Struggling to do this everyday. Tips anyone?

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  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
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    I prep most of my food over the weekend. I don't really track anymore because weight loss is not my goal.

    When I do track. I make everything up in one batch as a recipe or meal, then divide.
    Something like a huge crock pot meal, I can get 6 meals out of it.
    Meal prep Sunday for the win.

    Also, you can prep some food at work. Take a lesson from Cyril Figgis.
  • phillipdean299
    phillipdean299 Posts: 113 Member
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    Getting started again is the hardest part. Once you find your routine again things will get easier.
  • oneloopygirl
    oneloopygirl Posts: 151 Member
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    lbedilion wrote: »
    Nobody is finding time, you have to MAKE time. If you're serious about getting in shape, then you will MAKE time to eat better, exercise, and log into MFP if that helps. It's not easy, but you have to stick with it and be dedicated in order to see results. Sounds cliche, but it's true. Good luck!

    This!! It's a choice, like all others... You choose to do this.

    I pre-log in the mornings while enjoying my cup of coffee. Then I can see how my day looks and how to react to changes if necessary. My husband and I try to cook for the family a few times a week and we use the extra for lunches, dinner another night, etc. We deliberately cook more so we can do that and save time and still make good choices throughout the week. I'm not a huge proponent of any particular "lean" frozen meal, but I try to keep a couple I do like on hand just in case I need something and it's a crazy night with work schedules, sports, kid stuff, etc.

    I plan my workouts and I don't plan to workout every day because that isn't realistic for me. I know better. That gives me leeway if I have to skip a night. I can easily pick it up another night and not get off track.

    Look for ways to make your work life easier... Can you get to work a little early to jumpstart your day? Can you work through lunch (eat at your desk) to save some time so you don't work late?

  • oneloopygirl
    oneloopygirl Posts: 151 Member
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    reske wrote: »
    Never bring any food into the house that you can't resist. If my husband wants desert I buy what I don't care for. He eats cheesecake I don't care for it, he eats chips I eat pistachios.

    I do this too. :smile:
  • radiosilents
    radiosilents Posts: 223 Member
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    I honestly don't do a lot of planning, though I have come to understand that fitting certain things in is important, so I make it a priority and write it in my datebook. Exercise has become really important to me, and in order to fit it in regularly I do wake up earlier than I normally would, for example. It took some adjustment but it's hardly an issue now.

    Using MFP really couldn't be easier. If you're not planning your meals, at least get into the habit of logging your food honestly every single day. The app on your phone helps in that regard too. You can at least see how much you're eating and try to fit things within your calorie goals. You won't be perfect, but that is OK – you're doing something to build positive habits.

    Be patient. To los weight in a sustainable way (that is, doing it in a way that you can live with happily and comfortably hopefully for a lifetime) will take longer, but taking the time and not making it a race is easier in some ways – as long as you are patient and diligent. Eat the foods you like but make adjustments as needed, and do activities that you enjoy to keep your body healthy and happy.
  • jmiller1028
    jmiller1028 Posts: 17 Member
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    you have to have a plan. adults are not that different than children in this respect. Structure and routine makes it easier for us. Getting into the habit of having multiple go to meals and snacks is essential. Mfp's food diary makes it easy to keep with the habit for me.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    melanieknight wrote: »
    tried on and off to do this. Only worked when I was unemployed. Now back in a busy job, I don't seem to find time. How do you all manage?

    Best post ever.

    Dear boss,

    I'm overwhelmed at work so I'm just going to quit!! I can't find the time to do my job.

    Regards,
    Lazy
  • YouMadeMeDoThis
    YouMadeMeDoThis Posts: 2 Member
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    I have a handful of breakfasts that I've got down to a science (granola, greek yogurt, cereal, milk, protein, eggs, etc) that I know exactly any combination to end up at 300 calories or less. I don't log this immediately, and I don' always use a scale when I'm in a rush, but if I don't use the scale I stick to things like eggs or protein power (reliable and repeatable to measure). I've got the same system for lunch, but with small sandwiches, fruit, or leftover dinners portioned out to also be about 300 calories.

    That gives me almost exactly 600 or less by lunch pretty much every single day without any real logging, counting, or thinking and leaves plenty of room for a big dinner or the occasional snack when they end up in the lunch room. Now I only really have to count the one meal at home.

  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    lbedilion wrote: »
    Nobody is finding time, you have to MAKE time. If you're serious about getting in shape, then you will MAKE time to eat better, exercise, and log into MFP if that helps. It's not easy, but you have to stick with it and be dedicated in order to see results. Sounds cliche, but it's true. Good luck!

    Completely agree with this. If you want it, you will find the time. If not, you will find excuses.

    I don't want to be one of those people who always has it worse, but here's some food for thought: I work about 50 or 60 hours/week, I am in school part time (online courses), I am part of 2 book clubs and I volunteer with the MS Society in my city. I still work out 5-6 days/week and meal prep on Sunday. I do it all because for so many years I was lazy and didn't do anything. I want it all now, and so I make time. I rarely watch tv and the only time I have time to check on here is when I'm at work ha ha. If you want it, you will figure it out. If it's not your time to want it and make the change, then it isn't. I didn't make changes that stick for a long time, you have to want it for yourself.
  • JuliaHaleFitness
    JuliaHaleFitness Posts: 56 Member
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    Plan your meals ahead of time. That way you can a) not have to think about it b) know that you are on track and c) not have to log every meal when you eat the meal.
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
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    I work full time and also have a second job. I have made myself a priority. I eat much more healthily than I have been (I love to search Pinterest for easy recipes) and I try and prepare some food, especially for my lunches, on the weekend. I make time in the evening for working out (can you set, say, three hours a week, specific days/times, for exercise?). Having a plan really helps. Eventually it just becomes part of your everyday routine, and then it's almost easy!
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
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    I can't remember who said it but I Quote: " I log everything, good, bad or ugly, every day. The thing to remember is, your body logs all the food you eat, whether you choose to put it in your diary or not. So there is no reason not to log it. Your food diary is a tool to help you keep track of what you are eating, with an aim toward achieving your goal ( a calorie deficit if trying to lose weight vs. maintain or gain). The only way that this tool is useful is if you record everything you eat as completely and accurately as you possibly can.
    The trick is to start...and then to continue."

    I was using MFP for a good 6 months before I found these posts so it is a bit of a personal mission of mine to pass them on to other people who are just starting/struggling.

    My standard suggestion/tip is to do some reading and always use a scale to weigh your food!!!
    Considering your struggles with scheduling and building winning Habits my first suggestion is to visit this link about building Habits. This is a multipart blog - Read all of them!!!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-power-of-habit-part-1-why-habits-matter-688130

    arditarose and blankiefinder‌ Nailed it when it comes to Logging accurately and selecting food using the search feature.
    arditarose wrote: »
    Weigh your eggs and find the appropriate entry. Two eggs at 50 grams is typically 140 calories. If you cooked them with olive oil, add that as well.
    Don't log 2 eggs as it is a subjective number, where 50 gm. is very concise.
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    if I haven't found an entry that lists the grams, I keep looking for a different entry. This [ Enter Food ] item is already listed a bunch of times. Better to edit and correct one that is already there than add to the database mess that exists now. :)
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Go to the database and look up something like poptarts or doritos. You'll see an asterisk before the first letter of every food on the list. When you look up something like tomato or chicken breast, there should be at least one entry without one, that's official from MFP via the USDA site or similar, and a bunch of others entered by users that start with the asterisk.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    When creating or editing a Food item from the existing database my Personal Bias is to Edit an existing Entry and enter the nutritional values based on grams ( 100 gm ) as it makes the portion size math easy. Especially when you use a scale and WEIGH EVERYTHING. Re-train/calibrate your mind as to what a portion size is..
    You will be surprised how small some portions look when you start to weigh them out. The average cereal bowl I have in my kitchen will hold 2-6 portions.

    For Nutritional values start with the values from the product label and confirm it with the un-biased nutritional information from the USDA web site at 100 gm.

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

    Visit the Eat-Train-Progress group and read the pinned topics. If you click on the little STAR you can bookmark the topic for future reference.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/10118-eat-train-progress

    Read the information at these MFP post. They have links to multiple very good reads.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/getting-started

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1

    http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-next-step/

    Some of these links will show up in the other Groups and discussions.
    There are lots of other good groups and discussions with really good information and some with a more Social aspect.
  • truelight_photo_craig
    truelight_photo_craig Posts: 347 Member
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    lbedilion wrote: »
    Nobody is finding time, you have to MAKE time. If you're serious about getting in shape, then you will MAKE time to eat better, exercise, and log into MFP if that helps. It's not easy, but you have to stick with it and be dedicated in order to see results. Sounds cliche, but it's true. Good luck!

    This... :)

  • lesliewalker108
    lesliewalker108 Posts: 61 Member
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    Its funny the only thing that works for me is believe it or not is when I buy those weight watchers smart ones or lean crusine( what evers on sale that week , shop rite is good for it).I add a spoon of chia seeds as reccommended by my nutrionist once a day to one meal.And for snack I might get weight watchers ice cream bars or some other low calorie icee bar, or dannon oikios triple zero.Preparation is the key , without that you setting yourself up to fail.Do you have a refrigator at work and microwave? If you do keep some at work so you wont get tempted, for chinese or other take out.I havent had chinese in about 2 months..
    And dont get me wrong , I eat pizza (sometimes with vegatables) , but just one (ok ok Im lying maybe two if I work out lol) . Pizza believe it or not that bad.
  • melanieknight
    melanieknight Posts: 4 Member
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    jellybeanhed313 wrote: »
    Use the app on your phone or just write down what you eat throughout the day on paper and log it when you get home. Or you can pre-log your food for the day and stick with your choices. I find that I do well if I plan my meals and log them before eating. Then I can see how it looks and make changes as needed. Good luck! You can do this!
    Thank you. I'll try this.
  • melanieknight
    melanieknight Posts: 4 Member
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    Wow, well I didn't expect such a huge response. There's some really helpful tips in there, thank you.
    There's also some not so nice people who felt the need to be rude. That's disappointing, they must get off on making people feel bad.
    I have always resisted planning of meals, as it's the only spontaneous bit of my life left. As a working and studying single mother, EVERYTHING is planned and organised. I see this will help, so I'll do it. Thanks to all the nice positive people out there who left comments. I'm off to do lots of planning and logging of my meals.
  • inked_Calimom82
    inked_Calimom82 Posts: 143 Member
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    You just have to make time! I find meal prepping helps a lot. I gather a meal plan of what I'm going to make for the week, meals and snacks included. Make a grocery list of what I need and every Saturday me and the hubby go to the store and every Sunday we make our meals for the week, labeling his/hers. We freeze most of the weeks meals and just pull them from freezer to fridge as we need them. I also try to workout around the same time every day. I have a weekly calendar schedule I follow for workouts and meals. Organization helps a lot for me. Good luck ;)
  • inked_Calimom82
    inked_Calimom82 Posts: 143 Member
    edited May 2015
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    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    lbedilion wrote: »
    Nobody is finding time, you have to MAKE time. If you're serious about getting in shape, then you will MAKE time to eat better, exercise, and log into MFP if that helps. It's not easy, but you have to stick with it and be dedicated in order to see results. Sounds cliche, but it's true. Good luck!

    So True! It's easy to be lazy and make excuses. Been there done that. Now my mind is set and I'm all in this, making the time to get it done!! It gets easier as time goes by too.
  • melanieknight
    melanieknight Posts: 4 Member
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    inked_Calimom82 wrote: »
    You just have to make time! I find meal prepping helps a lot. I gather a meal plan of what I'm going to make for the week, meals and snacks included. Make a grocery list of what I need and every Saturday me and the hubby go to the store and every Sunday we make our meals for the week, labeling his/hers. We freeze most of the weeks meals and just pull them from freezer to fridge as we need them. I also try to workout around the same time every day. I have a weekly calendar schedule I follow for workouts and meals. Organization helps a lot for me. Good luck ;)

    Thanks for the tip. I do try. I did it today. Planned it all out. I will work on being more disciplined!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I don't actually plan my meals. I have a collection of recipes that I know will be ok for me and HSpoon to have, and we'll pick one that sounds good that night. It takes a while to build up a stack of recipes that you like, but once you do, you can still be spontaneous about your meals and be within your calorie goals.

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