Back again with new circumstances

sheila1951
sheila1951 Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
I have been here off and on for several years and things get in my way. First let me introduce myself. I'm Sheila, soon to be 62 years old. 5'2 and fluctuate between 150 -155 pounds. I got up to 200 pounds several years ago and have slowly, ever so slowly dropped weight. The new circumstances are: My 62 year old husband is now in a memory support unit with early onset Lewy Body Dementia. I am living alone for the first time since right out of high school. I thought it would be easier for me to lose weight by being on my own but am finding it is easier to just eat junk. I hate cooking for 1, so lean towards the SmartOnes, Lean Cuisine, etc., but those don't even come close to filling me up. I have no excuse for not exercising but I spend many hours each day working in my yard and have become much stronger in the upper body. Belly and thigh fat drive me nuts and neither one seem to want to go away. I don't have alot of friend support ... they pretty much disappeared during the few years before I had to put Tom in the unit. I quit my job 3 years ago to be a 24/7 caregiver and that left no time for anything else. Is there anyone else out there that might be going thru the newly 'single but not single' stress of eating? I would love to have some motivation and butt kicking! Thanks...Sheila

Replies

  • gogojodee
    gogojodee Posts: 1,243 Member
    :flowerforyou:
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Hi Sheila, I'm new here so ---- welcome, or Re-welcome.

    Sorry about your new circumstances. Is there any way you could work around this- e.g., could you go back to work, PT or volunteer? that would give you some kind of set schedule to your life and maybe you would be able to get back to healthier living.

    Also - I also cook for one. i have an adult son who is still at home, but he eats weird stuff (he has asperger's so he eats specific things - what i call "baby food":bigsmile: not my style...). So yes, i cook for one, or for TWO ones lol. and i do understand the stress - you know, a few months ago i flew to a wedding to NY, my ds didn't go, i spent two weeks eating junk, ice cream, pizza, candy (i never eat this stuff!) in addition to regular (healthy) meals and i ended up losing three kilo! so i realized that a lot of the overeating is stress related but hey, this is my life, it is what it is.

    I make roast chicken (skinless), then shred the chicken and keep it in the freezer (perfect to add to a salad, stir fry etc). or skinless/boneless chicken bresast - i will make 2-3 pounds at a time and keep them in the freezer. add a salad (my latest is a crunchy cabbage salad that keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days) and you have a great meal.
  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
    Hello Sheila, my dad died 5 weeks ago which meant I have now had to move in with my mum and look after her full time as she is severly disabled. I have been eating crap and have only exercised once in that time! Cooking is difficult as my mum doesn't want to eat and trying to force her to eat the healthy food that I try to cook is not going well. Feel free to add me if you would like a friend in a similar situation.
  • jakkisr
    jakkisr Posts: 175 Member
    my kids have left home (in the main!) and my other half works away a lot and i find it incredibly hard to motivate myself to cook for 1.

    I am doing really well at the moment though! I like cooking so I'm halving recipes for 4, entering them as a new recipe on MFP to get the correct calories and eating one serving the evening I make it and the other for lunch the day after.
    Sometimes I eat more in the evening meal and have a smaller portion for the lunch but it seems to be working well for me.

    I actually feel really good about doing it - I would normally always resort to the very tempting grazing option when its just me at home. Good luck with everything, you've got a lot to cope with xx

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