Help with routines

cheryl0214
cheryl0214 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, my name is Cheryl, I am new to this but need advice on a new routine. Right now I can't seem to get on one, where to even start. With my job now I have to be at work by 5, so I am up by 4, rushed to get ready and out the door I don't even think about breakfast that early. Then once at work it is go, go, go. I work in retail and feel pressured to get 10 hrs work done in only 8, I usually don't take my breaks and can't seem to get lunch in at a reasonable time. Guess what I am asking is what to do, how to do it, both in eating properly and getting my water intake. I do suffer from obesity, and have pretty much all my life, I have been on my feet working retail for more than half my life and can't seem to find the energy to do more than work. I get home, my knees hurt, my back hurts, my feet hurt....you get the picture lol So with that being said, I don't feel like cooking either, it's just me and my daughter and I feel like it is too much hassle to cook for 2, clean up after, and so we eat out. And finding easy healthy recipes that don't require odd ingredients or lots of prep seems hard as well. Any advice is appreciated and I will try hard to implement that advice as it fits. Please just direct me in the right direction
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Replies

  • cheryl0214
    cheryl0214 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you kommodevaran, you are right on the one part, I do research healthy recipes and get discouraged in a way. And don't get me wrong, I do get a lunch break, it's just usually about 6 hours into my shift, by that time I am starved and eat more than I should. I know this is one of my problems, I do eat more than I should and exercise less than I should. And I think you also hit on something else I don't do and that's tell myself I am worth it. I have taken care of others for so long I forgot what I need, that I deserve to take better care of myself. I need that push, someone to say lets go.....walk, play tennis, just get moving doing something but sitting on couch hurting. It's one of those catch 22's I hurt too much to get active but know that the activities will make feel better, more energy. Thank you for your insight, I do appreciate it all
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    If you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, you'll eat more regularly - but PP brought up intermittent fasting, and I'd like to expand a bit on that. I think feeling hungry is mainly about habits and the overall quality of your diet. I get that you are hungry when it's time for lunch, but are you sure you are starved? If you pack and bring lunch, you can't eat more than you brought. But you'd have to pack a nutritious lunch that you'll look forward to, or else you'll resort to whatever alternative you're resorting to now.

    Exercise will be good for you, but maybe your plans are a little ambitious? What exercises can you think of that are realistic - both doable, and fun? What would you do for you (and not other people), and right now (not when you've lost X pounds)? Can you team up with your daughter (again)?
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited October 2017
    I'm not a big fan of cooking and eating out/getting delivery far too often was definitely a big factor in my weight gain. Now, I try to keep things around the house that are easy to prepare and don't necessarily require cooking at all - fruits and veggies that I can eat raw and with no or minimal slicing, fresh cheese curds, crackers, tuna, pre-made salads and sandwiches, and so on. It's more expensive to buy pre-made deli stuff than to make it yourself, but almost certainly cheaper than restaurant food. Every so often I'll make a boxed macaroni and cheese or a microwave pot pie when I feel like something more hearty. At least where I live, individually portioned "snack packs" are all over the place - they're generally about 200 calories with meat, cheese and nuts being the standard. And I still eat out, just less often.

    Although exercise is incredibly important for overall health, it is not necessary for weight loss. I would recommend that you focus on your diet for now, and make exercising more a separate goal to focus on later once you've started losing weight. You don't have to change everything at once to be successful. If you're eating out every night, try to make two nights a week your "eating in" goal. Any start is a good start. Good luck!
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    edited October 2017
    I would just like to add to what the others have already posted. Pack a lunch... I get everything ready the night before so I can just throw them in the lunchbox on my way out of the door. You could also pack a snack you can grab while you're on the go at work..to hold you over until lunch.

    It's so worth the effort to cook. It doesn't have to be gourmet but you will be able to better control what you're eating and your calories in part of the equation

    I think you will find as you lose weight your knees, back and feet won't hurt as much as they do now and your energy levels will increase.

    It takes time and effort to lose weight but it's definitely worth it.
  • cheryl0214
    cheryl0214 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you all for your responses and thoughts, I am going to take this 1 stage at a time.....first learn to cook and prep meals at home, then I will tackle another stage. I do agree not to make all these changes at once for fear of discouragement and failure. As was mentioned, any start is a good start.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    edited October 2017
    Well...starting here by logging calories in/out is a good start. You're in retail, are you walking all day, or on your feet? Either way, get your Base Metabolic Rate, add in your activities for the day, and just be sure to be under that calorie amount on your meals.

    As far as cooking, I had two daughters I was raising, working 40+, and going to grad school. Needless to say I was pretty busy myself. I started fixing big meals on the weekend (lasagna, chili, breakfast sandwiches, etc) and while it was supper for the weekend...whatever was left I put in the freezer. That way, I didn't have to cook during the week...and had something healthy ready to go with just a few minutes in the microwave. Having two meal types in the freezer gives you some variety to get you through the week (2 days isn't bad, but the 3rd day you start to get burnt out on it). Plus, you only have to really clean up once on your cooking night. Another trick is to cook your main course (BBQ Chicken, pork chops, whatever), then just pull out a can or frozen pack of veggies, and maybe a packaged rice or instant potatoes. You can easily nuke these to warm up, and anything left over isn't much, which can be eaten the next day, which makes clean up pretty easy (1 or 2 tupperware type containers and your done).
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I would start counting calories and see where all of your calories are coming from and if there's any easy ways to cut back. Like maybe bring a piece of fruit or packaged snack with you to work to go along with a bottle of water and a regular sized hamburger, sandwich or whatever you usually get.

    For dinner have a few options like being familiar with the menus where you eat and ordering something that fits your calories, running into the grocery store for a rotisserie chicken and microwave vegetables or having some quick, convenience meal kits on hand you make in a skillet in 20 minutes.

    Once you have your calories under control and options that work with your routine the way it is now that will take the pressure off and you can take your time learning new, healthier habits.
  • madwells1
    madwells1 Posts: 510 Member
    All the advice here is great...and don't be discouraged! It's hard to start tracking things, but it will help you in the long run. You may want to think about hard boiled eggs, handful of almonds (nuts), string cheese, or an apple as snacks. They are easy to prepare, and can be stashed in your bag and eaten early in the day before lunch. I like throwing that out there as these are healthy snacks that won't let your blood sugar crash.
  • sksk1026
    sksk1026 Posts: 215 Member
    Hi - what really helped me is freezing low-cal slow-cooker chicken meals that serve 6 people. I then cook it from frozen and my husband and I eat it over 3 evenings with easy sides. I also freeze cherry tomato sauce for fish that I use for 2 other evenings. And I figured out the calories for our favorite sushi takeout and for a MacDonald takeout. Amy's canned veg chilli is great with a baked potato and cheese. You could even freeze sandwiches for work. I did all of this because I hate cooking in the evenings when I'm tired. It's made a big difference! I now even freeze broccoli soup I eat for lunch. And I preboil my morning eggs four at a time! For the first time in my life I'm losing weight steadily and eating food I like.
  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
    Have you looked into the 4 or 5 ingredient recipes? Or Fix it and Forget it recipes/books
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    When I was single, I used to do batch cooking on Sundays - I'd bake four chicken thighs one way, and have one per day with rice and peas for lunch at work. I'd bake four thighs another way, and have them with potatoes and broccoli for dinner. I'd also make a week's worth of hard boiled eggs for snacks at work. I also kept baby carrots and cheese at work in the frig and nuts in my desk.

    It's actually harder for me to lose weight/maintain a healthy weight when I am in a relationship and bother to cook more elaborate meals, as these are more caloric than the above.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited October 2017
    sksk1026 wrote: »
    Hi - what really helped me is freezing low-cal slow-cooker chicken meals that serve 6 people. I then cook it from frozen and my husband and I eat it over 3 evenings with easy sides. I also freeze cherry tomato sauce for fish that I use for 2 other evenings. And I figured out the calories for our favorite sushi takeout and for a MacDonald takeout. Amy's canned veg chilli is great with a baked potato and cheese. You could even freeze sandwiches for work. I did all of this because I hate cooking in the evenings when I'm tired. It's made a big difference! I now even freeze broccoli soup I eat for lunch. And I preboil my morning eggs four at a time! For the first time in my life I'm losing weight steadily and eating food I like.

    Ya, looking forward to getting out my slow cooker again now that summer is over. We'll eat a few meals from a recipe and I will freeze the rest to have some "fast food" variety at a later date.

    Chicken thighs work great in slow cooker recipes and they are cheaper than breast as well.

    Allrecipes.com has lots of slow cooker recipes, with nutrition information.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    madwells1 wrote: »
    All the advice here is great...and don't be discouraged! It's hard to start tracking things, but it will help you in the long run. You may want to think about hard boiled eggs, handful of almonds (nuts), string cheese, or an apple as snacks. They are easy to prepare, and can be stashed in your bag and eaten early in the day before lunch. I like throwing that out there as these are healthy snacks that won't let your blood sugar crash.

    Speaking of hard boiled eggs, I discovered that the pre-cooked shelled ones you can buy at the grocery store are in fact quite delicious. I'd resisted them for a long time because I was all, come on, boiling eggs is so easy and way cheaper! And then my eggs would go bad before I got around to it, plus shelling them drove me bonkers. So yeah, now I buy the pre-cooked and shelled ones because sometimes lazy and healthy wins out.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Going out to eat takes time and money. Eating at home takes less money and can take less time. Come back to this discussion to let us know what you've started doing to get control of your health.
  • vlonghorn88
    vlonghorn88 Posts: 4 Member
    You can still lose weight by eating out. You do not have to cook at home. It's harder but it can be done.

    First, figure out your TDEE, you can use this calculator to figure it out: https://tdeecalculator.net/. Or, you can also use myfitness pal to figure out your caloric and macro goals.

    TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure, this is amount of calories you burn at your current weight. Eat less than your TDEE and you will lose weight. The calculator gives you a general guideline of how many calories you should be eating if you want to lose weight with macro break down if you scroll to the bottom. I would say do not worry about macros until you have your calories under control.

    Second, log, log, log in MFP. This keeps you accountable and keeps you on track.

    Third, when you do eat at home. Weigh your food and log it into mfp. You can buy a cheap digital scale on amazon.

    Finally, mfp is a beautiful tool to help keep you aware of what you are eating. If I were you, I would log all of my food this coming week. Don't worry about cutting calories just get in the habit of logging. Log, log, log.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    cheryl0214 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your responses and thoughts, I am going to take this 1 stage at a time.....first learn to cook and prep meals at home, then I will tackle another stage. I do agree not to make all these changes at once for fear of discouragement and failure. As was mentioned, any start is a good start.

    That's a great start. Cooking doesn't have to be fancy weird ingredients or lots of time/cleaning. I like using frozen foods almost exclusively. Chicken nuggets on a baking sheet, fill the rest of the baking sheet with veggies, boom- dinner. I also love single-skillet meals. I'm a vegetarian, so I go for the fake meat, but my recipe is basically protein + large quantity of vegetables + sauce and/or noodles. I nearly never use more than 1 frying pan or 1 baking sheet to cook dinner.
  • phlegmfatale1
    phlegmfatale1 Posts: 24 Member
    first of all, i know it seems very difficult to fit meal planning into your already busy day when you feel like there is never enough time and you're already exhausted. but just know that it gets much easier with a little practice! maybe when you have a few hours off this week, plan to make a larger batch of 1 recipe and then bring that to work all week. it can be simple like others have said -- baked chicken, or something like cooked vegetables with a sauce you like, or a healthy snack like cut up apples and pb. keep changing things one by one. before long it will be like second nature to you. and you'll be motivated by the positive change you've made and maybe even have some more energy to show for it! good luck and i really hope you get your breaks, retail can be really tough on the body and you deserve time to yourself to re-fuel!
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    That was me that just gave you an awesome.... cause that sounds awesome.
  • JoLightensUp
    JoLightensUp Posts: 140 Member
    Sounds like you are already making some great changes! I reckon half the trouble is in the planning, which you are now doing. If it's closing in on dinnertime and I have no idea what I'll cook, it all seems so much harder. So every weekend I'm trying to take a little bit of time to plan 5 meals so that I can also plan my grocery shop around that. (The other two days are leftovers or frozen meals, or simple things that everyone in my family can get themselves like an omelette.)

    I'll also add that I find stir fries are a great quick meal. I often use chicken or beef (already sliced if I can't be bothered chopping) or prawns and throw them into my big electric frypan with frozen vegies and then add a bottled sauce. I cook some rice in the microwave in the meantime. Or, even quicker, just soak some noodles. Ta da...dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes and barely needing to engage my brain to do it, lol!

    Also, if I'm making something that will freeze well (like a bolognese or casserole) I'll often make a double quantity and freeze the leftovers. It's great to just pull something from the freezer on nights when you are exhausted.

    I hate cooking when I'm tired or short on time, but I love cooking when I've got all the ingredients, am feeling fresh and have plenty of time!

    All the best with the changes you are making. Even if you only improve one meal a week to start, remember it's a positive step. You don't have to do this perfectly.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    If you really don't feel like cooking some nights after work just puck up a cooked chicken (or even roast beef if your supermarket does that) on the way home from work. Then all you need to do is cut up a salad or steam some vegetables and you have a quick and reasonably nutritious meal for you and your daughter.

    Others have given great ideas and it seems you are already doing a fantastic job with making some healthy changes. Keep up the great work.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    You can lose weight eating restaurant food or convenience foods. You just need to make choices that fit your calorie deficit goal.
    Healthy meals contain nutrients. That means a casserole, spaghetti, eggs, oatmeal, canned soup, a sandwich, or yogurt can all be part of a healthy diet. Don't define healthy food so narrowly.
    When you do cook make double. Put the extra in the freezer. I generally have some soup in my freezer. You might look up once a month cooking or freezer meals for ideas.
    Eggs are quick cooking as is pasta.
    Get a slow cooker.
    A piece of fruit or a granola bar are easy portable foods.
    Prep in advance- not just food but stuff like your outfit or your child's bag. Get stuff ready in the evening so you don't have as much to do in the morning. Prepare for the week on your day off.
    Don't skip breaks you are entitled to and need. That isn't healthy.

    Maybe look for a different job. This one sounds pretty brutal.
  • JoLightensUp
    JoLightensUp Posts: 140 Member
    That looks delicious. Go you!
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
    I hate cooking so I sympathise with you so much! Just remember it's kilojoules (calories) that matter for weight loss. Healthy food is important but it doesn't have be fancy and a lot of things fit into a healthy diet. I've solved my dislike of cooking by eating - eggs (quick, easy and cheap), cooked chicken from the supermarket (with a salad or vegetables), tinned soup, easy meals that can be frozen and reheated - spaghetti, slow cooked stews etc. Good luck!
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