You have gottna a lot of good suggestions re: the food part, so I am going to address commitment. When I have the option to eat properly (for me that = protein, veg first, fruit or whole grains if I have any room), or to eat junk I need to decide in that moment what I am committed to. If I am committed to weight loss, to my own health, and to meeting my nutritional needs, I will choose to eat properly. If I am committed to feeding my emotions (or numbing them), doing what is easiest, or eating mindlessly, I will eat junk. For me, it is about commitment. Best of luck to you! Keep checking in-- this is a wonderful , supportive group.

If staying on track is hardest at night because of your schedule try a weekend cook day, were you get the meals togeather for the week. I make a weekly dinner menu and pull out anything that needs to defrost, make up any cassarolles so they can just be popped in the oven, make soup/chili so it can be heated up as needed. All the prep is done over the weekend so when I get home and am tired I don't have to think of something to make for dinner, it is all there waiting to be cooked or warmed up. Crockpot meals are also great, along with leftovers, sometimes we will eat the same thing 3 nights in a row, just heating it back up.

Also like Pawoodhull said, get that water it, on the days I don't drink enough water I find myself making poor food choices late at night.

Even though your back is bothering you, activity is vital to your success, if you have access to a pool, swimming or walking in water might reduce the amount of pain you feel with exercise.

One more thing if you are getting home really late because of sports, try packing a healthy snack to munch on, something like a little bag of nuts, beef jerky, a quest bar, something that can be thrown in your purse and travel well.

You can do this

I think that there are some really good tips here.

One of the most important things for me is to have food that I like and should eat at home - low fat cheese sticks, grilled chicken breast tenders (I grill 2 lbs on Sunday and munch through the week), light deli meats, etc. If you aren't into cooking, get a rotisserie chicken on Sunday and eat it throughout the week: plain, in a wrap, mixed with light mayo, chopped and stir fried, chopped and mixed with taco seasoning.

Focus on getting in protein and watch the carbs.

I buy fish in portions. You can get at the regular groceries, and Trader Joe's has it. If you pull out of freezer and put in fridge in the morning, it will be defrosted by the time you get home and fish takes about 5minutes to poach, unless the piece is very thick. A portion will be in the 3 to 4 oz range. Put a little frozen veggie into another saucepan (or even in with the fish) and you'll have a fish/veggie meal in only a few minutes. That's less time than it takes to find a fast food place, wait for the order and pay for it and it's way cheaper and healthier.

I'm the queen of quick cooking. I have a bad back and can't stand for very long on a lot of days, so have learned to pull a meal together in a minute or two.

And don't forget your slow cooker. Toss the ingredients into it in the morning and by the time you and the family get home, dinner is ready. Don't get fancy. Buy the meat or chicken cubed already and slow cook with frozen veggies and some seasonings. Take all the money you save from not hitting the fast food places and buy yourself a treat at the end of the month.

Thank You, great suggestions now I just need to put them to use and not make excuses when I am getting home so late during the week! :-)

I do most of the cooking in our house, and I have a few 'go to' easy meals that I can shop for on the way home and whip up for the family. The requirements are 1) relatively cheap, 2) quick and easy to prepare and 3) minimize pots and pans for cleanup.

I am sure I will figure out some of these for the post surgery regime. One I have developed for pre surgery has been Fish soup. I buy 8 oz of a white fish (cod or tilapia usually), some reduced sodium broth and a bunch of fresh spinach. Big sautee pan, 2 cups of broth and some miso or other seasoning, a bunch of raw spinach and the raw fish on top of the spinach. Cover, heat on medium for about 10 minutes until steam is coming out of the pan, and it's done. Light flaky fish, wilted spinach and a flavorful broth that I can customize based on what I put in the pan. 10 minutes, zero chopping or prep. Perfect!

Quick and healthy meals are possible with a little creativity!

Rob

I am still a newbie, but I take jerky or grilled/roasted chicken in a ziplock and a RTD protein shake with me wherever I go in case I get hungry. It's really hard, but you need to detox off simple carbs to kick the cravings. I don't like the idea of a "pouch test" because we don't have pouches! Just increase your protein and keep your carbs low- like 40 grams or less- for a few days and the cravings will subside and you should jumpstart your weight loss. You can do this!

Keri

LOG LOG LOG..................it is my saving grace. I log all food,,,even if I have the occasional taboo food, it is logged. The reason I do this is that in the past with diets, if I slipped up once I convinced myself that 'oh well I have slipped up, so might as well go the whole hog". Always a bad habit. But with the sleeve and logging every day, I know that it does not have to be a failure DAY. It can just be a treat instead and I can get on with the day or night as normal. Often when we do have something taboo,,when we log, we compensate for it by being much more careful for the rest of the day and make sure our numbers stay within or close to our limits,,,even after that "treat".
So basically, a small blow out does not dictate a full blow out. LOG LOG LOG :-)