The Weight of Motherhood (Series, Part 3)

I have been discussing my relationship with my weight as a woman and especially as a mother. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

So, why not just join Weight Watchers once again if it has worked in the past?

For many reasons. There's the time that it takes; going to evening meetings once a week and then the time to count points every day. I was never able to succeed without actually going to the meetings, but time is a hot commodity in our home.

There's the money; $40 per month. That's the equivalent of a new shirt! Or many other things.

But most of all, I feel like I shouldn't HAVE to do Weight Watchers. I shouldn't need that. I should be able to just make healthy choices about diet and exercise and have the weight come off naturally. Counting points is not sustainable; I am not going to do it for the rest of my life. Why can't I just learn how to lose the weight on my own?

Have you ever struggled with weight loss like this? What did you do?

I'm sure many of you are answering - Just exercise! Oooooooooh--Do I miss a regular exercise schedule!

Right now, consistent exercise just isn't possible. Well, it's possible of course. But at what cost?

Right now, Teresa is not sleeping through the night. I discuss how I try to deal with tiredness here. I have my alarm set for 5:50 am so that I can get some exercise in before the kids wake up. However, lately this alarm has been canceled nightly as we have been caring for a crying baby with a cough in the middle of the night. It's so frustrating! I can't exercise during the day because I am homeschooling the kids. I just can't do it regularly in the evenings because I am wiped out from the day.

Of course, this just is a long way of saying that I am not making exercise a priority right now. That's true. Sleep trumps exercise. Without sufficient sleep, I cannot even attempt to fulfill my calling as a kind, loving wife and mother.

Also, for me, watching what I am eating has always been a more effective means of weight loss than exercise anyway. The amount of time it takes to burn off 500 calories is of course much, much longer than it takes to eat those 500 calories.

So what now? I'm not sure. I am currently too tired to even count my fingers or do a single sit-up. But that will pass. Teresa's cough will go away and we will retrain her to sleep through the night for the third time.

And then what? Weight Watchers? Counting calories? How will I lose those last 20 lbs? (That is so sad to see in writing.)

Have you had success with losing weight without tracking everything you're eating? If so, how?

I am not interested in any fad diet or eating completely differently than my family. My children are wonderful eaters and eat lots of healthy food. I feel that I should be able to eat most of what my family eats and attain a reasonable weight. Is that insanity? Am I asking too much? I really don't want to have to be making two dinners every night, you know?

Let me lastly explain that I have educated myself on nutrition. We RARELY go out to eat. With four kids, it's too expensive anyway. I eat a healthy breakfast. We eat homecooked meals almost all the time. And I'm not talking Hamburger Helper. We eat quinoa, chia seeds, LOTS of produce, very limited processed foods, organic milk, limited meat from our butcher, whole wheat bread, tortillas and pasta, brown rice, etc. This is not a fast food problem.

It is just an eating too much problem. Getting used to a slower metabolism. Eating ice cream too often. I like to drink juice and soda sometimes, but not everyday. I love cheese. I love good food and I'm a great cook! This is both helpful and a hindrance when trying to lose weight. It means I can make absolutely delicious hollandaise sauce, canneloni, homemade ice cream, hand rolled pasta, phad thai, eggrolls, curry and other fattening deliciousness. But it also means that I can make healthy food that doesn't taste AS good, but is pretty great too.

In this series, I have two more topics to discuss: "Why My Weight is Not Important To Me" and "My Faith and My Weight." They will both be coming soon!