Diet Isolation- Help!

stellcorb

So, I don't know if anyone else has this issue. I'm about a month and a half in and I've done well (down 15 lbs and a size) but I'm getting discouraged. It seems like even now this is taking so much of my time, especially from my family (more specifically my 1 year old). Between planning and packing meals and exersize, I feel like I'm on my own. Even the people I joined MFP with either dropped off or have alot going on. At nights, most of the time I fix myself something different from my husband and going out to eat is a trial, especially if I don't have time to work out that day. I know it's worth it and I have a long way to go, but I'm feeling a bit isolated and cut-off from everything.
Any suggestions?

bathori

First of all, that's a huge drop in 6 weeks! Congratulations!

Is there one day a week, or maybe two evenings, where you can set aside the time planning and packing time you need? Most people don't eat a varied diet, they rotate the same bunches of meals so I imagine you're the same. It might take a little while longer to get it to a perfect, efficient art form, but it will happen. I do all my lunches on Sunday afternoon, or if I'm booked up on Sunday I prepare them in tandem with Saturday night's dinner.

Keep in mind that fat loss is not a life sentence, it's a temporary period where you want to get in and out as fast as possible, so for now, skip eating out and be creative about serving your husband the same thing as what you're eating. For example, if you're making him pasta, you can skimp on the noodles and load up your plate with more sauteed veggies and sauce. Chicken, Beef, Stew, Soup and salad, all of these things are tasty and don't have to be loaded with extras to make it palatable to a non-dieting person. Ultimately if he wants something else that badly, he's probably able to do it himself.

Eating out is more expensive and you can't accurately control your portion sizes so those meals are best reserved for your free days anyhow - and they should be well planned . You can definitely make some amazing meals at home with few ingredients. Epicurious.com has a tonne of recipes if you want something a little different.

When it comes to getting support you will find a LOT of forums that you can join online where people keep logs about their fitness and discuss their struggles, life and anything else. My personal recommendation is LeighPeele.com members section. It's very active and full of great stuff. It is paid but it's incredibly cheap, and you get cookbooks, challenges (with prizes) and a TONNE of support.

ashlee954

The best advice I can give (and was given) is that you need to find a routine that is something you will continue to do for the rest of your life. Otherwise this is just another crash diet and when you are "done" you will revert back to your "normal" eating routine and the weight will come back. What I did was not drastically alter my eating habits at first. I still eat exactly what I used to. I just count calories so that I know just how much of each thing I can eat. I do not make a different meal than that of my boyfriend. Now, if your husband eats nothin' but fried stuff then that's a different story. But instead of cooking yourself a different meal maybe discuss with your husband that it would benefit him as well to eat a bit better. Then I started incorporating more veggies into my diet (I already ate a ton of fruit). I found that if I prepared a veggie with every meal, and ate most of it first, then I was filled a lil' more and did not eat a second helping of whatever I had made for the main course. Lifestyle changes are tough to confront sometimes but remember that it's ok if it doesn't happen over night. This should be a learning process. Developing a different kind of relationship with food, and a different view of it for that matter, is really important. Good luck to you!

joebranzell

GOD, Don't make things so hard, if you do you will never stay with this. forget all the planning and packing and even the exersize if you don't have the time. Just take each day and each meal as they come. if you can fit in 20 min for an exersize great if not no worries. Just cut back on what you eat and NO Sweets. I am allowed 1800 calories a day on here and never get close to that. I have a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, usually a subway wrap for lunch (tuna wrap today) and that leaves me with about 1000 calories for dinner. Trust me that is plenty for dinner. Tonight I will have 2 hot dogs with buns, some chips and still have 400 calories left.
The easier you make this the longer you will stay with it.
Good Luck

Amarillo_NDN

Any change in your lifestyle that can't be continued as a natural thing to do will ever last. The biggest error most make is trying to change everything over night which never last.

When starting a majoir life change, never start with everything. Start with one simple thing. When that one thing becomes normal, then go to the next. With my, the first thing I changed in my habbits was going for mustard instead of mayo. Then when it came to fast food, instead of grabing that big old double cheese. go for the little $1 burger.

You have done great and keep up the good work.

Mamasota

Keep in mind that isn't just what you eat, it's mostly about portion control. You could possibly eat many of the same things you are fixing for your husband but a smaller portion. You are doing really great. I'm so sorry you feel isolated. If you have time, try this website: eatingwell.com. They have easy recipes and meal plans and many can be fixed in less than 30 minutes. The meals are good and nutritious so you could all eat the same thing and still enjoy your meals. I'm sure you are getting plenty of exercise with a one year old so don't beat yourself up if you sometimes miss a workout. Getting to the weight you want is a goal but staying there is a journey that will last the rest of your life. People will come and go from this site. Make new friends. Eventually you will find a few who will be with you for the long run. I wish you patience and perserverence.

IrishChik

The one question I want to ask is WHY are you eating something different than your husband at meal time?

Check sparkrecipes.com for tasty recipes that are family and health friendly. Check the recipes that are posted here as well. I cook meals for myself, my fiancé, and we have his daughter on the weekend. I eat what they eat, just smaller meat and side portions with larger portions of vegis. I bake instead of fry. When we have chicken legs or thighs I pull the skin off mine before coating it with shake and bake. When we have our weekend breakfast (either Sat or Sun) we either eat center cut bacon or turkey bacon and i limit myself to the per serving listed on the nutritional information. I scramble egg whites for myself and regular eggs for them, tossing in my yolks. If we make pancakes I make them smaller for myself and use sugar free syrup.

I am on a very tight food budget so we can't afford to buy two sets of food. They either eat what I cook or don't eat. I have enough recipes now that work so that doesn't tend to be a problem anymore.

I make a little extra for him to take to lunch the next day as well as myself. I do keep a few convenience items on hand for lunches and meals we have to eat separate due to his work schedule.

As for eating out, I always ask for a to-go box to be brought when they bring me my food and I put half in there (depending on where I am eating and what I have ordered) since portions are so large at many places. I stay away from anything cream based, such as sauces, ask for no cheese on my salads and put the dressing on the side. Baked potatoes plain and bring the butter on the side. Skip the sour cream unless they offer light and I skip the cheese. I stick to meats that are broiled or grilled, chicken, fish, and shrimp. Opt for vegetables as your sides.


My downfall is Mexican restaurants. I compensate by eating light on my other meals. I stick to chicken and bean filled items and ask for extra salad toppings. Chips and salsa or guacamole are my weakness. I count the chips and break them into smaller portions so that I feel like I am getting more. Taco Bell has the fresco line and at my local Bell they will fresco anything you ask for, not just what is shown on the menu! At McD's if I want a burger I get the plain burger and small fries with water. Otherwise I stick to the fruit/yogurt parfait or the apple walnut salad. At the coffee shop I get it all fat free sugar free and donut holes (2) for a nice treat. At subway I ask them to scoop out the extra bread and add more vegetables.

Thats all I can think of right now.

Hopefully others will chime in with some of their ideas.

Mindful_Trent

GOD, Don't make things so hard, if you do you will never stay with this. forget all the planning and packing and even the exersize if you don't have the time. Just take each day and each meal as they come. if you can fit in 20 min for an exersize great if not no worries. Just cut back on what you eat and NO Sweets. I am allowed 1800 calories a day on here and never get close to that. I have a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, usually a subway wrap for lunch (tuna wrap today) and that leaves me with about 1000 calories for dinner. Trust me that is plenty for dinner. Tonight I will have 2 hot dogs with buns, some chips and still have 400 calories left.
The easier you make this the longer you will stay with it.
Good Luck

I'm sorry but I have to respectfully disagree with this advice. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. making a lifestyle change isn't going to be easy. It's going to be a lot of work.

Keep your chin up - you haven't been doing this *that* long - after awhile, you will start to know what foods work best for you. The other posters mentioned finding a routine that works for you, and trying to do more planning/preparing in blocks a few nights a week. These are great ideas. I work during the day and try to bring my lunch every day - rather than having to figure out what I"m going to take every morning, I will plan my lunches out on the weekends and prepare the protein (chicken, turkey, whatever) and pre-portion it out on Sundays so that it's ready to grab and go during the week. You'll learn your routine and after awhile it won't seem so bothersome. I do eat a lot of the same foods, but it's because they're healthy, I like them and they work for my lifestyle. I don't have to think so hard when I already know that they'll fit into my eating plan.

Good luck! You CAN do this - give it time, and don't give up! :flowerforyou:

sanura

great advice so far! I would like to chime in here because I've recently switched to being vegan while my family has not. I refuse to make a big deal out of it at dinner time so I make things simple, for example roast some chicken breasts in one dish and potatoes and veggies in another, or make a veggie stir fry and cook the meat separately. you can make your healthy dinner and just a bit extra of what your husbands likes, it won't hurt him to have more vegetables and other healthy foods.

also, it is great to have support, but dont worry too much about not getting it, if you feel good about what you are doing it will come sooner or later. people will see you getting healthier and be inspired.

socalledauthor

Use your 1 year old as an excuse to exercise. Got for a walk with baby in the stroller and talk with the baby about all the things you see. (Or not, sometimes it's good to let babies just soak everything up without constant interaction.) You can walk outside, weather permitting, or at the store/ mall. There's a couple people that cruise around the perimeter of the local store as a cheap lap.) As your child gets more mobile, you can play with them in active ways-- crawling, walking, running with them. Burns calories.

If you drive, park out with me at the end of the lot. It doesn't take that much longer and it allows much more room to navigate getting baby in and out of the car since there's no one parked out there.

And cook one meal for the family. Anyone who doesn't like it can either make their own meal or go hungry. My husband and I, both being capable adults who can care for ourselves, have been this way since day one. I have better things to do than baby my grown husband.