Need planning help... :(

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blacksagephoenix
blacksagephoenix Posts: 22 Member
in Getting Started
I just signed up for a membership at the YMCA. I picked that gym bc they include great childcare options and hours, but I am still having a hard time figuring out what to do with my schedule. I am a single mom and work Monday thru Friday, 9am-6pm, and take a lunch around 1pm. I take my daughter (two years old) to daycare right before work and pick her up right after. Without a gym membership, my routine was to go straight home, start on dinner, and hopefully have myself and daughter fed by 7pm. Well, I only have after work for the gym (childcare not available before 8am, and it's a 20 min drive to work). Here are the dilemmas:

1) When do I eat dinner? I assume I should eat something small before, and something small after, but what is best to eat at those times? I'm going for fat loss. Like I said, I eat lunch at 1pm, and would arrive at the gym around 6:20pm.

2) What do I feed my daughter, since she won't be having a home-cooked dinner a few nights a week? Obviously that has nothing to do with my weight loss, but I don't want to be feeding her fast food while I'm trying get healthy.. Any tips there?

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  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    1) for you at around 5pm a protein bar of whatever kind you like

    2) for her a snack baggie with animal crackers and maybe some of that apple sauce in a pouch or cubes of cheese

    3) for both of you - a crockpot with a healthy meal in it when you get home. since there are only the two of you, you could cook this once and reheat it once per week or cook and freeze part of it for a different week.


    Hope this helps.
  • Dandman1990
    Dandman1990 Posts: 196 Member
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    Fruit is always a helpful aid if you're feeling peckish. Alternately a protein bar/shake could be useful an hour or so before you head to the gym for that extra energy boost.

    I'd suggest making large portions of things at the weekend. Big pots of Spag Bol, or Chilli (which could also be put in a slow cooker if you have a bit of spare time to do a bit of ingredient chopping before work) and freezing them to reheat when you get back (this could work with tons of stuff like large lasagnes or soups/ stews etc).

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