Mid 40's, 5'2.5", 134 lbs, goal

I'm an older Mom (youngest is 5 in March) and really want to take this weight off that I didn't have until my 30's. But I'm struggling....can't seem to stick to good eating habits ( I'm an emotional eater via this website but .... they are right).  New to this site and really like it so far.

 Is there anyone else out there somewhat like me? Looking for company...want to hear your story, thoughts, advice, wisdome.....  Thanks!

Hi!

I'm in my mid 30's and my youngest will be 5 in August.  I'm 5'2.5, and my goal is 125 or so.  Right now I'm at 136 (regained when I started nursing school) after losing about 30 pounds in 2006.  I'm definitely an emotional eater, and believe me, the stress of nursing school along with 4 kids doesn't help! LOL!  :)  Thankfully I have a wonderfully supportive and helpful husband. 

One thing I've been trying to do recently is when I really want to eat, yet I know I'm not truly hungry, is to get up and do something active for a few minutes.  Jump up and down, do a few curls with light weights, switch the laundry .... something!  That usually allows the craving to pass.

Best wishes to you!

Amy

Hey!  I'm 41, 5'2" and working on losing about 43 more pounds so I can hit my goal of 120 pounds.  I don't have any kids of my own, but live with my boyfriend and his teenage son who has ADHD, is bipolar, has Oppositional Defiance Disorder and is generally a major handful.  Plus, I work a full time job.  So, I can relate!

Sticking to the good eating habits is really tough, especially when you're dealing with kids and schedules and everything else.  One thing that helps me is to remind myself that the goal is not to lose XX pounds by XX date - I have all the time in the world!  I didn't put it all on in a couple of months, and it's not going to all come off in a couple of months.  Sometimes I get frustrated that it's going slow, but I just have to remember that this is about getting and staying healthy for the long haul, not about looking hot by XX date!

If you're having trouble sticking to your healthy goals, rather than trying to do it all at once, instead try picking one thing and working on that for a while.  Once you've got that down, then pick another thing.  For instance, start by working on your fitness goals and don't change your eating habits right now.  Work on incorporating 20-30 mins a day of exercise.  Once you've got that firmly into your schedule and a regular part of your day, then pick the next thing - maybe switching your white flour products (bread, pasta, etc.) over to whole grain products, or reducing your daily soda intake or whatever you pick.

Don't give up!  I know it's super hard, but you can pick one thing and work on that.  I know you can!  It's your health and you're worth it!

Another 5'2, 43 year old here!  2 kids, 5&9.  CW 141, GW 135 would be a start.  I used to be pretty consistent at 128, but that was about 1/2 yrs ago.  I'm having trouble too.  All we can do is keep on trying.  Maybe we'll get that click soon.

Anyway welcome to the site caileygirl.  It is addictive.

 I think my biggest problem is the emotional eating part.  Keeping active is a good tool that I will have to keep in mind to stop me from wanting to eat when/ what I don't need to.  Any other thoughts on this subject are very welcome!  

 Knowing there are others out there about the same size with about the same goals in mind, I'm finding, is giving me alot of motivation too.  I'm smaller than most women I know and don't get much support at all.  I think if you want to lose....you want to lose!  It's the same for anyone. My husband is supportive thankfully because he too, is needing to watch his weight a bit.   This site and all of you in it, might be what I needed!

I joined this to hopefully take more responsibility for my eating by having an outside source to be somewhat accountable to.  Hope it works.

Thanks to all.

I'm not an emotional eater (I'm a boredom eater, instead), but all the articles I've read about that say to pay attention to what triggers you and then find something else to replace the eating that you normally do.

For instance, would a hot cup of tea do the trick?  Maybe a hot bubble bath?  A long walk?  Go out and work in the garden?  Turn on some music and dance for a while?  Cast your mind around to see if you can find some other things that will satisfy the urge when you're feeling emotional and want to snack and be ready to do it next time it hits.

Also, one trick I've found very helpful is to have an allowable "treat."  I have a box of those Dove Rich Dark Chocolate squares (42 calories each).  If I'm having a sweets or chocolate craving that I can't seem to kick, I have one of those - they are big enough that I can nibble off a little bit at a time and let it melt slowly in my mouth.  Being so rich, so far that has always satisfied my craving and kept me from doing something much worse! And I can almost always find room for a 42 calorie snack in my day.