Hi All! Nice to meet you! I need help about the whole "dieti

Lisamarie7574
Lisamarie7574 Posts: 70 Member
edited September 23 in Introduce Yourself
Hi Everybody!

Nice to meet you all! I need some input, big time. I don't have a ton of weight to lose, ideally and initially I'd like to drop anywhere from 7-10 lbs. I'm a busy stay-at-home mom of twin boys, age 4, and though I cook and prepare meals at home, it is SOOOOOOO hard to always prepare separate "diet" meals for myself while cooking for the rest of the family! And I don't want to subject my kids to what I'm preparing myself (one of them could stand to GAIN some weight himself!). Also, I've tried so many diets, all of them promising I'll "never be hungry"......and everytime I start them, I'm STARVING to the point where I'm so moody and cranky and never stick to it longer than a day or two. I feel like these diets are telling me too low a caloric intake, cuz I'm STARVING on the amount of calories they want me to stay within!

Help!!! Any feedback? Advice? Input? Recommendations?

Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
Lisa F.

Replies

  • jennyfair24
    jennyfair24 Posts: 273 Member
    We just recently got Rocco Dispiritos new cook book "Now Eat This". Its full of "comfort food" recipes (kid friendly) but made over so they're low cal. We've tried a bunch of them and they've all been delicious!
  • drosenbauer
    drosenbauer Posts: 34
    Don't forget that the contents of your meal aren't the only thing you can control - you can also control your portion size. Eating less is obviously less filling, but you can supplement your smaller portion sizes by drinking more water or eating more fiber to make yourself feel more full. And your family can simply take larger amounts of the same food.

    Buy a vegetarian or healthy cooking cookbook - most of the recipes in modern healthy cookbooks are delicious and chances are your kids will love them! (Who can resist vegetables sautéed in peanut sauce?)

    And finally, you can always gradually ease into a diet, instead of starting "cold turkey". I'll defer to diet experts about whether that's a good idea, though...
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
    There should be no such thing as "diet food." Because once you stop your "diet food" you just gain it back. Just think healthy and stick with basics: brown rice, whole grains, lean meat, fruits and vegetables, fat free milk for you, 2% for your boys.....

    Keep junk food away from everyone if possible. Only allow cake at birthday parties. Reserve chocolate for special times because you never know when you might have to settle for junk food due to like of time or lack of availability.

    The more you days of healthy eating and fewer days of non healthy eating will keep the fat from coming back.
  • HEATHERB500
    HEATHERB500 Posts: 78 Member
    Stop dieting! Instead set your pace to lose 2lbs a week and log all of you food. Start by eating only one serving of the food you have. Then slowly make healthier choices. Add lots of vegetables, whole grains instead of white, cabbots makes a 75% fat free cheddar cheese that even tastes good before you melt it, choose leaner meats, and try not to focus your meals around them. As far as preparing separate meals I wouldn't do that either the healthy food is better for the kids too. If you have issues with them eating it there are a ton of healthy kid friendly recipes online. Bonus when you get yourself down to eating in serving sizes, you will be able to have treats in moderation and in serving sizes too.
    Exercise I don't know where you live, but if the weather cooperates I take the kids for bikerides and I walk to keep up with them. I also take them to the park and follow them everywhere they go. There are a lot of places up north that have stuff to do inside too. Theres always dancing around and its fun ways to spend with the kiddos. I also have a Wi and the kids like to do that with me too. I started parking as far away from wherever I am going as possible and then walking or running to the door as fast as I can. I even do side bends when I'm brushing my teeth. When I'm cooking where I have to be at the stove I do squats or kick backs.
  • becky4bears
    becky4bears Posts: 17
    I know exactly how you feel LOL. I have tried every diet on the planet and starved myself to the point that I was DREAMING about food at night because I was so hungry! I have found that eating 6-8 small meals a day instead of the traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner works best. I don't feel famished all of the time, therefore I am less likely to "cheat" and pig out!! I am also an RN, so I know a lot about health and good food choices... I know what I SHOULD do! Keeping your blood sugar levels stable is essential to weight loss. Eating several small meals daily is the best way to keep your sugar levels from spiking..and the more insulin our bodies make, the more calories we store as fat.
    I have also found that if I don't buy "junk" food for my kids to eat, then I can't eat it in a moment of weakness!! In the long run, not buying foods loaded with sugar and bad carb's is the best choice for the adults AND the kids!! They won't be happy about it at first, but they will thank you one day when they are healthy because they have been taught to eat healthy!!!!

    FOOD IS FUEL!! I tell myself that when I really want to eat something when I'm not hungry!!

    I hope this helped!!!!!
  • Lisamarie7574
    Lisamarie7574 Posts: 70 Member
    Thanks so much for your replies everyone!!! I really appreciate all of your input. I'm taking it all into consideration!

    Thanks "Becky" - you REALLY seem to hit the nail on the head! I think that you're right that if I keep eating small stuff during the day, that would make the most impact. You know that with kids, it's just a matter of "remembering to eat" those small meals!! And the whole blood sugar issue DEFINITELY plays in! When I start to get really hungry I definitely feel a drop in blood sugar and therefore a drop in energy, swift mood changes and, sometimes, shakiness. I know you're familiar with all this! Thanks for your input!

    Have a great day everybody! I love this site - very motivating!

    :) Lisa
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