So hard to find the time!

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wendhall
wendhall Posts: 37 Member
in Getting Started
Finding it difficult to find the time to plan meals, shop, prepare meals, exercise and log everything. I work full time as a nurse and am in school too. One son in college and one grown but geez I can't seem to fit everything in! Do great when I am off from work but after working a few days in a row I just want to get a pizza and go home to the couch. How do you fit everything in?
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  • Nimbkar
    Nimbkar Posts: 67 Member
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    Yeah it can be hard but you got to do what you got to do! You have to learn to put yourself on priority. I always say if one of my kids had a weight problem i would not have taken it so lightly as I do with my health!
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,138 Member
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    When you have a day off plan out your meals for the next week or two, use the meal plan to make yourself a shopping list and make some fresh meals you can keep in the fridge for lunches and some meals that you can freeze for re-heating later.

    I tend to make soups and salads that I can box up for Mon-Fri (I realise as a nurse you probably have different days off etc but you can try and work it around your rota) and slow cooker meals like Thai Green Curry, Casseroles, Chilli, etc that I can reheat in the microwave with some veg or some rice. I also make things like Falafel, Homemade Burgers, Fishcakes that can be defrosted the night before and popped in the pan to cook quickly and again usually have them with some veg.

    Most of your weight loss takes place in the kitchen, exercise is good for your health and for stretching out your calorie deficit/gaining extra allowance but not necessary for weight loss. As a nurse I imagine you're on your feet a good bit of the day, so maybe just try incorporating a bit of strength training in a couple of times per week. You can find some great free workouts on Youtube that you can do at home, so you don't have to get out to the gym.

    Once you start eating well you will probably notice your energy levels improve and feel less inclined to just head straight to the sofa.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    You plan to free up time, your goal isn't to spend more time planning :# Initially you may have to schedule time to plan, though, but then it will be just following and adjusting your pan. Do you have a calendar? Start with that. Fill in. Prioritize.
  • TartsAndTattoos
    TartsAndTattoos Posts: 33 Member
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    wendhall wrote: »
    Finding it difficult to find the time to plan meals, shop, prepare meals, exercise and log everything. I work full time as a nurse and am in school too. One son in college and one grown but geez I can't seem to fit everything in! Do great when I am off from work but after working a few days in a row I just want to get a pizza and go home to the couch. How do you fit everything in?

    You have to make the time and make your health top priority. I too work in emerg health care, teen son, husband, specials needs dog (but I love her). My number 1 best thing I do is meal prep. All my weekly lunches and a couple of dinners for the week. I let my husband and son fend for themselves a couple days a week- they will not starve. I get up at 4am to exercise before work- do what you have to, it's important.
  • tomk8
    tomk8 Posts: 27 Member
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    I have been in a similar position, working full time, interning 25 hours per week, plus family. If you want it bad enough, you will make it work. If you have to, put it in your calendar to block off that time.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    My wife and I share cooking duties during the week...we sit down on the weekend and plan out what we're going to have for dinners for the week...between the two of us, we have about a million ideas on Pinterest for meals. When plan what we're going to eat and then we do one big grocery shopping trip.

    Most of our weeknight meals are pretty basic...usually some kind of protein marinated or seasoned in this or that and just throw it on the grill with a side of veg cooked in some manner or another. Most of our weeknight meals take between 15-20 minutes tops to prep and cook.

    Exercise wise, I typically ride in the AM on Wed/Friday/Sat/Sun. I usually lift on Tuesday PM and Sunday. We often hit up the climbing gym at some point on the weekend as well. My weekday rides are typically pretty short...around 40-45 minutes...I typically get in a longer ride on Saturday...my Sunday ride is about 10 miles round trip to and from the gym.

    While I do exercise during the week, it is more limited...I really emphasize physical activity on the weekends.
  • Rufftimes
    Rufftimes Posts: 349 Member
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    Make your meals simple, and do it all on your last day off before your longest run of shifts. Kate's a PSW on 12hr shifts, and I work 10's. We have twin 19 year olds and a 12 year old and we manage week in, week out. Do it all in one day, throw it all in the fridge, and it takes five minutes to microwave after your shift.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    wendhall wrote: »
    Finding it difficult to find the time to plan meals, shop, prepare meals, exercise and log everything. I work full time as a nurse and am in school too. One son in college and one grown but geez I can't seem to fit everything in! Do great when I am off from work but after working a few days in a row I just want to get a pizza and go home to the couch. How do you fit everything in?

    Most people work a few days in a row. Do you work some sort of long shifts? What is your work schedule like?
  • wendhall
    wendhall Posts: 37 Member
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    I work 8-430 but have been staying double shifts lately once or twice a week 8am-1230pm. I am going to change to 4-1230 soon though and will have some school clinicals during the day. Thanks for all the ideas, prepping meals ahead is something I really have to do. Some good meal ideas here too. Sometimes I make things too complicated too marinated meat on the grill and veggies is a good idea. Wish I had a list of maybe 10 meals or so to rotate, I never know what to make. I geat real sick of salads too if I eat them every day.
  • happyauntie2015
    happyauntie2015 Posts: 282 Member
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    I do all my meal prep on one of my days off. There is a marker we use on the fridge and once we come up with an idea for the following week it is written down. Hubby and I are creatures of habit so breakfast and lunch are always the same week to week it is dinner that changes. The menu for current week is on fridge as well so I can remember what I made for the week dinner wise lol
  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
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    The struggle is real! You have to make planning your meals, shopping for groceries, and meal prep part of your routine. Convenient, healthy foods are your friends. Experiment and find what works for you. Cook once, eat twice (or more). Use a slow cooker for long days. I have found that a little bit of planning and prep actually saves me time and stress! Oh, and if you are like me and don't have time to shop - look into ordering groceries online!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    wendhall wrote: »
    Sometimes I make things too complicated
    That's just human nature.
    Wish I had a list of maybe 10 meals or so to rotate
    Why don't you find/pick 10 meals, and rotate them?
    I never know what to make.
    What do you like?

    MamaMc3 wrote: »
    The struggle is real! You have to make planning your meals, shopping for groceries, and meal prep part of your routine. Convenient, healthy foods are your friends. Experiment and find what works for you. Cook once, eat twice (or more). Use a slow cooker for long days. I have found that a little bit of planning and prep actually saves me time and stress! Oh, and if you are like me and don't have time to shop - look into ordering groceries online!
    I resisted meal planning for so long, I believed I'd have to eat boring food and not decide for myself what to eat, and that I wouldn't want what I had planned when the day arrived, but in reality, it's the opposite. I'm only planning meals I like and want, and I like/need a certain degree of predictability (my situation is also quite predictable at the moment, this means that planning can be done in some detail) - so I'm looking forward to every meal, but of course I can change it up a bit if something comes up (something always comes up), but the outline of the plan stays the same.
    The idea that planning should take time, baffles me, though. It's to save time. To get everything needed for a good meal, takes a bit of organizing, and organized is stress reduction. Food used to be a struggle, now it's fun.
  • RedSierra
    RedSierra Posts: 253 Member
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    wendhall wrote: »
    Finding it difficult to find the time to plan meals, shop, prepare meals, exercise and log everything.How do you fit everything in?

    I have to repeat what other people said. Make time to meal prep and make food ahead of time in batches.

    That actually saves time later on when you are tired and super busy -- it's great to come home and find the meal is ready and all you have to do is heat it. I work and went back to college (which starts again in 2 weeks, eeek!) so I understand where you're coming from.

    I don't make complicated recipes, just basic food.

    While I'm reading and working on homework and papers I boil a soup pot of lentils and let it simmer (and set a timer so I don't forget it's on the stove). Then I let it sit for an hour, add vegetables, and freeze it in individual portions. All I have to do later is heat them up. I also make salads ahead of time. I can make tons of food that way. Once I got down the process it was easy.

    Again, it's incredibly nice to come home and the food is ready except to heat it -- that saves the time of ordering a pizza and saves a lot of money, too.

  • RedSierra
    RedSierra Posts: 253 Member
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    One more thing. I wrote that I don't make complicated recipes, just basic food.

    There's a mental trap here. If I'm willing to buy crap food, then I sure don't have to plan perfect 4-star meals in order to make my own food. There's anxiety there that we have to be perfect or something isn't worth doing.

    I make food in batches that has protein, carbs, and vegetables. I used to think cutting up vegetables would take tons of time, but it literally takes less than a minute.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Both my husband and I work from home, which means I cook almost every meal we eat. At first it seemed like I did nothing but cook and eat, and then cook some more. Prepping really is a lifesaver for me. If you get bored easily eating the same thing every day, prep only the parts of a meal which take a long time, then add different stuff to it on the fly. For example I prep quinoa, spaghetti squash, steel cut oats made with milk, lean protein such as roasted chicken or pork tenderloin, and stir fried onions with bell peppers. Then I can add what I want to my oatmeal for breakfast, slice some protein and fresh veggies and add to my quinoa or squash for lunch or dinner.

    Complicated meals such as Indian food, I cook more than one meal at a time and make four servings (two meals for myself and husband) and put back the part we don't eat for lunch the next day.

    The other lifesaver is being able to just collapse and eat something you don't have to cook once in a while. At least one of our meals per day is an easy meal such as a poached egg or cottage cheese with fruit. And knowing where to pick up or order takeout which is healthy and low calorie is also good. In my town, there's a cheap takeout sushi place near me which will make my sushi with a half portion of rice (I'm a diabetic) with a seaweed salad. There's also an Italian place which delivers, which makes homemade chicken pesto wraps and healthy spaghetti sauce - lean meat, not a lot of added sugar and sodium. So once a week we get a wrap to split for lunch and a serving of spaghetti with a side of spinach to split for dinner, and I eat mine on spaghetti squash, while my husband has the pasta and the bread that comes with it. Notice that in this case, a half portion of restaurant food is about right - half is a reasonable 500 calorie meal, while the whole portion would be way too much for either of us. But there's nothing in there which is unhealthy, it's quality food, and I didn't have to cook it, and having one day a week when someone else cooks help keeps me sane. Find out the healthy options near you - just because you don't want to cook doesn't mean the other option should be pizza.
  • MontyMuttland
    MontyMuttland Posts: 68 Member
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    It's difficult to say this without someone getting offended, but the bottom line about being overweight is that you eat too much.
    How much time you have to spare for this and that is not the key thing, it's what you put in your mouth and how much of it.
    One simple fact, it takes no time at all to not eat something, Not eating is the least time consuming thing in your whole day.
    Busy as we all are, we all have exactly the same number of hours in each day. We cannot control or change that.
    But you can eat less.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    MontyMuttland wrote: »
    It's difficult to say this without someone getting offended, but the bottom line about being overweight is that you eat too much.
    How much time you have to spare for this and that is not the key thing, it's what you put in your mouth and how much of it.
    One simple fact, it takes no time at all to not eat something, Not eating is the least time consuming thing in your whole day.
    Busy as we all are, we all have exactly the same number of hours in each day. We cannot control or change that.
    But you can eat less.

    While I agree wholeheartedly to this, OP didn't mention anything about wanting to lose weight/eat less, just eating better and become more structured.
  • MontyMuttland
    MontyMuttland Posts: 68 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    MontyMuttland wrote: »
    It's difficult to say this without someone getting offended, but the bottom line about being overweight is that you eat too much.
    How much time you have to spare for this and that is not the key thing, it's what you put in your mouth and how much of it.
    One simple fact, it takes no time at all to not eat something, Not eating is the least time consuming thing in your whole day.
    Busy as we all are, we all have exactly the same number of hours in each day. We cannot control or change that.
    But you can eat less.

    While I agree wholeheartedly to this, OP didn't mention anything about wanting to lose weight/eat less, just eating better and become more structured.


    I may be guilty of making assumptions, but I expect there is a fair chance I've been where the OP is, going by her profile photo. It reminded me of this (left photo):

    ihd7go71acow.jpg

    The left photo is my wife and I back in September 2015 when we were rather over-fat, which we'd been our entire adult lives. The right photo is us in April this year (I need a new photo of us since we're now both inside the normal weight range for our heights).
    Our success in losing weight comes down to finally understanding that for things to change, you have to change.
    If you look around at your life and say things like "if only I had the time to ...", all you come up with is excuses not to change what you're doing that's keeping you overweight.

    I don't think the OP needed to spell out that she'd like to lose some weight, that was pretty much implied in her description of how things are in her life.
    There is no magic solution to weight-loss, but one thing is for sure, if you just carry on doing what you were doing before, then nothing is going to change.
    Once you accept that you're going to have to change, I'm suggesting that the first place to look is at what you eat and how much of it.
    That may be the first of many changes you make in your life thereafter, but it's also the most important.
  • wendhall
    wendhall Posts: 37 Member
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    Yes I do want to lose weight but am having trouble getting everything in motion. I do fine for a few days but then get very busy with things and my plans or lack of plan cause things to fall apart. I am going to get some shopping in and work on planning a menu. I do have a slow cooker, pressure pot and air fryer to get into use. Great suggestions here, thanks. I do agree that once you can make this a way of life it will become easier. Also my husband has already lost weight and is doing really well, so I have a partner.

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