Don't Battle the Mommy Diet Blues Alone

For many women, the word "diet" is an evil four-letter word that instills fear and anxiety. But it goes much deeper than that for many women, especially moms with kids to feed and families to run. Who wants to watch what they eat on a regular basis and spend every morning at the gym? Who has time to count calories? What mom wants to eat different meals than the rest of the family and feel isolated? For many moms, it is these challenges that keep us from following a diet, but there are a few ways to work around these issues and find success, all while maintaining what "mommy sanity" we can.

Instead of making it an individual diet, make it a family fit project. Instead of mommy going on a diet, make a plan that the entire family is going to change to a healthy lifestyle. Now, just like when we hear the word "diet," kids tend to have the same fears when they hear the word "healthy." Visions of nothing but vegetables and a life of starvation run through their minds. So, this idea becomes a challenge, though one that can be overcome.

If your kids are old enough to read or use the Internet, include them in the meal planning. Have the kids explore through cookbooks or online recipe sites to find healthy recipes that they think look good. Include them in the cooking process as well and help them learn what foods are good for them and what foods are not. This family fit plan can become not only a healthy lifestyle change, but also a way for the family to bond together.

For some moms with picky eaters, this may end up being difficult. I know for years in my house I would not have been able to diet with the kids unless of course someone developed the "Chicken nugget, French fry, and macaroni and cheese diet."

Turn exercise into family playtime. No one likes to exercise alone, and most moms are no different. However, I do admit there are days when a nice solitary walk around the block can prove to be both a wonderful way to exercise as well as a great stress reliever. For most however, sticking to an exercise routine when you are doing it alone can be difficult. So, a great way for moms to stay on target with exercising is to make it family playtime. Whether it is sports, a family walk, or even hide and seek and tag with younger kids, it is getting you moving.

Other options, thanks to video games, are things like the Wii Sports and the new Kinects from Xbox. These consoles and games use your body as the controller and provide an unbelievable workout. The added bonus is there aren't many kids who will say no to being able to play video games, even if it is with mom.

Don't diet alone. Find a dieting partner in either a spouse or close friend. One of the hardest things for dieting moms is the feeling of doing it alone. So, find someone to diet with. Whether it is a spouse or a close friend, having someone to keep you motivated will help you stay on track. Should you find yourself hiding in the bathroom with a bucket of ice cream and a spoon, this partner will be there to help talk you out.

Join an online diet support group to keep you on track. For those of you moms, like myself, that are cursed with skinny and fit friends and spouses, finding a diet partner in the real world is not always easy. However, thanks to the Internet and the many dieting sites online, supportive dieting friends are never very far. I have found one site to be the best source for this, not only because it has a huge online dieting community, but it is free to join. Let's be honest, as a mom, the word "free" always seems to draw our attention.

This site is called SparkPeople and is a free online dieting community. When you first join, it will walk through your dieting goals, meal preferences, and many more questions. The site provides you with tools such as food and exercise trackers to help you on your dieting journey. The most valuable tool though is the SparkPeople communities. When you first join, it will suggest groups for you to join, and this is a great place to start. There are challenge groups, groups for moms of different aged children, and so many more.

We all know dieting isn't fun, but there are ways to make it a little easier and enable us moms to keep just a little bit of our sanity. Give them a try, and remember to keep the buckets of ice cream hidden under lock and key. Happy Dieting.

More from Deborah Braconnier:
You Are Not Alone: The Benefits of Online Support Groups for Chronic Diseases
Limbo Land: Coping With an Undiagnosed Disease