Just wondering

PeachyKeene

What are some of the things you do to help keep you on track during the week? And what are some things that get you off track?

Personally, I like to grill up a bunch of chicken and lean beef on Saturday's and bag individual servings, so I can have quick delicious and healthy food. I also, boil a dozen eggs for when I feel I need a little something to eat.

One thing that gets me off course is the weekends, of course, doing things with family and just wanting to go out to a restaurant and enjoy myself. I have decided, that needs to be a special treat when I get to my goal weight.

Another thing, I truly believe, our busy lives is a leading cause of obesity, it is to easy to run to McDonalds before my son's games or whatever we have going on that day. My mom cooked every night after work and all weekend. On Friday's when they got paid we would go out to eat. That was once a week and we were a healthy family. Now everyone of us are over weight. Because it is to easy and cheap to get something from the dollar menu. When you cook, you are going to do what is healthier, where is, restaurants pack the food with fatty things to make it taste good and addictive.

I would love to hear some of the things other people do to keep on track, it may give us all some great ideas.

roxiedo

I precook my chicken too. I just found a nice container at Aldi's - went back for more and they were all gone will have to keep my eye open for another shipment - it was a nice container, with a spot for a fork (a nice one too included) and a container for the salad dressing. I have been making a nice salad the evening before and putting it in the fridge for the next day so it is all ready and then just add chicken or whatever to it. One suggestion I saw on the boards which I have to start doing is making your own 100-calorie snack bags - just premeasure out 100 calories of your favorites and prebag, then they are ready when you need them and are much cheaper than buying the 100 calorie snacks

FemininGuns

What keeps me on track is logging on MFP and having a base grocery list. I RARELY deviate from my grocery, list - this way I know exactly what I have at home and there's no guessing involved!

skinnywithin

Oh Lord...Girl I wish I could help but Im very off track right now myself !

Lori24

That is a good idea about making your own 100 calorie snack bags. Have not thought of doing that, but I spend so much money on 100 calorie snacks. Speaking of snacks, if you haven't tried them, you should try the Nature Valley Granola Thins. The dark chocolate. They are 80 calories and they are delicious.

LoveMyTwins

I can totally relate. My husband and I were in the habit of eating out way too much. When we did buy groceries, it was a lot of frozen meals that were quick and convenient. Once we had our twin girls, I started thinking about what I was going to do when they got older and needed regular meals. I didn't cook! So my husband and I sat down and started planning out our dinners for two weeks at a time. That allowed us to think ahead of time about the nutrition, so I could plan to incorporate vegetables into the meals.

Now we eat much healthier, and also save a lot of money! I had no idea how much money we were wasting before. Now we actually use what we already have in the house instead of letting it go bad, and we stick to our grocery list. It's been a life-saver!

A few things that I do for myself is I only eat lean meats - chicken, fish, turkey. I very rarely eat beef. If I do, it's for a special occasion and is a lean steak. I eat very little fried food, as I don't buy any for our house. Again, if I do it's very rare and is a special occasion thing. I eat dark chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth. I'm sure you've heard this before, but it really is more satisfying. I used to hate it, but for a new years resolution I said no sweets except dark chocolate. So now that I'm not eating a bunch of crappy sugary junk, the dark chocolate is perfect and delicious. And I can get by with one or two small pieces to calm a craving.

All of these changes in addition to some others have really helped me start to change my lifestyle.

natskedat

I plan all of my meals a week in advance, and do grocery shopping for those meals only. I make sure all three meals are healthy. Also, I don't buy snacks for the kids that I wouldn't feel good about eating myself. If I don't have junky stuff in the house, I won't eat it.

Not getting enough sleep is my culprit. I notice that I get fatigued and snack more because I don't have the energy to prepare a good meal. Pre-planning my meals has eliminated the need to use creative energy at dinnertime, as well, which leaves more energy for family and relaxation.

PeachyKeene

Oh Lord...Girl I wish I could help but Im very off track right now myself !

I got really off track in March. It took me 13 pounds gained to get back on track. I really packed it on and was eating things you wouldn't believe. Some times it takes taking a step back, thinking what you really want and figure what you are going to do to get there. Something that really help me was reading a weight loss book that was really up lifting and got me real excited again. Losing weight is so hard and keeping it off is even harder. Good Luck!!

Qarol

What keeps me on track is having plenty of food in the house that's allowed on my diet (low carb). I also plan the entire week's meals and only go to the store once a week. Also, weighing everyday is my daily reminder to keep at it. I know some people don't recommend weighing everyday, but it works for me.

What gets me off track is a social event. I've been avoiding those a lot. And when my friends do want to get together, I ask that we go to a restaurant that has foods I love and are allowed on my diet. Or I ask that we meet for coffee instead. Most of them are pretty understanding and willing to accommodate. Stress is also another thing that can get me off track. The more stress, the harder it is to make good food choices.

Sherjuanadenise1

That is so very true my family was the same way we only ate out on Fridays. The last few weeks I have been cooking everyday except Fridays because it is easy to eat hamburgers, fries, etc all processed food is a huge cause of being overweight!

mamamadonna

Daily tracking on MFP has definitely helped to keep me on track. Also I try my hardest to get my exercise in first thing in the morning so I feel great and energized all day. I have been adding a quick walk with my kids right after dinner to keep those evening/late night snacking urges at bay.

jessiecrow

ive found i can always eat healthier at work when i have planned my lunch and ready made it the night before.

one thing i have learnt from my time on MFP is that i snack way too much so im making a concentrated effort to always have a bottle of water next to me and something interesting to read and those so called 'hunger pains' soon go away. because im not really hungry, im bored.

im also not eating carbs after 2pm, this can be quiet difficult at times but the best thing to do is prepare something the day before. convenience snacks are usually expensive/unhealthy snacks.

MinnieInMaine

Tracking and planning defnitely help me stay on target. It's not always easy, but I do the best I can.

And I know there's usually one day a weekend that I'll be off track so I go ahead and let that be my cheat day. I stay on target all week, get my exercise in, etc then either Saturday or Sunday (depending on what's going on) if I go a little overboard, it's not going to totally derail me.

PeachyKeene

Thanks everyone for posting. The prepackage snacks are a great idea. Surely, tracking on MFP is great! I don't do to well at it anymore. I did for about 2 months and lost 23 pounds, then I quit and started eating what I wanted and as I posted earlier gained 13 pounds back. MFP can also be a great motivation. All the great successful people on here, giving you great ideas and lots of support.

Thanks again.