Motivation.. Need to lose weight!

[tarasmith91]

Hey everyone! I was doing so good up until March. I was down to my goal weight, but then split with my ex and moved out. Since then I haven't worked out and have completely fell off the wagon. I have gained about 18 pounds since then and really needing to lose about 20 pounds!! I work 10 hour days full time and also have an on call job.On top of that I have two children. I need help on tips and tricks to get the weight back off!! I fell like i don't have enough time in my day to work out anymore 😞

[Dominique]

I see working out mentioned a lot, but you say nothing about eating. I don’t think you gained 18 pounds in three months or so primarily by ceasing to work out. A more likely cause is increased eating, possibly emotional eating. In order to reverse the process, it would be much more efficient for you to focus on the nutrition side of the equation, especially given your time constraints: the decision not to eat that donut / pack of cookies / [insert your favorite high-caloric food here] will save hundreds of calories in a fraction of a second; OTOH, you may need to work out for one hour or more in order to burn an extra 500 calories.

As to what/how to eat, it’s really quite simple, especially if you don’t have dietary restrictions or underlying medical conditions, as I assume is the case for you.

[tarasmith91]

Working out helped in so many ways especially releasing tension and stress. I also changed jobs so I am not moving as often as i was before which is very unfortunate. I am not eating much different then I was before. 

[Dominique]

OK, maybe you’re in the same situation as professional athletes when they retire: if they continue eating the same amount of food as during their active careers, they can easily gain quite some weight. Something has to give up: if activity level is substantially reduced, so must the amount of food being eaten. 

[tarasmith91]

I struggle with that the most because I constantly feel hungry! I am trying to find different workouts around my office (I am a psych nurse) that I can do to get my heart beating and try to slowly work some off while I am working. 

[bikerhiker]

@tarasmith91 

I am a male nurse also working in a mental health institution geriatrics department and I deal with the most aggressive clients, so I think I know why you are always hungry.  I was always like that as well in the past; namely my blood sugar level kept falling and I was always hypoglycemic, despite the fact that I don't do much physical work in the ward.  In the past, I ran up to ultramarathon levels, but this form of exhaustion I felt working in the psych ward was WAY MORE draining than running an ultramarathon.  As though there is some forces in the psych ward that is sucking my life force as well.  All other nurses I talked to as well as volunteers and CNAs are feeling the same.  So I figure that this is a condition more related to psychological issues within one-self caused by factors happening in the hospital I work in.  Although certain antecedents that are happening in the ward where you are working and your separation with your ex would perhaps lead to causes to your imbalances in your psychology?  Does your job offer free counseling or paid counseling in the issues you have with your life?  In my experience and results so far, once I resolved certain deep psychological issues within me is when I am able to start losing weight and don't feel at all hungry working in the mental health institution.  Some of these these deep seated issues within that can and may cause psychological deep triggering your reactions than can cause you to be drained of energy, go into the feeling of hypoglycemia and making you feel hungry.  I've been there myself and in nursing, it is important to also take care of your mental health especially when dealing with mental patients.

Hope this helps..   

[tarasmith91]

I have one Dr, and we see non stop patients and as you said it is completely exhausting! I feel like i can never get enough to eat, or I just feel sick from all the crap i eat because quite frankly we don't have time to eat so I scarf down what I can as quickly as i can and back to work. I feel like I don't get enough sleep (like4-5 hours max a day) i am actually happy that I left my ex, but the whole getting a house to rent on top of the new bills has killed me financially and I think that is another problem is always stressing.. Do you do any exercises at work? I don't have steps here which I miss terribly!!

[bikerhiker]

Thankfully where I live, we are close to transit so I commute by bus and walk to work.  Since I work in a secured facility, I usually use the stairs to move up and down between floors and wings and I can easily do 20,000k steps per day.  That is my low cardio workout if you want to call it that.  LOL.  I also do strength/weight training 2 times a week for muscle hyperthropy preventive maintenance as well as 1-2 times of week swimming to release tension.  I also do spiritual prayer and breathing meditation every day (once in the morning) and once at night to help me sleep better and manage cortisol levels better.  High cortisol level is not helpful in burning body fat.  

[linda3214]

if you don't have time to work out in the morning you could do it after coming home or in the evening, if not possible you could do a little bit of exercise in your free time.

[apostoke]

Some tips 

Take the stairs
Walk up and down stairs and escalators instead of taking the lift, or get off the lift a few floors early and use the stairs.

Walk more
Walking is one of the easiest and most effective ways of increasing your activity.

Get off public transport a stop before your destination and walk the rest of the way.

Family fun. Be active with the family. Take your children to the garden or park.