Stuck in a horrible rut :(

ajc1309 wrote: »

I've been stuck in a rut lately and it's really getting me down! In the last 6 months I've gained loads of weight... I don't know how much exactly as I'm terrified to weigh myself. Last time I checked I was about 148lbs but I'm sure I'm more than that now. I got down to 126lbs but found my happy place at around 130-135lbs.

I'm just eating so badly lately and my job doesn't help at all. I work in retail and work in between a subway and a McDonalds so it's just so easy to get a quick and convenient lunch. Most days I also go to lunch with a colleague who will also want to eat bad, easy food. Then I get home and am so tired after being on my feet all day so again, I go to the quick and easy food or I'll get a takeaway. I hate cooking when I get home from a long day. I also have no energy or motivation to use my exercise bike. I keep telling myself "I'll get back on the bandwagon tomorrow" but it never happens.

How can I get myself out of this endless cycle of eating like crap?!

I can totally relate to this. Its really a vicious cycle. Fast food is not really a energy booster, at least not the fast food I was eating. After a day at work, I would be really low on energy and would eat more fast food.

I really wasnt motivated for a change either. I was just fed up of beeing tired all the time I think, so I just made small changes to my diet, and at the same time I started walking - about 6 hm each night after work.

I got more energy from those small changes really fast - and that was the motivation I needed to eat even better and then I had more energy to even more exercise.

So its about breaking a negative circle and starting a positive one. Once the wheel is spinning in the right direction, its only one way - moving forward to a healthier lifetyle.

So there are some easy switches you can make to reduce intake. Get the salads or wraps from McDs and if you really want the fries get a kids size. Diet soda only.

In Subway, get the lighter options, skip dressings and again they do salads now right? Don't get the deal with ththe chips and cookie, diet sodas again not full sugar. I don't go in either place really so am not totally au fait with their menus but you get the idea.

In the evening after work, keep it simple. If you like soup fresh from the fridge ready ones with a slice of bread is quick and easy. Batch cook on your day off for the week.

So you don't have to make massive changes or even get back on the workout wagon straight away. Just start making small changes to daily habits.

There are lots of decent choices at Subway. Avoid the mayo, Ranch and other oily/creamy dressings. The 6" subs range from 280 to about 600 calories without sauces. I particularly like either turkey or turkey+ham with all the veggies and mustard as my only condiment (280 cals without cheese; 330 cals with cheese). You can also turn any sub into a salad which saves you the bread calories (though I would usually want a dressing so wouldn't actually save any total calories).

Add a water or diet pop and you have a pretty low calorie lunch. White milk, while adding calories, would also add nutrients and might make you feel fuller.

The only thing I really like at McDonalds are the Egg McMuffins, but that's just personal taste. I'm sure their salads and such are fine. Google the nutritional information sometime to find some lower calorie options.

Look at the calorie content of your favourite meal choices from the resturants, pick the ones that fit your calories. When you get home, have easy to eat, ready meals that also fit into your calories.

Eating out doesn't mean that you need to eat to excess.

ajc1309 wrote: »

Then I get home and am so tired after being on my feet all day so again, I go to the quick and easy food or I'll get a takeaway. I hate cooking when I get home from a long day. I also have no energy or motivation to use my exercise bike. I keep telling myself "I'll get back on the bandwagon tomorrow" but it never happens.

I get home late and used to have this problem a lot.

On exercise I had to get real and accept that I wouldn't exercise if I went home first, so do it in the morning or at the gym near my office (which I joined for this reason).

On dinner, I needed a plan -- either have leftovers or stuff that would be fast to cook (I know I can do a vegetable omelet really fast as a fallback) and then just to get in the habit so it felt routine.

I would love to live near a subway!! I would get a nice giant salad every day, they have wonderful fresh veggies! They have really low calorie/healthy options at mcdonalds and subway!! You are not doomed! Just do your research.

Of course you don't want to cook after a long hard day... but you probably have 1 or 2 days off a week and you can cook a big batch of a few foods to have later in the week. Have subway a few days a week and skip the McDonald's altogether unless you get a salad- but maybe bring your own dressing, theirs is full of sugar.

When I used to work long hours I would do this on one of my days off (now I work from home but I still do this sometimes):

•Grill a few chicken breasts and/or thighs
•Buy some already cooked chargrilled salmon from Whole Foods deli
•get some ground turkey, season with salt & pepper & garlic powder, form into small patties and grill them (on the grill or in a pan)
•cook some rice or buy frozen cooked rice
•cook some quinoa or buy frozen cooked quinoa
•buy some medium sized red potatoes
•buy some sweet potatoes
•buy a party platter of veggies
•buy a big bag of spinach

Ok now: portion out your cooked meats into portions. Most women do 4oz for a serving of they plan to have 3 meals a day, I do 2-3oz for mine because I eat 5-6 mini meals. Put each portion of meat into a snack sized ziplock bag, put all those into a big freezer bag and freeze.

Then: portion out your rice & quinoa into single servings (1/2to 1 cup, depending on meal frequency), bag & freeze.

Then: portion out your veggies into individual portions in snack bags and store those in the fridge.

These are now ready-to-go meal components! When you pack a lunch or want a quick dinner grab 1 protein, 1 carb, 1 veggie. When you reheat it in the microwave the veggies steam cook. You can add a handful of spinach if you want. You can skip the rice or quinoa and grab a potato or sweet potato instead if you want- you can just pop it in the microwave for 5 or 6 minutes and it cooks! Just like a baked potato but in way less time!

If you don't feel like a cooked meal like this you could make a bunch of salads on the weekend, then just add one of the frozen proteins the night before, it will be thawed by the next day when you eat your salad. Remember not to put dressing in it until you're ready to eat it. You can snack on the pre-portioned raw veggies too. Also get some fruits and single serve yogurts or cottage cheese for easy snacks.

Basically this is a simplified way to meal prep and I like it because it's mix and match and everything lasts a really long time in the freezer.

Hope this helps- it will really be a good way to stop eating out for lunch so much and take out for dinner. A lot less calories and you can control the ingredients (most fast food/takeout has so much oil, salt, sugar, etc).