Losing 20 Pounds!

CHeck out www.sparkpeople.com

It's a really cool website.
I'm a SAHM and we only have ONE car. And like you said no money for new clothes, gym membership etc.

I went on that site and did the workout videos on there. And I kid you not I lost about 20lbs just doing \one or two 5-10min video's a day. They're really easy, don't need REAL equipment etc
Hell I used a bottle of laundry soap & a bottle of dishwasher soap as my weights :)

You can follow Weight Watchers standards without actually being on the program. Watch your calories and fat intake. Read labels. You'll probably be shocked at some of what you read. A lot of foods I thought were healthy weren't so much. Also reduce portion size and instead of potatoes or rice as a side, opt for more veggies or a salad. Before you go out to eat, check the restaurant's website for nutrition information and aim for meals less than 500 calories (ideally less than 300) and low in fat. Again, I have been shocked at what I've learned since doing this. I figured a grilled cheese wasn't so bad, until I learned I'd been consuming 800 calories in one sandwich!

You might take a look at Weight Watchers' online only program to see if it's in your budget. I've been doing it since May and have been thrilled with the program. You won't take off the weight super fast (which is never good, anyway, since you're less likely to keep it off), but you will see results right away.

Consider a subscription to Cooking Light or Weight Watchers magazine. Both offer really great recipes that are quite tasty.

As far as exercise, invest in a couple of good DVDs. You can even rent these at the library if budget is really tight. Read reviews on Amazon to figure out what might be a good fit for your interests.

Good luck!

Can you do any work out videos in your home? I know we recently purchased some small 5, 10 and 25lb weights and I do some arms while I watch TV or the kids are playing in our basement. I also do some lunges or jumping jacks. I know that those alone won't lose 20lbs but I am sure they could help along with trying to eat healthier. Don't buy the junk foods you like buy mostly fruits and veggies. I think that you will find even the smallest amount of exercise will help your stress levels as well. I know when I was laid off a couple of years ago that helped me to sleep better at night and refocus. Good luck to you and better times ahead! :)

The thing that helped me most was to keep a jug of water in the fridge. lol. Every time that door opens I chug half the jug. If I'm still hungry after that, I will find something small to munch on (This is only for snacking). I can never fit much more in my stomach after that, and it's recommended to drink lots of water when trying to lose weight. ALSO~ Cinnamon is a natural appetite inhibitor... if you drink coffee try adding some to that, or add it to other things it might be good in. (I love making a banana smoothie that has fat-free frozen yogurt, banana, and a TON of cinnamon... use enough milk to get it to the right consistency. yum...)

For me - excercise had to come first. After I've sweat for an hour there is no way I'm going to eat something fatty. We started as a family. My husband and I encourage each other. We don't let each other slack. If one of us tries to blow off excercising, the other is there to motivate. For instance I have told my husband work out or clean the garage, your choice. Now that's motivation to work out! We go to the Y but on days when we can't... I jump on the kids trampoline. I do sit ups by putting one of the kids balls between my knees. When I take the kids to the park, I powerwalk around the play area and use the benches to do arm dips. We go to the highschool and let the kids run around the grassy middle while we powerwalk around the track 4 times. I cut out cokes and most of the beer. :) I did a fiberlaxative flush to get all the gunk out of my intestines. I started eating a lot of fruit and drinking a lot of water. I still eat good food, just less of it and skip the fried foods. I've been making an effort to get my heart rate up to a cardio - burn area and keep it there for 20 minutes. I do that 4 times a week. Happy to report I have lost 10 lbs in the last 23 days!!!!! Good Luck to you guys.

Consider a couple of workout vidoes, cardio, yoga, Tai Chi, Callanetics (works great). In fact, I reccomend several to switch around. Set a time to do these together...You will be your own gym :)

Oh, if you go with the Yoga, there is a great website, Yogajournal.com that tells you about the different poses, how to do them, what they benefit; I think they even have a plan your own yoga sequence. I knew someone who did all their yoga by their computer instead of getting a video. Something to consider :)

If walking in your area is not so good, perhaps once or twice a week you can treat yourselves to a walk in a park, or in a better area at least.

Play active games together. The more fun you have, the more likely you are to do it. Play basket ball together or tennis at the local park...See if there are some leagues you can join sports wise for fun and with little or no cost.

Go dancing once a week or at home. Have friends over and do dance-a-thons.

Check out the adult education or recreation district in your area. Often they will offer classes (exercise or sports or dance) which are a fraction of the cost of gym memberships.

Good luck meeting your goals!

In the past year my husband has lost 45 pounds and I lost 30, and we didn't have to give up anything. We started exercising, but only about 20-30 minutes a few times a week. Our doctor told us that for people with a very high-stress lifestyle, getting your heart rate up for 15 minutes a day is enough. We got a used treadmill from a friend and I also got a couple of workout videos. The only diet change I made was to use Truvia instead of sugar in my coffee, and my husband cut down on the amount of pop he drinks (from 5-6 cans a day to 2-3 cans). You obviously know what kind of foods are good & bad, but maybe try to trim down your portions a little at a time. It shouldn't take to long to notice a difference if you make a few healthy changes here & there. Plus if you start this together you will both encourage each other along the way. Good luck!

Hi Momma,
Some mampedia moms and I are having some kind of group support by e-mail. I just start running (I found a website call couch to 5k) and it is hard sometimes but having other moms e-mail me and charing, cheers, and just talk about it have help me a lot. Some of us are just staring and others are already runing around lakes (wow, I just run for 20 minutes, well, a little less, lol). Please feel free to join us!
You can also look at the program I am doing in here:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
I like it because is not to hard but yet challenging.
I also just got a great book about Tosca Reno and even if I just start reading it I am learning a lot.
Take care, you can and will do this!!!
Thumbs up for you for not only want to be healthy but help your hubby too.

I have an excellent diet plan that includes 2 meal replacements a day. The third meal is a healthy common sense (careful on portions) meal of your choice. If you follow it, it will work, AND you'll feel like a million dollars. The meal replacements cost $3-$4 each. There are approved snacks you can buy also. If this sounds of interest to you just check my profile or the business section. I'm sure the business section will show you lots of plans, and you should pick what sounds to fit you and your life best!

one of the best ways to lose weight fast is just count your calories! You can exercise all you want but if you keep eating too many calories the weight won't come off. You can look up how many calories you should eat to lose weight on line but I good rule is about 1500 calories a day. Stick to that and the weight will drop off. You can even help make your calorie counting easier by getting some foods that are pre made like lean cuisines, slim fast shacks, granola bars etc.

You should check out youtube for workout videos!! I like to do zumba on youtube its really fun also go to spark.com and check it out they have tons of info and workouts you can do at home!! good luck to the both of you!!! :)

Try a Pilates DVD. You can do them at home and they build strength and tone your muscles. I can't recommend a good one because I don't do Pilates, but I know a lot of people who do and swear by it. I have a treadclimber that I love, but its pricey. Maybe you can find one used. If not, at least you and your husband can do the Pilates together.

Check out your local library to see if they have workout videos you can checkout for free. Make sure you drink at least 80 ounces of water each day. Like Christina said below, it can help knock out the hunger bug. Make sure you don't cut out too much protein from your diet. Lean protein will help keep your metabolism running.

Keep a food log of what you eat everyday. When I keep my food log, I do a better job with food selections and portion control.

You can do this!

Momma L.

I understand your frustration. I would suggest trying some free online programs that help with eating healthier and working out. I have been a member of this online programs Sparkpeople (Sparkpeople.com) it allows you to track your caloric intake and exercise minutes while providing hundreds of recipes to try, as well as provides access to many exercise videos for free. This is all FREE and since it appears that you have internet access I would suggest giving it a try. You can create a page and even add friends or join certain groups that fit your needs to provide the support you need in your weight loss journey. They even have a sister site that helps with money management.
Also, I don't know if you have cable but you can access ExerciseTV via on-demand (on both ATT and Comcast) and on-line for free for workout videos you can do at home. I do both and they have help out a great deal.

I hope this helps. Good luck. Let me know if I can provide anything else. This is all I could think of off the top of my head.

C.

I see there are a lot of great responses and I hope you find one that fits your schedule. Here is what I have been doing for the past 2 weeks.

While my 11 year old son is as football pracitce I alternate between speed walking and jogging around the middle school they parctice at. I was told it's 1 mile if you go around the whole outside of the school. I have been doing this for 2 weeks now and of course I have been trying to eat better and healthier plus smaller protions. I am not good with the counting calories and of course all the meal replacments are too expensive.

Well I weighed my self last night (evening of all things) and found that I had lost 2 lbs. ... that's 2 lbs in 2 weeks. I think that's a great start. My goal is to lose 20 lbs by Nov. I will keep my fingers crossed. :-)

Good luck to you and hope all works out.

Some very good suggestions already.
It is a matter of making sure you are living a healthy lifestyle which is really a combination of healthy cooking and exercise.

Try to cook meals that are low in fat and cholesterol. I find that planning the meals once a week and then shopping with a list helps me only buy what I need and not all the junk that isn't good for us. And having meals planned ahead of time does help reduce stress as well. And avoid unhealthy snacks. Some already gave wonderful suggestions along those lines.

There are plenty of at-home videos. You can build your own inexpensive gym by purchasing hand weights, stretchy bands, even a weight belt. When looking for good workout videos, try your local library as well. You can check a variety out. You will find cardio, yoga, pilates - basically a good selection.

I have also found that we have greater success when we have a partner working at it with us so hopefully your husband is that partner for you! My husband got serious after a heart attack. I wasn't overweight but I follow his healthy living, and together we are in much better health because we are a team! I hope your husband doesn't need that 'wake-up call' like mine did. Unfortunately for some, all the nagging in the world won't change them.
Good luck!

low carb gets the weight off quickest. (at least for me it does) skip the all you can eat cheese and bacon. go for healthy foods like eggs, lean meats. lots of green veggies. for exercise pop in a work out viedo. if you have net flix i think you can order them...i know you can rent them from the viedo store. when you can take the family to the park they have trails and some even have little exercise stations set up perminatly. good luck...take it one pound at a time.

Congrats on wanting to lose weight and tone up. I too am on a limited budget. I do an aerobic workout every other day and then an exercise workout the other days, taking Sunday off. I keep track of the clock to make sure I don't quit too early. I tape an exercise program on TV everyday so I always have the option to do that. I also go on YouTube and do a variety of exercises. I really need the variety. Sparkpeople YouTube videos are my favorite. I just do one after the next. It sounds like hard work but it is so worth it. My clothes fit so much better and I feel so much better about myself. Exercise is the best way to combat depression. Be sure to start your day with it so you get it out of the way and can feel good about yourself the rest of the day. Be sure to tell people you are doing it, so you have to keep at it.

People have already given you great advice for eating better. Just remember to eat less. If someone offers me an irresistable dessert (my weakness), I just have a tiny piece. All I really want is a taste and I am good.

By planning out meals, including easy, quick meals, I cook much healthier.

Good luck. You will love the new you!