Becoming a healthier mom for my kid's next Disney World trip

[Coachymom]

Hello all! My name is Melanie and I am mom to two wonderful kids. We have planned our next Disney trip for 10/29-10/6 2012. I am so excited!

I started a plan in 10/2011 to lose weight for myself and my children. I have the tendency to not follow through on my weight loss plans (I have been heavy all my life and not followed through quite a bit). I only have 150 days left until my trip and I really want to make a chance for myself and my kids. My weight held us back on our last trip (I just didn't have the energy and pooped out early due to being tired and aching joints.) My goal is to loose 128 lbs. I will not achieve this by our trip, but I am hoping to make a pretty big dent!!!

My plan: To eat 1400 calories a day and keep track of it with my fitness pal. To do p90x daily. (I do not follow to the letter because some of the workouts are tough on my knee, which has an injury). I will adjust for my workouts (if my workout burns 600 calories then I will eat 2000 calories to still eat 1400) To stop being so lazy and be more active!!!

Where I am now: 268 (blarg!) with a bmi of 42 (double blarg!) I am down 10 lbs from where I started, so yay!

 

[dragitoff]

You've come to the right place for encouragment and accountability. My wife and I set out to be healthier for ourselves and to set a better example of healthier living for our children as well about a year ago. You can check out my journal My journey.....so far if you're interested. Best of luck to you!!!!

 

[Coachymom]

Thanks so much! I will!

You've come to the right place for encouragment and accountability. My wife and I set out to be healthier for ourselves and to set a better example of healthier living for our children as well about a year ago. You can check out my journal My journey.....so far if you're interested. Best of luck to you!!!!

 

[astefanie]

How's the 1200 calories /day going??

 

[Coachymom]

I have fallen off the wagon pretty hard.

How's the 1200 calories /day going??

 

[Terapin]

One of the things I was told by a coach is to exercise twice a day - that it really revs up the calorie burning.

I think that a very restrictive diet is near-impossible to maintain, especially if you are a good eater to begin with. It seems to lead to a guilt/poor self-esteem from false expectations about visions of perfect self-control, which almost none of us have. Research shows they almost never work long-term, and in fact, are associated with weight gain over all.

Know yourself and try to address where you are going wrong. Big eater? Replace calorie-dense food with lighter food and start to work on issues of food addiction. Good diet but no exercise? Start getting out there *often* and find a way to hold yourself accountable.

Why not commit to something easier, like exercising twice a day, varying what you are doing (like cardio in the morning and a vigorous bike ride in the evening) and just moderating what you are eating to unpackaged, healthy whole food? Much easier to manage. You could expect to lose about 5-8 pounds a month and decrease your chances of falling off the wagon. You may find it more sustainable than a severe diet and guilt.

You can do this! I can relate- I was 270 last year and have managed to lose almost 60# this year. No magic, no pills, no crash diet. There is no shortcut. I had to learn about myself and teach myself to say no more often, and get out there even when I felt like crap. And I have found success for the first time!

 

[wvulion]

1200 calories per day is pretty restrictive for such a large weight loss goal initially. Give yourself a break--everyone falls off, it's getting back on that counts. Why don't you try 1500 a day, download the "Lose It" app, and keep track of things that way. My husband has had a serious weight problem his whole life, and it's the only thing that has helped. He started doing 5Ks too (just walking at first) and it really got him motivated. We actually did the 1/2 Marathon in January. His whole family told him he couldn't do, but together we did. I have never been so proud as when we crossed that finish line together. A tip: everytime you exercise put a picture of the castle on the treadmill so you can really see that goal--you can do it

 

[Coachymom]

Thanks all! 1200 a day was too restrictive. I use my fitness pal and eat about 1400 calories a day. What I like about them is that when you excercise, they add calories back to your eating goal of 1400 (p90x is 600 calories...so you are really eating 2000 calories).

 

[wvulion]

Interesting--I'll have to show that to him--he's always looking for easier ways to monitor his intake--thanks so much!

 

[marvinag]

Hi Coachymom. I read that sometimes, you missed to follow the weight loss plans. How about getting into sports for a work out?

Personally, I prefer sports than exercising since I don't find it that much boring.