Much like weight loss I am very frustrated with paying off debt. Neither seems to want to go away very quickly. I think they like me.

I was always fortunate when it came to my weight. I was a stick until I hit about 29 and got pregnant. I remember being a teenager and drinking milkshakes hoping that they would put some meat on my bones. Enter my 30s and the metabolism slows down and now all that meat I was wishing for has found a home. I guess I shouldn't really complain as this is the first serious effort I have put into losing weight (I am 5'7" and currently at 156 lbs). It just isn't coming off fast enough and it seems like all the things I am doing right aren't helping. I am not eating after 7pm anymore and I am limiting my stops for coffee and a donut in the am. I haven't drank much soda and I have increased the amount of water and fruit I take in. Exercise has been limited due to the foot injury which is starting to feel better.

Credit card debt seems to be in my blood although I should know better. My parents were in deep debt when they both died. Luckily I didn't inherit that debt but I remember them struggling to pay the bills. Why would I want that for myself? Well, I know I didn't set out to want that. I did some soul searching and came up with the thought that when I was younger like late teen early 20's I was dealing with the fact that my both my parents were alcoholics. The falling down drunk kind. They had been all my life. I believe that as soon as I hit 18 and was able to get a store credit card I went out and bought myself stuff to make me feel better about the situation at home. That mental process stuck with me for years and I always associated buying things with making myself happy. I didn't think about the long term consequences. So, here I am 37 years old. Both my parents passed away in 2001 and I am for really the first time in my life trying to get this under control. I am getting frustrated because I have created my budget, done my menu plan, and basically stopped all shopping and it doesn't seem to have made any difference whatsoever.

I am at a loss. It is so hard to try to deep yourself out of debt when you are trying to keep your family going. Kids are expensive and they need things. I am not talking about wants. I gave up on wants. Needs are expensive enough. And the weight, well, I am holding on to the idea that once my foot is healed I will head back to the gym. Just not seeing either number (total weight and/or total debt) decrease is very, very disappointing.