Help

[pudge30]

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all well.

I am posting on here for a cry for help. I have been doing slimming world for 18 months now and not doing great. My problem is time (lack of it). I plan my meals and buy everything then when I get round to cooking it i just dont have time and end up picking. I have stopped going to group as i didnt get much motivation from there and also knowing i have gained (even if it was 1/2lb) or maintained was getting me down and making the situation worse.


I have decided to join the gym but then in my head i think oh well i have exercised so i will have the odd chocolate bar and im not getting anywhere.


Planning my meals at the weekend is a nightmare i just dont know where to start. For breakfast I have porridge or weetabix purely due to time. Technically I dont have a lunch at work as i am part time so it has to be something i can eat at my desk. I can't have a sandwich as ive used my HEB for breakfast, I sometimes take salad but i suffer really bad from IBS and salad triggers it off so i only have it a couple of times a week else i am in agony.


evening meal is a nightmare as i dont have a lot of time. I have 2 small children who i have to cook seperate for because they are fussy eaters. I also have my own cake business which takes up a lot of time and then trying to hit the gym so meals are a nightmare.


Can anyone give some advice or share some meals plans/diaries with me. I havent got a lot to lose only about 11/2 stone but its just not happening at the moment and its making me fustrated.

 

[nikkin1963]

For quick and easy tea, what about easy stuff like Baked Beans over a baked potato with extra veg on the side? What if you started having yoghurt and fruit for breakfast so you could have a sandwich for your lunch? Or have yoghurt and fruit for lunch. If you cooked a big pot of something on a Sunday you could just have leftovers for the week. Omelettes are nice and easy for tea.

 

[jen3]

How about home made soup for lunch? I have one of those little fat food flasks and they keep it piping hot till lunchtime

Well done on starting at the gym but please remember "you cant outrun your diet"!!!!

I would recommend trying to find a little bit of time on a weekend and cooking big pots of chilli, spag bol, curry etc then freezing in portion sizes for use when you havent got time

A thing I've started doing on a Thursday (which is a day I work then go to sw class as soon as I get in) is chopping up meat and veg on a Wednesday night then bunging it all in the slow cooker before I rush out in the morning - home to a lovely meal at night with very little effort (I dont bother browning meat before it goes in)

SW is a great eating plan but its one where you HAVE to be prepared.

 

[PatchworkPuss]

A slow cooker would be a really useful addition by the sounds of it, switch on in the morning and its ready when you come in. Or a pressure cooker with a timer as I find that helpful when pushed for time. Also batch cooking when you do have time. And sorry but absolutely no cooking separate meals, Fussy eaters just need to get over it otherwise you're just creating a rod for your own back not to mention the additional expense it involves x

 

[NotsofattyPatty]

First of all, you have my sympathy with the difficult eaters. I had one of those once upon a time but she grew out of it, so there is hope yet!

Unfortunately, if you are pushed for time, the amount of exercise you can do at a gym is unlikely to affect your weight loss although it will tone you up. I would spend time doing fun things with your children - walking, cycling, skipping, hula-hooping (buy yourself an adult hoop), dancing, playing sports on the Wii if you have one, etc. This would have the benefit of giving you all exercise and help the little ones sleep, too! Then use the time you would have spent at the gym batch cooking - soups, mince/Quorn and finely chopped veg cooked with stock and tomatoes as a base for bolognese, chilli, shepherds pie etc.

Look in supermarkets for things to make your life easier - most sell ready-chopped veg (I buy Sainsbury's finely chopped veg from their freezer section) and you can buy frozen mash or carrot and swede mash but just remember to check for Syn values. Using Quorn mince rather than real mince saves times as you don't have to brown it.

if you can, then invest in a slow cooker - it's lovely to come home to a delicious meal just waiting to be dished up!

Try to find a few minutes each week to plan your menu and remember that as most recipes serve 4 you will actually get two meals out of anything you make for just you and your husband. If your children see you enjoying your food they may as for a taste and find that, actually, they do like whatever it is after all, especially if you tell them that it's grown-ups' food!

Good luck.