I am a mother of 2... my kids are 10 and 13. I started 4 days ago and this is my first challenge!

Good luck!

Hi, I'm a mother of two, I have a 3 month old as well and one who just turned 3.  I cant bring my little one to the gym until he's 4 months, but as soon as he is, I'll be hitting the gym hard.  I am starting the eating today though.  I used to be a super athlete and a personal trainer, but during my first pregnancy I just let loose and gained 70 lbs!  I still haven't lost it!  I had just started to lose it while training for my first triathalon last spring when I got pregnant again!  I still did the triathalon, but couldn't diet, so I am back to square one now again.  I'd love to have some support with this!

Brooke

Well, today was my first day eating clean.  I had signed up for weight watchers as well so I'm kind of doing both, though I don't think WW is needed.  I was damn hungry by about 2 p.m. So I ended up snacking on some nuts.  I don't think that's in the program.  I need to plan my small meals better and not go so long between eating so I don't get over hungry.  Especially since I'm breast feeding.  That and I need to drink more water.  I hit my WW points but only because fruit doesn't count on WW, so I got to have a half an apple, an orange and 2 bananas without counting them.  Aside from tht I had 1 pc toast, some whole oatmeal with eggwhites & cinnamon; a handfull of nuts, an open faced turkey sandwich with spinach, a protien shake and then salmon with broccoli and sauteed potatoes for dinner.  God, that sounds like a ton of food!  

I can't wait to start in the gym again.  Only 3 more weeks until baby boy is 4 months old and can go

in the daycare.

Hey I am a mother of 2!!  My oldest turned 3 last week and my youngest is 11months!!  I also have a husband who travels a lot ... He has been in Afghanistan since 1 Dec and we won't see him until June!  I am just ended week 9 of my challenge!!  

Hi 1fitmama!  I have a good friend here in the same position as you with her husband and her kids are almost exactly the same age too!  I don't know how you do it!  My husband works nearly all the time and my friends all joke that I'm a single mom, but at least here and there he's around to help out.  You are truly part of the sacrifice that military requires, but I'm sure you don't get much credit for it.  

Anyway, how's your challenge going?  Week 9 already!  AWESOME!  what're your stats so far & how's the program treating you?

Have you been sticking to it well?  I haven't signed up officially and won't until I can do the workouts.  Once I can get to the gym, I'll sign up for the whole shebang (minus supplements of course due to BF'ing).

You have my support and if you ever need to vent or some words of encouragement, I'm here!

Hi Islandmommy ... thank you so much that was a very nice thing to say!!  I was in the military for 8 years so now that I am not in anymore I forget that I do still sacrifice a lot for the military.

My Challenge is going REALLY well, I am starting week 10 tomorrow and I am glad to be in the home stretch.  I have already met my goal weight and have the best body I have ever had, including when I was a teen/early 20's!!  I have lost nearly 7.5" off my waist alone!

I am also still nursing so I think my body is still holding on to a little bit of fat (in my tummy), I am hoping to be able to shed it in the next few weeks.  If not there is always the next challenge and it will go for sure then!  I may give the CLA supplement a try next challenge if the little one decides he is ready to wean .... but who knows my oldest nursed until he was 20 months and i was 5 months prego!!! ;-0  lol

Anyway, thanks for the support and I am also here for you when you need it!!  When do you think you will officially start your challenge??

Hey all, I'm the Mom of twins that will be three in April, so I totally understand the frazzled Mama syndrome!  I started my challenge on January 31st, so I just finished week 2. It CAN be done.  I've found that if I get up at 0500 and get my workouts in before the rest of the house gets up, that works best for me.  It allows me to have some "me" time.  The eating is alot easier if your preplan your week on Sunday or your free day.  I do end up munching on carrots or almonds sometimes because some days I can't stay ahead of the hunger, but my body is getting used to the schedule.  I've already gotten my body into a schedule, today (sat) the one day that I can sleep in a little, I woke up before 0500 on my own with no alarm.  Now, I'm not crazy, I didn't get up until almost 7, but I was awake.  Even after only two weeks I'm already seeing drastic changes in my body.

WE CAN DO IT MAMAS!!  We'll feel better, have more energy and be better Mommy's!

@1fimama  - WOW!  Congrats!  Looks like my start date is your end date!  I can't wait to see your before & afters for motivation.

@ Shelle - welcome!  TWINS...wow.  I can't believe you get up at 5:00...I just don't think I could do that, even though I'm usually up to feed the baby at 5:00...so maybe...It could be done.  So you are 2 weeks in?  That's great!  Stick to it & great job for your new schedule change!  

I am going to be using this as not only support/motivation but also kind of journaling if you don't mind...I think it'll help me stay on track.  Plus, all my mom friends here are thin, so I don't have anyone here to commiserate with or who understands what I'm going for.  

I seem to be doing okay with the eating (this is my 3 week prep time...begin eating according to the plan, begin doing some home workouts and then on 5th March, start the real deal.) but I'm still hungry in the afternoon so I cheated with some fruit...two bananas and an orange.  I think sometimes though, when my little one gets up a lot at night (like he did last night), my appetite increases because I'm lacking the sleep I need.  That and I'm sick, so I'm super exhausted as well.   I guess that's neither here nor there.  I was only 2 pts above on my Weight Watchers today (that's because fruit doesn't count...which is odd to me) so I don't feel THAT bad< though I didn't do as well according to my BFL.  I should've had my protein shake with me, but I made a run to costco and I didn't bring it.  Hey, at least I didn't break and eat their amazing Pizza!  I broke & ate a banana and orange!  

So here is my info accordingly:

Starting weight:  (eeek!) 197

Ultimate Goal weight: 155-160

BFL round 1 goal: 175 or less

today I ate:

eggwhites with a little cheese

2 pc toast & 2 turkey sausages

EAS Shake

8 inch tortilla with some cream cheese (bad idea), sliced turkey & spinach

1xbanana

2 granola bars (forgot my shake) and an orange

chicken breast with spinach salad & a little dressing

1 banana

SO obviously I have some tweaking (like not using condiments,.,,ouch!) to do, but it's getting MUCH better!  Before this I was being SO lazy and eating a ham & cheese croissant for breakfast a lot of the time.,  I also gave up coffee b/c baby was NOT doing well with b/f ing on it.  

Today I bought Jillian Michael's 30 minute shred for the next three weeks to get back into exercising.  

I can't believe how out of shape I am AGAIN.  I was in better shape pregnant with William...I did my first triathalon at 29 weeks!   oh well.  

Good luck ladies, I'd love to hear more of your stories & details!

I'll take my before tonight or in the a.m.

Ok, I just did the first "30 day shred" workout after putting the kids to bed.  NOT exactly pushing it hard, but probably good for getting back into it slowly.  At least I did something...

Hi everyone! I'm a stay-at-home mommy to a 2 1/2 year old. I started the challenge on the 7th and just finished my first week :)

Welcome Eva's mommy!  

@1fitmama - I find I'm still hungry in the afternoon/evening, what's a good extra snack you recommend?   Can I snack at all between my meals & shakes?

Today: 30 day shred video (with my 3 yr old "joining" in & then crawling all over me!)

eggwhites + 1 egg scramble

1 pc toast

3 turkey sausages  

Shake & banana

granola bar

spinach salad with chicken sausage & walnuts

shake

1x 8 inch tortilla with wild rice & beans

orange

still hungry!

Hey, well you really shouldn’t be snacking in between meals ... how far are you spacing your meals??  And how soon after you eat are you getting hungry??  You may need to ensure you are getting enough protein at each meal.   For a nursing mom and especially since you have a VERY little one who probably nurses a TON you might need a little extra in the calorie department.

So let me get this straight please see red for my comments)...

Meal 1: egg whites and 1 whole egg, 1 pc toast, and 3 turkey sausages
how many egg whites and how many grams of protein are in your turkey sausage??  Try to aim for 20g of protein and 20 g of carbs at each meal.  It is ok if you go over a little as you are nursing so you do require more.  Also is your toast whole wheat??  And did you put anything on it??  Maybe try a little Natural Peanut butter (1 tbls) this would also account for your healthy fat for the day and a little fat will help you feel full longer.  I found through trial and error that if I get my fat early in the day it helps to stay on top of the hunger.

Meal 2: Shake and banana
What kind of shake are you drinking??  A Myoplex lite RTD (ready to drink) shake is a whole meal no need to add anything to it.  A Myoplex RTD carb control WOULD need a carb such as an apple or some berries, also a whey protein shake would also need a carb.  Also bananas are not on the list of approved foods so when you start your official challenge they should probably should be saved for your free day ... I actually ate a few bananas in the beginning because I swore they were approved ... nope I had to review the list several times before I got it down! :)

Meal 3: Granola bar
Ok here I see why you are hungry this is a carb ONLY and not a very good carb, probably filled with sugar??  Am I right?  Also you don't have a protein with this meal!!  Try a packet of Tuna, a portion of cottage cheese, or grilled chicken??  Just to suggest a few!  Got to get that protein in at every meal.  If you were out and about and forgot try putting a couple protein bars in your purse/diaper bag and use them for emergencies.  I actually like the "pure protein" brand of bars better than Myoplex because they only have 2g sugar and are very close to your 20/20 ratio.

Meal 4: Spinach salad with chicken sausage and walnuts
Better ... how much spinach??  If I am going to have a spinach salad I usually have a boatload of spinach lol!!  It's really good for you and low calories and carbs so why not?!  Maybe omit the sausage and walnuts (no approved) and switch it out for 3-4oz of seasoned grilled chicken??  Also you need a carb in this meal so you could add some beans to your salad, fruit, corn, sweet potato???  lots of options!!

Meal 5 Shake
(Same advice as meal 2)

Meal 6: Tortilla, wild rice and beans
Again with this meal you forgot your protein ... you have tortilla (carb), wild rice (carb), and beans (carb)  add in some chicken, turkey, lean ham, lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, etc ...

Also, I only see veggies in 1 of your meals!  Make sure to add a portion of veggies to at least 2 meals!!  If you find you are still hungry after you eat try adding more veggies and don't forget lots and lots of water!!

Ok I really hope that helped some, sorry I wasn't ripping apart your menu, but pointing out what I could to help you with the hunger.  Here is an example of my menu and it works pretty well for me!!  Hang in there by the time you officially start you will an expert and it will be super easy!

Morning water, Omega 3, and Vitamin D (5000 IU)  Coffee sometimes or green tea
Workout
Meal 1: Myoplex lite RTD (after workout)
Meal2: 5 egg whites, plain oatmeal with 1tbls natural almond butter (not on the approved list, but it's my healthy fat).
Meal3: 3oz Tuna and a Pink Lady apple
Meal4: Grilled chicken soup (3oz grilled chicken chopped, portion cooked barley, handful frozen veggies, 1C chicken broth, pepper)
Meal5: Myoplex lite RTD
Meal6: Plain Nonfat Greek yogurt with berries

I have a 2 year-old and work from home... I did BFL before I had her and did wonders!  I gained about 70 lbs during my pregnancy and only lost about 30 of it.  Time to get back to it!  Unfortunately, working from home means it's easy to snack and sit around.  I'm definitely looking for some motivation and encouragement!  Congrats to all you mama's that are getting started.  Good luck!

1fitmama - I was going to make some of the same suggestions!  

Some things that you have to be careful of:

Fruit is considered carbs, even though it is natural, it does have a lot of natural sugar, which the body processes like a carb.  Check your WW's guide again, I've done WW alot and fruit DOES have points, but veggies are mostly 0pts.

Replace that granola bar with a protein bar.  Like she said, the pure protein are good, and they aren't as high in calories.

The key is to eat every 2-3 hours, then you shouldn't be hungry for snacks in between.  I have been on a few occasions and I just munch on baby carrots or almonds.

I started preparing a good two weeks out from my actual start day, just trying to make a conscious effort to eat better and do some sort of exercise everyday.  This program is actually very easy to follow! Get the book!  I also got the journal, that was very, very helpful especially in the first week!

Good luck to y'all!