Single Mother of 1 in need of help!

natsrobinson88

Hi All,

So even though I am not a newbie to the world of fitness I am struggling more than ever to lose weight. At 30 years old, had a child and a desk job I am struggling to stay motivated to eat healthy.

I honestly feel if I could nail the healthy eating I could get to the weight I should be, but the pizza calls me, the oven tells me its too late to cook and my brain tells me I am too tired to stand chopping up fruit and Veg for an hour.

I do not have time for food prep and I do not enjoy it, I cannot imagine anything worse than eating the same food 7 days in a row, let alone the price of everything "just to mix it up a bit".

I have started swimming for a Masters Club which I know will not help with the whole "weight loss" as I will be gaining muscle, but it will help me tone and strengthen my body which I need a lot of!

Anyway thought I would drop myself into the conversation just in case any of you lovely people want to keep on top of me push me to eat a bit healthier!

TavistockToad

eat food you like in portion sizes that enable you to create a calorie deficit, plus a bit of fruit and veg, cos health.

anything else is over complicating things.

kommodevaran

I'm not going to push you at all, just remind you that you don't have to eat healthy to lose weight, you just have to eat less. A healthy diet is balanced and varied, and you don't have to chop for an hour to eat healthy. I think planning meals, and have everything ready when you come home, could help you a lot, and planning meals you and your child like, help you most of all.

alicebhsia1

swimming helped me lose a lot of weight once (an hour and a half three times a week). i also ate a lot of bananas and nuts and not too much else besides a little pasta with salad for dinner

missysippy930

Weight loss is mostly about eating less calories than your body burns.
Exercise is great for overall health, but you have to eat a calorie deficit to lose weight.
I don't limit any food. I stick with moderation of all foods, portion control and moving more. I have pizz once a week but stick to a veggie pizza. You can do this without giving up any food you love, just stay within your calorie budget.

hippysprout

I'm also a mother with one child at home. Spending time cooking for the future is not my ideal hobby, but I force myself to set aside an hour or so one Saturday a month. I cook a meal in the crock pot, one in the oven, one on the stove and then portion them out into freezer bags. I rotate these frozen meals with fresh lunches like salad, sandwich and soup, etc. This will typically last me 4-6 weeks depending on how much I rely on those frozen prepped lunches.

Dinner is dinner. I'm a mom, so I cook my child dinner. It doesn't really matter if I'm tired or don't want to, it's my job. I'm concerned with her nutrition so I cook her a reasonably healthy dinner most of the time, and allow for pizza nights as well. This is no different than what I've been doing for dinner for the last 14 years of her life. I get to choose how much of that dinner I eat, and that is the main change I've made. If I'm particularly beat, I choose simple and fast meals like salads, sandwiches, pasta, or scrambled eggs.

That's what works for me, but everyone is different. You can eat literally anything, and still lose weight so long as you're calories are right. You can try making very small changes like adding fresh fruit to a meal instead of having dessert or a high calorie side dish. If making small healthier changes is difficult enough for you that you're stressing over it, then don't. Just keep eating the way you are, and weigh and log accurately. Stay in your calorie goal and you'll be losing weight.