Dieting is Time Consuming!!!

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briteyes
briteyes Posts: 435 Member
in Motivation and Support
and that's why I find I fail so much at it! It's so much easier to just grab whatever is easiest/quickest in the morning as I'm running out the door to work, or to grab some fast food for lunch, or to cook up whatever sounds good that I've got the ingredients for for dinner. And then throw in the exercise each day... wow ~ not much time left for anything else in my schedule

...but it's really worth it, i know it is! I just haven't done too well the past couple days because i'm doing a not so great job at meal planning and preparation. I did awesome the first week and the scale told me so :)

Tonight, my goal is to plan out the rest of my foods for the week, and do as much prep as possible (especially for my breakfast and lunch).

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  • Topbobdog
    Topbobdog Posts: 55 Member
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    I usually drink a protein shake in the morning for my breakfast and make that the night before or make a small breakfast that i can grab and go and put them in a bag
  • lordofultima
    lordofultima Posts: 293
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    Eating right and exercising literally takes up half of my day. Even when I'm not eating or exercising, I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat and what reps I'm going to push and when I'm going to do my cardio. And then I'm graphing down my progress after I do those things.

    It is time consuming, but it's something I'm really passionate about, so I don't mind.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    In the beginning, I don't think there are any short cuts. The way I looked at it, it was a matter of priority, This was important enough to be one of the first things I paid attention to every day -- I put other things down the list.

    It still is a pretty big commitment. Even after 19 months, I still have yet to miss packing my lunch every day for work (and post-workout snack as well). Actually, I have missed once or twice, but I also haven't eaten on those days--what I meant was I have never given in and gone out to a store or fast-food restaurant.
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
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    I find it tough because I have two cute little kids that are vying for my attention all evening until their bedtime, then I only have a couple hours left to my day, and have to divide my time between working out, food planning/prep, and giving my hubby time, too!

    I find that to be really successful at this whole diet thing, it has to be consuming, and I don't really like that... no, I don't like it at all. I like the results, and I don't mind eating low calories and exercising, I just mind all the time I have to take to plan out what I can eat, etc. I do make only 1 meal in the evening for everyone to share, so now I have to cook in such a way that I can eat it but the rest of the family WILL eat it too!!! Can't be too diety... and then I try to pack my lunch the night before, and I try to cook up a bunch of eggs at the beginning of the week that I can pop in the microwave for 30 seconds on my way out the door each morning...

    I'm just complaining... don't mind me... lol
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
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    In the beginning, I don't think there are any short cuts. The way I looked at it, it was a matter of priority, This was important enough to be one of the first things I paid attention to every day -- I put other things down the list.

    It still is a pretty big commitment. Even after 19 months, I still have yet to miss packing my lunch every day for work (and post-workout snack as well). Actually, I have missed once or twice, but I also haven't eaten on those days--what I meant was I have never given in and gone out to a store or fast-food restaurant.

    I agree that going to fast food isn't an option... I'm really trying to avoid that. I did go to Wendy's today, but I ordered a side salad and a small chili w/ cheese and mixed it all together for a low cal, filling lunch. That's about as fast food as I can get. I haven't had any other type of fast food since Sep. 8th - that day I committed no fast food for the next 12 weeks. It really hasn't been all that difficult :)
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    Interesting, because I don't find the food prep all that time consuming, it is the logging in of foods....ha ha...which of course is a ply to keep my hands busy so that I am not eating!
  • atotal180
    atotal180 Posts: 28
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    Hey,

    I feel your pain because I am in my third year of medical school and I have started rotations which occupy your life basically. Some days I don't even feel like making it to the gym. When I have time, I try to grill chicken and fish for the week and just pair that with a vegetable. The new thing I have started doing is going to CostCo and buying things that will make easy meals and provide a lot of variety. Currently, like they have really good ravioli by Pasta Prima (I think) and they had barbecue Chicken by Jack Daniels that only had 120 calories a serving. I do not know your caloric intake goal, but barbeque chicken, 100 calorie bun, fruit or veggies would make an easy lunch throughout the week. You can make it work, even with a little bit of time =^).
  • jimmydeanbakker
    jimmydeanbakker Posts: 333
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    I don't know. Since my wife and I eat on separate schedules, and I mostly eat simple foods like apples, nuts, tuna, chicken, and a bunch of fresh veggies that I have no problem with entering my stuff. As far as exercise, I know I'm going to run between seven and ten miles four to five times a week and teach at least two aerobic classes and spend at least thirty minutes prepping each night for the aerobic classes that I don't realize how much work I've done. I've been doing this for so long that it's kind of second nature. Entering my calories is new, but I have many of my foods in meal plans; so, it all seems pretty easy to me.
  • ttaylortulsa
    ttaylortulsa Posts: 96 Member
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    Cooking up a lot of chicken with different spices on Sunday nights really helps cut down the prep time during the week.
    Devoting about 30-60 minutes on Sunday to plan the week's meals and make a grocery list according to that meal plan can also reduce the time spent on thinking/worrying about what's for lunch/dinner.
    There are great websites out there that give weekly meal plan suggestions. Browse those and customize them by choosing the meals your family will enjoy. On a side note, Allrecipes.com is great because the nutritional value is usually given. Or check out the message boards here - the recipes seemed to be tried and true!

    Above all, don't give up. You've got all the support one could need here on MFP, and I'm sure your children will be proud of their hot momma!
  • tbernard
    tbernard Posts: 54 Member
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    It might actually be a great learning tool for your kids to be up and see you preparing food for the next day. Maybe they are, or will soon be big enough to help.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    My breakfast during the week is Kashi GoLean mixed into yogurt. Easy and quick to grab in the morning, healthy and low in calories.

    I make up a big pot of chili or something on the weekend and eat leftovers all week. I eat Gardenburgers with some low fat cheese on whole grain bread -- easy, quick, filling.

    Dieting is only more time-consuming than not dieting if you make it so.
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
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    thanks everyone for the suggestions. I grilled a few extra chicken breasts last night with dinner so I can have them for lunch this week. I just grabbed my bag of baby spinach, flat outs, a tomato and string cheese and will put together a bbq chicken sandwich for lunch today. i think part of my problem is i need to get more food options in my house, that are quick to prepare... i do get bored of the same thing day in and day out. I really need variety - i am pretty sure I'm an emotional eater, and I tend to eat when I'm bore - food brings me enjoyment!

    also, i'm really trying to not just count the calories, but paying attention to the quality of food I'm eating - not just for me, but for the whole family... so it's a huge adjustment. In past diets, I'd grab a slimfast shake fore breakfast, and Lean Cuisine for lunch, and eat whatever i cook for the family for dinner...

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