If you have a very young family and are a very busy Mum please tell me how you lost weight?

[spad]

How did you fit exercise into your daily life?

Did you follow a particular diet or did you just cut back?

What did you snack on?

tia

[BoffinMum]

Slimfast! No snacks. Minimum of 20 minutes walking or cycling a day plus a couple of long walks a week - not more as it made me very hungry.

[JennyPie33]

When I was breastfeeding I could eat anything I wanted and not put on a single ounce! Breastfeeding works well for weight loss but if your babies are already weaned, taking them for a brisk walk for at least 1/2 hour every day makes a big difference to your weight and health.

Oh, and getting enough SLEEP is super important for weight loss, all the scientists are saying.

[spad]

What did you all snack on? It is really difficult not relying on a sugar rush to get you through the fatigue.

[hibbleddible]

Breastfeeding. The weight has been falling off.

In terms of exercise I have a selection of DVDs which I do when I have the time and energy (not very often!). I would never be able to get to the gym ATM, not least because dd2 is a bottle refuser.

[BoffinMum]

Fruit, veg, and if desperate crisp bread and spreadable butter, or a low fat yoghurt. Cashew nuts or cream crackers with a scrape of spreadable butter in a major emergency.

[TattyDevine]

Cambridge diet for me. Not everyone's cup of tea but I liked it because you don't need to do any strenuous exercise, just increase your walking if possible, and I wasn't hungry on it, and i didn't have to think about it or fiddle about preparing special food and I could just feed everyone else what they usually had.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

I got an implant! I'm hungry all the time and can't put on weight.

[AliAliAlium]

I have lost just over 2.5 stone this year on the 5:2 diet. I have found it quite easy. I just eat what everyone else eats 5 days a week, and 2 days a week I eat basically nothing then a light evening meal (which is surprisingly ok once you get used to it, or has been for me anyway). The 5:2 threads on here are useful. It is the only diet I've ever managed to stick to. I don't exercise (although I walk a lot with the buggy / DCs), I don't have time.

[MissFitt68]

You don't snack

'Snacking' isn't necessary and Is Where it all can go wrong. I lost 5 stone low carbing. Works for some people, others hate it

A sugar spike will give you your rush for 20 minutes, then it plummets to lower than before, where's the point. Sugar is what makes us fat

[MissFitt68]

And exercise, yes you can fit it in. I go for a run and fit it in by missing an episode of eastenders.... 30 mins,job done

[HackerFucker22]

BF'ing didn't work for me, in-fact I gained weight (as I reached for sugary, easy crap!!)

I am on 1600 cals a day [including BF'ing cals] and I walk at least 10k steps a day. Have lost 20lbs so far. Another 20 to go.

[MissFitt68]

hacker well done!!

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

I breastfed too. I'm busy all the time and don't like cooking for me. Not being allowed to eat while driving helps if you are behind the wheel 12 hours a day. Swimming with the wee one helps. And sex. Honestly I know you may not be gagging when you feel down on yourself but sex as many nights as you can manage once in bed ( where you can pass out afterwards ) gets the heart rate up and burns calories.

[Notasinglefuckwasgiven]

Oh yeah I don't eat sugar or drink anything that isn't sugar free. Quorn is a good meat alternative.

[Hamiltoes]

I "snack" on ice cubes pregnancy craving I just chose not to give up.

Other than that, I don't really excercise as such. I walk swiftly 1 mile to/ from the bus stop to work and on the other days its a 3 mile round trip to DDs school with a pram over bumpy turrain/ hills. Don't take a car anywhere really unless i need the dump or am buying a 1off item thats really heavy. Other than that, blitz housework at 1000mph, get the heartrate going. Don't let yourself sit down until whatever time you decide.

Diet, mostly just live frugally! I'm on my own, its hard to cook for 1 adult and 1 young child and a baby. A pack of meat goes to waste but half wouldn't be enough so just I just freeze other portion and bulk everything out with veg. Cheap and healthy.

Icecubes is definitely my top trick though, I genuinely feel like I've eaten and can't remember the last time I ate a biscuit or packet of crisps.

[Lightbulbon]

Missfitt68 that only works if you have someone to watch the baby!

I lost lots of weight as a single mum with no time out. I got really frustrated at not being able to go to the gym. I bought some light weights and exercised in the living room, to music & DVDs. It was good entertainment for the baby!

I also walked everywhere eg if something was 3 miles away I'd walk there & back.

As for food, cut out alcohol & caffeine & most juice. Drink lots of water. I did low carbing so snacked on hard boiled eggs, slices of ham, prawns, small chunks of cheese, carrot sticks etc. No takeaways. Meat & 2 veg type dinners. No pasta/rice. No pastry/pies/bakery products. I ate potatoes/ homemade thick cut chips and max 2 slices of wholemeal bread a day. Small amounts of fruit (fresh & tinned). No desserts. Lots of fish. Never ate out. Didn't keep chocolate/crisps in the house as I couldn't trust myself.

I breastfed for over a year which I think helped too.

Got my bmi down to 20. (Had previously been obese)

[WhereTheFuckIsMyFuckingCoat]

Walking. Kms and kms with a double stroller that weighed 35kgs when full. Used to clock up upwards of 100kms per month. Plus myfitnesspal, which I changed to mynetdiarypro, which I found much better. Sticking to 1200-1500 kcals per day - three meals of approx 300kcals each plus snacks totalling the rest. Eating small and frequent is essential to maintain metabolism, but make those calories count, ie a banana, which is high slow release energy, instead of say a small choc biscuit which will give you a hit but won't fill you up or last any length of time. Also, everything in moderation - don't deny yourself anything as you will only crave it more - just work it into your plan - if you want pizza and wine on Friday night, up your walking on Friday, have a slightly lighter lunch and breakie, then have half a pizza instead of a whole one with your wine - you will enjoy it as you feel you've earned it. Really balance out your exercise output with your food intake. As long as you're in deficit, you will lose. Slowly is best. Oh and don't drink any calories (unless your particular treat is a latte on a Monday or wine on a Saturday, but again, work them in to your plan) - all other drinks should be calorie free - black tea and coffee, fruit/chamomile/green tea, lots and lots of water. No squash, pop or fresh juice (unless as part of a breakfast and counted in your cal count).

Anyway, that's what worked for me, lost 30kgs in about 9mths, and didn't find it hard to then maintain.

Lecture over!

[Hellochicken]

Breastfeeding, no snacks and asking anyone possible to babysit for an hour so I can go for a jog 3 times per week.
It's working.

[Bulbasaur]

It's slow, but it's mostly clean eating and paying attention to portion sizes. I only buy healthy food since it's easier to over come will power while at the store than every day at the house.

I also eat a decent sized breakfast and that helps me from mindless snacking.

I also get good snacks like apples and carrots. Walks are good too, but with kids it might be hard. Is there a park you can walk them to?

[bonbonbonbon]

I swim at the YMCA. They have a thing called Childwatch which is free to members of the YMCA. While you're using the gym you can leave your kids at Childwatch for up to 2 hours. They'll take babies from 6 weeks old. They will give bottles but won't change nappies, so if a diaper change is needed, they page you. Best deal ever.

[TimeToMuskUp]

I got a dog and forced myself to walk her twice a day every single day come rain or shine. DH was supposed to join me and start getting some exercise, I've ended up doing it with the DCs. But we're fitter than ever; the DCs ride their bikes, I run while the dog leaps about and we all sleep well. Aside from DH.

[puddymuddles]

Had third baby 2 months ago, other children are 4 and 2. The weight seemed to fall off quicker this time as I am more busy (and a bit stressed) also I have given up high sugar foods eg cakes and biscuits, I don't worry about a bit of sugar in things like baked beans and cornflakes. I was never able to breastfeed so that didn't help me!

[lemoncordial]

I'm another one that breast feeding didn't work for. My 12 month old still breastfeeds. She's still breast feeding in the night and I work full time so I'm really tired. That makes me really hungry.

[Roomba]

Breastfeeding and simply being too busy/pinned to sofa therefore never having the chance to snack. I ate what I fancied but only at mealtimes. Some days were more like 5:2 days as I just didn't get chance to eat before DP got home to help!

Interesting about the need for sleep - I would have completely wasted away then if I'd got more than a couple of hours a night...

[Zillie77]

Myfitnesspal-logged all food, stuck to a calorie "budget", but didn't change the types of food I was eating

10,000 steps daily, usually on a treadmill

Powerlifting three times each week

I lost 80 pounds in 9 months this way.