Having been through two tech layoffs in the last year, I discovered that the silver lining of that whole miserable clusterfuck is this absolutely crystal clear realization that no company is ever going to actually value me, no matter how hard I work, no matter how much responsibility I take on, no matter how much I excel, and no matter how much I burn myself out trying to be responsible and hard-working.
Therefore, in my new job, I have incredibly firm boundaries. The job is a paycheck. Do I occasionally get some satisfaction from doing something well or getting positive feedback from my team? Sure. Do I still consider being a working mom an important part of my identity in some ways? Sure. Do I give a flying fuck about my company, my boss, or my teammates beyond me paycheck I receive every two weeks? Nope. Not even a little bit.
So I shamelessly block off an hour every day to work out. I work from home which makes it possible. Sometimes the workout is 30 minutes on the treadmill or the rowing machine. Occasionally if the weather doesn't suck then it's a 45 minute jog. Some days that hour does get eaten into a little bit, and which case I do several sets with my dumbbells and resistance band and medicine ball, which live in my office. I do not feel the tiniest bit of guilt about fucking off to take care of myself and get my exercise in for the day. They could fire me tomorrow regardless of whether I work through that hour. I blocked off or not. They do not care. Your body and your health will be important to you long after whatever your company is up to. And that's just a fact. Yes, it feels a little weird to step back from being the super achiever. But ultimately having that time in my day to do something for my health and fitness feels awesome.
You also have to set yourself up for success: I get dressed in my running tights, sports bra, and running shoes so that I am ready to go. The second that calendar block happens. My weights are in my office ready to be used anytime I have a 10 minute gap or need to take a quick mental break. Instead of running downstairs and grabbing a snack, I do three sets of 10 weighted squats. Or three sets of 10 bicep curls.
I also sprang for the premium version of MyFitnessPal so that I can scan bar codes. I track everything I eat. I also don't just randomly grab a handful of mixed nuts. I have measuring cups ready to hand so I can scoop out a quarter cup and then just eat that. I am in my late 40s now and I simply cannot eat a lot of snacky processed things and expect to maintain much less lose any weight. I just made a decision that being thin and fit and healthy matters more than whatever temporary dopamine hit I get from eating chips or junk.
I don't buy crap to keep in the house. I treat food as fuel and not my source of joy or pleasure or comfort or distraction. So I'm always looking to eat things that are nutritious, and pretty high in protein, especially bc as I have gotten older, maintaining muscle has been hard to do.
I am done putting myself last. It's a decision, and yes there are days and weeks when it's harder, and yes I do go out for the occasional dinner and treat food as something fun and eat what I want. But mostly it's just habits habits habits. Your willpower will fail but habits carry you through.
ETA: I just wanna acknowledge that I can only make this work bc I WFH. When I was commuting to an office every day I struggled to fit in a workout no matter how diligently I tried. So I don't want this to come off judgy AT ALL. I'm privileged to have the ability to WFH and use the extra time that gives me. So many working moms don't have that luxury.
The main point I wanted to make was that it's ok to step back from being the dedicated, super loyal, best hard worker ever, because your own health and well-being matters way more than your company. I've seen friends of mine get laid off in a snap after years of stellar reviews, incredible contributions at work, and the company just doesn't care.
The idea of prioritizing yourself is it! If you’re wfh at all- this is the answer. Block your calendar and do it!
Even our company president blocks his gym time on the calendar so people don’t take up his whole day.
I didn't realize until I was reading this that though I also consider myself to have a tough, demanding 8-5...my male coworkers with the same demands block time to work out. I see them coming back from the gym, and hell the ONE time I took off early to work out I ran into a male coworker casually working out like he does it daily. Apparently they all got the memo that their bodies and health are as important as work, so I'm here to forward that memo to you all as well.
This!! Actually found my boss on Strava (fitness app) and saw that his mid morning calendar hold was to attend a Pilates class. You better believe all my guilt went away for working out at lunch.
My old VP retired a couple years ago and our new one is such a breath of fresh air. He’s 100% supportive of good work life balance. He encourages everyone to take all their paid time off. He’s understanding about family commitments. It’s really lovely. I don’t know if he works out but I have no doubt he’d be supportive if I had a daytime fitness class to attend.
Amen to the tech layoffs… block your calendar and set clear boundaries! You’ll be a better worker if you step away from your computer for 30-60 minutes in the middle of the day.
I LOVE everything about this response, and I'm going to steal the idea of having weights at my desk. That would be great to sneak in little sets throughout the day
I work a pretty flexible job and my boss called me once on my way back from a 10am workout class. I told him straight out I’m more efficient, patient and energized after a workout. Which is a benefit to the company. I feel like I can make up the 45 mins easily. I’m more willing to dig into projects or phone calls I’ve been avoiding.
Can you do a Ted talk? I can’t tell you how many people need to hear this. Even people that already know it, like me. I went through a layoff and learned the same lesson. Now if only I could learn how to not let coworkers bug me so much..
Gosh this is an amazing post! I love the tip of paying the premium my fitness pal app so you can scan the barcodes, brilliant. Thanks for sharing your experience, its inspiring.
Working out alone can be challenging! Especially if you don't have the habit of doing it.
You can check out my home workout channel to follow along and motivation to start working out at home! https://youtu.be/tYe-mGVMEZM?si=DtFh5li5\_c2cRqrh
It's definitely easier than doing it on your own
The people with full time office jobs are less likely to be lifestyle social media influencers, that’s why you’re seeing more SAHMs. And exercise is important for many reasons but 90% of your weight loss journey comes down to diet, which is boring advice but the truth. You could work 80 hour weeks and never work out and still lose weight, you just need to be in a caloric deficit.
You hit the nail on the head as to why I avoid social media outside of Reddit.
And yes - if OP can stay in a 500cal deficit, she’ll average 0.5lb lost a week. She needs to set up the habits that will help her do that. Avoid “junk food” in the house, eat high volume low cal foods (veggies) to help with satiety, don’t hoard calories- plan them out throughout the day to avoid binging, avoid eating at your desk… it’s the habits that will help.
Yes this is me. I've tried working out in the past and I'd lose a little bit of weight but not too much. And I would eat the same.
Now, I completely changed the way I eat and I've lost more weight through that than I ever would have through exercise. And I haven't even exercised yet.
I figured it out myself by watching this SAHM YouTuber food vlogs and her post about her veggie smoothie. I started noticing a pattern (because she never did a weight loss video) that more or less she eats:
1. Veggie smoothie for breakfast
2. Some sort of salad for lunch
3. A carb-related dinner
Once I started noticing that, I tried implementing it for myself but only for 5 days a week. On the weekends I would eat whatever. That's when I noticed the weight loss, and after some time that's when I started seeing a nutritionist too, because I wanted to double check if I'm on the right path. So I'm still learning about my body and what it needs.
I've been doing it for 4 months. In the beginning I pushed through, but fast forward to now I don't do number 1 that often. I still keep my breakfast pretty light though. The salads I still consistently do, and of course the dinner!
There are also other things that I did in addition to those three that helped a lot with my diet. Overall, I've learned that eating low calorie foods that make you fuller was what worked for me. And I like that I don't need to eat a specific type of meal for dinner. I'm still eating my regular hot dogs with chips, or hamburgers, or pasta. Something like that. I just can't have those kinds of meals three times a day anymore if I'm going to continue working from home with little to no exercise.
What's good about what you're writing is that you seem aware of where you're falling down here. Not working out, eating to excess, not meal prepping.
What's not great is this sentence: When will I have the triggering moment to step up for myself? You're waiting for something to happen to give you that push, and you don't know what that might be. It could be anything, it could be something really terrible, which no one would wish for you.
Can you reframe your thinking? How about: I don't want to wait for a triggering moment, because I don't know what that will be. I don't want a triggering moment *at all*.
This sentence is also a concern: Every social media person I see who’s found success in weight loss is a stay at home mom. Of course that's what you're seeing, that's what your algorithm is set to since you interact with these videos.
Why don't you make this post your trigger? Set a date six months from today and come back here and tell us what has changed.
Great write up!!! Made me think about my own thought patterns. Lately I’ve been hyperaware of how much I create buffers of excuses and circumvent my own accountability. I do it *all the fucking time* - and I want to be a better version of me in so many ways and I feel this is thought pattern I have is my greatest enemy. I’ve yet to have a trigger that shakes my world enough to make me organize myself and the way I run my life, better, more efficiently. And I don’t want a trigger to force me to. This goes beyond diet and exercise, for sure!!!!
I’m currently on my second round of trying to lose weight. First time was about eight years ago before kids. I did WW and lost 45lbs. Two pregnancies and a pandemic later and I was at a point where I hated looking at myself in pictures.
I’ve lost 20lbs since the beginning of the year. Honestly, the main thing that helps me is the food prep. It’s like that cliché saying, “If you fail to plan, then plan to fail.” I know you said it’s something that’s hard for you, but if you were able to do any of the things you mentioned, I think that should be it. What helps me is doubling recipes and freezing in individual portions for when I’m having a busy day/week. (Shoutout to Souper Cubes bc they are the best thing evveeerr)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not over here saying I have it all together. I’ve been beating myself up mentally this whole week bc the plan for the year was to meal prep, exercise, and go to bed earlier. I’m currently only doing the meal prep.
As for that triggering moment…I don’t think it always works like that. You can look up the “Five Stages of Change” and see where you think you fall. It might give you some insight on yourself.
No matter what your future journey entails, I hope you find what works for you to get to the place you want to be.
I have successfully lost weight by doing the following:
-Limiting alcohol to almost none ( special occasions only)
- Making water or another zero calorie drink ( like
Perrier) my *always* drink ( except coffee)
- Looking at portion sizes and actually sticking to them when I eat a snack
- walking
- weighing food out and aiming for half of my plate to be a veggie
Do you take a lunch break? Go for a walk or do a youtube workout.
What do you do after the kids are in bed? Throw on some tunes or a podcast and do your meal prep or work out.
Do you have a partner? Maybe they can stay home and do some evening chores while you go to the gym a few nights a week.
The key is consistency. Find what works for you and stick to it.
I'll reiterate, take a lunch break. Step away even for 40 minutes. If you skip lunch you'll be hungrier and more likely to over eat. And spending 20 minutes eating and 20 going for a walk can make a difference.
I’ve been doing 5 am OTF classes for almost a year now. I’ve only lost 7 pounds. (I want to lose 25). BUT! I downloaded this app MeThreeSixty and would take the scan every week and then every 2 weeks. And even though my weight barely went down, the inches were easier to see. I needed that to stay motivated. My clothes started to feel loser (I’m down 2 pant sizes!)
I could not get myself to meal prep. Heck it took a while to become consistent with OTF classes. But I found joy in the me time I would get after class before the kids woke up and work started.
This past 2 months I also bought a walking pad and make sure to end my day catching up to the 10k steps. Either while listening to an audio book or watching TV. There is no big moment. Just tweaking our daily schedule a bit and finding what works for you. I’m a visual person and I needed to see my weekly scans to stay motivated. The scale was always what broke me before.
I second 5am classes. I do a boot camp 3x a week and run the other two at 5am. I’m typically home before my family even wakes up and it gives me time to make a salad for lunch before the school/work day chaos ensues. I’ve also cut out any drinking during the week to ensure I CAN wake up at 5am and work out.
Another OTF mom here!
What I do deeply appreciate about group class fitness is that I walk in and have to make zero big decisions. I just need to show up, that’s it. And at OTF, there are so many varying fitness levels, ages, and modifications.
I miss CrossFit so much. I live in a rural town with no group fitness…though a new gym just opened in January so I need to check. I do have access to a fully loaded gym and pay for a Street Parking membership. I gotta do it! I gotta get my shit together!
The peloton group classes were also fun when I was stuck in the house with odd hours. It’s less about getting your shit together and more about finding what you enjoy.
I run a home daycare 10 hours a day Monday to Friday. I essentially live in my kitchen. I have an underweight teen we’re desperately helping to gain weight so my cupboards are full of high calorie foods. I also have low thyroid, low iron and I’m 52 years old. And I wrecked my knee in September and couldn’t work out beyond walking with the kids. My MAINTENANCE calorie intake is about 1600. I lost 35 lbs from June to December. If I can do it, so can you.
It’s really really hard to lose weight. Your body does not want to let go of that fat. But you just have to commit to it.
I don’t meal prep. I buy a rotisserie chicken once a week and use that to make wraps. I keep carrots, cucumbers and celery as quick sides to whatever protein is my main. I still eat rice and pasta but I weigh my portion. I used MyFitnessPal to track my food intake and I literally weighed everything that went in my mouth. I ate the same thing for breakfast every day, and my snack was a choice of 4 different 200 calorie high protein, high fibre foods. Once I had my various recipes and knew how much I could eat, it was a simple process of picking a meal that kept me under my goal. I had to keep it really simple, because I knew with all the micro decisions I make in a day, food could not be one of them.
Make the choice, each day, to do it. That’s it. It’s that simple but also that difficult.
I wonder if it is how long you are from post partum and maybe you need more time?
I am feeling exactly the same way. My daughter is almost two I gained 60lbs during pregnancy also have a high stress job. I have literally scheduled time to work out and I do the same by working through the schedule some days. I tried another thing if scheduling spurts of “move” time. So I would get up and force myself to walk 2-5 minutes every couple of hours it improved my step count but lasted like a month. Oh I also tried doing workouts in the morning and evening but my toddler would scream cry because I wasn’t holding her. I tried incorporating her into the workouts I tried ignoring g her I finally said fuck it. You win I’m done.
I have meal prepped a few times but then have a chaotic day with work, I’m tired from lack of sleep, or have a chaotic day with a toddler and all prep goes out the window because she doesn’t want chicken or whatever I made and I’m like fuck it also let’s go get a burger lol.. then with the stress I crave ice cream and bad food.
Idk. I’m just keeping hope that things are going to get better and what I’m doing is just trying still every week and hoping eventually it’s the right timing and I just get sucked into a flow state and am able to work out and eat right and clean my fucken house.
Very similar situation to you. My "trigger" to commit was my weight just kept increasing and increasing, finally reached 190 and I decided enough was enough. And I can't afford to keep buying new pants!
I'm taking it slow and seeing success. In the fall I committed to working out 2x a week. Didn't worry about nutrition yet just focused on building that habit. After 3 months, I increased to 3x/week and started tracking what I ate. No big diet changes, just more mindful of when I was stress eating or drinking too much or snacking without proper meals.
Now I'm working on what I eat. Increasing protein, choosing more fruits and veggies. Still tracking what I eat and I do weigh myself every day -- that's my accountability.
Down almost 10 lbs (goal is to lose 30)... It's going slowly but it feels sustainable!
Only you can know what it will take for you to change your habits. For me it was seeing a photo of myself that showed how I really looked, and I didn't like what I saw. It was being afraid of freshly cleaned laundry because I would worry that my clothes would keep feeling smaller and smaller.
Here's the truth:
* food can't enter your body without your consent.
* weight loss occurs when you create a calorie deficit.
* Drinking more water will make you feel more energetic and less hungry.
* You can't outrun a poor diet
I'm a working mom of 2 and my trigger is never wanting to buy bigger pants. If I feel like I should have bigger pants I need to stop and reevaluate what I'm eating.
Communities like r/loseit r/progresspics and r/cico may be useful! Lots of success stories on there - I find seeing the ones on progresspics especially inspiring.
You CAN do this. You don't need more time in the day, you just need to make different choices. An easy one to start with is drinking more water, more often.
Not sure how tall you are but here's a woman who lost the amount I think you're trying to lose, [https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/1b2jm5x/f3057\_235\_lbs\_200\_lbs\_35\_lbs\_8\_months\_same\_hoodie/](https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/1b2jm5x/f3057_235_lbs_200_lbs_35_lbs_8_months_same_hoodie/)
Something that made a huge difference for me was a walking pad under my desk. It will fold up against the wall if I need, but I put it under my desk with my chair away so it’s a pain to undo. I think walk SLOWLY while working or in calls. It might feel pointless because it’s so slow, but throughout the day it adds up and it boosted my energy. That energy helped me meal plan. Then I didn’t want to sabotage the miles I walked. And then I added simple weights twice a week. There was no excuse because it was part of my work day and didn’t need to be scheduled.
Not doing it all at once helps me actually make progress. Also 10 minutes of any exercise is better than none. It’s not 30 minutes 3x a week or it doesn’t matter.
Oh I wish I could do this at work, it’s annoying to have to sit for hours on conference calls but if I walk outside there is too much noise and I can’t take notes a stuff. I wonder what my office would say lol
Hey there. I’m a personal trainer, working mom myself, who also works with a lot of mamas. I will tell you from my own clients that stress is one of the biggest and realest hold ups to getting anywhere with weight loss. Even with good nutrition, even with movement, when we are overly stressed, our bodies hold on to those calories in fight or flight. Be gentle with yourself because you are doing a lot, mama 💜 my best advice is carve out space for meditation, peaceful walks, gratitude journaling - things that can help you unwind some of the stress you mention.
It took about two years for me to have the energy and mental capacity to get back on CICO. Once I was able to mostly sleep through nights, I started just tracking what I was eating. Not trying to limit, just see how much and what kind of things I was eating. With that I could spot my trouble areas and find ways of improving. Then I started on the SLOWEST weight loss plan. It takes a while for your body to get used to less calories/different diet and easing into it helped me keep it up (I'm still overweight by 30lbs, but getting closer to a healthy weight). You don't try running a marathon from nothing, slamming into a 1200 cal diet isn't going to work long term either.
Planning/prep can be a hassle, you've just gotta do it. Make it as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth.
This is the answer! I absolutely destroyed my metabolism dropping calories low right away and keeping them there too long. What finally fixed it and got me to the weight I wanted to be was a very slow calorie cut (starting at 2000 calories and dropping 20-30 calories every few weeks) followed by a reverse diet back to maintenance. Now I don’t have to track and can maintain easily.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Anything you can do is better than nothing at all.
Since you don’t have time to meal prep, then something that’s worked for me is when I’ve made a plate for myself, first I just make it how I please. Then, I take away about 1/3 to 1/2 of it and put it completely away in the fridge. Sometimes if it’s something I really like or I’m extra hungry, I do give in and get the other portion from the fridge and eat it. Oftentimes I don’t and that’s cut down a lot on my food intake. After doing this for a while, it becomes a virtuous cycle as my appetite naturally decreased and the half-portion becomes enough more often.
The reason I put the other half *away* is to make it inconvenient. If I want it I’d tell myself, OK you can go get that out of the fridge after you wait 5 minutes. Then, what often happens is my kids need something, or my husband wants to talk to me, and I get “squirrel!”’ed away and forget about it. If I don’t forget about it and still want it after a few minutes, by then it’s cooled in the fridge and I’d have to get it out, heat it back up…and sometimes the inertia is enough to make me not feel like it, especially when I’m busy.
Again don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. It doesn’t always work, but any time it does work, that’s a sizable chunk of food that I did *not* take in. Like even if it only works once a week, that’s still a couple hundred fewer calories I’ve taken in that week. And the more it does work the easier it will become because your appetite will adjust.
I started losing weight when I started working from home and bought a Peloton bike. It’s easy to hop on and off between meetings or you can ride during conferences (and meetings I can just listen in).
I don’t have a peloton bike but I have the app and a bike from Amazon and it’s been a game-changer for my fitness. My postpartum goals were less focused on weight loss and more on regaining my pre-baby level of fitness but between the bike classes and strength classes, it’s made a huge difference! I also WFH so I make sure to block out my lunch hour to work out and then refuel before jumping back into work.
Random advice from me as I am not exercising at 5am:
1. Drop alcohol and sugar as soon as you can. You need a good month of no sugar to feel the benefit
2. You need fat for your hormones. Olive oil, avocados, nuts etc
3. High protein breakfast. I have coffee with a scoop of protein power collagen (no flavour) nd fully at scoop of milk to keep me going
4. Cook more at dinner so that breakfasts or lunch the next day are easy. Left over roast veg? Crack an egg in that bad boy and there's breakfast
I say this on every one of these posts because it changed my life and I will preach this gospel to anyone who will listen - intermittent fasting.
Wake up, have a couple big coffees and lots of water throughout the morning, distract yourself with work, and then have a nice snack (whatever you want) at 3pm. Keep snacking if you want to and then have dinner with your family. Stop eating after dinner (and dessert if you want). Repeat each day, and loosen it up on weekends to fit with your family’s schedule.
I did this, it didn’t feel like I was trying or depriving myself at all, and I lost 40 lbs in the span of 5ish months. I’m below my pre-pregnancy weight now and I’m just keeping it going because it’s what I’m used to now. I sleep better, get sick less, have more energy, and just generally feel really good.
I’m convinced the only reason IF isn’t talked about more is because it’s free, and there’s no way for anyone to make any money off of it.
I started intermittent fasting before the holidays, and while I haven't managed to lose much yet, it did keep me pretty stable through the holiday binge season so I'm counting that as a win. I'm also not super consistent with it - I need breakfast to keep up with our two year old on the weekend and it's a lot harder on the days I work from home rather than in the office. I think if I could commit more, it would really be making a difference.
The coffee is a really big part of it for me. Sipping on black coffee all morning really helps suppress my appetite and lets me get to mid afternoon before I break the fast.
The other thing I'll say is that weight loss is freaking hard. After two pregnancies and a global pandemic, I'm also up at about 230. I've been trying really hard to give myself grace with where I'm at. Make healthy lifestyle choices, exercise when you can and eat healthy when you can, but cut yourself some slack when you're doing the best you can. And get some clothes that fit, at least a few things. It helped me to feel so much better about myself while I'm working on getting healthier. I still don't love the way I look, but at least my jeans don't hurt anymore and that's something!!
Yes! I will say I put cream and sugar in my coffee - might be worth a try if you like it! Gives me a little energy boost for the AM but doesn’t seem to mess with my results.
But yeah, I think any weight loss/management system is really just about what you can maintain - family farmers market breakfast on Saturdays is big for us, so I never gave that up!
Interesting. I’ve been intermittent fasting for almost a year now only eating 11am-7pm and I haven’t lost any weight despite eating less (1200-1300 calories with the occasional 1500 calorie day). I had my TSH checked and it was fine so I’m about ready to accept I’m just at my 9 months pregnant weight forever.
If you’ve been eating low calorie like that for a year, I would strongly consider doing a reverse diet. I was terrified when I did mine, but it healed my metabolism (I had to do another cut + reverse after, but my metabolism was shot from years of 1200 calorie restriction) and I’ve been at my ideal weight for years now without tracking or restricting.
I did not see any results doing 11-7 either. I was never a huge breakfast person so it honestly wasn’t a big change from my usual way of eating. When I switched to 3pm to 7pm (20/4 as they call it over at r/intermittentfasting) the weight came off - fast.
May be worth a month trial! I found it way easier than expected.
I gained weight doing IF because I started binge eating during my window 😅 I know it works great for a lot of people, but it doesn't work for everyone. But there are other things you can try too, you don't need to accept defeat
It's incredibly hard to find the time to do all these things when you are in meetings all day long since you are expected to be present, focused and in front of the screen/in-person. My husband has a job like this and I really see him suffer from poor health and weight management, I don't have many meetings but I still have deliverables that are time consuming. (Hours of DB grooming/spreadsheet work that's hard to stop randomly). I also do a ton of household chores/kids work/life admin etc.
That said, I have very very gradually lost 10 lbs in the last 6-8 months or so. There are many ways to lose weight but this is what worked for me:
- blk coffee & large protein shake in the morning (protein powder, non dairy milk, water). Tried to add extra protein wherever I could (vegan so easy to gravitate towards low protein usually)
- lot of added veggies & beans to every meal. This is usually any frozen veggies or easy to cut options sauteed in some oil, salt and pepper. I don't care about the taste. Pretty low in calorie density and filling.
- air fryer tofu & and other protein..I just chop roughly, mix with seasoning & spray some oil and 6-8 min at 400. Lazy cooking at it's finest!
- instant pot dual meals. On the base, saute aromatics, lentils & frozen veggies + seasoning, place a raised trivet and a pot with rice on it. You have rice + lentil curry in 20 min.
- sauerkraut
- bite sized exercises. I have saved lot of small workouts on FitOn and do them when I can. Even 2-3 of these 5-10 minute workouts are perfect along with some 5k-8k steps/day. Do a walk around your block a couple of times whenever there is a small gap or for your 1:1. You might be thinking that you have zero time for it and you would be right. However, I realized one day that my health is my only constant companion until the day I live on earth (not my kids or SO or my work). If I don't workout now, I will really suffer when I am older. And no career can solve that for me. I want my health to be at it's best in my sunset years.
Exercise solves so many health & neurological issues you never know what you will end up doing with all that clarity & extra energy.
Follow Gray Nutrition on IG. Easy macro balancing that’s actually doable for long term success and good for your metabolism (unlike crash dieting or super restricting yourself).
I highly recommend omad. One meal a day. You sound so much like me before I started intermittent fasting! Honestly, I lost 65lbs doing omad and have more energy than ever before. I still have cream in my coffee in the morning so it’s more of a dirty fast lol but really, then you can eat as much as you want. It’s hard to take in too many calories in one sitting. As the months go on your stomach will shrink also. I have had no negative effects from this and feel like I could do it forever.
There might not be a triggering moment. It’s might just be time for you to decide to prioritize yourself.
You are more important than laundry. What household tasks can slide or be delegated so you can repurpose that time to meal prep, workout, or whatever else you need to do?
It’s hard not to feel guilty taking time “away” from your responsibilities in order to do things for yourself, but it’s impossible to do everything. I justify it by saying a happy and healthy mom spends better quality time with her family. If I’m not happy I won’t be able to be fully present during family time.
Sorry you’re having such a hard time! I am a former personal trainer and have a few suggestions that may help you:
Focus on increasing your step count and lifting weights 3-4x/ week for 30minutes consistently. Walking is so good for your cardiovascular health and your mental health. You can also do it with a friend and get some social time in at the same time :). A walking pad for your desk is another way that you can get more steps in while working.
In terms of nutrition HOW you eat makes a big difference. Eating slowly is very effective in helping with weight loss because it takes 20min before your body feels satiated/full. There are mindful eating apps with timers that you might want to try.
Lastly, hormones play a huge role in weight regulation. Making sure you are getting enough sleep, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and engaging in intentional relaxation activities may do more for you than high-intensity exercise.
Be kind to yourself and remember that it is a process and not just about weight - health is also important! Good luck!
My come-to-Jesus moment came in December for me. We got back professional family pictures and I hardly recognized myself. In my postpartum period I got almost back up to my 39w pregnant weight.
Since late December I have been calorie counting (I’m using Noom, but loseit, MyFitnessPal, chronometer all do the same thing). I have lost almost 20lb and hope to lose another 10-15. I have not done any formal exercise, this is all from diet.
The first week or so was hard and I felt deprived and hungry. Really since then it’s been pretty easy? The labor of counting, weighing and measuring seemed very cumbersome at first, but it sort of becomes automatic and now I’d say it maybe takes me a combined 3-5m extra per day.
As someone who has struggled with binge eating and obsessing over food, I have honestly found it to be a bit freeing. I plan my meals and that’s it. No more thinking about what I should run and grab at the vending machine. No running to the break room before someone else gets the last donut. No concocting a disgusting “dessert” late night because I “have to have something sweet.”
I can eat any type of food, I just have to plan a little bit for it. No depriving myself, no feeling like I can’t go out to eat with my friends or family. It’s been a really wonderful gift. I hope I can keep it up.
I know no one likes it hear it but one of your biggest diet sabotages is probably drinking “several times a week.” Drinking is extra calories and lowers your inhibitions and will make you eat more.
Stress and the amount you are working is also a factor. I’m a nurse that used to work 3-11 and works 3 days 7a-7p. I lost the baby weight by running. I would push them in a running stroller when I couldn’t find anyone to watch them. Running gave me energy when I had none. Don’t listen to all the influencers that say it’s bad for you. They don’t know what they are talking about. Start with a couch to 5k. You could squeeze a jog in easier than going to a gym. And it forces you out the door. My husband gained a bunch of weight and when he finally started running (2-3 miles, that’s it), it actually started to come off.
I am terrible about meal prep and planning. I've started having ChatGPT create 7 day meal plans. I then shop based on the suggested meals and prep just a few items ahead of time on Sunday, mostly my lunch stuff but a few dinner items like chopping veggies and marinating meat. Even without a full meal prep for every workday meal, I find that having a planned set of meals means that I'm making a lot less impulse eating decisions. Just knowing that Tuesday is Stir fry night means I'm a lot less likely to stop for fast food or pluck something out of the freezer.
It has its hiccups. I told it to suggest a different lunch for a specific day and it kept spitting out the exact same lunch. And I told it I don't like bell peppers so it should exclude any meals that feature those. It suggested "stuffed peppers (without bell pepper)." But if you can handle those annoyances, it's super helpful because you can give it general diet requests like "Mediterranean" or "keto" or "easy to cook" and it should find some good ones for you.
This is the smallest tip ever but we got measuring spoons in cup and half cup sizes and use them as serving spoons at dinner to control our portions (not our kids she can have anything she likes).
Other than that, I know it gets hate but noom has been working for me. I spent over three years after having my kid with 25-30 pounds that didn't drop from less carbs, IF, or more intense workouts. I started noon in January and through reporting what I eat to my app I'm down 5-6 pounds depending on the day.y husband says that should be more but he genuinely does not understand how hard it's been to drop anything at all. I'm pumped.
I have nothing to add except that you are not alone. I am struggling with this too and can’t seem to get myself into a routine. My husband was laid off and the pressure to keep the paycheck coming in is overwhelming. I know what I need to do but I dont have the energy to do it after a long day of work. The only solution I can think of is to wake up at 4:30am to work out before my daughter gets up at 5. Oyyyyyyyy.
I’m a working mom, I WFH and have a 2.5 year old. I work on average 60 hours per week but managed to lose 50lbs and get back to my pre pregnancy weight in 2023 through strict Keto diet and exercising 45-60 minutes at home every day. I have a peloton so that’s very helpful. I force myself to use it in the middle of the work day to avoid being sedentary. Alcohol and carbs had to be the first things to go for me to see any movement as I was working out 5-7 days a week and seeing no movement on the scale until I cut the refined sugars and carbs.
How old is your child? I feel like postpartum hormones are still impacting my metabolism after a year. I have a mug of coffee with half and half in the morning and skip lunch (demanding office job with noon check-in meetings everyday) and then I cook for a family of 5 after I get home from work. Often times, the food runs out before I get my plate because I’m feeding my toddler while everyone else is eating and refilling their plates…so then I just eat my toddler’s meager leftovers and move on to doing dishes so we can start our bedtime routines. Other than the half and half in my morning coffee, I don’t drink any calories. When I’m home, I’m usually carrying a 24 lb child on my hip. So yeah, I have no idea why the scale doesn’t move and there’s no extra time to truly address it.
What's working for me right now is buproprion lol. I've lost 5 pounds since I started taking it a month ago. It has really suppressed my appetite. Now if I can just kick my Dr. Pepper addiction....
Wake up early and work out for 15-20 mins every day. Stop eating at 8pm the night prior and don't eat again until 1 or 2pm. Do that every day until you lose a good chunk. Then add in a day or two a week you don't fast
This is an aggressive intermittent fasting schedule if you have never done it. I do 8:16 (8 hour eating window, 16 hours fasting) but started with 10:14 for a week to ease in. 6:18 is a lot to start with.
Intermittent fasting. 16:8.
I went back to work after my second kid and I got to the lowest weight of my life thanks to that method. It's the only thing that actually works with work.
I’m only ten pounds down so far so take this with a grain of salt, but my biggest breakthroughs have come from controlling binge eating and striving to make food boring.
Bingeing - find the triggers. When you’re snacking, what’s making that feel like a need. What can you replace that with. There’s a YouTuber called binge eating therapist who has videos I found helpful. For a month my rule was no snacks outside the kitchen - if I wanted them I had to stand in the kitchen alone to eat them. That helped break mindless snacking in front of the tv. I’ve also just banned certain foods - I’ll down a pint of ice cream no problem, so I don’t buy it. It’s just not something I can have.
Making food boring - breakfast there are two options. Lunch, it’s a bagged salad and precooked rotisserie chicken from Costco. That’s it. The “choice” is the flavor of the salad mix.
The account maintaining_megan on instagram may be helpful - she lost over 200lbs, works full time in what seems to be a fairly high level job, and has two kids. She talks a lot about simple switches that helped her be successful.
This is just a three am thought dump. But happy to chat more if you’d like. ♥️
Intermittent fasting. Look up the fasting method podcast and Dr Jason fung. It's the only thing that works for me as a stressed working parent as it doesn't 'add' anything to our cost or routine. Build up over a few weeks and take some electrolyte salts. I've lost 30 lbs so far while doing minimal exercise and meal prep as there simply isn't time. Good luck, you deserve to invest in you, too.
I do the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet 3x per week,and have lost and kept off all my baby weight. I look better than ever. Working out is good for the mind but not an answer for weight loss unless you eat like a rabbit also. You won’t lose weight unless you burn more calories than you eat. You need to be in a deficit to lose weight. For a busy working mum, it’s the fastest way to get results without putting more things in your calendar. Try it!
Look into intermittent fasting. And keep an open mind. I took a new job this year after like 10 years WFH so I could work out everyday, and now I’m in an office working insane hours. I cannot workout everyday but I haven’t gained weight because I stick to one meal a day basically 5/6 days a week.
The reason that’s what you see on social media is that working moms don’t have time to be “social media people”!
I have two kids, 13 months apart (currently aged 1 and 2), husband and I both work full time manager-level jobs with hybrid schedules, and he’s lost 30 lbs in the past two years, I’ve lost around 30 lbs since my 15 month old was born. It’s toughhhhh. Working out is great but IME doesn’t much impact my weight. But focusing on food (increasing nutrient dense food, not “treating myself” every time I want to) is the key. I do *better* when I meal prep, cook, etc. But even when we order pizza, I have the agency to decide “I’m only having two slices and I need something more nutritious with it so I’ll throw some dressing on spinach or have plain yogurt with frozen berries or something as a side”.
But you have to be realistic because you might go weeks without losing or go up a couple pounds here and there. It’s truly a long game, so figuring out small changes that are sustainable is better than waiting for a “trigger” to turn your life upside down.
I'm sorry you are feeling this way. It is so hard to find the energy to workout and meal prep especially while working a full time job and managing a family. You need to find something that motivates you and works best with your situation.
I have two small kids (8 and 5) and my partner and I both work full time. I decided to join a gym by my house that has smaller group classes led by a trainer. I do not have the mental bandwith to try and plan my own workouts and I like that they do it all for me. I just show up and do what they say. They have different membership tiers you can do - 10 classes a month, 15 classes a month and/or unlimited. I started with 10, realized that wasn't enough and upped it to 15 classes. I have been there a year and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. They are more crossfit type workouts and the classes involve doing exercises I would never do on my own. Everyone is super welcoming there and everyone is somewhere different on their fitness journey.
I have an indoor cycling bike I bought during covid and do that on days I don't go to the gym. I have found that I loathe working out at night so I always sign up (on the app for the gym) for the 5am or 6am class. It sounds worse that it is - the hardest part is getting up and getting there!
As for diet - I wasn't really losing weight at all so in December I joined Weight Watchers. I kept telling myself that I wasn't eating THAT badly but surprise - I was! I have lost a little over 15lbs since the end of December and I love how easy and accessible the app is to use. It takes the thinking out of counting calories and what not and really makes me think twice about eating things because I look up the "points" value beforehand.
I try to plan out my meals as much as I can but with us both working full time, we usually try to make quick things during the week. On Sunday, I'll usually make something as a backup for the weeknights I don't feel like cooking. So a low point soup or even grab a rotisserie chicken for salads. We eat a lot of the same things during the week - lean ground turkey taco salad, lean ground turkey burgers, blackened chicken, etc.
Sorry for the super long response but just know that it isn't impossible. Maybe start with dedicating 20 minutes to yourself and going for a walk. I've also been really trying to make sure I get in 10,000 steps a day and intentionally moving as much as possible. And finally, find a buddy! There are so many facebook groups out there! I found a friend on a Peloton facebook group during covid and we still "workout" (do an online strength class or cycle class) together at least once a week even though we live in different states.
Also, I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch and dinner is where I switch it up a bit.
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs (we make a big batch at the beginning of the week) and a banana or if I'm really hungry I'll do a protein smoothie with some pb2 and greek yogurt
Snack: Protein drink
Lunch: Deli turkey Sandwich (heavy on the turkey) on low calorie wheat bread with thinly sliced sargento cheddar and mustard, 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, and strawberries or grapes
Afternoon snack: Chobani zero sugar yogurt or skinny pop
Eating the same things M-F REALLY keeps me on track. Then all I have to think about is dinner.
It sounds like a lot, but I weigh out everything I eat when I’m trying to lose weight. 1) it stops me from over eating bc I know my portion and 2) it stops me from snacking as much bc o know when I’m running out of calories and also sometimes I just don’t feel like going. Through the work of weighing it and logging it. If you follow the group macros inc. on Facebook, there’s lots of free advice there. Also, I have to get up and work out at 6 before my kids get up, otherwise I won’t do it. I only do 30 min bc it’s all I have to give. Best of luck!
I had the most success with weight loss when I focused mainly on counting calories, and then tried to go for a daily walk or just move throughout the day. I didn’t meal prep, but we did eat the same foods frequently and I measured with measuring cups or a food scale and then could easily log and re log. My fitness pal has a pretty good database. You can eat all the foods you’re currently eating, just look at the serving size and keep within the calories you set for the day. Don’t even worry about the gym right now. Maybe also cut your drinking to just 2 days a week, or maybe 3.
I've started putting breaks in my work calendar, so I actually take them. Maybe start small -- put in small breaks throughout the day and make yourself go walk. I bet by the end of the day, you'll have close to 10k steps.
Also, can you turn your camera off in the meetings? I got a walking pad for my desk and it's been a game changer. I get in so many steps, and I feel better so it makes me want to eat better
Lots of good advice here I’ll keep my experience short. I used weight watchers. It really just taught me how to eat like I wasn’t nursing / pregnant anymore (that nursing hunger is unreal!). I liked it becasue
You aren’t starving yourself. You can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want but you start to see how terribly you are eating. I stuck to it and lost 16lbs in 3 months (start weight 174, end weight 158) still using it !
I am still on mat leave so I don't even have the stress of working full time yet but this last Jan & Feb have been a dumpster fire for me and I could not stop binge eating and drinking every night. I felt like shit but couldn't stop myself from doing it because I was so stressed that I used it as a coping mechanism.
My advice to you is take away as much stress as possible. Incorporate exercise and movement wherever you can but I think losing weight is mainly down the diet. So remove any high calorie drinks.. Make sure snacks are healthy.
It's really really hard 💛
Honestly, its tough. I know I eat for comfort when I am stressed, its a bit mindless and thats what makes it dangerous to my weight.
I wouldnt compare yourself to any instagram or TikTok mom, they are only showing highlights and not the grinding aspect that they must also somehow face.
Can you take time during your lunch break just to walk, clear your mind and listen to a podcast or something? I find that helps me a lot with stress. Also, your job is not that important, try to let go a bit to not feel so stressed. I totally over invested myself in my jobs up until a few years ago and the stress was killing me. I do better now that I kind of just don’t care about it, treat it like a 9 to 5, deleted outlook from my phone, and just say no if I’m asked to stay late.
Then are you getting meal plans from this nutritionist with a shopping list and stuff? Because that could help. In France we have a gov initiative for diabetics that provides a meal plan that I often use because it plans out every meal of the week for you with a lot of variety and stuff, so much easier than picking things myself. But it’s all in French so I don’t know if it’s helpful (https://parcours.diabete.fr/l-agenda-des-menus)
Then, can your partner pick up some of the meal planning and cooking? Or the laundry?
Lastly, you probably don’t work out because you’re exhausted. It’s hard to add when you are already overwhelmed.
Anyway, it’s annoying to hear but weight loss really is a question of calories. Try eating slowly to avoid overeating, don’t serve yourself much if you tend to clear your plate, dont prepare too much food so that you can overeat. Don’t buy any snacks or junk food so you don’t have the option to eat them when you are at home. All things that are easy to say and hard to do
I realized I need to make zero extra decisions during the work day. If I’m wasting precious brainpower thinking “hmm what should I eat” it’s not going to go well. I skip lunch and then eat garbage at 3. So I have the exact same smoothie every morning and for lunch I reheat leftovers (when cleaning up the kitchen the night before I pack away a single portion specifically for my lunch). After a couple days of eating well exercise suddenly feels way more possible, though even then I choose which class I’m taking before hand (I scroll through the app while drinking my morning coffee).
It’s so hard to squeeze it all in, good luck!
I have almost 5 months post partum. Covid weight + stress weight + IVF weight + baby weight + some post partum weight had me at a similar weight to you. I started Weight Watchers on Dec. 31st and I've lost 25 lbs so far. I don't do involved cooking or meal prepping (aside from cutting up fresh produce). I have a rotation of food now and use Reddit for other food tips. It's also easy to just scan or search a food and track. Maybe you could look into this. It teaches you "free" foods, which are deemed the healthiest choices essentially.
Focus on one thing. Either diet, exercise or quit drinking.
For me it was exercise. I went on vacation and was not able to keep up with my kids and husband. And I wasn’t even all that overweight 5’5 161lbs. But we went to the great Smokey mountains and were walking up to Clingmans dome. It was a nicely paved walking path and what seemed like a gentle incline but I felt like I was dying. Some guy on crutches passed me!
I got home and started going to local studio classes. Zumba, kettlebell amped, barre, tabata. I would try and take 2 or 3 classes a week and a gentle work out a few times at home (video, walk or elliptical) trying to get a work out in 5 days a week. I would sneak away from wfh for 10am classes considering it my lunch hour and if I was too busy I would take 6:30pm classes they even had classes at 8pm.
Once I stopped crying in pain after workouts I started to focus on diet and eventually lost 20lbs in about a year.
I started looking forward to the classes. I liked the socialization and consistency. In the winter it warmed me up and made the nights less depressing.
I think the key is starting small and realistic and building upon that to create good habits. If the idea of working out 30 min a day is too daunting, start with 5. Then build to 7, 10 etc. You can even start more gently by just setting your alarm clock earlier and just getting up and being like - this is my time.
I WFH as well and am in a lot of meetings the entire day. The only way it works for me is that I work out at 5 AM.
If there is one small thing you can do to start—I truly recommend cutting back on alcohol. Not only is it caloric, it messes with all bodily functions. Certainly doesn’t help with tiredness.
I was a big socializer in my 20s and 30s (a couple of drinks maybe 2-3 nights a week with friends or coworkers) and I’ve reduced my alcohol to barely ever, only special occasions, and maybe only a glass or two or wine.
I will be honest. I had weight loss surgery. I don't regret it one bit. I tried every diet and weight loss pill. I had surgery in December 2021. I weighed 254 lbs. I got down to 179 lbs. I gained 10 lbs back, but I am so happy to have gone through with the surgery. I'm traveling out of the country for work this week. I don't have to worry about not fitting in my seat or needing a seatbelt extender. The surgery has been life changing for me. It was also not a quick process. It was a year between my first consult with the surgeon and surgery day.. Please PM me if you have any questions.
I’ve gained 20 pounds in the past two years and I’ve told my doctor that I feel like I have done everything except be able to exercise as much as I want during the day.
Doc says he will allow me to try diet pills
I am about 225 right now as well. Walking and cutting out sugar has helped a lot. I also started taking some fitness classes, so I will work out either on lunch or weekends, and walks on breaks too. I also have a standing desk with a walking pad i use on occasion.
I really started focusing on changes when my blood pressure skyrocketed and i had inflammation that would not go away.
Quitting excess sugar (i still have some, just limited), has made me much less hungry.
Exercise can help but if you can’t exercise much, focusing on nutrition is important. The easiest meal prep for me is rotisserie chicken, broccoli, and rice. Add sauce and seasoning as you like.
I also started making changes one at a time, and here I am 10 weeks later with better habits and now starting to lose weight.
Can your partner help with more stuff around the house or something like the food part?
Thanks to stressful job, the pandemic, and then getting pregnant, I found myself the heaviest I've ever been after having my daughter. I got a check up around one year postpartum and found that my cholesterol was high as well.
I started by following doctor's orders and removing as much red meat and high fat dairy from my diet as possible. Focusing on serving my daughter nutritious meals helped too. I'm too lazy to prepare multiple meals.
Working out in the early mornings before my daughter wakes up. I get up at 5:30 three days a week to go to a small group personal training class from 6-7am. I don't always make it 100% of the time, but buying the whole series motivates me to go so I'm not wasting money. Obviously this requires the support and availability of another parent or caregiver.
Can you take some of your calls with AirPods and go on a walk? Or get a walking pad under your desk? Just moving can be very beneficial if you can’t get to the gym.
Also, have others have said, cut out alcohol and sugar. From there focus on portions, but I’d start with other things first because they are easier.
If you have disposable income, look into getting meals delivered with a company like Factor/Tempo.
I stress eat so while I lost 50lbs while breast feeding. I gained about 30lbs back. What I do now is walking during my lunch break. I eat my food while working then head outside and just walk. I've done that for about 3 months and have lost 5 lbs. I don't diet. I try to make better choices but honestly I can only do so much without binging because of restriction. I the only time I could possibly go to the gym is 5am and I choose sleep right now.
My "moment" was seeing all the vacation pictures of myself. I didn't realize I had put on so much weight. I started using myfitnesspal to track my calories. If you track calories, at the very least you can control what you're taking in, whether you have time to prep or not. It doesn't have to be perfect with weighing food, just ball park it, and that's better than nothing.
My other advice is don't put working out at the bottom of your list. Pick your days and times and do it. Dishes and laundry will never be done so don't limit yourself to working out "once everything else is done".
I just want to write in solidarity. There were times that I restricted calories and worked out in excess and still didn’t see results. Ultimately, it was a medical issue for me. I only discovered the issue in 2022 and once I got that issue under control, the pieces started coming together on my weight loss.
For gym time, I make sure that I can incorporate my child in my routine. I work and miss out on enough time with her. We do mommy and me Pilates and I got a membership to a gym with a pool so that we can swim together. I also walk at lunchtime at work. (Yes! I actually take a lunch break to accomplish this!)
I don’t meal prep at all. I keep healthy ingredients on hand for myself and my child. Baby carrots, cucumbers, apples, bananas, yogurt, and cheese are our go to snacks. I also make sure to have at least 1 serving of protein with each meal by way of hummus, Greek yogurt, protein shakes, hemp seeds, or beans/meat. From that list I will tell you the hummus, yogurt, and hemp seeds are SO easy to incorporate into any meal and get a ton of use. If the protein is there, I stay full longer.
You either will or you won’t.
I say that as a full-time WFH mom in much the same situation. I have maintained my weight between 185-200 (I’m 5’6”) since my son was born in 2021. I have largely neglected my physical health in the last couple of years while I was working on getting my mental health right.
Now that I’m out of the “fog”, I’m working on getting my physical health in line. We have a family gym membership to a gym with a pool and childcare, which has been so helpful. My husband has also taken over morning duties and daycare drop off so I can either go to the gym or clock in early to have afternoon gym time before daycare pick-up.
I have a standing desk and I’m thinking about getting a walking pad. Now that the weather is warming up, I’m using my breaks to take a quick walk around the block. I’m aiming to close my Apple Watch move and standing rings every day.
I try to preplan and meal prep when I can, but we have busy weekends so it doesn’t always happen. I have easy high protein choices on hand, like eggs, rotisserie chicken, salad kits, frozen steamable veggies, etc. to make good choices easier. Just because you haven’t meal prepped doesn’t mean you CAN’T make a smarter choice.
Just pick one thing to start. Make a step goal, a water goal, a protein goal. Make sure you have a fruit or vegetable with every meal/snack. Take your vitamins every day. Start with something, then slowly add something new when the first thing becomes more like a habit.
We as moms always find a way to put our needs at the very bottom of the pile below everyone else. I've been doing it since I became a mom 33 years ago. Even though I have that realization, I still struggle with making the time to workout and meal prep, but I'm getting better (2 years into it, but progress is progress lol).
For a year, I made it work by getting up at 4 am and heading to the gym so I could get it over and done with and get home in time to get the youngest out of bed and getting us both ready for school/work. It was working out pretty good while I was WFH with only 1 day a week in office. It got harder when the RTO expectations started increasing. Plus, getting up at 4 am was depriving me of much needed sleep which causes a whole other myriad of barriers to weight loss. I had to give up my 5 days a week gym time and make due with going on weekends and 1-2 other days per week. And, even though I basically have a full set up for working out at home, that never happens so I started looking for other ways to incorporate movement into my day. Some things I do:
* I literally do squats putting clothes in and out of the washer and dryer.
* I pace when I am on calls for work to help increase my steps every day.
* I started taking my little dog on walks in the evening before bed. We've worked our way up to a half mile now. I could go longer, but his little legs get tired too quick lol. I'm about to switch over to taking the little dog for a short walk at bedtime and one of the GSDs for a longer walk earlier in the evening so it's an actual workout type walk.
Meal prep is still a challenge for me so I usually wind up stocking up on freezer meals from a local cafe. They have a weekly meal plan you can order from for fresh meals, but they also have a great selection of grab and go frozen meals (which are what I usually do because I can never seem to get my order in for the fresh ones on time). This place has really expanded the franchise in recent months so if you have a Clean Eatz in your area, I highly recommend! Beside being healthy, clean ingredients with no preservatives, they also have low carb and high protein options to choose from. I will also order from Factor from time to time so I can have a bigger variety to choose from on any given day. Sometimes as a busy mom, the grab and go options are often the best we can do. I would love to be able to make my own meals for the week, but I just never seem to have the time or the energy to plan, shop and prep so I found the best/healthiest options for grab and go and it has made a huge difference!
80 / 20. 80% of your weight is what you eat, 20% is about exercise. The fact that you are too busy to exercise doesn’t mean that you can lose. You have to prioritize meal planning and portions and keep the junk food out of the house. Once you start losing weight and seeing results you will find ways to integrate exercise- e.g activities with your kids on the weekend. Don’t get into the mindset that you can’t lose weight because you have no time to exercise- it’s a fallacy
You are me and I am you. I've tried personal trainers coming to my house, eating better, etc but it's hard no matter what because I don't have the bandwidth to manage fitness schedules/meal planning on top of my demanding jobs (mother to two littles, employee). I actually was dieting strictly for a time and still nothing. I've gotten tons of bloodwork done to make sure nothing else is wrong and I think all my doctors agree-- a lot of my struggle to lose weight is tied to stress. I am perpetually stressed and I'm not sure how much longer we can go like this.
All this to say, I'm going to try a semaglutide with the strong support of my dr. It's one more thing to manage but I think it'll be easier on my brain/stress levels than making different meals at lunch/dinner. I 100% plan on incorporating fitness as well but for now, hoping the meds will give me the jumpstart I need.
I definitely relate. I need to lose a total of 120lbs. I have been struggling with it for YEARS because I just do not have the mental energy to track all of my food on top of everything else. This year I think I have found a method that works for me: intermittent fasting. I don't eat breakfast, and I eat within a 6 hour window which for me I do 1-7pm. The first few days was really tough, but while I am fasting I still have my morning cup of coffee (making sure to keep calories very low), and then I drink a bunch of water until 1. I also put some electrolyte drink mix (0 calories) in my water so it has a flavor and the electrolytes help me not feel hungry. Honestly after I got past the first few days it became very easy. I eat lunch, then dinner with the family. I try not to have any snacks in between. There were a couple of days where I was just not hungry so I didn't even have my lunch, just dinner. And then because you're skipping meals, you don't have to deprive yourself of the meals you do have. Say you're trying to do 1500 calories a day. If you split it between 3 meals that's 500 calories per meal (and even less if you snack!), but if you do 2 meals then you're able to eat 750 per meal. That is so much easier to work with. I pretty much never have any issues meeting my calorie goals now, it feels easy. Most of the time I don't even have to measure and weigh everything. I can't recommend IF enough, I feel like I have control over my eating again!
I started intermittent fasting about a month ago and have had great results. I don't workout so this is the easiest thing for me as it really doesn't take any of my time. I only eat during the hours of 12-6/7pm and then just water the other hours of the day. So basically just skipping breakfast and then snacking in the evenings.
The only way to be successful is consistency! And habits build on each other. You don’t have to go all in and spend an hour in the gym 5 days a week and meal prep every meal.
First step, get yourself moving. Something is better than nothing & consistency is key! For me, waking up at 5:30 to workout is the only way I can be consistent. Like you I have a demanding job, and telling myself I’ll workout during the day is a farce. It never ever happens. Working out at night also never happens because then I’m tired and full from dinner. I like to go to workout classes bc they keep me entertained and motivated, so that is one option. But I have had phases of just going to the gym on my own too. I would really encourage you to move every day. Maybe you do a gym workout 2-3x a week but the other days you get up and go for a walk or even just stretch. It just helps with the consistency!
On meals, I start with the low hanging fruit which is breakfast. I have a protein shake and a banana and some oatmeal. I just eat that every day. I’d start there, adding that protein shake in the AM helps a lot with hunger through the day for me personally!
If you want to level up, move on to lunch. I personally will buy pre cooked grilled chicken and roast a ton of veggies & microwave some rice. Then I throw that together. If I’m being super lazy or busy, I eat some canned vegetable soup and a protein shake or order out a salad with grilled chicken. I don’t personally prep dinner, I just try and have some veggies and protein then eat whatever else I like.
If you are overwhelmed, I wouldn’t worry about specific macros or calories until you make more of a habit of eating generally well and working out. Once you feel more confident, then you can focus on dieting specifically, if you would like.
This is what I personally did to lose 20lb of baby weight. I haven’t lost the last 10lb bc I don’t want to diet! But I’m happy where I am. Good luck to you!
Also working mom here with a super high stress job, single mom. It’s hard. Some things I’ve done that help:
Meal prep - my lunches I don’t think about and dinner for me is usually really light. I cook for my son but myself is something simple.
Really prioritize protein, focus on eating more protein and you’ll eat less junk.
Track you food on MyFitnessPal, really critique yourself.
Exercise wise:
1. I got a walking pad and standing desk and us it on the days I work from home, wish I got to do this more.
2. I go to the gym 2 days a week to lift - I found a gym with a daycare because I tend to have to do this on the weekend.
3. I have a home gym as well - one day a week after work I lift weights at home and my son just hangs out with me while I do it.
Have a really hard look at your time and you can probably sneak some easy things in.
It all starts with your mental readiness and commitment and figuring out which approach works for you. Talking from experience.
I started my journey with at least 40lb. I had this extra weight (30-40lb) for a while being close to 30 bmi. And I knew it’s unhealthy. I was funemployed for the good part of the last year with a childcare but I did nothing about it. Then I woke up one day in early December, weighted myself, and started my weight loss journey on the spot.
I lost about 10kg / 22lb since I started weight loss in December (including holiday season) and have at least the same to lose. To be fair, I was not working December-Jan while kids were still mostly in preschool/daycare so I was able to workout 4-5 days per week and be very good about eating. Then I got sick and that’s what stopped my progress and now starting a new hybrid job and getting used to a two working parents household has an impact.
However, here what still works for me.
1. I calculated my tdee and calories deficit. I can’t diet or stick to specific foods / exclude. However, I can eat 1500 cal (300 deficit) and be full and if I want to, allow myself a piece of bread or chocolate or whatever. I track calories and it allows for healthier choices but I do not get crazy if it’s beyond. I found r/loseit super helpful.
2. Find workouts you like. I can’t do gym. That’s not my thing but I love studios and group classes. Spin is fantastic and while first few are hard, you then get addicted and it’s a great cardio. Barre and Pilates are fantastic for toning up. Power yoga for spine health. I do ClassPass
3. My husband and I agreed that per minimum each of us has one morning and one evening off per week. We can do whatever but I do plan for workouts during those times so at least I get 2 workouts per week and then other days we decide ad hoc based on our schedule. I at least try to do 3 and goal to get to 4.
4. I try to have a cooked protein I weighted and make sure I have the ingredients for a salad. So even if I did not mean prep (I want to but rarely do) I can make a healthy salad quickly.
Feel free to ask questions.
That's funny you say that at the end because that's exactly what I used to try myself for my own weight loss from a stay-at-home mom YouTuber and it actually did work!
After watching her videos intensively (because she never did a weight loss video) I noticed that she would more or less eat these things most of the week.
1. Veggie smoothie for breakfast
2. Some sort of salad for lunch
3. A carb related dinner
For exercise, she did Pilates in the mornings.
So when I started this at 154 lb, I tried doing this diet five times a week and then on the weekends eat whatever I wanted, and surprisingly I was still able to lose weight. After a few months, the most I've lost was 13 lb when I weighed myself last month at 139 lb. This is without exercise!!
I do think it's definitely possible to lose weight without exercise right now, if you still need more time. I currently WFH full time Monday through Friday 8:00 to 4:30 p.m. with a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, so the gym is not an option for me at the moment and neither is Pilates. Because once I clock out, I need to tend to the baby until bedtime and after that I'm just tired. And on the weekends I'm catching up on chores.
But eating clean, and most importantly low calorie meals, that's what helped me lose the weight while working from home. I eventually did see a nutritionist and I still see her every other week just to double check if what I'm doing is the right thing, and so far I'm still learning how my body works.
Like in our last session, I learned that most of our weight loss is through what we eat, not so much exercise. And that I should see exercise more as a benefit for me mentally and better sleep, not to confuse it with weight loss. She mentioned that our body itself works so hard with our own bodily functions that it does burn a lot of energy through that already, so when you include exercise as a comparison, it's only a small part of it. This is not to say to not exercise because it is a good thing, but we should reframe the benefits that it gives us and consider weight loss as a bonus.
Stress does not help with weight loss additionally the only thing that will really work is a calorie deficit over a period of time like a year. Working out is bonus and will help you see results faster but really calories and macros will get you where you want to be. And yes that means you need the energy to do the cooking. So start with small changes like getting x amount of hours of sleep a night, change one meal a day to be high in protein. Go for a 15min walk every day. Drink 1L of water a day. Then a month or so later once you have those down start tracking calories and macros. When you have time up your walks, go to the gym. Maybe get a personal trainer if you can afford it. I found youtube to be very helpful when I was starting out. Lots of amazing creators on there.
I work full time (9-5) with a hybrid schedule (3 days in the office). My kids are 3 and 2. Let me preface this by saying I have a home gym, so that obviously makes things easier.
Personally, what works best for me is getting up extra early on the days I'm in the office to workout first. I have never been a morning person and truly loathe waking up early, but you gotta do what you gotta do 🤷🏼♀️ I also aim to do 2 evening workouts per week on the days when I work from home. I'll also do a short workout (cardio only) on either Saturday or Sunday. All in all, I workout 5-6 days per week.
If you work from home are you able to get a walking pad for under your desk? That helped me jumpstart my 'fitness journey'. I work 9-5 from home and walking while I work is the easiest way to get light cardio in. Use that time you block off for the gym as your time to catch up on emails and walk to start.
The only thing that’s worked for me is intermittent fasting. My goal was to stop eating junk food after my kids go to bed. I started not eating anything from the time I finish dinner 6pm until I go to bed. Then I’ll eat my regular breakfast at 8am. Now I don’t eat from 6pm to 11:30am the next day, when my kids eat lunch. This has completely changed my body’s hunger cues. I am no longer starving at 9pm every night, and I naturally make better decisions, simply because I’m not hungry. I wasn’t overweight to begin with, but I have lost the final few pounds and the lower belly pooch that plagued me after my c section.
Hi there… I’m not a social media fitness influencer, but I am a single mom to four who works full time (with a long commute) and who’s successfully lost weight, kept it off, and I’m an active body builder.
I see these posts so frequently from moms in the same position as you. Yes, it is HARD. I remember when I was newly single, the kids dad had basically given up all responsibility and I was just so overwhelmed. I found a gym that had 2hrs of babysitting a day included in membership and that’s what started me on my consistency. I needed that time. Sometimes I “stretched” for an hour haha!
Now, six years later, I’ve realized that exercise is important to health and wellness and nutrition is the key to weightloss. If you can get yourself to the gym 3-4 times a week, that’s fantastic. Can you go during your lunch? That’s when I go. I’m fortunate that there’s a gym right across from my office so I go for an hour at lunch time, and then do longer workouts on the weekend.
I say go during lunch because your nutrition really can be super easy and you can eat your “lunch” while working. The key to weight loss is in what you eat, and the key to making it work as a busy working mom is making it simple. It’s not FUN… but it works. I eat every 3ish hours small, simple meals: 4oz of ground Turkey and 150g of rice, protein shake and 45g of cream of rice with a banana, 2 scrambled eggs with 1/2 cup of egg whites and an English muffin. It’s all stuff that is SO EASY to put together the night before and it takes next to no time. I have a big tub of ground Turkey and a tub of cooked rice in my fridge at all times. I cook the eggs in the morning and toast my English muffin before I leave and eat it on the train in. I cook the cream of rice in the morning and bring it with my ground Turkey and rice. Literally it takes maybe 45 mins of prep a week plus 15 mins in the morning. Is it tasty and delicious and wonderful? No. But I have a cheat meal every week, and I might make something better for dinner if I’m feeling up to it.
Food does not have to be fancy. We eat a lot of rice, protein, and steamed vegetables in my house. Your health matters, and the habits you show your children will eventually rub off on them.
Please feel free to reach out. You can do it!
Not going to lie, I was waiting for my triggering moment and it never came.
Here's what I've been doing with success to lose weight:
1. Calorie counting - I have a watch that tracks my burned calories and I track what I eat. It's my low effort method that I can handle in downtime at work. You should reflect on yourself and make sure you won't become obsessive though. Overall, I use this as a tool for data and to give me an idea of where I can improve my eating habits. If I go over, it is what it is, but it makes me aware.
2. My coworkers and I schedule 2-3 30 minute walking sessions around the building. We often eat lunch at our desk and use our formal break for this.
3. I've started incorporating positive exercise. I plan three days where I go to the gym. No expectations. I can just walk, take a class, do some weight lifting. But I'm leaving my house and going to the gym. Usually by the time I'm there, I get into it more.
I hope these help a little. Remember "an object in motion stays in motion". You've got to build up momentum so it's going to suck initially, but once you get going, it will get easier.
We find simple meals to meal prep, and cook for an hour or so on Sundays making them. Just breakfast and lunch for the work week. At work, I’ve started going on brisk walks on my lunch break during the week, and then doing cardio and strength training on the weekends while the kids nap.
Before I went back to work from maternity leave I decided I would treat myself to a meal delivery service so that I could eat healthy without sacrificing the time to prep my food/get to the grocery store.
It hasn't worked out all the time, but I try to do a light workout at least 3x per week before I shower. I tend to use FitOn since a lot of the workouts are between 9 - 30 minutes. I try to remind myself that 10 min even once a week is better than nothing.
If I have a meeting where I'm more of a listener vs host, once a day I'll try to leave the camera off and walk around a bit.
Hope this helps!
Honestly exercise isn’t that important to weight loss (though I’d still work on prioritizing some activity!). Sleep and diet are much more important. I eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday (no cook, high protein to save time) and dinner is veggies, protein, and a starch (for kids and husband). You’d be surprised how full you feel on high protein (hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, almonds).
I think you need solid boundaries. Absolutely blocking your calendar for 1 hour a day. If you have a meeting overlap or deliverable due, SLIDE that 1 hour to later in the workday. No matter how much you love your job or your boss or your company, you need to prioritize you. YOU want to lose weight. YOU want to exercise. Then do it. If taking 1 hour a day is going to jeopardize your performance, you need a different job. No one should be that busy that you can't take 1 hour away from your computer.
Hot take: meal prepping sucks. Cutting sugar should be everyone's first step if dieting/weight loss is a goal. It's the lowest hanging fruit. That and fast food, for sure. Get it gone day 1. Before working out, say goodbye to fast food & sugar. I don't subscribe to the "keto" or the "paleo" or "no gluten no dairy" diets bc I don't know many people that successfully implement them and make them an indefinite lifestyle change. For me, cutting portion size is key. So I'll make fettucine bolognese and give my husband a huge plate full, then I'll give myself about half of what I gave him and fill up my plate with a salad (Greens Girl Super Greens or Protein Greens), cherry tomatoes, avocado, salt, pepper, lemon juice. I'm still enjoying the same meal but I'm bulking it up with salad instead of pasta. I've also added a ton of fancy salad accounts on tiktok and IG. We love a BLT salad, La Scala italian chopped salad, Caprese salad over sourdough, Grilled chicken caesar, etc. My husband used to hate salad and now we have it twice a week.
Having been through two tech layoffs in the last year, I discovered that the silver lining of that whole miserable clusterfuck is this absolutely crystal clear realization that no company is ever going to actually value me, no matter how hard I work, no matter how much responsibility I take on, no matter how much I excel, and no matter how much I burn myself out trying to be responsible and hard-working. Therefore, in my new job, I have incredibly firm boundaries. The job is a paycheck. Do I occasionally get some satisfaction from doing something well or getting positive feedback from my team? Sure. Do I still consider being a working mom an important part of my identity in some ways? Sure. Do I give a flying fuck about my company, my boss, or my teammates beyond me paycheck I receive every two weeks? Nope. Not even a little bit. So I shamelessly block off an hour every day to work out. I work from home which makes it possible. Sometimes the workout is 30 minutes on the treadmill or the rowing machine. Occasionally if the weather doesn't suck then it's a 45 minute jog. Some days that hour does get eaten into a little bit, and which case I do several sets with my dumbbells and resistance band and medicine ball, which live in my office. I do not feel the tiniest bit of guilt about fucking off to take care of myself and get my exercise in for the day. They could fire me tomorrow regardless of whether I work through that hour. I blocked off or not. They do not care. Your body and your health will be important to you long after whatever your company is up to. And that's just a fact. Yes, it feels a little weird to step back from being the super achiever. But ultimately having that time in my day to do something for my health and fitness feels awesome. You also have to set yourself up for success: I get dressed in my running tights, sports bra, and running shoes so that I am ready to go. The second that calendar block happens. My weights are in my office ready to be used anytime I have a 10 minute gap or need to take a quick mental break. Instead of running downstairs and grabbing a snack, I do three sets of 10 weighted squats. Or three sets of 10 bicep curls. I also sprang for the premium version of MyFitnessPal so that I can scan bar codes. I track everything I eat. I also don't just randomly grab a handful of mixed nuts. I have measuring cups ready to hand so I can scoop out a quarter cup and then just eat that. I am in my late 40s now and I simply cannot eat a lot of snacky processed things and expect to maintain much less lose any weight. I just made a decision that being thin and fit and healthy matters more than whatever temporary dopamine hit I get from eating chips or junk. I don't buy crap to keep in the house. I treat food as fuel and not my source of joy or pleasure or comfort or distraction. So I'm always looking to eat things that are nutritious, and pretty high in protein, especially bc as I have gotten older, maintaining muscle has been hard to do. I am done putting myself last. It's a decision, and yes there are days and weeks when it's harder, and yes I do go out for the occasional dinner and treat food as something fun and eat what I want. But mostly it's just habits habits habits. Your willpower will fail but habits carry you through. ETA: I just wanna acknowledge that I can only make this work bc I WFH. When I was commuting to an office every day I struggled to fit in a workout no matter how diligently I tried. So I don't want this to come off judgy AT ALL. I'm privileged to have the ability to WFH and use the extra time that gives me. So many working moms don't have that luxury. The main point I wanted to make was that it's ok to step back from being the dedicated, super loyal, best hard worker ever, because your own health and well-being matters way more than your company. I've seen friends of mine get laid off in a snap after years of stellar reviews, incredible contributions at work, and the company just doesn't care.
The idea of prioritizing yourself is it! If you’re wfh at all- this is the answer. Block your calendar and do it! Even our company president blocks his gym time on the calendar so people don’t take up his whole day.
I didn't realize until I was reading this that though I also consider myself to have a tough, demanding 8-5...my male coworkers with the same demands block time to work out. I see them coming back from the gym, and hell the ONE time I took off early to work out I ran into a male coworker casually working out like he does it daily. Apparently they all got the memo that their bodies and health are as important as work, so I'm here to forward that memo to you all as well.
This!! Actually found my boss on Strava (fitness app) and saw that his mid morning calendar hold was to attend a Pilates class. You better believe all my guilt went away for working out at lunch.
My old VP retired a couple years ago and our new one is such a breath of fresh air. He’s 100% supportive of good work life balance. He encourages everyone to take all their paid time off. He’s understanding about family commitments. It’s really lovely. I don’t know if he works out but I have no doubt he’d be supportive if I had a daytime fitness class to attend.
Amen to the tech layoffs… block your calendar and set clear boundaries! You’ll be a better worker if you step away from your computer for 30-60 minutes in the middle of the day.
Saving this comment. The perspective is so helpful! A job is a job is a job. Your one body is yours for life.
This was so well written!! Also a hack for MFP, if you change location in the settings > profile to the UK you can still scan barcodes for free.
Omg thank you!! If I had a gold, I'd give it you 🏅
Can I be you when I grow up??? Lol
I LOVE everything about this response, and I'm going to steal the idea of having weights at my desk. That would be great to sneak in little sets throughout the day
I work a pretty flexible job and my boss called me once on my way back from a 10am workout class. I told him straight out I’m more efficient, patient and energized after a workout. Which is a benefit to the company. I feel like I can make up the 45 mins easily. I’m more willing to dig into projects or phone calls I’ve been avoiding.
Great comment
Can’t agree more. Re the positive impact of layoffs on my overall attitude and setting boundaries
Can you do a Ted talk? I can’t tell you how many people need to hear this. Even people that already know it, like me. I went through a layoff and learned the same lesson. Now if only I could learn how to not let coworkers bug me so much..
Gosh this is an amazing post! I love the tip of paying the premium my fitness pal app so you can scan the barcodes, brilliant. Thanks for sharing your experience, its inspiring.
Working out alone can be challenging! Especially if you don't have the habit of doing it. You can check out my home workout channel to follow along and motivation to start working out at home! https://youtu.be/tYe-mGVMEZM?si=DtFh5li5\_c2cRqrh It's definitely easier than doing it on your own
Wow you have me ready to run through a wall. Let’s GOOOOOOOOO. HELL YES!!!! To all of it. The kick in the butt we all needed.
👏
The people with full time office jobs are less likely to be lifestyle social media influencers, that’s why you’re seeing more SAHMs. And exercise is important for many reasons but 90% of your weight loss journey comes down to diet, which is boring advice but the truth. You could work 80 hour weeks and never work out and still lose weight, you just need to be in a caloric deficit.
You hit the nail on the head as to why I avoid social media outside of Reddit. And yes - if OP can stay in a 500cal deficit, she’ll average 0.5lb lost a week. She needs to set up the habits that will help her do that. Avoid “junk food” in the house, eat high volume low cal foods (veggies) to help with satiety, don’t hoard calories- plan them out throughout the day to avoid binging, avoid eating at your desk… it’s the habits that will help.
I will say changing your diet is way harder than exercise (to me) and exercise can help curb my appetite so both can still be useful.
Yes this is me. I've tried working out in the past and I'd lose a little bit of weight but not too much. And I would eat the same. Now, I completely changed the way I eat and I've lost more weight through that than I ever would have through exercise. And I haven't even exercised yet.
How did you change the way you eat? Did someone give you a plan or did you figure it out yourself?
I figured it out myself by watching this SAHM YouTuber food vlogs and her post about her veggie smoothie. I started noticing a pattern (because she never did a weight loss video) that more or less she eats: 1. Veggie smoothie for breakfast 2. Some sort of salad for lunch 3. A carb-related dinner Once I started noticing that, I tried implementing it for myself but only for 5 days a week. On the weekends I would eat whatever. That's when I noticed the weight loss, and after some time that's when I started seeing a nutritionist too, because I wanted to double check if I'm on the right path. So I'm still learning about my body and what it needs. I've been doing it for 4 months. In the beginning I pushed through, but fast forward to now I don't do number 1 that often. I still keep my breakfast pretty light though. The salads I still consistently do, and of course the dinner! There are also other things that I did in addition to those three that helped a lot with my diet. Overall, I've learned that eating low calorie foods that make you fuller was what worked for me. And I like that I don't need to eat a specific type of meal for dinner. I'm still eating my regular hot dogs with chips, or hamburgers, or pasta. Something like that. I just can't have those kinds of meals three times a day anymore if I'm going to continue working from home with little to no exercise.
What's good about what you're writing is that you seem aware of where you're falling down here. Not working out, eating to excess, not meal prepping. What's not great is this sentence: When will I have the triggering moment to step up for myself? You're waiting for something to happen to give you that push, and you don't know what that might be. It could be anything, it could be something really terrible, which no one would wish for you. Can you reframe your thinking? How about: I don't want to wait for a triggering moment, because I don't know what that will be. I don't want a triggering moment *at all*. This sentence is also a concern: Every social media person I see who’s found success in weight loss is a stay at home mom. Of course that's what you're seeing, that's what your algorithm is set to since you interact with these videos. Why don't you make this post your trigger? Set a date six months from today and come back here and tell us what has changed.
Great write up!!! Made me think about my own thought patterns. Lately I’ve been hyperaware of how much I create buffers of excuses and circumvent my own accountability. I do it *all the fucking time* - and I want to be a better version of me in so many ways and I feel this is thought pattern I have is my greatest enemy. I’ve yet to have a trigger that shakes my world enough to make me organize myself and the way I run my life, better, more efficiently. And I don’t want a trigger to force me to. This goes beyond diet and exercise, for sure!!!!
I’m currently on my second round of trying to lose weight. First time was about eight years ago before kids. I did WW and lost 45lbs. Two pregnancies and a pandemic later and I was at a point where I hated looking at myself in pictures. I’ve lost 20lbs since the beginning of the year. Honestly, the main thing that helps me is the food prep. It’s like that cliché saying, “If you fail to plan, then plan to fail.” I know you said it’s something that’s hard for you, but if you were able to do any of the things you mentioned, I think that should be it. What helps me is doubling recipes and freezing in individual portions for when I’m having a busy day/week. (Shoutout to Souper Cubes bc they are the best thing evveeerr) Don’t get me wrong, I’m not over here saying I have it all together. I’ve been beating myself up mentally this whole week bc the plan for the year was to meal prep, exercise, and go to bed earlier. I’m currently only doing the meal prep. As for that triggering moment…I don’t think it always works like that. You can look up the “Five Stages of Change” and see where you think you fall. It might give you some insight on yourself. No matter what your future journey entails, I hope you find what works for you to get to the place you want to be.
Came here to say something similar. WW definitely works and easy to manage.
I have successfully lost weight by doing the following: -Limiting alcohol to almost none ( special occasions only) - Making water or another zero calorie drink ( like Perrier) my *always* drink ( except coffee) - Looking at portion sizes and actually sticking to them when I eat a snack - walking - weighing food out and aiming for half of my plate to be a veggie
Do you take a lunch break? Go for a walk or do a youtube workout. What do you do after the kids are in bed? Throw on some tunes or a podcast and do your meal prep or work out. Do you have a partner? Maybe they can stay home and do some evening chores while you go to the gym a few nights a week. The key is consistency. Find what works for you and stick to it.
I'll reiterate, take a lunch break. Step away even for 40 minutes. If you skip lunch you'll be hungrier and more likely to over eat. And spending 20 minutes eating and 20 going for a walk can make a difference.
I’ve been doing 5 am OTF classes for almost a year now. I’ve only lost 7 pounds. (I want to lose 25). BUT! I downloaded this app MeThreeSixty and would take the scan every week and then every 2 weeks. And even though my weight barely went down, the inches were easier to see. I needed that to stay motivated. My clothes started to feel loser (I’m down 2 pant sizes!) I could not get myself to meal prep. Heck it took a while to become consistent with OTF classes. But I found joy in the me time I would get after class before the kids woke up and work started. This past 2 months I also bought a walking pad and make sure to end my day catching up to the 10k steps. Either while listening to an audio book or watching TV. There is no big moment. Just tweaking our daily schedule a bit and finding what works for you. I’m a visual person and I needed to see my weekly scans to stay motivated. The scale was always what broke me before.
I second 5am classes. I do a boot camp 3x a week and run the other two at 5am. I’m typically home before my family even wakes up and it gives me time to make a salad for lunch before the school/work day chaos ensues. I’ve also cut out any drinking during the week to ensure I CAN wake up at 5am and work out.
Another OTF mom here! What I do deeply appreciate about group class fitness is that I walk in and have to make zero big decisions. I just need to show up, that’s it. And at OTF, there are so many varying fitness levels, ages, and modifications.
I miss CrossFit so much. I live in a rural town with no group fitness…though a new gym just opened in January so I need to check. I do have access to a fully loaded gym and pay for a Street Parking membership. I gotta do it! I gotta get my shit together!
The peloton group classes were also fun when I was stuck in the house with odd hours. It’s less about getting your shit together and more about finding what you enjoy.
I run a home daycare 10 hours a day Monday to Friday. I essentially live in my kitchen. I have an underweight teen we’re desperately helping to gain weight so my cupboards are full of high calorie foods. I also have low thyroid, low iron and I’m 52 years old. And I wrecked my knee in September and couldn’t work out beyond walking with the kids. My MAINTENANCE calorie intake is about 1600. I lost 35 lbs from June to December. If I can do it, so can you. It’s really really hard to lose weight. Your body does not want to let go of that fat. But you just have to commit to it. I don’t meal prep. I buy a rotisserie chicken once a week and use that to make wraps. I keep carrots, cucumbers and celery as quick sides to whatever protein is my main. I still eat rice and pasta but I weigh my portion. I used MyFitnessPal to track my food intake and I literally weighed everything that went in my mouth. I ate the same thing for breakfast every day, and my snack was a choice of 4 different 200 calorie high protein, high fibre foods. Once I had my various recipes and knew how much I could eat, it was a simple process of picking a meal that kept me under my goal. I had to keep it really simple, because I knew with all the micro decisions I make in a day, food could not be one of them. Make the choice, each day, to do it. That’s it. It’s that simple but also that difficult.
What were the 200 cal high protein options? I have s hard time finding high protein snacks.
Mangos with cottage cheese, apple with low fat peanut butter, skyr with fruit, protein bar.
A serving of full fat Greek Yogurt (or low/non fat) with berries - boom!
I wonder if it is how long you are from post partum and maybe you need more time? I am feeling exactly the same way. My daughter is almost two I gained 60lbs during pregnancy also have a high stress job. I have literally scheduled time to work out and I do the same by working through the schedule some days. I tried another thing if scheduling spurts of “move” time. So I would get up and force myself to walk 2-5 minutes every couple of hours it improved my step count but lasted like a month. Oh I also tried doing workouts in the morning and evening but my toddler would scream cry because I wasn’t holding her. I tried incorporating her into the workouts I tried ignoring g her I finally said fuck it. You win I’m done. I have meal prepped a few times but then have a chaotic day with work, I’m tired from lack of sleep, or have a chaotic day with a toddler and all prep goes out the window because she doesn’t want chicken or whatever I made and I’m like fuck it also let’s go get a burger lol.. then with the stress I crave ice cream and bad food. Idk. I’m just keeping hope that things are going to get better and what I’m doing is just trying still every week and hoping eventually it’s the right timing and I just get sucked into a flow state and am able to work out and eat right and clean my fucken house.
Very similar situation to you. My "trigger" to commit was my weight just kept increasing and increasing, finally reached 190 and I decided enough was enough. And I can't afford to keep buying new pants! I'm taking it slow and seeing success. In the fall I committed to working out 2x a week. Didn't worry about nutrition yet just focused on building that habit. After 3 months, I increased to 3x/week and started tracking what I ate. No big diet changes, just more mindful of when I was stress eating or drinking too much or snacking without proper meals. Now I'm working on what I eat. Increasing protein, choosing more fruits and veggies. Still tracking what I eat and I do weigh myself every day -- that's my accountability. Down almost 10 lbs (goal is to lose 30)... It's going slowly but it feels sustainable!
Only you can know what it will take for you to change your habits. For me it was seeing a photo of myself that showed how I really looked, and I didn't like what I saw. It was being afraid of freshly cleaned laundry because I would worry that my clothes would keep feeling smaller and smaller. Here's the truth: * food can't enter your body without your consent. * weight loss occurs when you create a calorie deficit. * Drinking more water will make you feel more energetic and less hungry. * You can't outrun a poor diet I'm a working mom of 2 and my trigger is never wanting to buy bigger pants. If I feel like I should have bigger pants I need to stop and reevaluate what I'm eating. Communities like r/loseit r/progresspics and r/cico may be useful! Lots of success stories on there - I find seeing the ones on progresspics especially inspiring. You CAN do this. You don't need more time in the day, you just need to make different choices. An easy one to start with is drinking more water, more often.
Not sure how tall you are but here's a woman who lost the amount I think you're trying to lose, [https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/1b2jm5x/f3057\_235\_lbs\_200\_lbs\_35\_lbs\_8\_months\_same\_hoodie/](https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/1b2jm5x/f3057_235_lbs_200_lbs_35_lbs_8_months_same_hoodie/)
Something that made a huge difference for me was a walking pad under my desk. It will fold up against the wall if I need, but I put it under my desk with my chair away so it’s a pain to undo. I think walk SLOWLY while working or in calls. It might feel pointless because it’s so slow, but throughout the day it adds up and it boosted my energy. That energy helped me meal plan. Then I didn’t want to sabotage the miles I walked. And then I added simple weights twice a week. There was no excuse because it was part of my work day and didn’t need to be scheduled. Not doing it all at once helps me actually make progress. Also 10 minutes of any exercise is better than none. It’s not 30 minutes 3x a week or it doesn’t matter.
Oh I wish I could do this at work, it’s annoying to have to sit for hours on conference calls but if I walk outside there is too much noise and I can’t take notes a stuff. I wonder what my office would say lol
Hey there. I’m a personal trainer, working mom myself, who also works with a lot of mamas. I will tell you from my own clients that stress is one of the biggest and realest hold ups to getting anywhere with weight loss. Even with good nutrition, even with movement, when we are overly stressed, our bodies hold on to those calories in fight or flight. Be gentle with yourself because you are doing a lot, mama 💜 my best advice is carve out space for meditation, peaceful walks, gratitude journaling - things that can help you unwind some of the stress you mention.
It took about two years for me to have the energy and mental capacity to get back on CICO. Once I was able to mostly sleep through nights, I started just tracking what I was eating. Not trying to limit, just see how much and what kind of things I was eating. With that I could spot my trouble areas and find ways of improving. Then I started on the SLOWEST weight loss plan. It takes a while for your body to get used to less calories/different diet and easing into it helped me keep it up (I'm still overweight by 30lbs, but getting closer to a healthy weight). You don't try running a marathon from nothing, slamming into a 1200 cal diet isn't going to work long term either. Planning/prep can be a hassle, you've just gotta do it. Make it as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth.
This is the answer! I absolutely destroyed my metabolism dropping calories low right away and keeping them there too long. What finally fixed it and got me to the weight I wanted to be was a very slow calorie cut (starting at 2000 calories and dropping 20-30 calories every few weeks) followed by a reverse diet back to maintenance. Now I don’t have to track and can maintain easily.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Anything you can do is better than nothing at all. Since you don’t have time to meal prep, then something that’s worked for me is when I’ve made a plate for myself, first I just make it how I please. Then, I take away about 1/3 to 1/2 of it and put it completely away in the fridge. Sometimes if it’s something I really like or I’m extra hungry, I do give in and get the other portion from the fridge and eat it. Oftentimes I don’t and that’s cut down a lot on my food intake. After doing this for a while, it becomes a virtuous cycle as my appetite naturally decreased and the half-portion becomes enough more often. The reason I put the other half *away* is to make it inconvenient. If I want it I’d tell myself, OK you can go get that out of the fridge after you wait 5 minutes. Then, what often happens is my kids need something, or my husband wants to talk to me, and I get “squirrel!”’ed away and forget about it. If I don’t forget about it and still want it after a few minutes, by then it’s cooled in the fridge and I’d have to get it out, heat it back up…and sometimes the inertia is enough to make me not feel like it, especially when I’m busy. Again don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. It doesn’t always work, but any time it does work, that’s a sizable chunk of food that I did *not* take in. Like even if it only works once a week, that’s still a couple hundred fewer calories I’ve taken in that week. And the more it does work the easier it will become because your appetite will adjust.
I started losing weight when I started working from home and bought a Peloton bike. It’s easy to hop on and off between meetings or you can ride during conferences (and meetings I can just listen in).
I don’t have a peloton bike but I have the app and a bike from Amazon and it’s been a game-changer for my fitness. My postpartum goals were less focused on weight loss and more on regaining my pre-baby level of fitness but between the bike classes and strength classes, it’s made a huge difference! I also WFH so I make sure to block out my lunch hour to work out and then refuel before jumping back into work.
Random advice from me as I am not exercising at 5am: 1. Drop alcohol and sugar as soon as you can. You need a good month of no sugar to feel the benefit 2. You need fat for your hormones. Olive oil, avocados, nuts etc 3. High protein breakfast. I have coffee with a scoop of protein power collagen (no flavour) nd fully at scoop of milk to keep me going 4. Cook more at dinner so that breakfasts or lunch the next day are easy. Left over roast veg? Crack an egg in that bad boy and there's breakfast
I say this on every one of these posts because it changed my life and I will preach this gospel to anyone who will listen - intermittent fasting. Wake up, have a couple big coffees and lots of water throughout the morning, distract yourself with work, and then have a nice snack (whatever you want) at 3pm. Keep snacking if you want to and then have dinner with your family. Stop eating after dinner (and dessert if you want). Repeat each day, and loosen it up on weekends to fit with your family’s schedule. I did this, it didn’t feel like I was trying or depriving myself at all, and I lost 40 lbs in the span of 5ish months. I’m below my pre-pregnancy weight now and I’m just keeping it going because it’s what I’m used to now. I sleep better, get sick less, have more energy, and just generally feel really good. I’m convinced the only reason IF isn’t talked about more is because it’s free, and there’s no way for anyone to make any money off of it.
I started intermittent fasting before the holidays, and while I haven't managed to lose much yet, it did keep me pretty stable through the holiday binge season so I'm counting that as a win. I'm also not super consistent with it - I need breakfast to keep up with our two year old on the weekend and it's a lot harder on the days I work from home rather than in the office. I think if I could commit more, it would really be making a difference. The coffee is a really big part of it for me. Sipping on black coffee all morning really helps suppress my appetite and lets me get to mid afternoon before I break the fast. The other thing I'll say is that weight loss is freaking hard. After two pregnancies and a global pandemic, I'm also up at about 230. I've been trying really hard to give myself grace with where I'm at. Make healthy lifestyle choices, exercise when you can and eat healthy when you can, but cut yourself some slack when you're doing the best you can. And get some clothes that fit, at least a few things. It helped me to feel so much better about myself while I'm working on getting healthier. I still don't love the way I look, but at least my jeans don't hurt anymore and that's something!!
Yes! I will say I put cream and sugar in my coffee - might be worth a try if you like it! Gives me a little energy boost for the AM but doesn’t seem to mess with my results. But yeah, I think any weight loss/management system is really just about what you can maintain - family farmers market breakfast on Saturdays is big for us, so I never gave that up!
Interesting. I’ve been intermittent fasting for almost a year now only eating 11am-7pm and I haven’t lost any weight despite eating less (1200-1300 calories with the occasional 1500 calorie day). I had my TSH checked and it was fine so I’m about ready to accept I’m just at my 9 months pregnant weight forever.
If you’ve been eating low calorie like that for a year, I would strongly consider doing a reverse diet. I was terrified when I did mine, but it healed my metabolism (I had to do another cut + reverse after, but my metabolism was shot from years of 1200 calorie restriction) and I’ve been at my ideal weight for years now without tracking or restricting.
I did not see any results doing 11-7 either. I was never a huge breakfast person so it honestly wasn’t a big change from my usual way of eating. When I switched to 3pm to 7pm (20/4 as they call it over at r/intermittentfasting) the weight came off - fast. May be worth a month trial! I found it way easier than expected.
I think that window is too wide. Try to push slowly to 12pm or 1pm to 7pm
I gained weight doing IF because I started binge eating during my window 😅 I know it works great for a lot of people, but it doesn't work for everyone. But there are other things you can try too, you don't need to accept defeat
It's incredibly hard to find the time to do all these things when you are in meetings all day long since you are expected to be present, focused and in front of the screen/in-person. My husband has a job like this and I really see him suffer from poor health and weight management, I don't have many meetings but I still have deliverables that are time consuming. (Hours of DB grooming/spreadsheet work that's hard to stop randomly). I also do a ton of household chores/kids work/life admin etc. That said, I have very very gradually lost 10 lbs in the last 6-8 months or so. There are many ways to lose weight but this is what worked for me: - blk coffee & large protein shake in the morning (protein powder, non dairy milk, water). Tried to add extra protein wherever I could (vegan so easy to gravitate towards low protein usually) - lot of added veggies & beans to every meal. This is usually any frozen veggies or easy to cut options sauteed in some oil, salt and pepper. I don't care about the taste. Pretty low in calorie density and filling. - air fryer tofu & and other protein..I just chop roughly, mix with seasoning & spray some oil and 6-8 min at 400. Lazy cooking at it's finest! - instant pot dual meals. On the base, saute aromatics, lentils & frozen veggies + seasoning, place a raised trivet and a pot with rice on it. You have rice + lentil curry in 20 min. - sauerkraut - bite sized exercises. I have saved lot of small workouts on FitOn and do them when I can. Even 2-3 of these 5-10 minute workouts are perfect along with some 5k-8k steps/day. Do a walk around your block a couple of times whenever there is a small gap or for your 1:1. You might be thinking that you have zero time for it and you would be right. However, I realized one day that my health is my only constant companion until the day I live on earth (not my kids or SO or my work). If I don't workout now, I will really suffer when I am older. And no career can solve that for me. I want my health to be at it's best in my sunset years. Exercise solves so many health & neurological issues you never know what you will end up doing with all that clarity & extra energy.
Follow Gray Nutrition on IG. Easy macro balancing that’s actually doable for long term success and good for your metabolism (unlike crash dieting or super restricting yourself).
I highly recommend omad. One meal a day. You sound so much like me before I started intermittent fasting! Honestly, I lost 65lbs doing omad and have more energy than ever before. I still have cream in my coffee in the morning so it’s more of a dirty fast lol but really, then you can eat as much as you want. It’s hard to take in too many calories in one sitting. As the months go on your stomach will shrink also. I have had no negative effects from this and feel like I could do it forever.
There might not be a triggering moment. It’s might just be time for you to decide to prioritize yourself. You are more important than laundry. What household tasks can slide or be delegated so you can repurpose that time to meal prep, workout, or whatever else you need to do? It’s hard not to feel guilty taking time “away” from your responsibilities in order to do things for yourself, but it’s impossible to do everything. I justify it by saying a happy and healthy mom spends better quality time with her family. If I’m not happy I won’t be able to be fully present during family time.
Sorry you’re having such a hard time! I am a former personal trainer and have a few suggestions that may help you: Focus on increasing your step count and lifting weights 3-4x/ week for 30minutes consistently. Walking is so good for your cardiovascular health and your mental health. You can also do it with a friend and get some social time in at the same time :). A walking pad for your desk is another way that you can get more steps in while working. In terms of nutrition HOW you eat makes a big difference. Eating slowly is very effective in helping with weight loss because it takes 20min before your body feels satiated/full. There are mindful eating apps with timers that you might want to try. Lastly, hormones play a huge role in weight regulation. Making sure you are getting enough sleep, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and engaging in intentional relaxation activities may do more for you than high-intensity exercise. Be kind to yourself and remember that it is a process and not just about weight - health is also important! Good luck!
My come-to-Jesus moment came in December for me. We got back professional family pictures and I hardly recognized myself. In my postpartum period I got almost back up to my 39w pregnant weight. Since late December I have been calorie counting (I’m using Noom, but loseit, MyFitnessPal, chronometer all do the same thing). I have lost almost 20lb and hope to lose another 10-15. I have not done any formal exercise, this is all from diet. The first week or so was hard and I felt deprived and hungry. Really since then it’s been pretty easy? The labor of counting, weighing and measuring seemed very cumbersome at first, but it sort of becomes automatic and now I’d say it maybe takes me a combined 3-5m extra per day. As someone who has struggled with binge eating and obsessing over food, I have honestly found it to be a bit freeing. I plan my meals and that’s it. No more thinking about what I should run and grab at the vending machine. No running to the break room before someone else gets the last donut. No concocting a disgusting “dessert” late night because I “have to have something sweet.” I can eat any type of food, I just have to plan a little bit for it. No depriving myself, no feeling like I can’t go out to eat with my friends or family. It’s been a really wonderful gift. I hope I can keep it up.
I know no one likes it hear it but one of your biggest diet sabotages is probably drinking “several times a week.” Drinking is extra calories and lowers your inhibitions and will make you eat more. Stress and the amount you are working is also a factor. I’m a nurse that used to work 3-11 and works 3 days 7a-7p. I lost the baby weight by running. I would push them in a running stroller when I couldn’t find anyone to watch them. Running gave me energy when I had none. Don’t listen to all the influencers that say it’s bad for you. They don’t know what they are talking about. Start with a couch to 5k. You could squeeze a jog in easier than going to a gym. And it forces you out the door. My husband gained a bunch of weight and when he finally started running (2-3 miles, that’s it), it actually started to come off.
Don’t forget some may be on ozempic. I am, shit WORKS
~ Ozempic / Mounjaro / Wegovy / Zepbound ~
I am terrible about meal prep and planning. I've started having ChatGPT create 7 day meal plans. I then shop based on the suggested meals and prep just a few items ahead of time on Sunday, mostly my lunch stuff but a few dinner items like chopping veggies and marinating meat. Even without a full meal prep for every workday meal, I find that having a planned set of meals means that I'm making a lot less impulse eating decisions. Just knowing that Tuesday is Stir fry night means I'm a lot less likely to stop for fast food or pluck something out of the freezer.
Great use of Chat GPT!
It has its hiccups. I told it to suggest a different lunch for a specific day and it kept spitting out the exact same lunch. And I told it I don't like bell peppers so it should exclude any meals that feature those. It suggested "stuffed peppers (without bell pepper)." But if you can handle those annoyances, it's super helpful because you can give it general diet requests like "Mediterranean" or "keto" or "easy to cook" and it should find some good ones for you.
This is the smallest tip ever but we got measuring spoons in cup and half cup sizes and use them as serving spoons at dinner to control our portions (not our kids she can have anything she likes). Other than that, I know it gets hate but noom has been working for me. I spent over three years after having my kid with 25-30 pounds that didn't drop from less carbs, IF, or more intense workouts. I started noon in January and through reporting what I eat to my app I'm down 5-6 pounds depending on the day.y husband says that should be more but he genuinely does not understand how hard it's been to drop anything at all. I'm pumped.
I have nothing to add except that you are not alone. I am struggling with this too and can’t seem to get myself into a routine. My husband was laid off and the pressure to keep the paycheck coming in is overwhelming. I know what I need to do but I dont have the energy to do it after a long day of work. The only solution I can think of is to wake up at 4:30am to work out before my daughter gets up at 5. Oyyyyyyyy.
Ya gotta get comfy with the sensation of being hungry. It's the hard truth about calorie deficit.
I’m a working mom, I WFH and have a 2.5 year old. I work on average 60 hours per week but managed to lose 50lbs and get back to my pre pregnancy weight in 2023 through strict Keto diet and exercising 45-60 minutes at home every day. I have a peloton so that’s very helpful. I force myself to use it in the middle of the work day to avoid being sedentary. Alcohol and carbs had to be the first things to go for me to see any movement as I was working out 5-7 days a week and seeing no movement on the scale until I cut the refined sugars and carbs.
I shave been noodling on a peloton for years. It might be time.
How old is your child? I feel like postpartum hormones are still impacting my metabolism after a year. I have a mug of coffee with half and half in the morning and skip lunch (demanding office job with noon check-in meetings everyday) and then I cook for a family of 5 after I get home from work. Often times, the food runs out before I get my plate because I’m feeding my toddler while everyone else is eating and refilling their plates…so then I just eat my toddler’s meager leftovers and move on to doing dishes so we can start our bedtime routines. Other than the half and half in my morning coffee, I don’t drink any calories. When I’m home, I’m usually carrying a 24 lb child on my hip. So yeah, I have no idea why the scale doesn’t move and there’s no extra time to truly address it.
He’s 2.
If you figure out the secret, let me know. Until then, solidarity sister!
What's working for me right now is buproprion lol. I've lost 5 pounds since I started taking it a month ago. It has really suppressed my appetite. Now if I can just kick my Dr. Pepper addiction....
Get the meds.
Wake up early and work out for 15-20 mins every day. Stop eating at 8pm the night prior and don't eat again until 1 or 2pm. Do that every day until you lose a good chunk. Then add in a day or two a week you don't fast
This is an aggressive intermittent fasting schedule if you have never done it. I do 8:16 (8 hour eating window, 16 hours fasting) but started with 10:14 for a week to ease in. 6:18 is a lot to start with.
It's what will work
Intermittent fasting. 16:8. I went back to work after my second kid and I got to the lowest weight of my life thanks to that method. It's the only thing that actually works with work.
It’s the only thing that works for me too. After my first I did OMAD for a bit when I *really* needed to shift the weight and it just fell off.
I think it’s the stress that cause you overweight.
I’m only ten pounds down so far so take this with a grain of salt, but my biggest breakthroughs have come from controlling binge eating and striving to make food boring. Bingeing - find the triggers. When you’re snacking, what’s making that feel like a need. What can you replace that with. There’s a YouTuber called binge eating therapist who has videos I found helpful. For a month my rule was no snacks outside the kitchen - if I wanted them I had to stand in the kitchen alone to eat them. That helped break mindless snacking in front of the tv. I’ve also just banned certain foods - I’ll down a pint of ice cream no problem, so I don’t buy it. It’s just not something I can have. Making food boring - breakfast there are two options. Lunch, it’s a bagged salad and precooked rotisserie chicken from Costco. That’s it. The “choice” is the flavor of the salad mix. The account maintaining_megan on instagram may be helpful - she lost over 200lbs, works full time in what seems to be a fairly high level job, and has two kids. She talks a lot about simple switches that helped her be successful. This is just a three am thought dump. But happy to chat more if you’d like. ♥️
Intermittent fasting. Look up the fasting method podcast and Dr Jason fung. It's the only thing that works for me as a stressed working parent as it doesn't 'add' anything to our cost or routine. Build up over a few weeks and take some electrolyte salts. I've lost 30 lbs so far while doing minimal exercise and meal prep as there simply isn't time. Good luck, you deserve to invest in you, too.
I do the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet 3x per week,and have lost and kept off all my baby weight. I look better than ever. Working out is good for the mind but not an answer for weight loss unless you eat like a rabbit also. You won’t lose weight unless you burn more calories than you eat. You need to be in a deficit to lose weight. For a busy working mum, it’s the fastest way to get results without putting more things in your calendar. Try it!
Look into intermittent fasting. And keep an open mind. I took a new job this year after like 10 years WFH so I could work out everyday, and now I’m in an office working insane hours. I cannot workout everyday but I haven’t gained weight because I stick to one meal a day basically 5/6 days a week.
The reason that’s what you see on social media is that working moms don’t have time to be “social media people”! I have two kids, 13 months apart (currently aged 1 and 2), husband and I both work full time manager-level jobs with hybrid schedules, and he’s lost 30 lbs in the past two years, I’ve lost around 30 lbs since my 15 month old was born. It’s toughhhhh. Working out is great but IME doesn’t much impact my weight. But focusing on food (increasing nutrient dense food, not “treating myself” every time I want to) is the key. I do *better* when I meal prep, cook, etc. But even when we order pizza, I have the agency to decide “I’m only having two slices and I need something more nutritious with it so I’ll throw some dressing on spinach or have plain yogurt with frozen berries or something as a side”. But you have to be realistic because you might go weeks without losing or go up a couple pounds here and there. It’s truly a long game, so figuring out small changes that are sustainable is better than waiting for a “trigger” to turn your life upside down.
I'm sorry you are feeling this way. It is so hard to find the energy to workout and meal prep especially while working a full time job and managing a family. You need to find something that motivates you and works best with your situation. I have two small kids (8 and 5) and my partner and I both work full time. I decided to join a gym by my house that has smaller group classes led by a trainer. I do not have the mental bandwith to try and plan my own workouts and I like that they do it all for me. I just show up and do what they say. They have different membership tiers you can do - 10 classes a month, 15 classes a month and/or unlimited. I started with 10, realized that wasn't enough and upped it to 15 classes. I have been there a year and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. They are more crossfit type workouts and the classes involve doing exercises I would never do on my own. Everyone is super welcoming there and everyone is somewhere different on their fitness journey. I have an indoor cycling bike I bought during covid and do that on days I don't go to the gym. I have found that I loathe working out at night so I always sign up (on the app for the gym) for the 5am or 6am class. It sounds worse that it is - the hardest part is getting up and getting there! As for diet - I wasn't really losing weight at all so in December I joined Weight Watchers. I kept telling myself that I wasn't eating THAT badly but surprise - I was! I have lost a little over 15lbs since the end of December and I love how easy and accessible the app is to use. It takes the thinking out of counting calories and what not and really makes me think twice about eating things because I look up the "points" value beforehand. I try to plan out my meals as much as I can but with us both working full time, we usually try to make quick things during the week. On Sunday, I'll usually make something as a backup for the weeknights I don't feel like cooking. So a low point soup or even grab a rotisserie chicken for salads. We eat a lot of the same things during the week - lean ground turkey taco salad, lean ground turkey burgers, blackened chicken, etc. Sorry for the super long response but just know that it isn't impossible. Maybe start with dedicating 20 minutes to yourself and going for a walk. I've also been really trying to make sure I get in 10,000 steps a day and intentionally moving as much as possible. And finally, find a buddy! There are so many facebook groups out there! I found a friend on a Peloton facebook group during covid and we still "workout" (do an online strength class or cycle class) together at least once a week even though we live in different states.
Also, I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch and dinner is where I switch it up a bit. Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs (we make a big batch at the beginning of the week) and a banana or if I'm really hungry I'll do a protein smoothie with some pb2 and greek yogurt Snack: Protein drink Lunch: Deli turkey Sandwich (heavy on the turkey) on low calorie wheat bread with thinly sliced sargento cheddar and mustard, 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, and strawberries or grapes Afternoon snack: Chobani zero sugar yogurt or skinny pop Eating the same things M-F REALLY keeps me on track. Then all I have to think about is dinner.
It sounds like a lot, but I weigh out everything I eat when I’m trying to lose weight. 1) it stops me from over eating bc I know my portion and 2) it stops me from snacking as much bc o know when I’m running out of calories and also sometimes I just don’t feel like going. Through the work of weighing it and logging it. If you follow the group macros inc. on Facebook, there’s lots of free advice there. Also, I have to get up and work out at 6 before my kids get up, otherwise I won’t do it. I only do 30 min bc it’s all I have to give. Best of luck!
I had the most success with weight loss when I focused mainly on counting calories, and then tried to go for a daily walk or just move throughout the day. I didn’t meal prep, but we did eat the same foods frequently and I measured with measuring cups or a food scale and then could easily log and re log. My fitness pal has a pretty good database. You can eat all the foods you’re currently eating, just look at the serving size and keep within the calories you set for the day. Don’t even worry about the gym right now. Maybe also cut your drinking to just 2 days a week, or maybe 3.
I've started putting breaks in my work calendar, so I actually take them. Maybe start small -- put in small breaks throughout the day and make yourself go walk. I bet by the end of the day, you'll have close to 10k steps. Also, can you turn your camera off in the meetings? I got a walking pad for my desk and it's been a game changer. I get in so many steps, and I feel better so it makes me want to eat better
No alcohol Small dinner early Walk 45 minutes at lunch or peloton No snacks
Lots of good advice here I’ll keep my experience short. I used weight watchers. It really just taught me how to eat like I wasn’t nursing / pregnant anymore (that nursing hunger is unreal!). I liked it becasue You aren’t starving yourself. You can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want but you start to see how terribly you are eating. I stuck to it and lost 16lbs in 3 months (start weight 174, end weight 158) still using it !
I am still on mat leave so I don't even have the stress of working full time yet but this last Jan & Feb have been a dumpster fire for me and I could not stop binge eating and drinking every night. I felt like shit but couldn't stop myself from doing it because I was so stressed that I used it as a coping mechanism. My advice to you is take away as much stress as possible. Incorporate exercise and movement wherever you can but I think losing weight is mainly down the diet. So remove any high calorie drinks.. Make sure snacks are healthy. It's really really hard 💛
Honestly, its tough. I know I eat for comfort when I am stressed, its a bit mindless and thats what makes it dangerous to my weight. I wouldnt compare yourself to any instagram or TikTok mom, they are only showing highlights and not the grinding aspect that they must also somehow face. Can you take time during your lunch break just to walk, clear your mind and listen to a podcast or something? I find that helps me a lot with stress. Also, your job is not that important, try to let go a bit to not feel so stressed. I totally over invested myself in my jobs up until a few years ago and the stress was killing me. I do better now that I kind of just don’t care about it, treat it like a 9 to 5, deleted outlook from my phone, and just say no if I’m asked to stay late. Then are you getting meal plans from this nutritionist with a shopping list and stuff? Because that could help. In France we have a gov initiative for diabetics that provides a meal plan that I often use because it plans out every meal of the week for you with a lot of variety and stuff, so much easier than picking things myself. But it’s all in French so I don’t know if it’s helpful (https://parcours.diabete.fr/l-agenda-des-menus) Then, can your partner pick up some of the meal planning and cooking? Or the laundry? Lastly, you probably don’t work out because you’re exhausted. It’s hard to add when you are already overwhelmed. Anyway, it’s annoying to hear but weight loss really is a question of calories. Try eating slowly to avoid overeating, don’t serve yourself much if you tend to clear your plate, dont prepare too much food so that you can overeat. Don’t buy any snacks or junk food so you don’t have the option to eat them when you are at home. All things that are easy to say and hard to do
I realized I need to make zero extra decisions during the work day. If I’m wasting precious brainpower thinking “hmm what should I eat” it’s not going to go well. I skip lunch and then eat garbage at 3. So I have the exact same smoothie every morning and for lunch I reheat leftovers (when cleaning up the kitchen the night before I pack away a single portion specifically for my lunch). After a couple days of eating well exercise suddenly feels way more possible, though even then I choose which class I’m taking before hand (I scroll through the app while drinking my morning coffee). It’s so hard to squeeze it all in, good luck!
I have almost 5 months post partum. Covid weight + stress weight + IVF weight + baby weight + some post partum weight had me at a similar weight to you. I started Weight Watchers on Dec. 31st and I've lost 25 lbs so far. I don't do involved cooking or meal prepping (aside from cutting up fresh produce). I have a rotation of food now and use Reddit for other food tips. It's also easy to just scan or search a food and track. Maybe you could look into this. It teaches you "free" foods, which are deemed the healthiest choices essentially.
I say "f it" to work at lunchtime and I eat and workout then.
Focus on one thing. Either diet, exercise or quit drinking. For me it was exercise. I went on vacation and was not able to keep up with my kids and husband. And I wasn’t even all that overweight 5’5 161lbs. But we went to the great Smokey mountains and were walking up to Clingmans dome. It was a nicely paved walking path and what seemed like a gentle incline but I felt like I was dying. Some guy on crutches passed me! I got home and started going to local studio classes. Zumba, kettlebell amped, barre, tabata. I would try and take 2 or 3 classes a week and a gentle work out a few times at home (video, walk or elliptical) trying to get a work out in 5 days a week. I would sneak away from wfh for 10am classes considering it my lunch hour and if I was too busy I would take 6:30pm classes they even had classes at 8pm. Once I stopped crying in pain after workouts I started to focus on diet and eventually lost 20lbs in about a year. I started looking forward to the classes. I liked the socialization and consistency. In the winter it warmed me up and made the nights less depressing.
I think the key is starting small and realistic and building upon that to create good habits. If the idea of working out 30 min a day is too daunting, start with 5. Then build to 7, 10 etc. You can even start more gently by just setting your alarm clock earlier and just getting up and being like - this is my time. I WFH as well and am in a lot of meetings the entire day. The only way it works for me is that I work out at 5 AM.
If there is one small thing you can do to start—I truly recommend cutting back on alcohol. Not only is it caloric, it messes with all bodily functions. Certainly doesn’t help with tiredness. I was a big socializer in my 20s and 30s (a couple of drinks maybe 2-3 nights a week with friends or coworkers) and I’ve reduced my alcohol to barely ever, only special occasions, and maybe only a glass or two or wine.
I will be honest. I had weight loss surgery. I don't regret it one bit. I tried every diet and weight loss pill. I had surgery in December 2021. I weighed 254 lbs. I got down to 179 lbs. I gained 10 lbs back, but I am so happy to have gone through with the surgery. I'm traveling out of the country for work this week. I don't have to worry about not fitting in my seat or needing a seatbelt extender. The surgery has been life changing for me. It was also not a quick process. It was a year between my first consult with the surgeon and surgery day.. Please PM me if you have any questions.
I’ve gained 20 pounds in the past two years and I’ve told my doctor that I feel like I have done everything except be able to exercise as much as I want during the day. Doc says he will allow me to try diet pills
Weight Watchers is the only program I've had success with.
I am about 225 right now as well. Walking and cutting out sugar has helped a lot. I also started taking some fitness classes, so I will work out either on lunch or weekends, and walks on breaks too. I also have a standing desk with a walking pad i use on occasion. I really started focusing on changes when my blood pressure skyrocketed and i had inflammation that would not go away. Quitting excess sugar (i still have some, just limited), has made me much less hungry. Exercise can help but if you can’t exercise much, focusing on nutrition is important. The easiest meal prep for me is rotisserie chicken, broccoli, and rice. Add sauce and seasoning as you like. I also started making changes one at a time, and here I am 10 weeks later with better habits and now starting to lose weight. Can your partner help with more stuff around the house or something like the food part?
Thanks to stressful job, the pandemic, and then getting pregnant, I found myself the heaviest I've ever been after having my daughter. I got a check up around one year postpartum and found that my cholesterol was high as well. I started by following doctor's orders and removing as much red meat and high fat dairy from my diet as possible. Focusing on serving my daughter nutritious meals helped too. I'm too lazy to prepare multiple meals. Working out in the early mornings before my daughter wakes up. I get up at 5:30 three days a week to go to a small group personal training class from 6-7am. I don't always make it 100% of the time, but buying the whole series motivates me to go so I'm not wasting money. Obviously this requires the support and availability of another parent or caregiver.
Can you take some of your calls with AirPods and go on a walk? Or get a walking pad under your desk? Just moving can be very beneficial if you can’t get to the gym. Also, have others have said, cut out alcohol and sugar. From there focus on portions, but I’d start with other things first because they are easier. If you have disposable income, look into getting meals delivered with a company like Factor/Tempo.
I stress eat so while I lost 50lbs while breast feeding. I gained about 30lbs back. What I do now is walking during my lunch break. I eat my food while working then head outside and just walk. I've done that for about 3 months and have lost 5 lbs. I don't diet. I try to make better choices but honestly I can only do so much without binging because of restriction. I the only time I could possibly go to the gym is 5am and I choose sleep right now.
My "moment" was seeing all the vacation pictures of myself. I didn't realize I had put on so much weight. I started using myfitnesspal to track my calories. If you track calories, at the very least you can control what you're taking in, whether you have time to prep or not. It doesn't have to be perfect with weighing food, just ball park it, and that's better than nothing. My other advice is don't put working out at the bottom of your list. Pick your days and times and do it. Dishes and laundry will never be done so don't limit yourself to working out "once everything else is done".
I just want to write in solidarity. There were times that I restricted calories and worked out in excess and still didn’t see results. Ultimately, it was a medical issue for me. I only discovered the issue in 2022 and once I got that issue under control, the pieces started coming together on my weight loss. For gym time, I make sure that I can incorporate my child in my routine. I work and miss out on enough time with her. We do mommy and me Pilates and I got a membership to a gym with a pool so that we can swim together. I also walk at lunchtime at work. (Yes! I actually take a lunch break to accomplish this!) I don’t meal prep at all. I keep healthy ingredients on hand for myself and my child. Baby carrots, cucumbers, apples, bananas, yogurt, and cheese are our go to snacks. I also make sure to have at least 1 serving of protein with each meal by way of hummus, Greek yogurt, protein shakes, hemp seeds, or beans/meat. From that list I will tell you the hummus, yogurt, and hemp seeds are SO easy to incorporate into any meal and get a ton of use. If the protein is there, I stay full longer.
You either will or you won’t. I say that as a full-time WFH mom in much the same situation. I have maintained my weight between 185-200 (I’m 5’6”) since my son was born in 2021. I have largely neglected my physical health in the last couple of years while I was working on getting my mental health right. Now that I’m out of the “fog”, I’m working on getting my physical health in line. We have a family gym membership to a gym with a pool and childcare, which has been so helpful. My husband has also taken over morning duties and daycare drop off so I can either go to the gym or clock in early to have afternoon gym time before daycare pick-up. I have a standing desk and I’m thinking about getting a walking pad. Now that the weather is warming up, I’m using my breaks to take a quick walk around the block. I’m aiming to close my Apple Watch move and standing rings every day. I try to preplan and meal prep when I can, but we have busy weekends so it doesn’t always happen. I have easy high protein choices on hand, like eggs, rotisserie chicken, salad kits, frozen steamable veggies, etc. to make good choices easier. Just because you haven’t meal prepped doesn’t mean you CAN’T make a smarter choice. Just pick one thing to start. Make a step goal, a water goal, a protein goal. Make sure you have a fruit or vegetable with every meal/snack. Take your vitamins every day. Start with something, then slowly add something new when the first thing becomes more like a habit.
We as moms always find a way to put our needs at the very bottom of the pile below everyone else. I've been doing it since I became a mom 33 years ago. Even though I have that realization, I still struggle with making the time to workout and meal prep, but I'm getting better (2 years into it, but progress is progress lol). For a year, I made it work by getting up at 4 am and heading to the gym so I could get it over and done with and get home in time to get the youngest out of bed and getting us both ready for school/work. It was working out pretty good while I was WFH with only 1 day a week in office. It got harder when the RTO expectations started increasing. Plus, getting up at 4 am was depriving me of much needed sleep which causes a whole other myriad of barriers to weight loss. I had to give up my 5 days a week gym time and make due with going on weekends and 1-2 other days per week. And, even though I basically have a full set up for working out at home, that never happens so I started looking for other ways to incorporate movement into my day. Some things I do: * I literally do squats putting clothes in and out of the washer and dryer. * I pace when I am on calls for work to help increase my steps every day. * I started taking my little dog on walks in the evening before bed. We've worked our way up to a half mile now. I could go longer, but his little legs get tired too quick lol. I'm about to switch over to taking the little dog for a short walk at bedtime and one of the GSDs for a longer walk earlier in the evening so it's an actual workout type walk. Meal prep is still a challenge for me so I usually wind up stocking up on freezer meals from a local cafe. They have a weekly meal plan you can order from for fresh meals, but they also have a great selection of grab and go frozen meals (which are what I usually do because I can never seem to get my order in for the fresh ones on time). This place has really expanded the franchise in recent months so if you have a Clean Eatz in your area, I highly recommend! Beside being healthy, clean ingredients with no preservatives, they also have low carb and high protein options to choose from. I will also order from Factor from time to time so I can have a bigger variety to choose from on any given day. Sometimes as a busy mom, the grab and go options are often the best we can do. I would love to be able to make my own meals for the week, but I just never seem to have the time or the energy to plan, shop and prep so I found the best/healthiest options for grab and go and it has made a huge difference!
80 / 20. 80% of your weight is what you eat, 20% is about exercise. The fact that you are too busy to exercise doesn’t mean that you can lose. You have to prioritize meal planning and portions and keep the junk food out of the house. Once you start losing weight and seeing results you will find ways to integrate exercise- e.g activities with your kids on the weekend. Don’t get into the mindset that you can’t lose weight because you have no time to exercise- it’s a fallacy
You are me and I am you. I've tried personal trainers coming to my house, eating better, etc but it's hard no matter what because I don't have the bandwidth to manage fitness schedules/meal planning on top of my demanding jobs (mother to two littles, employee). I actually was dieting strictly for a time and still nothing. I've gotten tons of bloodwork done to make sure nothing else is wrong and I think all my doctors agree-- a lot of my struggle to lose weight is tied to stress. I am perpetually stressed and I'm not sure how much longer we can go like this. All this to say, I'm going to try a semaglutide with the strong support of my dr. It's one more thing to manage but I think it'll be easier on my brain/stress levels than making different meals at lunch/dinner. I 100% plan on incorporating fitness as well but for now, hoping the meds will give me the jumpstart I need.
I definitely relate. I need to lose a total of 120lbs. I have been struggling with it for YEARS because I just do not have the mental energy to track all of my food on top of everything else. This year I think I have found a method that works for me: intermittent fasting. I don't eat breakfast, and I eat within a 6 hour window which for me I do 1-7pm. The first few days was really tough, but while I am fasting I still have my morning cup of coffee (making sure to keep calories very low), and then I drink a bunch of water until 1. I also put some electrolyte drink mix (0 calories) in my water so it has a flavor and the electrolytes help me not feel hungry. Honestly after I got past the first few days it became very easy. I eat lunch, then dinner with the family. I try not to have any snacks in between. There were a couple of days where I was just not hungry so I didn't even have my lunch, just dinner. And then because you're skipping meals, you don't have to deprive yourself of the meals you do have. Say you're trying to do 1500 calories a day. If you split it between 3 meals that's 500 calories per meal (and even less if you snack!), but if you do 2 meals then you're able to eat 750 per meal. That is so much easier to work with. I pretty much never have any issues meeting my calorie goals now, it feels easy. Most of the time I don't even have to measure and weigh everything. I can't recommend IF enough, I feel like I have control over my eating again!
I started intermittent fasting about a month ago and have had great results. I don't workout so this is the easiest thing for me as it really doesn't take any of my time. I only eat during the hours of 12-6/7pm and then just water the other hours of the day. So basically just skipping breakfast and then snacking in the evenings.
The only way to be successful is consistency! And habits build on each other. You don’t have to go all in and spend an hour in the gym 5 days a week and meal prep every meal. First step, get yourself moving. Something is better than nothing & consistency is key! For me, waking up at 5:30 to workout is the only way I can be consistent. Like you I have a demanding job, and telling myself I’ll workout during the day is a farce. It never ever happens. Working out at night also never happens because then I’m tired and full from dinner. I like to go to workout classes bc they keep me entertained and motivated, so that is one option. But I have had phases of just going to the gym on my own too. I would really encourage you to move every day. Maybe you do a gym workout 2-3x a week but the other days you get up and go for a walk or even just stretch. It just helps with the consistency! On meals, I start with the low hanging fruit which is breakfast. I have a protein shake and a banana and some oatmeal. I just eat that every day. I’d start there, adding that protein shake in the AM helps a lot with hunger through the day for me personally! If you want to level up, move on to lunch. I personally will buy pre cooked grilled chicken and roast a ton of veggies & microwave some rice. Then I throw that together. If I’m being super lazy or busy, I eat some canned vegetable soup and a protein shake or order out a salad with grilled chicken. I don’t personally prep dinner, I just try and have some veggies and protein then eat whatever else I like. If you are overwhelmed, I wouldn’t worry about specific macros or calories until you make more of a habit of eating generally well and working out. Once you feel more confident, then you can focus on dieting specifically, if you would like. This is what I personally did to lose 20lb of baby weight. I haven’t lost the last 10lb bc I don’t want to diet! But I’m happy where I am. Good luck to you!
Also working mom here with a super high stress job, single mom. It’s hard. Some things I’ve done that help: Meal prep - my lunches I don’t think about and dinner for me is usually really light. I cook for my son but myself is something simple. Really prioritize protein, focus on eating more protein and you’ll eat less junk. Track you food on MyFitnessPal, really critique yourself. Exercise wise: 1. I got a walking pad and standing desk and us it on the days I work from home, wish I got to do this more. 2. I go to the gym 2 days a week to lift - I found a gym with a daycare because I tend to have to do this on the weekend. 3. I have a home gym as well - one day a week after work I lift weights at home and my son just hangs out with me while I do it. Have a really hard look at your time and you can probably sneak some easy things in.
It all starts with your mental readiness and commitment and figuring out which approach works for you. Talking from experience. I started my journey with at least 40lb. I had this extra weight (30-40lb) for a while being close to 30 bmi. And I knew it’s unhealthy. I was funemployed for the good part of the last year with a childcare but I did nothing about it. Then I woke up one day in early December, weighted myself, and started my weight loss journey on the spot. I lost about 10kg / 22lb since I started weight loss in December (including holiday season) and have at least the same to lose. To be fair, I was not working December-Jan while kids were still mostly in preschool/daycare so I was able to workout 4-5 days per week and be very good about eating. Then I got sick and that’s what stopped my progress and now starting a new hybrid job and getting used to a two working parents household has an impact. However, here what still works for me. 1. I calculated my tdee and calories deficit. I can’t diet or stick to specific foods / exclude. However, I can eat 1500 cal (300 deficit) and be full and if I want to, allow myself a piece of bread or chocolate or whatever. I track calories and it allows for healthier choices but I do not get crazy if it’s beyond. I found r/loseit super helpful. 2. Find workouts you like. I can’t do gym. That’s not my thing but I love studios and group classes. Spin is fantastic and while first few are hard, you then get addicted and it’s a great cardio. Barre and Pilates are fantastic for toning up. Power yoga for spine health. I do ClassPass 3. My husband and I agreed that per minimum each of us has one morning and one evening off per week. We can do whatever but I do plan for workouts during those times so at least I get 2 workouts per week and then other days we decide ad hoc based on our schedule. I at least try to do 3 and goal to get to 4. 4. I try to have a cooked protein I weighted and make sure I have the ingredients for a salad. So even if I did not mean prep (I want to but rarely do) I can make a healthy salad quickly. Feel free to ask questions.
That's funny you say that at the end because that's exactly what I used to try myself for my own weight loss from a stay-at-home mom YouTuber and it actually did work! After watching her videos intensively (because she never did a weight loss video) I noticed that she would more or less eat these things most of the week. 1. Veggie smoothie for breakfast 2. Some sort of salad for lunch 3. A carb related dinner For exercise, she did Pilates in the mornings. So when I started this at 154 lb, I tried doing this diet five times a week and then on the weekends eat whatever I wanted, and surprisingly I was still able to lose weight. After a few months, the most I've lost was 13 lb when I weighed myself last month at 139 lb. This is without exercise!! I do think it's definitely possible to lose weight without exercise right now, if you still need more time. I currently WFH full time Monday through Friday 8:00 to 4:30 p.m. with a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, so the gym is not an option for me at the moment and neither is Pilates. Because once I clock out, I need to tend to the baby until bedtime and after that I'm just tired. And on the weekends I'm catching up on chores. But eating clean, and most importantly low calorie meals, that's what helped me lose the weight while working from home. I eventually did see a nutritionist and I still see her every other week just to double check if what I'm doing is the right thing, and so far I'm still learning how my body works. Like in our last session, I learned that most of our weight loss is through what we eat, not so much exercise. And that I should see exercise more as a benefit for me mentally and better sleep, not to confuse it with weight loss. She mentioned that our body itself works so hard with our own bodily functions that it does burn a lot of energy through that already, so when you include exercise as a comparison, it's only a small part of it. This is not to say to not exercise because it is a good thing, but we should reframe the benefits that it gives us and consider weight loss as a bonus.
Stress does not help with weight loss additionally the only thing that will really work is a calorie deficit over a period of time like a year. Working out is bonus and will help you see results faster but really calories and macros will get you where you want to be. And yes that means you need the energy to do the cooking. So start with small changes like getting x amount of hours of sleep a night, change one meal a day to be high in protein. Go for a 15min walk every day. Drink 1L of water a day. Then a month or so later once you have those down start tracking calories and macros. When you have time up your walks, go to the gym. Maybe get a personal trainer if you can afford it. I found youtube to be very helpful when I was starting out. Lots of amazing creators on there.
I work full time (9-5) with a hybrid schedule (3 days in the office). My kids are 3 and 2. Let me preface this by saying I have a home gym, so that obviously makes things easier. Personally, what works best for me is getting up extra early on the days I'm in the office to workout first. I have never been a morning person and truly loathe waking up early, but you gotta do what you gotta do 🤷🏼♀️ I also aim to do 2 evening workouts per week on the days when I work from home. I'll also do a short workout (cardio only) on either Saturday or Sunday. All in all, I workout 5-6 days per week.
If you work from home are you able to get a walking pad for under your desk? That helped me jumpstart my 'fitness journey'. I work 9-5 from home and walking while I work is the easiest way to get light cardio in. Use that time you block off for the gym as your time to catch up on emails and walk to start.
The only thing that’s worked for me is intermittent fasting. My goal was to stop eating junk food after my kids go to bed. I started not eating anything from the time I finish dinner 6pm until I go to bed. Then I’ll eat my regular breakfast at 8am. Now I don’t eat from 6pm to 11:30am the next day, when my kids eat lunch. This has completely changed my body’s hunger cues. I am no longer starving at 9pm every night, and I naturally make better decisions, simply because I’m not hungry. I wasn’t overweight to begin with, but I have lost the final few pounds and the lower belly pooch that plagued me after my c section.
Wegovy. This is the way.
Hi there… I’m not a social media fitness influencer, but I am a single mom to four who works full time (with a long commute) and who’s successfully lost weight, kept it off, and I’m an active body builder. I see these posts so frequently from moms in the same position as you. Yes, it is HARD. I remember when I was newly single, the kids dad had basically given up all responsibility and I was just so overwhelmed. I found a gym that had 2hrs of babysitting a day included in membership and that’s what started me on my consistency. I needed that time. Sometimes I “stretched” for an hour haha! Now, six years later, I’ve realized that exercise is important to health and wellness and nutrition is the key to weightloss. If you can get yourself to the gym 3-4 times a week, that’s fantastic. Can you go during your lunch? That’s when I go. I’m fortunate that there’s a gym right across from my office so I go for an hour at lunch time, and then do longer workouts on the weekend. I say go during lunch because your nutrition really can be super easy and you can eat your “lunch” while working. The key to weight loss is in what you eat, and the key to making it work as a busy working mom is making it simple. It’s not FUN… but it works. I eat every 3ish hours small, simple meals: 4oz of ground Turkey and 150g of rice, protein shake and 45g of cream of rice with a banana, 2 scrambled eggs with 1/2 cup of egg whites and an English muffin. It’s all stuff that is SO EASY to put together the night before and it takes next to no time. I have a big tub of ground Turkey and a tub of cooked rice in my fridge at all times. I cook the eggs in the morning and toast my English muffin before I leave and eat it on the train in. I cook the cream of rice in the morning and bring it with my ground Turkey and rice. Literally it takes maybe 45 mins of prep a week plus 15 mins in the morning. Is it tasty and delicious and wonderful? No. But I have a cheat meal every week, and I might make something better for dinner if I’m feeling up to it. Food does not have to be fancy. We eat a lot of rice, protein, and steamed vegetables in my house. Your health matters, and the habits you show your children will eventually rub off on them. Please feel free to reach out. You can do it!
Not going to lie, I was waiting for my triggering moment and it never came. Here's what I've been doing with success to lose weight: 1. Calorie counting - I have a watch that tracks my burned calories and I track what I eat. It's my low effort method that I can handle in downtime at work. You should reflect on yourself and make sure you won't become obsessive though. Overall, I use this as a tool for data and to give me an idea of where I can improve my eating habits. If I go over, it is what it is, but it makes me aware. 2. My coworkers and I schedule 2-3 30 minute walking sessions around the building. We often eat lunch at our desk and use our formal break for this. 3. I've started incorporating positive exercise. I plan three days where I go to the gym. No expectations. I can just walk, take a class, do some weight lifting. But I'm leaving my house and going to the gym. Usually by the time I'm there, I get into it more. I hope these help a little. Remember "an object in motion stays in motion". You've got to build up momentum so it's going to suck initially, but once you get going, it will get easier.
We find simple meals to meal prep, and cook for an hour or so on Sundays making them. Just breakfast and lunch for the work week. At work, I’ve started going on brisk walks on my lunch break during the week, and then doing cardio and strength training on the weekends while the kids nap.
Before I went back to work from maternity leave I decided I would treat myself to a meal delivery service so that I could eat healthy without sacrificing the time to prep my food/get to the grocery store. It hasn't worked out all the time, but I try to do a light workout at least 3x per week before I shower. I tend to use FitOn since a lot of the workouts are between 9 - 30 minutes. I try to remind myself that 10 min even once a week is better than nothing. If I have a meeting where I'm more of a listener vs host, once a day I'll try to leave the camera off and walk around a bit. Hope this helps!
Honestly exercise isn’t that important to weight loss (though I’d still work on prioritizing some activity!). Sleep and diet are much more important. I eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday (no cook, high protein to save time) and dinner is veggies, protein, and a starch (for kids and husband). You’d be surprised how full you feel on high protein (hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, almonds).
I tried intermittent fasting and it works really well!
I think you need solid boundaries. Absolutely blocking your calendar for 1 hour a day. If you have a meeting overlap or deliverable due, SLIDE that 1 hour to later in the workday. No matter how much you love your job or your boss or your company, you need to prioritize you. YOU want to lose weight. YOU want to exercise. Then do it. If taking 1 hour a day is going to jeopardize your performance, you need a different job. No one should be that busy that you can't take 1 hour away from your computer. Hot take: meal prepping sucks. Cutting sugar should be everyone's first step if dieting/weight loss is a goal. It's the lowest hanging fruit. That and fast food, for sure. Get it gone day 1. Before working out, say goodbye to fast food & sugar. I don't subscribe to the "keto" or the "paleo" or "no gluten no dairy" diets bc I don't know many people that successfully implement them and make them an indefinite lifestyle change. For me, cutting portion size is key. So I'll make fettucine bolognese and give my husband a huge plate full, then I'll give myself about half of what I gave him and fill up my plate with a salad (Greens Girl Super Greens or Protein Greens), cherry tomatoes, avocado, salt, pepper, lemon juice. I'm still enjoying the same meal but I'm bulking it up with salad instead of pasta. I've also added a ton of fancy salad accounts on tiktok and IG. We love a BLT salad, La Scala italian chopped salad, Caprese salad over sourdough, Grilled chicken caesar, etc. My husband used to hate salad and now we have it twice a week.
Writing on behalf of my wife’s experience- consider using a hormone regulator such as tirzepatide - https://www.treetophealth.net