mommywrites

So my son says to me yesterday, "Mommy, I wish you were skinny again." OUCH. I mean immediate crying ouch. It made me feel awful. So, I searched and landed here hoping to gain the support I don't have close to home and to bash myself with some facts about how much I really do eat. I'm here to learn to eat healthier and a little about how to START exercising. I'm overweight, jumping into Zumba almost made me die. I need something slow and steady.

My name is Kim, I am a married, 34 year old stay at home mother of 3. I am sadly pretty sedentary. HELP!!! I'm 5'9 and 255lbs. I am also asthmatic. Any quick easy suggestions? Tips?

wildbeanerz

Hi Mommy....

Your stats are kind of similar to mine (34yrs old, 2 children, but I work outside of home) I am 5'10" and 272lbs (today )

The best thing you can do for yourself is to log religiously everything that goes in your mouth. Someone here once said BLT (bite, lick or taste) - log it! You will be surprised to see where your extra calories are coming in. Once you do that for a week or so, start to make some changes. Do you really need that late night snack? Could you have a glass of water instead of a pepsi? - not that I know you or what you eat, just examples.

The next best thing I did was walking. I walk every day on my lunch break. A half hour (30 mins) you can do that right? Nothing to strenuous...just walking. If you can't go for that long start out at 10 min or 15 min. Whatever is comfortable for you. You can do this. And we are all here for support and help whenever you need it.

You may also check out the women's corner. We have a motivational thread there weekly starting every monday where we post our own goals and progress on those goals. It helps a lot to stay accountable within the group. But also, nobody there is going to put you down if you fail on a goal.

I'll stop rambling now...

Armorel

I second the walking

I started back in August after a diagnosis of diabetes type 2 in July. Just fifteen minutes a day to start with, then increased it to half an hour, then I got a small belt-clip pedometer which measures not only steps taken but also aerobic steps taken (60+ steps a minute or thereabout I believe) so I could keep track of my progress. Now I'm walking twice a day for half an hour.

That and no carbs have seen me lose two and a half stone which is fabulous

I never thought I could do it, I hated exercise and I loved food.

On a personal note, I detect a lot of negativity in your original post - words like 'ouch', 'crying ouch', 'awful', 'bash myself' and 'almost made me die'. Mind over matter sounds like a bit of a cheesy saying but it really can work. I start off my walks repeating to myself "Every day, in every way, I am getting, fitter and slimmer". It really emphasises the strides and makes me feel good.

The first places that I lost weight were my midriff (makes bending down a whole lot easier) and then my waist, hips and thighs. The latter I think probably toned up with the walking.

I don't know about your children but are they old enough to take walking with you or can you leave them with a carer while you go out for fifteen minutes?

Good luck and I hope you can work something out

VitoVino

Welcome to FitDay, Kim!

Actually I do have a few tips for you to get started.

I recommend you start reading through our Forum posts. Also, check out the FitDay Articles (which are second to none)

FitDay: Free Diet & Weight Loss Journal

and finally "stick around". You'll find all the tools, resources and support you'll need right here to meet your weight goals and to help your transition into a healthier "lifestyle change".

Best wishes.

01gt4.6

Looks like everyone has given you solid advice. As Vito stated, stay around, be active here (and away from here) & as the others said, walking is a great way to start.

ToriD1012

I've been doing Zumba for about a month and what helped me was going slowly at first and building up. I started with the very basics, just learning the steps at a slow pace, then gradually getting faster with them. It's only been in the past week that I'm even doing the beginners dances....and still can't do them well seeing as how I'm rhythmically challenged. It was best for me to learn the moves first, then add them to the dances. One thing I've learned from Zumba is this.....it doesn't matter if you're doing everything exactly right, just do it. If you're dancing around in circles while everyone else is going Salsa, who cares??? At least you're moving. And THAT is the main thing.

Kim, you've already made the first and, in my opinion, hardest step. You've recognized that you need to change. That's huge! Congrats!!! I'm also 34, I don't have the kids (unless you count my very spoiled cat) and started at 255 lbs. Although you have a good 4 1/2 inches on me in height, so imagine how dumpy I looked I've been here just over a month and I already feel better. I am also asthmatic (and have thyroid issues, but that's a whole other conversation). Since I've started watching what I eat, and exercising a minimum of 3 times a week (I shoot for 5 and usually average 4) I can see a vast improvement with my asthma. In fact, there are days where I even forget to take my meds, because quite frankly I can actually breathe without them.

The best advice has already been given to you, just get up and walk if you can't do anything else. If it's too cold out (I know that any extreme temps make it hard on me asthma wise) then walk inside. Have stairs? Use them to your advantage, a couple trips up and down because you've "accidentally" forgotten something is great exercise. You said that you're a stay at home mom, but didn't say if your kids go to school. If they don't, and it's not too cold out, go outside and just play with them. Push them in a swing, and then actually get on the swing yourself! I know the last time I was on a swing set my legs were BURNING from all that pumping back and forth. Most of all, find something that works for you and is fun.....because if it's not fun then you're most likely not going to stick with it. If your kids are in school, then find out if the schools do anything for parents who are trying to get in shape. My nieces' and nephew's school does Jazzercise 3 times a week for little to no money. It's just another option to look for.

Look around the forums, there's lots of advice and good tips to be found. And if you can't find what you're looking for, ASK! Like I said, I've only been here a little over a month, and I can already tell that the people here honestly care about each other and want what's best for everyone.

Sorry I got a little long winded, it's just that I seem to know a little where you're coming from. Good luck!!!

almeeker

Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I had a similar moment only it wasn't one of the kids, it was the Wii Fit Plus, on Christmas morning no less, in front of all the kids and husband, "dunk dunk dunk, you're obese". Lovely. Just lovely. I hate Santa.

We have some things in common you and I. I also have a 3 letter first name it's Amy, I'm married, 43 years old, SAHM of 3 (all girl's), I'm asthmatic, at my heaviest I was 244.6lbs (at 5'-2" ), so 7"+ inches shorter than you with a higher BMI. I'm going to second all the advice above, and add that it's important to learn how to forgive yourself, there have been some bad days in your past diet and nutrition wise and there will be bad days in your future. While it's important to be committed to a new lifestyle, it's also important to learn that sometimes we have bad days and every so often it's even okay. The key is to learn how to dust yourself off and get back on the healthy wagon, time and again, no matter how hard you fall off. Some days I have to start my diet over with every meal and other days it's with every bite.

Walking is great exercise, I even enjoy it most of the time. Just take it slow with the exercise. Just 5 minutes the first day and add a minute every other day or some such. At the end of a month you'll be at half an hour or more, and after 2-3 months you'll be at an hour. I've never been to Zumba (although I would love to try it), but when I first got started trying to get in shape I went to a country line dancing class and just took it one song at a time. The nice thing about that class is that it took a while to learn the steps and we did them slowly counting with the teacher, then we would take it up to tempo and dance to the music, and stop 1/2 way through, learn some more steps etc etc, so exercise yes, but with breaks. By the end of the first semester I could dance for an hour straight, after a year in that class I could dance an hour straight and I was 38 weeks pregnant. And it always felt like more "fun" than "workout", and I don't even like country music.

handcycle2005

As others have said, logging your food is a major part. Small changes can make big differences. 1 pat of butter/day =100 calories=10 lbs per year.

Find a level and type of activity you're comfortable with. No one type of exercise is the magic key.

Making being active a habit. It becomes much easier to make room in the day when you want to do it as opposed to feeling you have to do it.

01gt4.6

Amy, don't hate Santa, it would have told him the same thing.

almeeker

LOL, true.