Help! How do I lose weight as a single parent?

[BarbaraVineFan]

I am a single mum to my 5 year old DD and have been getting fatter and fatter since she stopped breastfeeding three years ago. I am now officially categorised as obese. I’m worried about my health and really want to lose weight, but am struggling to work out how to manage it, given that I work full time and have DD 24/7 (her dad lives abroad).

I can’t go swimming, or go for a run. I work from 7.45 until 5.15 and by the time I’ve got DD from after school club and sorted dinner, laundry, housework and bedtime, I really struggle to motivate myself to do home workouts, especially now that she is often not asleep until 8 or 8.30.

Foodwise I also don’t do very well in the evenings, although I do eat healthily at breakfast and lunch. I am a constant snacker and I suspect I’m often eating because I’m bored. I’m also 45 and I think perimenopause has not helped with the weight gain or the exhaustion that I’m feeling!

If anyone has any suggestions for how I can overcome any or all of these issues and start living more healthily, I would really appreciate it a lot.

Joe Wickes is really good for family friendly workouts. I put his Youtube videos on and the kids will often join in (or not)! But don't feel that your exercise has to happen once she is asleep. It's good for her to see you exercising and you might be more inclined to do it earlier on. Prioritise this 3 times a week over tidying and laundry or whilst dinner is in the oven. Weekend mornings could also be a good time.

One advantage that you do have is that you are only cooking for one adult so you have nobody complaining about taste or portion size or lack of variety so you can create a very strict/boring meal plan and stick to it. Also nobody else wanting snacks in the cupboard. You have total control.

You don’t lose weight through exercise - or not much. You lose it through consuming fewer calories than you expend. One of the best ways (after controlling diet) to do that is to increase your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), which means just moving more throughout the day. Walk places instead of driving. Take the stairs instead of the lift. And so on.

Exercise has other benefits though and if you want to exercise you can do so at home as a single parent - get some adjustable dumbbells and do some free exercises off YouTube. Caroline Girvan, Sidney Cummings and loads more have free programs on their YouTube channels which you can do at home.

Or, if you can afford it and are obese so would qualify, get Mounjaro which will dispel your urge to snack.