I've been here before and have fallen off every time....

lilteddy78

Ok so....the first time I was here I lost 90lbs. My husband at the time decided he was going to take a job where he was never home and it left me to fend for myself with two young kids. I started slipping as the months went on. 4 years later I've gained around 60lbs back and single with my kids 100% of the time. I'm looking to lose that 60 I gained and maybe another 10 or so. I'll be happy with 60 though.

Things I know I need to change:
1) Eating over 2000 cal a day
2) Not moving or exercising

So what my plan is:
1) Plan out meals and not eat out
2) Go to the gym and swim while my son is doing swimming lessons.
3) Use my treadmill and elliptical at home
4) Use the weight machines at the gym to tone and strengthen my muscles.

If anyone has any ideas for lunches and dinners I would be very grateful. I leave for work at 6:15 in the morning and get home around 4:45. My son has swimming lessons on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:10. My kids go to bed at 8pm. There isn't a lot of time and I'm usually totally exhausted by the time I get home plus helping my kids with their homework.

meembee

hey there,

congrats on your previous 90 (holy wow!!) lbs weight loss. that officially makes you a kick *kitten* rock star! everyone knows (or should know) that such a drastic amount of weight loss only comes with dedication, planning, and just overall tenacity. so, step one, you've got the guts it takes to do this!

having a weight loss goal that is now 2/3 of your previous accomplishment means that you have the right mindset in terms of goal-setting. it's realistic, attainable, and measurable.

i like that you have a road-map; you know what you need to do, and you have a broad-strokes plan to get there. so that's awesome. you also sound knowledgeable about your goals.

in terms of lunches and dinners, i can share a few favorites of mine, but what is it you like to eat? i like, pretty much everything. and once i learned that the trick was (gasp!) moderation and portion control, i realized that i could basically eat anything i wanted. the focus, of course, is always on clean, whole foods that i cook myself. but even then, if i crave junk food, i make some junk food (fries? yes please. potatoes. peel, slice, and throw into some hot canola or coconut oil. sea salt. yum.) i realize that even the squeaky-clean version of junk food doesn't mean that the food is lower in calories, it just means that i can only have a super small (but still satisfying) portion. i just love food too much to ever exclude a group/type of food without being a cranky b* or going into a depressive binge.

also, i've found it best to have last night's dinner for lunch. i used to obsess and agonize over portable lunches, and which ones reheat well, and which ones i can eat on the road, and how many calories were in each of these options, and i would just spend so much time looking at various recipes (damn you instagram--and you too, pinterest), until i found out that, oh, i can just eat last night's dinner leftovers. the end. now all my evening cooking takes into account lunch. i cook for four, when there are two of us. i sometimes cook for eight, when it's something that freezes well. or if it's a chili or a soup, which i don't mind having several times a week for lunch.

does your son eat whatever you make, or do you have special "kid-friendly" meals for him? i know a lot of people are held hostage by their children's taste-buds.

lilteddy78

Thank you for your reply.

As far as food goes it does get limited by both of my kids. But I am a picky eater too. Which makes it a little more difficult.

I have a refrigerator available to use for lunches but limited access to a microwave to warm things back up. I'm not a fan of leftovers but I can eat them.

Last time I did this I had a protein bar for breakfast and lunch then had a regular meal for dinner. Plus I drank a lot of water/propel throughout the day. I'm very tempted to do that again. I never deprived myself of any foods. If I wanted McDonald's I ate it. Just made sure I had a very very small portion.

apullum

Glad you're back! It sounds like you know what worked last time, and are really working on getting back into those good habits. You already know that you can do it, and you already know what works for your body, so those are great tools to have at your disposal.

I like using my crock pot when I don't have a lot of time. Some weeks, I make a big pot of beans on the weekend, and then I use them in different dishes throughout the week. I might make a lot of chickpeas, and then we'll eat chickpea curry, baked falafel, hummus, chickpea pesto sandwiches, etc. You can do this with any sort of bean you like.

I also like to cook things on the weekends and freeze them, so I have an easy and healthy meal without much prep time. Some people do a big "freezer cooking" session every month, and you can find all sorts of recipes on those websites. Spaghetti sauce and chili are always in my freezer, but many other soups freeze well too. Those things can simmer for hours while you're doing other things. Being vegetarian, I also make seitan in the crock pot and freeze it, and I freeze homemade black bean burgers. Of course, if there are things your family likes well enough to eat for multiple days in a row, you can make a double or triple batch and just keep it in the fridge.

I also make various overnight breakfasts, like overnight protein oatmeal or chia pudding. I can just pull those out of the fridge with no prep on busy mornings. I also often have fruit with peanut butter for breakfast--the only prep is slicing fruit and measuring peanut butter. And I'm also a fan of protein bars