Dieting Club: 50 - 100 Lbs Community

Hi, jessica. Welcome!
First off, unless you are over 6 1/2 feet tall or are super athletic, you don't need 2000 calories a day. That's even a bit more than you would eat in maintenance.
You should fill out a food and fitness planner here on WebMD or on Fitday.com. This will give you a realistic goal for daily caloric intake and exercise output.
Be real about it too. Measure and log everything, foods, drinks, AND the oils and condiments that you use on your foods and in preparing them.... EVERYTHING.
Then log your exercise too.
At this point, I suggest that you use only LIGHT weights and more reps if you want to sculpt. But either way, muscle weighs more than fat and if you are weightlifting, you are gaining muscle.
About not being able to afford healthy foods..... lettuce, carrots, celery, even spinach and mushrooms cost less per lb than crap foods like crackers, chips, dips and baked goods.
If you can afford munchies, you can afford better , healthier alternatives, ESPECIALLY if you don't BUY the other crap.
If you don't buy it and bring it home, you can't eat it. It's that simple.
If your son needs some mommy time, then take him to the park for an hour a couple of times a week instead of going to the gym. Walk or jog run with him around the playground, push him on the swings, climb up and slide down the slide.... It's ALL exercise and you then give him some of the time he so desperately wants with you.
Being busy is part of a young parent's life. But what you do with the TIME that you spend daily on the things that matter will no doubt end up helping you become less stressed about things like eating healthier and being overall , happier.
huggs
kim

Welcome aboard. Kim pretty much summed it up. Also I have posted a No Excuses discussion. It's a run down of my daily schedule. Being busy is no excuse.

http://forums.webmd.com/3/dieting-club-50-100-lbs-exchange/forum/2872

Good job recognizing you need to make a change. There are ways to slim down on little to no money. Others may not agree but I'm feeling the pinch with fruits and vegetables as well. It's more expensive for me to eat healthily. But it's worth it. I could just fill myself up with white potatoes and ramen and mac and cheese, I know, and spend a fourth as much, but I like not feeling like crap. However, that said, you don't have to break the bank to eat healthy.

I could eat healthier if I weren't married to a picky eater, that's for sure. We must have broccoli, and that's expensive right now. I could save money if I were able to cook the cabbage that I enjoy and she hates. So, expand your horizons. Shop the sales and buy fruit and vegetables with the season. Try new things.

If your busy schedule allows, try to check out where the best food deals are in your area. Also, if you can, try to shop at times when they are less busy. It saves time and headache and lets you see better deals. And don't shop when you are hungry. Dumb, but true.

Also, for protein sources, shop the sales and freeze ahead if you can. I go to an international store for my meat because they have prices about a dollar less a pound for better quality meat. I get my sunflower seeds at the dollar store. I roast my own almonds. Fun, and easy! I buy in bulk.

Finally, cook ahead if you can. It's good for a busy mom to do as it saves time and lets you plan good meals in advance. Make it more convenient for yourself to eat healthy foods than unhealthy foods. Keep little healthy snacks around, even if it's just a bowl of cut up carrots in the fridge or a bowl of apples on the table. Then it's easier to pull out that tub of frozen soup and reheat it than it is to make a meal out of a box.

Good luck!

Also too, another way to look at it. You're investing in your health for the long haul. It's the same with money. You want to invest for long term. You have to look at as there is no cost for health no matter the expense. Do you want high medical bills because you didn't want to spend the little extra for healthy foods? Medical cost, cost more than food any day. This is just food for thought.

hello everyone, thanks for the kind words, I did type the calorie count on my first post i'm stayin at 1000 calories, & under most of the time, only eating 0 calorie foods, I kicked my soda habit 3 weeks no soda! so i'm proud just for that. & the income issue, is tough, there is gas i have to have in my car, the odds & ends I have to meet for my son the $250 tball my son wanted to be in. I only make $200 a week so it's deffinatly a stretch as i have to have lunch for my son for school & diner to be able to cook. my mother kindly pays for my gym membership or else i wouldn't have that. I started the insanity workout last night, made it halfway through the 1st video, so i'll also continue on that. also i am a picky eater, but lately its been get over it & eat this because it's healthy. I had only 200 calories for lunch usually & sometimes I snack but not often because i'm not hungry. I wanted to try a prescription but have no health ins. it's just a tough enough life as it is & my b/f does what he can but mostly pays just bills. i'm deffinatly gonna keep to my gym routine as long as my b/f will watch my son & sometimes he doesn't want to due to full day at work. so i'll bike ride with my little one. although a gym workout targets my whole body & makes ME feel better. He doesn't encourage my weight loss b/c he thinks i look fine. so it's harder with no actualy physical encouragment. even spent my v-day at the gym for 2 hours. my son is doing good since we have tball 2 days a week, but still says you dont need to lose weight mom. so it's all around tough for me. but theres no way i'm gonna give up this fight this time. So i joined here hoping for encouragment, sucess stories & words to share with others. thanks everybody

Hi Jessica, Welcome aboard. You've gotten great advice from the other Boardies. One thing I would add is that 1000 cals. is too low. You will sabotage yourself as your body will think you are starving it. According to the experts, 1200 cals. per day is the lowest anyone should go. Also, I'm curious about the 0 calorie foods, except for water, I didn't think there is such a thing - even celery has calories. Please share.

from what i've researched there are 10-15 fruits/veggies, that by the time you consume them make them 0 calories!! & usually 4 days a week i burn atleast 400 cal at the gym, i'm wanting a quick weightloss or atleast something to show for it, 13lbs in 3 1/2 weeks i'm happy so far, but my b/f is always complaining about not eating what he eats, saying calorie counting is b.s., since i excercise. with he's WRONG. lol so i'm just toughin it through. if you will gooogle 0 calorie foods, it's will give a list and facts on these. i found multiple sites with the same answer so i do hope what i'm reading is true about 0 cal foods. & also i've found a diet green tea mixed berry 0 cal 0 carb 0 sugar & it TASTES GREATTTTT!!!