Scared to start again.

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I've failed so many times before. I'm having such a hard time sticking to anything! Please tell me I'm not alone:-( And it'll be ok lol I need a shoulder to lean on. Haha the crazy part is in my experience I lose weight really easy if I just stick to it. It seams like after about 4 weeks I start giving up. I have 2 under 2 and a 10 year old and a husband that complains every time I cook healthy. I can't afford cooking for me and them. That's when we do cook. We eat out 5 days a week. I'll say I'll just eat a healthier option at the fast food joint but my stomach takes over when I order. Smh. It's will power I know. I know I have it too. I just need to find my motivation again. It's more than being thin. I want to live a long life so I can be there for my children and future grandchildren. I'm only 26 btw. But I know all this bad eating will catch up to me. I want more energy. I work full time 3-1130 as a nurse. And I'm so sluggish. Anyway. I'm building myself up to change my habits. And came here to talk to people in the same boat.....thanks for listening:-)

Replies

  • knotter25
    knotter25 Posts: 3 Member
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    If you can afford to eat out 5 times per week you can more than afford to cook at home. Cook healthy for yourself and if the others don't like it, make them cook.
  • ChamayneF
    ChamayneF Posts: 12 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I can definitely relate! I too am starting over yet again. My boyfriend also complains when I cook anything healthy. I started cooking more often now but before we would order in a lot and even though I always planned on picking a healthy option, the eyes in my stomach would get the best of me every time lol. I used to work 2:30-11 and would always struggle with late night eating. The good thing about that shift though was that I could workout before work without having to wake up early (I am not a morning person lol). Now that I work a mid day shift I find it hard to find time to work out and cook on the days I work. I'm 27 and I feel sluggish most days too.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,573 Member
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    What do you mean by cooking "healthy" that they don't like? I agree if you can afford to eat out 5 nights I'm sure you can figure out something else. If all you eat out is fast food...is that really good for anyone 5 nights a week?

    You're the mom. Be the mom. Do what's best for them and you even if it means some whining at first.

    They can learn to eat homemade food. You can just make normal meals and have more veggies for you. I rarely cook 2 meals. I sometimes supplement an extra veggie for me in place of some other high calorie side like rice or pasta.

    It's not difficult at all. Just requires some thought.

    When I make chili, we all eat it. When I make tacos, we all eat it. Pizza? You guessed it....we all eat it. I just have less of the high call stuff and add a salad for me and whoever wants it. Leftover salad? Part of my lunch the next day.
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    What you eat is as important as how much you eat. Eat less calories and you'll lose weight, but eat healthier food too and you'll feel better and have more energy.

    Including the kids helping in the meal preparation is a clever way to trick them into healthier eating. Tearing up lettuce for salads and mixing things can really be fun to the younger ones. The older one will probably get a kick out of learning how to use a knife to slice and chop. Your husband won't be as easy, but if the kids helped prepare it, they'll be the ones encouraging him to eat it as well as eating their own creations. They may even prod him into helping too. Start out with something like a taco night where you can sneak more and more good stuff in with the basic shells and cheese. Make it like a competition to see who can put in the most ingredients or be the most creative.

    My daughter really liked being involved with the cooking when she was younger and tried a lot of new and different foods in the process. She found that she absolutely loved artichokes and capers and several other things that she would have never wanted to try otherwise.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
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    You will save money cooking at home, stop eating out! the family will get use to the food you make at home. skinnytaste.com has some awesome food (regular food just leaned up) invest in a crock pot if you don't already have one. You can do this and with having small children it would be good for them to start to eat healthier as well. I am a mother of five and on a very tight budget and I took over all the cooking in the house and the first thing we did was stop going out to eat. You can do this.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    More scary to just give up, though, isn't it? Just keep moving forward. If great people had quit when people told them to, the world would be a less wonderful place.

    Steven Spielberg was rejected from USC's prestigious film school three times.

    Oprah was fired from her first on air television job for being "too emotional" and was told she's never be successful on TV.

    Walt Disney was fired from his first job at a newspaper for "not being creative enough."

    Who knows what you'll accomplish when you don't give up! Let's find out this time!!!! :smiley:
  • roxannaracquel
    roxannaracquel Posts: 3 Member
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    You guys are all right!!! I'm getting focused! Thank you do the tips and the encouragement!
  • Joy_n_Almonds
    Joy_n_Almonds Posts: 26 Member
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    I am right there with you on getting started again. I am about 40 lbs overweight and used to be able to stick to a diet and exercise plan really well until the past year or so. I feel like I lost my mojo lol. I could use some encouragement too. I am a single mom with two boys and its hard cooking for me and them, i get what youre saying. Feel free to add me. Maybe we can be each others support
  • RebekahRN83
    RebekahRN83 Posts: 115 Member
    edited December 2015
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    @roxannaracquel I hear ya! Oh how that sounds like me (only without the kids. Just a husband).
    Here is how I've made it work for me so far by making food quick and easy (hopefully one of these will be helpful). Sorry, this might get a little long
    --I use bag liners in my crockpot so clean up is minimal
    --I take time when I can get it and freeze things in individual containers to eat later. right now I have beef taco meat, homemade meatballs, spaghetti noodles, and shredded chicken breasts all precooked and each in their individual containers. Mealtimes looks like this for me: Night #1 taco night I microwave him beef taco meat and make a couple tacos for him, then my meal is canned chicken or the shredded chicken breast with salsa on a salad (I use the ingredients he is using for his tacos, but just omit the things I don't want like sour cream, tortilla, etc). Evening #2 I microwave spaghetti noodles and meatballs for him, and my meal is a yummy shake (When my Greek Yogurt is about to expire I freeze it in ice cube trays, then put 3 ice cubes and whatever fruit I want in a baggie. When dinner time comes I grab the baggie from the freezer and dump into the blender with almond milk. Super quick!). Evening meal #3 I microwave shredded chicken for him AND me and add BBQ sauce to it. He eats shredded BBQ chicken on hamburger buns and chips, and I eat shredded BBQ chicken with a side of microwaved/fresh veggies. Every night at my house looks like this. I know with kids it makes for more prep time, but should still be doable.
    --I didn't change what my husband eats for breakfast, I just choose to make quicker choices for me, like a Quest bar, or eggs (put an egg with 2 egg whites, or just 3 eggs white or whatever you want in a coffee mug sprayed with PAM. Add pepper and any veggies you'd like, like red pepper, etc and mix with fork. Microwave for a minute. Stir again and add a Laughing Cow lite wedge or whatever and cook for another 30 seconds. There you have a breakfast and all you've dirtied is a mug and a fork. Obviously cooking times vary based on how much egg you put in the mug, so just guess. (It is recommended you cover the mug with saran wrap and fold a small portion back to vent if you want to make sure to keep your microwave clean).

    Anyways, just a couple quick things that I've found help, and I'm hoping something will help others. Regardless if you use any of this, you can do this!! You will find what works for you, just stick with it :)
  • 123stefania
    123stefania Posts: 167 Member
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    Hello, I'm in the same situation. Last year, I lost 20 lbs but I have to loose at leat another 20. I'm plateauing since last spring...I did C25K one time and half!!!! I need to do it for real this time.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,261 Member
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    That's a tricky situation. Life is not making changes easy for you right now, but maybe making just one change for now? One thing I do is that when I cook, I don't tell anybody that it's a really nutritious, healthy meal. I just cook. Usually, they can't tell. I do a lot from Cooking Light (esp their slow cooker cookbook) because they use real ingredients and you can see the nutritional content before you start. It's a great time of year to use the slow cooker for soups and stews. Sometimes I do a simple soup like butternut squash, but for DH, I add sausage, so he gets his meat and I get a lighter version without cooking two meals.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
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    Prepare nutritious meals for you and your children. If/when your husband complains, hand him a skillet and a cookbook.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Don't be afraid. Set up MFP, eat the calories mfp has given you (plus some exercise calories if you exercise), weigh and log all your foods (weighing is the most accurate way to keep track).

    You can do this. Just trust the system.

    I agree, home cooking saves LOTS of money. I like to cook in bulk on Sundays.
  • kavitz
    kavitz Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm in there too! Starting over take 2!
    I have about 90lbs to lose. Sure could use all you guys motivation filled comments
  • yrieves
    yrieves Posts: 14 Member
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    I'm also starting over after having my fourth baby and gaining 50lbs
  • leeannbayo01
    leeannbayo01 Posts: 5 Member
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    Hey I totally get ya I'm in the same boat with three lil ones and working long hours as a nurse too it's finding the time to keep fit. I'm on this journey too ... Let's do this
  • roxannaracquel
    roxannaracquel Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you guy!!:-) I've gotten some great tips. And great motivation!
  • AlphaCajun
    AlphaCajun Posts: 290 Member
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    Pound this into your head. It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a difference in the mirror, 8 weeks for your close friends and family to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. You can do it, anyone can with the right support system. Keep pushing, you'll get there. Besides, you already know what happens when you give up... show yourself what happens when you don't.
  • kels11davis
    kels11davis Posts: 8 Member
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    I would first get your husband on board. Eating out is finacially more expensive in food and in the long run on medical bills. Set the example for your kids and tell him he needs to do the same. Best of luck! Your kids will thank you in the long run