stroll girl, stroll! I think it does wonders for our mental attitude as well!

Star - you are definately a success story - and to think it all started with microwave salmon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharon

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Trinity,

I agree with LDM - Put the twins in the stroller and head outside! The fresh air will be good for all of you and I think it'll help motivate you to exercise more.

You're definitely on the right track. By meeting with your dance instructor and doing Pilates, you're taking positive steps to help yourself feel better. And, "baby steps" are a good thing. It can be really difficult to just dive right in and begin a strenuous exercise plan after some time off. It can be self-defeating if you can't keep up with the level you were at before the break and you could lose motivation. Not only this but the risk for physical injury would be greater.

Take the twins for a walk. I wish I could join you!!! SFR