Work/school/life balance and weight loss??

kschwab0203 wrote: »

Meal planning. I plan my meals on Sunday for the week. I go grocery shopping and get everything I'll need for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It makes things so much easier!

Example: I cooked 4 chicken breast last night, shredded them, and packaged it up for the rest of the week for my lunch. It's already portioned out which saves me time. It's packaged and ready to go.

As far as exercise, I try to fit it in when I can, which lately has not been much. Mostly, I'll just get up about 20 minutes early and just walk around my neighborhood. Do what you can when you can.

I meal plan too. I cook a few full dishes, freeze them in portions and keep adding another few dishes every weekend. I can pick from a variety any day of the week.

I am crazy busy too, but I take the time to preplan meals and go shopping on the weekends. Also, in terms of exercise, you don't need to go to the gym at the end of the day, especially if you're exhausted, exercise can be as simple as doing a yoga dvd before bed or going for a 20-30min walk.

If you need rest time after doing all of that, rest. Rest/sleep are important. You cannot do everything in life. Sometimes you have to put something on the back burner. If that means that exercise needs to be minimized, focus on solid meal planning. How far are you into school? When will you be done (permanently, not for winter break.)

I'm a junior Elementary Education and Developmental Psychology major. I'm in a Christian club, an acapella group, and some other fun clubs. I also work two jobs. It's hard to balance my spiritual and social lives as well as my schoolwork, responsibilities, and fitness. I try to work out early in the mornings when I don't have to be at class really early. For example I worked out today at 8am before my 11am class. I also make sure to walk everywhere and take long walks. I also check the nutrition info in the dining halls.

Meal Prep. I cook for 5-6 days at a time. They're all simple and healthy and fit my calorie and macro goals. When i saw cook, I mean breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, "dessert" (I always make oats.). I don't have time during the week to veer of course even if I wanted to, so I stick to it. I'll have 1-2 days on the weekends where I don't track everything, but I end mindfully and do my best to control portion sizes. As far as exercise, if you can't make it to a workout, go for a walk or set a timer to get up and walk to the bathroom and back at least every hour or so.

Till June would be along time to forego healthy living so it's worth it to figure out how to make this work better for you. Tons of good advice here. I too love shopping and prepping meals on the weekends. I workout in the mornings. I only have to get up 30 minutes earlier and I think it pays off in that I sleep better. But, I also have fall back plans for when I'm just not that into it

Nothing wrong with figuring out some convenient fast, easy choices. Maybe there is a corner convenience store you walk by every day that has yogurt in case you didn't get a smart breakfast. I know what my subway order is and because they are everywhere, I always know it's an option. Rotisserie chicken & a bag of Caesar salad can be dinner (and leftovers) in as much time a drive thru. Last ditch, figure out what is the smartest drive thru option for days when I'm too lazy to even get out of the car (Wendy's chili). I'm not terrible proud of any of these but they keep me from falling off the bandwagon.

Sometimes it helps to start with one habit. Maybe breakfast, lunch, 5 veggies a day, walking more or faster, drinking water, whatever. Work on that for a while and figure out what it takes to make it work in your life and then go on to the next habit.

Also, figure out how to spoil yourself when you need it (in a way that doesn't include food). A hot tub takes 20 minutes and I sleep better. Going to bed and reading for 10 minutes before lights out is lovely. Sitting in a sunny comfy chair at the library and sipping some tea while you study could be a treat for you.

Instead of "working out" at the end of the day, how about going for a nice long walk? It won't burn as many calories as an hour at the gym, but it'll burn more than sitting down would (and you won't be eating while you walk) - and it can be relaxing and revitalizing. If you need that time as social time, take your friend/partner/kid/whoever with you.

Full time RN and full time grad student here. Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep. I choose one day a week to make meals that will last the whole week. My crock pot has been a life saver. I look up recipes on Pinterest and choose three or four times make that will last the week.

Also, I try and work out several days a week. I make this a priority. It is good for my physical as well as my mental health.

I have good days and bad days, but just keep moving on from the bad days. You got this!

I'm a ER nurse full time, part time working towards my masters and I have 3 kids, youngest is 7 months old. I meal prep and schedule everything. I schedule when I do homework and I schedule gym time. I am in bed before 11 every night and I get up at 6:30am every day.

I also have to have healthy snacks pre-measured out and easy to grab.

Yep. Meal planning. Shop once for the week on the same day every week (if you can). DOn't go to the store other than that. Don't stop for takeout. Don't buy the stuff you binge on if you can help it.