Stay at home mom who eats junk! What do all my stay at home moms/wives eat at home?

It's a good time to start modeling good eating habits for the kiddos. This is when they decide what "normal" is.

Don't bring home the foods that you have trouble moderating. For me, that's cheesy crackers, so the kids just had to be ok with getting occasional single-serve packs.

Plan ahead so you know when your next meal is coming and what it is. Calculate the calories before you eat. This removes bad decision-making in the heat of the moment. Include enough treats that you don't feel deprived.

Pay attention to nutrition, but don't get stressed about it. Weight loss is about calories. Macros and vitamins are about long-term health. Progress is the goal, not perfection.

Portion control will help. If you're really pressed for time and don't mind paying more you can do the pre-portioned cheese sticks and such. Not sure what you're terming junk so if it's snack food like chips or other things like that, I would portion if you're not going to remove things. If you also make a menu for the day and stick to that it will keep you on track. I prep Sundays usually so everything goes in the fridge for Monday and I am on my schedule during the week. Everything I need is right there so it takes all the fuss out.

I am not a mom, but I recently took an opportunity to work from home and I struggled with this at first, since my partner had a lot of "junk" food in the pantry. It's a lot easier and more desirable to grab a pop tart than cook or prepare a nutritious meal. What I made sure to do is pack these things in his lunches and made him aware that I won't be filling the pantry up with this type of food anymore - but we can have a little of it and eat it in moderation. I buy tons of fruit and veggies, Greek yogurt, etc. and I make sure to have everything cut up and ready to eat so that it's easily accessible and I'm not tempted to go for the pre-packaged higher-calorie options so much.

I have two little kids and work from home. Planning and tracking had been the key for me. Having easy foods to prepare like Greek yogurt , avocado toast, or fruit ready helps. The biggest issue I had after having kids was grazing I was always nibbling when I was getting them snacks or meals or bored or tired. Always grabbing a nibble. For me, tracking food and stopping grazing was Huge!

Im a SAHM as well, I have a 3 year old and will be having a new born in 4 weeks! I just don't buy junk. There are lots of healthy things that take as much time to grab as cookies. My issue is if I grab cookies, I want more cookies. If I grab an apple, I'm normally fuller.

If you have a half hour during a nap for babes, just prep some veggies and chicken and you've got a lot of options!

Be kind to yourself though, adding a baby makes things wonky until you get into a routine.

Like others mentioned, I just don't buy any junk food when I am at the store. Anything bought at a grocery story is "healthy" i.e. fruits and veggies, lean meats, yogurt, whole wheat, etc etc. if there are no treats/junk in the house you won't be eating it.

Also I agree with others, anything that you can buy that's convenient and healthy is worth the couple extra bucks. I am way more likely to eat yogurt if it's a single serving cup, as opposed to pulling out a bowl, dishing it out, washing a dish etc. or fruits and veggies that are precut/precut chicken.

Weight management is about calories not type of food. Type of food impacts meeting your nutritional needs and satisfaction.
Getting enough protein, fats and fiber tends to make people feel more satisfied.

My goal is 1200-1400 calories without exercise. I typically eat like this:
Breakfast- stuff like Greek yogurt, granola bars, cereal with milk, sandwich, dinner leftovers, fruit, cottage cheese (about 200-300 calories)
Lunch- stuff like a sandwich, salad, or dinner leftovers (about 300-500 calories)
Dinner- something different every night of the month. (about 500-600 calories) I have soup once a week usually which is great for reheating for other meals.
Snacks- things like fruit, chips, popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, cookies, granola bar, carrots, celery, broccoli, trail mix, deviled eggs, pickles, cottage cheese (about 100-300 calories)

Notice my breakfast, lunch and snacks are low to no prep foods.

I prelog my food every morning so I am not guessing at what to eat or not getting enough protein.

I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot.
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/

A friend of mine was advised by her doctor to make a plate of cut sandwiches and keep them wrapped and in the fridge. This way she could limit the amount she ate and also cut down on time it takes to prepare food as babies/chores can be all consuming time wise. What I would take from that 20 some thing year old advice is to meal prep and have healthy snacks in healthy proportions ready to hand. Have a bowl of fruit on the counter. Have chopped veggies and a low calorie dip in the fridge. Have air popped popcorn available. Boiled eggs. Frozen grapes. Etc. Get rid of the junk food and figure out your triggers... Is it boredom? Cravings? Also think... Is it healthy enough to share with my baby? If it's not, best to not have it in the house.
Good luck! I'm sure that now you're aware there is a problem, you'll make healthier choices.

katadx wrote: »

I find that mini bell peppers + hummus are a satisfyingly crunchy swap for chips!

I love hummus, too, but at a 100 calories for a measly 30 gr (2 tbls), it can quickly add up to more than a serving of chips.

I am not a stay-at-home mom but I do work from home once a week and it's terrible because all I want to do it eat!! So, I can definitely sympathize with you. There is something about being home alone (or with small kids) that makes me bored and hungry. I agree w/ the others about keeping junk food out of the house. One that that's been good for me is air-popped popcorn. When I want something salty to crunch on out of boredom, it's my go-to and it saves me from wanting chips.