I feel like a failure ... :(

I think the biggest thing is that you have to actually want to change. And I don't mean that you don't, but for me, the reason things is changed is because I wanted them to.

I'm someone who, like you, didn't really have a lot of information re: healthy habits when I was a kid. Even now, I kind of struggle with that, but what I found works best is to just start logging here and do it accurately.

Don't expect to overhaul your whole entire life in a single day, you know? Take it one step at a time. Invest in a food scale. Start with watching your portions. Get in the mind set that this doesn't have to be a lifetime battle, just an overhaul.

Good luck to you.

you need to stop making excuses and take responsibility. When you were a kid YOU ate garbage and probably too much. YOU can't find time to exercise as a single mom, student, worker blah blah. Don't blame your parents, don't blame being single, don't blame having a child, etc.

One head of lettuce $= one value burger.$ So healthy food is not always more expensive. it just takes planning. Looking at sales. You will actually save money.

Since you asked for advise: do some reading, this place has lots of info too, google how to cook new veggies, read nutritional stuff. Do it for you, do it for your daughter.

It will take time. There's no end point. Start now. You're here... that's awesome. You're not a failure; you showed up. You want to make healthy changes for you and your daughter. That's excellent!

Start with small changes. Just start with tracking what you are eating now. You'll see how much it is, how many calories, how much protein, carbs, fat, fiber, etc. My only experience with diabetes was when I had Gestational diabetes. Since I wasn't on medication I was eating quite strictly to control my blood sugar. There are some tricks you can use to feel more satisfied AND keep blood sugar levels lower and more stable.

Eat protein-rich foods. This seems like the opposite of what you want to do, but the protein, despite being higher in calories to get satisfied will keep you satisfied longer and help to maintain lean body mass (i.e. muscles) while eating at a caloric deficit. Protein also slows the absorption of the higher-glycemic carbohydrates so as to keep blood sugar from spiking.

Eat real foods. Try and keep the diet foods to a minimum. 100-calorie packs are just a way to sell you less product for more money. And if you're anything like me you'll just want 3 of them anyway.

Aim for higher fiber choices wherever possible. Fiber also keeps you satisfied and slows sugar absorption in the blood.

For now, for both you and your daughter, try aiming for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Try new ones. Try things you haven't tried before. Also aim for something protein-rich every time you eat. Here are some staples in my kitchen:

Eggs & egg whites
Sliced ham (chop it up and add to scrambled eggs)
Mozarella cheese strings
Canned tuna
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Chicken breast
High protein/high fiber breads - Fiber One has a high fiber high protein English muffin. Franz makes a thin bun that's awesome too.

You can do this. There are loads of success stories here... yours can be among them. Just keep choosing to make little changes that add up.

I'm relatively new here, joined a while ago, but just started consistently using the site a few weeks ago. I share your feelings of inadequacy, confusion, and self-doubt, but I'm slowly learning that healthy decisions and small steps/choices in the right direction will give you positive feelings about yourself and your ability to do this. First change the behavior, and have faith that the changes in attitude will follow.

One thing I've learned to do is cook larger amounts of healthy food - food prepping in advance. It takes the guess work out of at least a portion of the week, and often it's a yummy soup or something that feeds the soul too.

There are so many resources on this site and on many many other sites. Find what works for you. Consistency is key, but it's something I'm struggling with. I'm trying to get my eating, exercising, logging, sleep, etc, routines fixed. But as long as I'm doing better than the previous day, I'm moving forward.

You can do it. Your daughter and your long life are your motivation. My son is mine too. I wanna be there well into his adulthood, and that's worth giving this my all.

Hi Jessie,

I know what your talking about the healthier foods costing more. They do, that is reality. Your probably not going to only eat a head of lettuce for supper I'm assuming when you add the lettuce and all the other ingredients together it is way more then the value burger or the tv dinners etc. I wouldn't try to change everything at once as that won't happen. I grew up with a single Mom and we picked up a lot of fast food etc. I would maybe find a four ingredient cookbook or 5 ingredient, you can get them pretty cheap and the recipes are decent and there are ones that don't cost a lot. I have found the issue with cookbooks is that they don't necessarily start with the basics either. So maybe find some that start with the basics. If you go to the library you can get a variety of cook books and some have very basic cooking. Then find what stuff you want. I think the big thing is to start eating at home. Even if it isn't as balanced as you would like. It is a start, even if you start with mac and cheese and some canned veggies its still healthier then fast food. I admit I am not very good at cooking (Im still on the making sure my meat cooks all the way through, hoping your not laughing at that) and am trying to learn the trying to cook and be healthy and it's a lot to take in.

For exercising, just try to fit in where you can. Walk some during your break at work. Things like that. Even a ten minute walk will help. There are some decent exercise dvds you might be able to do in the evening. I have a couple cool walking ones.

I hope this helps. I'm going to send you a friend request. I try to get on here everyday if I can.
Jane

Yep - read the guide to sexy pants and start logging everything that you consume - it can be quite an eye opener. Also when you can invest in a food scale and weigh everything.

Also it doesn't have to be expensive - frozen vegetables are generally quite cheap. Meat on special is cheap. Eggs aren't that expensive and are good for you.

You don't have to get organic everything and "diet" food is generally overpriced.

I am also a single parent and understand about lack of money but it can be done. But that being said it takes time and commitment. If the whole thought of the scale of what you are doing seems overwhelming then break it up into mini goals or just take one day at a time.

Best of luck.

The past is the past, let it go. As an insulin dependent diabetic you should try to orient your diet around starches that are not grain, corn, rice or potato. Beans, peas, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips are slower carbs. If you do eat grains try to stick to whole grains like wild rice, quinoa, wheat berries not anything ground. You are way off on food price. Non processed food is half the cost or less per serving than processed junk. I just got back from krogers with 1lb of black eyed peas, 1large spaghetti squash,2 celery,2 avocado, 1 can tomato paste, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 1 tub of ricotta, 1large eggplant, 1 box of raisins. Just over $17 including 10%tax. That is a lot of food!!! If you need cheap or free organic meat go to hunters for the hungry. Hunters donate deer to provide hungry people quality organic protein. I will turn my tomatoes, eggplant and ricotta into a noodle free lasagna with the addition of the ground venison from this years hunt. Start with some basic recipes like beef vegetable soup and develop your cooking skills. You tube has tons of great cooking videos to teach you how to cook about anything. When my hgba1c got to 5.8 I got the grains out of my life. My diet is now 97-98% grain free. Good luck.

You're diabetic? Get yourself started by learning about the glycemic index and the glycemic load. Look for foods that are nutrient dense. Choose lean meats, low fat dairy, and fiber rich, nutrient rich, low starch carbs.

For a good primer on all of this, read the South Beach Diet Supercharged. He has several chapters on diabetes, and pre-diabetes and on building your diet around nutrient rich, low glycemic foods (which can include pizza and other comfort foods).
Best of luck and PLEASE feel free to send me a friend request! I'd be happy to be your buddy on this journey.

I wont tell you what to do. While we all arent special snowflakes we all do need to figure out what works best for each of us. Most winners that I know have 2 things in common. #1 They know what its like to be at the bottom and really dislike being there (most of us have already been here) #2 Have a positive, never give up attitude. You will eventually figure it out...just never stop trying to figure it out....

There's plenty of good advice about foods and eating healthy... and the idea of checking the recipe books at the library are good, but you can also google recipe sites while the little one is playing nearby or sleeping. I recently discovered quiche (really simple dish made with skim milk, lowfat cheese and eggs, add some veggies and left over meat and it's not such a hard thing to stick in the oven... and easy to microwave, kid friendly , etc) I do a lot of my cooking and food preparation on the weekend and freeze it in individual portions I pull out for my lunch boxes or dinners... check out once a month cooking. They have all sorts of things you can make when you are off and stick in the freezer to pull out later. Doesn't have to be expensive and you can do your cooking when you have the time. I found an excellent Food Saver at Goodwill for less than $5- works great, just like new and allows me to freeze all sorts of meals without worry of freezer burn but ziploc freezer baggies work, too, if you don't plan to keep them in the freezer for a long time. Plan out your meals ahead of time and if it helps, write them down on an index card so when you are short of time, you can pull out a card which tells you what to eat that keeps you in your calorie count. Find out what works for you and your limited time... and then do it Don't let yourself or anyone else make you feel like you can't do it.

But really, I came with the intention of giving you some ideas on how to incorporate exercise into your already busy day. When you are home/off work, take the little on on a walk with her- push her in a stroller, pull her in a wagon, put her on your shoulders/back and take off for a short trip around the block or however far you can make it. The indoor exercises can happen but I bet you and she will enjoy some outdoor time as a change of pace. Stop on the way home sometimes and just go for a walk around the store... one of the big stores. Put her in a cart and "drive " her down each aisle... complete with sound effects and giggles. Laughing is good exercise and you'd be surprised at how much fun you can have. This is an exercise trip... no shopping until you've done the store If you need to pick something up, go back for it ... you are getting your cardio out of the way first, LOL. Some nice day, take her to the park and chase a ball around with her, push her on the swing... sit on the swing with her in your lap and pump your legs up and down to swing both of you. Wear jeans, get onthe ground and balance her on your feet in the air so she can fly like an airplane. Learn to play all over again... kids are really a lot of exercise in a very fun way

First, you are not a failure! You've had the courage to realise you need help, and came here to ask, so good on ya!

Great ideas for free and fun exercise has been mentioned.

Soups are a great way and cheap way to make healthy meals. If you can find a slow cooker at the goodwill or such, get one. Dried beans are super cheap and nutrional. See if there is a food co-op around you, or a farmers market. Second quality vegetables, although not as pretty as grocery store ones, cook and eat perfectly fine, and once chopped and cooked, you can't tell the difference. Slow cookers also do a great job on cheaper cuts of meat. Buy whole frozen chickens and use them all, even the bones boiled with an onion and celery make a great broth. Offal such as liver is usually much cheaper, and packed with nutrition.

I second the library suggestion, especially if they have some older cookbooks. Our older generations could stretch food a long way!

Start small! You don't have to do it all at once! Log everything you're eating for a week or two, then take a critical look at it and see where you can make one change. Just one! After you're comfortable with that change, find a second one.

Feel free to add me. We eat pretty simply with basic ingredients. I'm also happy for messages. I too left home without a clue on the face of the planet on how to cook, but learning how has been a joy!

Good luck to ya!

I think you have gotten a lot of good advice here. I would try to talk to a Doctor about helping you develop a diet given your medical needs.
You need to understand that being healthy is a process. Some days you will do well, other days you will fail. What makes a great difference is knowing that you failed and waking up the next day and not giving up. I blew my calorie intake today, but tomorrow is another day and I can decide to quit or keep going.
The best advice I can give a fellow parent is to make healthy meals ahead of time, so all you have to do after work is to reheat something when you get home with your child. When you child goes to sleep, take ten minutes to prepare your brown bag lunch for the next day. Doing this will help you eat healthy because your food options will be made for you. Plus, making your lunch ahead of time means if it goes uneaten, it will be wasted and that might motive you.
Using crock pot recipes also be a cost effective way to prepare meals that could be healthy.
Good luck

I'm also diabetic I was just diagnosed Dec 2nd I was told lose weight or go on meds
I do not want to go on meds
difference is I love to cook and I am good at it
I make simple things and if you know how to chop up food with knife , turn on a crock pot or an oven , or heat things in a pan I can teach you to cook
yes healthy food is expensive but you are looking at large amounts of it thinking you need to make huge changes
make small changes you can live with first
introduce things to your daughter as a fun a game instead of a chore
you have internet then you have access to thousands of work out videos on you tube I use Leslie Sansone walk at home stuff
it is free
I do not need any equipment
I do not have to be in fabulous shape
I just get up and move
it is low impact and easy to do

drink water its free from the tap and better than any drink you can buy
do not feel like failure make this a start
and do not give up if you have a set back
friend me Im sending you a friend request too

Good for you for wanting to break that fast food cycle.

I'm on a tight budget as well and I'm at best a novice cook.. My crock pot has saved me from either giving up on eating healthy or eating nothing but ground beef every day. It's hard to screw up throwing some meat and some water in a pot and setting it on low for six or seven hours. You can even toss in some veggies with it, although I prefer most of mine crisp and raw. I think some people have also mastered the esoteric art of adding in some of those little red potatoes if you like those.

Here is a great site for relearning how to cook low calorie and great tasting recipes. It not only gives you WW points but calories, serving sizes and nutrition info. Most of the recipes are easy to swap out ingredients to what is on sale or that you have in your refrigerator. They are easy to follow with lots of pictures to help you.

I have cooked for years...southern style...I had to make some changes. This site helped me with that.

Skinnytaste.com

I buy what is on sale for the week...zucchini is now considered a staple at my house. I use it in place of pasta sometimes(zoodles) and grate if to go in ground turkey...that way I get more turkey burgers out of a pound.

There are ways to save...you just have to be a smart shopper.

Oh and by the way...there are plenty of recipes that kids will like. She has two little girls and she is always posting recipes that her kids love.

Hope this helps.