Hopefully new to the group

I am 25 yrs old and have been married for 2 1/2 yrs to a wonderful man.  We have 1 son who is 9 months old.  Right now I am a substitute teacher and returning to school this summer to get a second certification in elementary education.  I taught high school for a year and found out that I disliked it after spending 4 1/2 yrs. to get my degree.  I love teaching littler kids and think I will really enjoy it once I finish my degree next fall.  I also like getting to stay home and take care of my son. 

I live in central Illinois on a farm and cannot wait for the weather to warm up, so we can get outside.  I love getting the rain after it has been so dry for 2 yrs., but my husband is starting to complain about getting the corn in by the end of April, so I guess it needs to dry out some. 

 I am trying to lose 20 pounds by my sons birthday; the problem I have is that I am rather lazy.  I have a treadmill that is more of a cloths hanger than a work out machine.  The closest gym of any type is 30 minutes away and with my son it is hard to get out to the gym.  I also need to learn to stay out of the kitchen when I am having a snack attack and drink water instead.  I really would like to lose the weight and am really going to try to accomplish it this time. 

 I need to learn how to cook some easy, healthy recipies that all three of us can eat.  Hopefully I can get on here several times during the week and check to see what is going on.  If anyone could give me some advice that would be great!

Mary

Hello Mary! Welcome to HL!

I am a newbie too, but I really enjoy the chats and the information I find on here.

Good luck on losing weight! I am trying to lose too (but more than 20 lbs. for me)!!!

Jet

Thanks.   You too!

Mary, welcome!   Sorry I didn't see this earlier, but my 4 year old is giving me a run for my money today   :)      Looking foward to chatting with you.


I'm Jolene, SAHM to Jake, been married to my DH Tim for 8 years.    I took over the HL from a wonderful gal a few years ago.    Be sure to pop in the weekly chat, I post them on Mondays with a different topic, then we all hang out in the thread all week.    You won't find a group of more supportive, friendly, fun women anywhere, the HL gals are the best   :)   Some of us are on WW, some are just trying to eat healthier, get fitter, etc!

I have lots of T&T healthy recipes in my favorites thread, the healthy ones start around page 7.   I mostly cook from Light & Tasty, Cooking Light and WW magazine.    DH is very picky, and I find recipes that are not smack-you-in-the-face obvious that they are "diet" go over best with him!

http://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/t/9490.aspx?PageIndex=7
:)

 Hi Mary!  Welcome to HL ~ we're glad you are with us :-)

I'm Dawn, live in North Carolina, married for 13 years, pregnant w/ my first child.  A few years ago DH & I made a transition to healthier eating and worked exercise into our schedule. Not always easy, but it's almost 3 years later and the changes are evident (dh lost 45 lbs!).

for cooking & eating healthier, start with little things. that would be my advice. It gets overwhelming other wise. Cooking Light and Eating Well are two of my favorite magazines. I started substituting whole wheat bread & pasta, brown rice for regular white. Then I started baking anything that said fried - french fries,  even chicken cooked in a skillet went into the oven or on the grill instead. The little things like that, cutting the oil and/or butter here & there help a lot.

I'm a snacker too so I understand. I like to sit & munch LOL!!!  Try dry cereal, pretzels, whole wheat crackers; I always keep raw veggies & fruits available, easy to grab & snack. Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, grapes... every little bit helps :-)

sorry - I'm rambling. Hope to see you on our weekly thread! Lots of great advice &support on there.

dawn