Day One: How Do I Even Begin?!

1DeterminedMommy16

Hello all,
I've always struggled with my weight but managed to get it mostly under control in my late teens. After I got pregnant, I gained a lot of the weight I had lost before back. It's been a few years and as a sole parent I feel like I am too busy to learn how to eat healthy and exercise, and I have no support when trying. I constantly try to do something about my weight but I end up giving up after a week or two. I need guidance, support, and motivation. My circle is really, really small in reality so I don't know who else to turn to. I just started university this fall as well, so I've packed on even more weight because of that extra demand on my time. To anyone who has a significant amount of weight to lose or has lost a significant amount of weight, I would really value your advice on what's working for you on your weight loss journey.
Sorry it's so long winded, but thank you for reading.

pogiguy05

One is a food scale to measure everything. How are you so busy you cannot eat healthy when you buy your food for you and your children? Sorry dont wish to sound mean, but it is just about making better food choices and you would be setting a more positive example for your children.

As for going to school I would suggest meal prepping for your week. that way you can take healthy meals with you. Someone on here made a great suggestion about making up meals and using ziplock bags to store them in the freezer, then when you take one place it in a travel container like glass. now this only works if you have a way to microwave something at school.

My biggest enemy is myself. I have started and stopped so many times over the years. A medical issue that scared me in August has motivated me to do something longer term.

1DeterminedMommy16

I agree that my biggest enemy is definitely myself. That's why I'm hoping I can find a support network here that will help me stay accountable and motivated.
My child doesn't like eating hot meals. The fact that he won't eat what I eat (he'd rather just turn away what I make and eat fruit, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, and a yogurt) pretty much kills my motivation to make meals that take time and effort to make, so generally I eat convenience foods while he eats much better than I do. I want to be a better example and I want to improve my health so that I don't end up developing health issues. Again, I am my own worst enemy and I am aware of it. I am here to change that.
Thank you for the suggestion on meal prepping. I've heard a lot of good things about it. Any suggestions on where to start looking for some healthy meal prep recipes?

silverblaze55

Use tdeecalculator or something similar to get an idea of your maintenance calories.
Get a digital food scale if you don't already have one. Weigh and log everything. The thing that's work for me is absolute commitment to this part. If I don't feel like logging, I don't eat. Full stop.
MFP does keep all your logged foods in a list, so after a bit it gets less obnoxious since you don't have to search for things constantly. (Speaking of, look for entries that are in grams, or have 1.0 gram as a serving option.)
If I'm in a hurry cooking, I just write everything down on a scrap of paper and log it later. Or take pictures of stuff while its on the scale.
You might set your calorie goal for at or just under maintenance for a couple of weeks, so you can get use to the logging without stressing about staying under your goal. Up to you.

When I was in college, whatever I made to eat before going to campus, I would just make double what I wanted throw half in a container and eat it a few hours later between classes. It was still warm by the time I got to it, so no microwave or ice pack necessary. Might not work for you, depending on your schedule. You could make stuff for the week that keeps in the refrigerator and you can eat cold, and pack it with an ice pack.

Once you start logging it's easy to see the problem items. Like, mayo is crazy calorie dense, so I avoid it as much as possible. I literally just nickel and dime my calories - cut a few here, a couple there, a little less of this or that, 'wow 28 grams of cheese is a lot of calories I'll just use 18.'

Hope that helps a bit.

corinasue1143

Start with chicken breasts and veggies you like. Grill or bake several on the weekend. Lean boneless thin cut pork loins take less than 5 minutes to cook. Salads. Overnight oats for breakfast, if you like them. As you get better at it, you will find more things. There is a recipe swap group here. Google, Pinterest

pogiguy05

OK your confusing me. you say your kid eats healthier then you? OK how old is this kid? Who buys the food for them and why do they not eat the same thing then. GOTCHA

In my household I am the only who is trying to eat healthy. What i have been doing is buying boneless skinless chicken breasts and I have a George Foreman grill. I cut the breast in half to make them cook faster and cook them on that grill. It takes like no time at all for them to cook. I really need to increase my veggie intake I know that.

I also seen a guy on youtube who used a slow cooker to cook a batch of chicken breasts and then made up pre made meals with the shredded chicken,broccoli, and sweet potato. youtube can give you plenty of ideas if you search.

silverblaze55

1DeterminedMommy16 wrote: »

I agree that my biggest enemy is definitely myself. That's why I'm hoping I can find a support network here that will help me stay accountable and motivated.
My child doesn't like eating hot meals. The fact that he won't eat what I eat (he'd rather just turn away what I make and eat fruit, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, and a yogurt) pretty much kills my motivation to make meals that take time and effort to make, so generally I eat convenience foods while he eats much better than I do. I want to be a better example and I want to improve my health so that I don't end up developing health issues. Again, I am my own worst enemy and I am aware of it. I am here to change that.
Thank you for the suggestion on meal prepping. I've heard a lot of good things about it. Any suggestions on where to start looking for some healthy meal prep recipes?

Your kid not eating what you eat may actually help you out. Single serving meals are usually easier to log.

Personally, I never follow recipes. What kind of foods do you like? Seasonings? I'm always just throwing stuff together that I think'll be good.
One thing I've done for pre-prepared meals is cook a bunch of quinoa (rice is fine too, I just can't eat it), and then make single serving Tupperware dishes with different stuff. Broccoli and cheese, shrimp and stir-fry veggies, baked chicken and veggies, and so on. Sometimes I use 0% greek yogurt as a base for a creamy sauce, with seasonings like Tony Chachere's creole, or garlic salt. (Fage greek yogurt has a really mild flavor so it works well for this. It does scald easily though so I add it last with the heat off.)
Breakfast burritos are another of my go-tos. I'd make one on huge burrito tortilla right before going to class. Eat half on the way and the other half later in the day.

Adding on to the other replies that happened while I was typing - yes, bake or grill some chicken breasts, maybe even cut them into pre-weighed portions. Steam a bunch of frozen veggies with salt and garlic. They should keep just fine for 4 or 5 days.

edit to add: ALSO get friendly with the recipe builder here (the app version and the 'Old Recipe Calculator' if your on the website are easier imo). It saved my butt for Thanksgiving dishes.

juliet3455

@1DeterminedMommy16
Can't really offer any suggestions about Meal Prep Recipes since we all have very different dietary preferences. You will have to find what works for you that is repeatable but not dull and boring.

From the MFP Blogs a few links that might help you start in MFP.

Meal Planning
Healthy Eating Tips
The 11 Most Common Weight-Loss Blunders Dietitians See
17 Weeknight Dinners That Registered Dietitians Actually Cook
Weight Loss 101: What’s Actually Happening Inside You? [Infographic]

Some links to discussions in the Forums that have been voted/declared as the Most Helpful Posts.
In the Main Forums you will see all the Sub Forums.
In the Sub Forums you will see a post near the top labeled Most Helpful Posts - which applies to the Topics in the Forum.

Getting Started
Food and Nutrition
General Diet and Weight Loss Help

This is just a small compilation and may seem rather intimidating - take it in small pieces and slowly apply them into your daily routine until they become a habit. There is actually a multi - part Blog about Habits that was quite good but I can't find it and have lost the link to it.