Overwhelmed & frustrated about my weight & food!

How about cook a large meal on one night that you would be able to split into 3 days so all you have to do is heat it up the next few days and then you cook a big meal again. It's very helpful.

There are lots of cookbooks you can try which advertise for quick meals - and as sokkache said, you could make big portions so that you don't need to cook from scratch everyday!

My advice to you is to plan every week what your meals are going to be - and do a huge weekly shop, but not when you're hungry. Stick to your shopping list, ask a friend to go with you if they'll help you from buying the junk food. If I don't have junk food in the house then I won't eat it, it's as simple as that. I have no self-restraint when it comes to crisps or biscuits or anything like that so I just don't buy it!

Don't be disheartened! Try less starchy carbs, and go for more wholemeal. Like brown pasta and rice for example. That you can just leave to cook on it's own. I just try to eat as much fresh produce as possible, and I go meat-free during most of the week, you might find that helps!

- shop the perimeter of the grocery store / less packaging generally = better food choices.
- as people were mentioning above, cook big meals, break them up into serving sizes and freeze / eat as left overs. Roast 2 chickens on sunday with some veggies, then use the chicken in lunches, salads, and use the chicken bones to make a stock for soup.
- prep your foods on sunday night.
- you cna make oatmeal and have it all set for the week in individual containers in the fridge and then add nuts one day, frozen berries another - mix it up.
- people love their crock pots too!

For cooking quick - one night a week, either when you have the time or on the weekend/days off you have, cook up a large whole chicken or large hunk of pork, beef, etc. When it's done, separate it into portions and put into freezer bags. Toss one into the fridge to thaw on weekdays and use it to cook when you get home.

OR

Make full, large meals and separate them into single servings and freeze. Freezer containers and freezer bags work well. Thaw in fridge while you're at work, heat them up when you get home.

When you don't want to do that, keep healthy sandwich, salad, soup, etc ingredients in your fridge that you can throw together easily when you're home.

I use my crockpot almost daily, it's a wonderful tool for both cooking meals and just 'warming'

I often make a gigantic salad and big pot of rice so that I have them for more than one meal. I love lots of stuff in my salad, so it's a good way to use leftovers - grated cheese, chopped meat, cooked vegetables, etc.

Hi, I know what you mean - it is so confusing - one minute something is good for you and then it isn't. Like low fat foods and then you find that they have loads of sugar. And the butter verses low fat spreads debate. Honestly, it gets on my wick. I have decided to "take time out" and do diet chef because I am tired of the supermarkets. Their " buy one -get -one- free" mentality, the offers on junk food drives me to distraction. Also, there is a constant stream of news items about what to eat and what to avoid hat I find confusing to say the least. I'm hoping to lose some weight, enjoy good food and re engage with good weight loss recipes. My meagre advice would be to shut your ears and go back to the basics of what you think is a healthy, weight loss diet for yourself.
Good luck and hope this helps....

Hey there. I'm also new at this 'changing meals' and 'exercising' planning'. It's tough. But I found laziness got the best of me over the past year. Over 2 years ago. I had lost 16 kilos (roughly 35 pounds) in 10 months by using portion sizes and working out daily. That wasn't even eating healthy, just eating less. I found it harder to keep up with that. Eating too little is not good, as you start to get hungry. Then binge on the naughty foods. I got lazy; let myself fall back into the habit for snacking on chocolates and Macca's fries. I put 10 kilos (22 pounds) back on in in less than 4 months. So over Christmas this year I started making changes I eat a lot of salads. (both warm vegies and fresh) They might take a good 15 mins to chop up ingredients. 5 if your fast (I'm slow) With the vegies, if you don't like them raw. Then boil them just a little, put in a bowl, add lemon salt and very little Olive Oil, toss and there's a salad made. Whilst you are making that, grill meat... Spray some Olive Oil on meat of your choice, be it chicken or any meat, so long as it's lean. Ask your butcher to trim the fat for you. They're happy to do so. Grilling meat only takes 6 mins one side, turn over and 6 mins on the other. (less if you like) So 12 mins for your meat and at the same time, making your vegies or salad. Might take you all of 15 to 23 mins to create. These meals you can create when you are tired after work. But don't go past making some great meals on the weekend and freezing as others have mentioned. I use these meals for dinner, I haven't quite worked out my lunches, but try to keep them margarine/butter free and add plenty of fresh lettuce, tomoatoes or cucumber on 2 slices of wholemeal bread. I usually boil 3 eggs for breakfast in the morning, whilst I am getting ready for work. If I forget to put them on and I am rushing around with the kids in the morning. I eat a piece of fruit.

The life of a parent is hectic, but use baby steps. As someone else has already mentioned, start with one meal time first. I started with dinner. My dinners are now not even thought about. I do admit to buying in bulk, so everything is at my fingertips. I have even improvised, when I was low on certain ingredients and created a vegie meal, the family love. (By accident) Tossing what ever I had in the fridge and my only 'must' is to keep plenty of mixed vegies or salad ingredients of any kind in the refrigorator. This way, if I forget meat or am out of meat. I just create a large vegie meal, add some rice and a vegetarian meal will suffice on the stressed days.

Where there is a will; there is a way. I hope that this has helped. Feel free to add me on your friends list if you wish.

I haven't posted any of my quick vegie meals recipes yet. But intend doing so over the next few weeks. When I write down what I actually do.

Forgot to mention. Water, drink plenty off it.

Raise a glass of water with me.
Cheers
Mary

Edited to add