ready to quit

[Shellbye30]

im really struggling and ive only managed a week i lost 6lb in my 1st week so u wld think that would be motivation right well unfortunatley this whole cook everything from scratch is really getting me down 1 i cant cook 2 i have 3 kids and 3 im a full time student i knw i knw excuses excuses but this is so hard having to search for recipies where 99% i dont like i hate chilli and alot of veggies my food shopping has went thru the roof for all these ingredients ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how do u guys cope!!!!

 

[downsizeme]

You don't have to spend hours cooking!

Stir frys take minutes as do omlletes. Frozen veg is fab and will keep the costs down. Baked beans on toast, baked potatoes are both easty to make.

If you can buy a cheap slow cooker, then you can prepare food when you have time and put it on to cook in the morning to be ready for dinner. They are great for stews and curries.

If you want to do it you will find a way to make it work for you x

 

[stivesliz]

And as boring as it seems - perhaps if you have a spare couple of hours ( I'm not taking the mice as I can see how busy you must be ) - then batch cook a few bits and freeze them. I did SW a few years ago when I was broke and did like the lady above, and had lots of jacket spuds, pasta etc xxx

 

[8pinktink8]

Maybe try switching to weight watchers (cough cough) you can have ready meals then with salad. They are cheap enough now a days and u only need 7 a week and then soups for lunch or something simple. Just a suggestion. I've been in the same situation as u, full time student 3 young boys. I studied all say, had a few goes off to give the kids 100% attention and then one they went to bed, straight back on it. Have you tried some of the cook books meals in minutes I think one is called on the SW website. You muest probably have a study plan, so have a home life plan to plan meals etc

 

[ickleLB]

I know how you feel, some days after work I do not want to find a recipe and cook it and then having to cook or make something for lunch the nxt day, plus thinking about syns its getting me down a bit, just a simple sandwich I cant have as will use healthy extras on toast in morning or a hi fi bar so I have a treat and refuse to use bread in syns as I need them syns for the likes of gravy etc
It can be frustrating but ive made it into week 5 and im still going strong ( well kinda ) x

 

[Plums]

Don't quit! Think of the new term when you could be a stone or more lighter and everyone will notice!

 

[8pinktink8]

And you have all the support you need here x

 

[who_la_hoop]

I find that planning my meals in advance takes a lot of the stress out of things.

 

[Legomom]

Double the recipe when you DO manage to cook (doesnt take much extra time....just a bit if extra chopping) and freeze a few portions for using on busy night? I only cook about half the week and raid the freezer for 'leftovers' the rest of the time.

Find half a dozen meals you like and keep the basic ingredients in at all times!! If you list what you like maybe we can give you some quick cook recipes? I copy/paste them into my phones notepad and then I have the ingredients lists there when I'm shopping and just follow the recipe off my phone when I get in!! Gotta love modern tech lol

Buy frozen veg. Whatever you actually like eating. It's far cheaper than fresh and they are always there ready when you need them!! I buy bags of frozen peppers mushrooms onions green beans peas corn and spinach. Costs well under £10 and usually lasts about two weeks. I just buy fresh salad veg then.

 

[sarahlouise5622]

It is really hard with a family, I work and study with 3 picky kiddies, I do cook in bulk though - I find this helps. You can do it! Don't give up

 

[Pickle81]

I cook for a family of 5 (sometimes 7) and I can usually do a full meal from scratch in very little time. Perhaps 10 minutes of prep (chopping etc which could be done in advance) and then 30 mins to cook it. Whilst things are cooking, I get on with other jobs such as washing, drying, hoovering.. it's all about making the most of the time you have. Whilst I absolutely understand the pressure you must be under (Been there, I was a single mum of 3 young girls and a student nurse) there is always a way around it and it's far better for your children to eat healthy meals than processed foods such as nuggets/chips (which take 25 minutes to cook anyway!). As for the cost, that is definitely an issue here for us, too. I buy bags of frozen vegetables (Very cheap in farmfoods/iceland) and make the most of supermarket deals on meat (3 for £10 etc).
The cheapest (and tastiest) meal I make is risotto.. and it is so easy! Gone are the days of standing over it, adding stock a spoon at a time. Try this -

Serves 4-6 (leftovers for lunch)

300g Risotto rice
1 litre of stock (1lt boiling water, 3 vege oxo, 3 chicken oxo)
Vegetables of choice (I use onions, mushrooms, peppers and green beans)
Meat (Chicken, gammon or bacon)

Put veggies in a pan with fry light and cook for 1-2mins. Add meat and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add rice and stock all together, cover and cook until the rice is soft. There will be liquid left which becomes a nice sauce. Due to the huge variation of meat and veg you can use, I make this twice a week and it's different every time. I often add other things like garlic, chillies etc.

 

[Princess_Stevie]

You are already almost half a stone down, why quit now?

Cooking from scratch doesn't have to get you flustered. Before joining SW I couldn't cook at all! Now I cook fresh meals every day, which are all really quick and easy to make too. Even my parents, who are not following SW, enjoy the meals I cook!

One of the easiest meals I cook is stir fry. I had this for tea last night and it took me literally 15 minutes to make! I chopped up a chicken breast, a pepper, a handful of mushrooms and a red onion and fried them in a pan with some FryLight. Once the chicken was cooked and the vegetables had begun to soften, I added a handful of mangetout and a handful of baby sweetcorn - allow them to heat through. Add a sprinkle of chinese 5 spice and a few splashes of soy sauce and voi la! As simple as that. Can be served with rice, noodles, or just on it's own!

What about bolognese, that's another quick and easy one to make. Fry off your extra lean mince, chopped red pepper and chopped red onion in a pan with Fry Light. Once the mince has browned, add 1 can of chopped tomatoes with herbs. Stir well and allow the sauce to simmer. Meanwhile boil some pasta/spaghetti and once cooked, drain and serve with the sauce over the top.

Burgers - so simple to make and I'm sure it would be something the whole family could enjoy! Just simply chop a red onion and mix with a packet of extra lean mince. Add a sprinkling of aromat (or whatever herbs etc. you like) and a dash of soy sauce for flavour. Mix well and form into pattys. Place on a baking tray misted with FryLight and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes (can vary depending on size/thickness of burgers). Serve with SW chips and/or lots of yummy superfree salad. Or pop your burger into a 60g wholemeal roll and count that as your healthy b!

What about pizzas. They're family friendly and so easy to make! I usually use either a weight watchers tortilla wrap (5 syns) or a warburtons square wrap (8 syns) as a base. Top with either pasatta/chopped tomatoes/tomatoe puree and then any meat/vegetables of your choice. I like to use mushrooms, peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion and sweetcorn. Top off with a healthy a choice of grated cheese and pop in the oven for about 12 minutes. They are gorgeous! Again, serve with SW chips and/or salad.

There are all sorts of simple and easy recipes you could try! Just because you "can't" cook, don't give up. You'll be amazed at what you can actually do if you just give it a try...

 

[x-tuesdayemma-x]

hia sorry to hear you are struggling, im usually very busy on an evening so i make foods that dont take long to prepare or cook, i have been doing red and green days this week and have had things like sausage/bacon and egg sandwiches, cheese and bean toasties, omletes with beans and quorn, chicken legs and thighs cooked in scwartz bbq shake, smash with quorn sausages, morrisons do a microwavable lamb shank which is only 1.5 syns and comes in gravy, then of course theres all the pasta n sauces or low fat supernoodles which are low in syns or free

 

[YummyMummy2B]

Im in the same situation - Two kids, full time student and self employed so time is scarce!

But I am making it work! We have stir frys, gammon steaks with chips/veg/egg, curry, mince and tatties - LOADS! Some meals do take longer than others - like pie - but I buy the ready chopped swede and carrot so it just needs boiling and mashing to go on top! I've not done any batch cooking yet, Im quite enjoying my 30 mins away from studying and working to hide away in the kitchen, cook and eat!

 

[jaylou]

We can find any excuse not to stick to plan. We are all busy people with busy lives, the time is there if we want it to be.

Jacket potatoes are inexpensive and take no preparation time, add in some beans and there's a meal there in itself.

Search for SW on a budget thread and see all the cheap recipe ideas on there.

You don't have to buy all the "SW" things which people do tend to buy - mullerlights, alpen lights, out of season fruit and veg - it doesn't have to be bought. Buy carrots, onions, tinned tomatoes - takes no time to make a pasta sauce.

Quitting is the easy option.

 

[Kim_bee]

In terms of Slimming world on a budget, im a full time medical student. I do loooooong hours, and I can get my weekly shop down to £15 a week! Try buying a chicken (or a few, obviously you have more mouths to feed than i do!) I make a sunday dinner with potatos, carrots etc on the weekend. Then I use the leftover in 3-4 recipies through the week. Its good for salads, chicken currys, risottos, loads of stuff!! You can do it on a budget! Especially if you plan for your weeks shopping ahead of time

 

[LisaC]

A friend of mine hates the cooking part of SW but I think its relly good that SW encourage you to make everything yourself. Before SWI never cooked, ever! But now I think I'm pretty good & my meals are varied & lovely. It sounds like you have a lot on your hands & I think its understandable when things get to you so my advice would be to plan plan plan!! Look up recipes in advance & plan what you'll have each day that way you'll have a good shopping list which will cover everything you need.

I also think that to do it successfully you really need to have your head in the game, SW isn't difficult at all, but if you go into it half heartedly you may not do as well as you could. Losing 6lb is huge & brilliant Let that be your motivation to keep going. Just plan so you know in advance what you'll be cooking, what to buy. Also search little snacks/meals like mugshots & pasta'n'sauce things should there be times you have no time to cook, which I imagine you get a lot!!

 

[Shirleen]

So what do you and your kids eat now?

If you're too busy to make a meal then you're just too busy and it's not a healthy way of life for you or the kids!

Please post a typical weeks meals that you would cook for your family pre SW I can promise you, we will be able to find you a quick healthy alternative that's cheaper!!!

 

[Rattybabe]

I do see your problems - it IS an expensive way to eat, and it is more time consuming. WW might suit you better, but bear in mind that you will probably be more hungry on it.

I hate cooking and the last thing I feel like doing when I get home from work is having to cook, but there are plenty of things to do that don't take that long. Have a look on here for inspiration. There is also a very good Facebook group that is always giving me new ideas!

I have done WW in the past, and I was always starving on it. SW is much more managable for me, despite it being more time consuming.

 

[Emmamb]

I don't think sw is an expensive way to eat-I find buying fresh so much cheaper than ready made stuff. I have 4 kids and work 30+ hours a week plus exercise 6 times a week but still find time to cook from scratch most days. Lidl and aldi are great for cheap meat and veg. I buy frozen veg from heron and have gone from minimum amount of cooking to loving trying new recipes and creating my own variations of stuff.
If the kids and hubby are having a 'quick tea' eg chips then il grab something out of the freezer that I've batched cooked...it's all about planning xx