Looking for friends, maybe a little encouragement

I know this may be easier said then done but sometimes you just have to tell yourself, "enough is enough, I need time for me"! I plan my meals a few days in advance that way it gives me time to prepare them so all I have to do is grab and go on that day.
You are definately on the right track because you are here :happy:

My advice is to use the phone app and whenever you put something in your mouth log it!!!

I truly believe eating out is addictive. I think part of it is the high sodium/fat content and I think chemically broken down sugars like high fructose corn syrup also play a big part. Take baby steps. First cut out eating out. Eat a lot of calories so you don't feel deprived-id give it a week. Commit yourself to one month of zero meals out. You can bring stuff from home. Then cut out corn syrup (its in a lot of processed foods, so read labels). I think it will be more helpful to retrain your taste buds than to jump into a diet. You'll be surprised after one month of how overly salty and too-sweet foods taste when you eat out when youve gone without them for a month. I actually dislike the way McDonalds, etc taste now and save going out to eat for when we can go to a really good local restaurant. Hope this helps! I used to love Culvers butterburgers but now they actually gross me out. As for salads, I only eat them as a first course, I don't think they work for meals (but I do like to eat a big plate of steamed or roasted veggies for lunch every onve in awhile).

Watch Food, Inc too. Its on Netflix instant if u have it. It should help

All the above have given you some great advice. I would encourage you to be serious about planning meals ahead. If you know what you are going to fix and have the ingredients there, then there is less temptation to go the easy fast food route. And with planning,some things can be made the night before or ahead of time and frozen., I even know of people who assemble whole meals and freeze the ingredients, then just thaw and pop in the oven. Another recommendation I would give would be to invest in a slow cooker. They are a god-send for busy folks, and there are tons of recipes out on the internet. You can usually assemble most crockpot meals ahead of time the night before, and turn it on in the morning and go, Then when you get home you have your dinner ready.

Hi, my name is Roberta. I also have a little more than 100 lbs to lose. I'm in my 40's now, but I was working a full time job in my late 20's, while going to school full time and raising 3 kids, 12, 10, and 8 at the time, and also taking care of my mother-in-law who had late stage Alzheimers. My husband had "the day shift" with her, I had the nights while he went to work. I was a manger at a fast food place and it was always easier to eat at work everyday than to bring something healthy. Late at night I ate after my kids and mother-in-law went to bed. I told myself it was to keep up my energy, and it was always easier to stop at other fast food places and eat in the car since the school I was going to was about 45 minutes away from home. I know how it is trying to get out of the rut. I'm not in school now and my kids are grown, I'm happily married but I'm still in the grab whatever's quick food rut. I tried this site awhile back and lost 30 some odd lbs. Than I lost my younger sister to breast cancer ( she was 34), 3 yrs after I lost my older sister to the same. I gave up for awhile but now I'm back trying to make it stick this time. If you'd like we can be mfp buddies and support each other. :flowerforyou:

Hi Im Kristy
Im a mom of two girls divorced for 6 years, college student and full time teacher.
I weighed up to 170 and am 5 feet tall. Id like to get down to 125-120.
Id love to get married again but feel my weight gets in the way.
I eat out everyday but the weekends.
This website really helps me watch my calories. I just don't eat french fries anymore.. and I cut down on the bread when I eat out. i do a lot of chili, salads, grilled chicken....
I have begun using a slow cooker and keeping fresh fruit in the house to make smoothies. I just bout protein powder thinking I would use it as a meal replacement.
I would love the encouragement as well and need friends here as well.

Hello my name is Shalonda and I like your weight lead, and I want to know how you did the ruller and how was you able to change the the ruler to what you have. Pl,ease email me and or respond to me and let me know....because I dont know if I even posted it right. Thanks
Shaunty

I spend 10 min in the evenings planning, preparing and packing my breakfast, lunch and snacks (2) to take with me to work the next day. I too don't cook so I buy lots of things pre-made/ready to eat. Breakfast is lowfat cottage cheese and fruit, greek yogurt and fresh fruit, or a Jimmy Dean Delights sandwich. Lunch is 4 oz meat (deli meat, pre-cooked fajita strips, etc) with 2-3 cups steamed veggies (birds eye steam fresh, nuke em for a few and throw in a tupperware). Snacks are an apple, pre-cut and washed brocolie, cauliflower and/or baby carrots w/ 2 Tbsp ranch, a lowfat cheese stick, 1/4 cup almonds (try Emerald Cocoa or Emerald Cinnamon). Also, I always crave something sweet after lunch so now I carry gum (Extra mint chocolate or Extra rootbeer float). My biggest saving grace is those snacks. If I have them there and ready, I eat them when I get hungry instead of grabbing whatever is handy out of the vending machine.

Hi: This is long but I wanted to share what I've learned about cooking smart. I hope this will help some.

I work full time, take care of my disabled 34 year old son, and help at my church. So, I'm very busy too. Up until a couple months ago I had a second job for over four years and my time was very limited in the kitchen so we ate fast food a lot.
I didn't start trying to lose weight again until the last few weeks. I've tried different plans but gave up because I wasn't losing fast enough, so I just quit trying.

I've learned a lot from watching my son over the past seven months. You see, he became disabled about 5 years ago and hardly ever leaves the house. He was 225, 6'4", and very muscular from the job he had. Between the medicines he has to take and his sedentary lifestyle he gained to 440 pounds. He could hardly walk from his bedroom to the kitchen and I could see he wasn't going to live long if it continued this way. My prayer was answered when he announced one day that he had to lose weight because he was killing himself.

He began his program that day in July and has lost 68 pounds so far. He doesn't exercise because of his condition and asked me to help him by cooking healthy for him. He told me what he wanted to eat and over the last seven months I have learned to plan, shop, and cook healthy. Once in a while when I can't get home to cook for him, I always have salad, eggs, chicken, fish, and vegetables all ready where he can put a quick meal together for himself.

He is my inspiration. If he can do it with what he has to go through, then I can too. And, you can do it too. There's no excuse. I'm just sorry I didn't begin when he did.

First of all, most of the time I only cook three days a week. On those days, I make extra and freeze some and put the rest in containers in the fridge so there will always be something for breakfast and lunch for him. I usually roast a lot of chicken and boil a dozen eggs at the same time. Some of it is used for dinners and the rest for lunches. Sometimes I buy a roasted chicken from Costco and that will be for dinner and some leftovers for lunch.

When I shop I usually buy bagged lettuces, vegetables (some already cut up because it saves time), fruits, nuts, low sugar peanut butter, yogurt, whole wheat tortillas, Orrowheat wholewheat sandwich thins, salsa, canned low salt beans, canned low salt tomatoes, low fat cheeses, chicken, fish, ground turkey, garden burgers, turkey burgers, deli turkey, low salt ham, spices, low fat milk, instant oatmeal, whole wheat cereals, low fat salad dressings, low sugar/low salt marinara sauce, and Dr Atkins protein bars.

He eats a boiled egg, low carb yogurt and sometimes a piece of fruit in the morning. Lunch is salad, cheese, turkey or chicken, a little black beans, and low fat dressing. A piece of fruit, or protein bar, or string cheese, or some nuts for snack to get through the day until dinner. Then when I get home I grab something I've taken out of the freezer that morning or use some kind of meat I have in the refrigerator ready to go and warm it up it the oven or microwave while I steam some mixed vegetables or broccoli. Sometimes, when I have a little extra time I will take cut up carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic that I have in the refrigerator and I put them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, sprinkle olive oil, a little salt/pepper and dill on top and toss, bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until tender. Yummy! Sometimes I bake a potato or sweet potato in the microwave while the meat is heating and always have lots of vegetables for him.

I double my homemade chili and freeze some as well as homemade chicken vegetable soup to use for dinner and lunches. When he eats this meal he always fixes a nice size salad with low fat dressing to go with it. Turkey speghetti is easy to double, chicken or turkey tacos or burritos...save some of the meat for a salad topper the next day or wrap in a whole wheat tortilla with a little cheese. Turkey meat loaf is easy to make and freeze. Chicken stir fry with some brown rice is a good dinner and good leftovers for lunch the next day. I don't know where you live but I buy a lot of my vegetables from Trader Joe's. I think they have the best flavor if you're buying frozen.

If you plan your meals for a week, grocery shop, and organize everything you will be able to fix meals quickly and have everything in the fridge to grab in the morning for breakfast and lunch. The crock pot is another way to save time. Before you go to bed put everything in the crock and into the refrigerator. The next morning just plug it in and put it on low and it's ready when you get home. Always fix enough for a second meal and in no time you will notice that you're only really cooking a few times a week. It does take writing everything down and planning ahead of time.

If you eat enough throughout the day maybe you will be feel full enough that you won't crave so much fast food. I used to pick up fast food a lot. It is very addicting. I've had to wean my way off fast food and sodas. I still eat out sometimes but try to make the best choices I can.

Good Luck!