Will Power?

Make what is easy also what fits your goals

I only succeed when I make slow, permanent changes. The good news is that you have kids. They will keep you active if you make it a point of doing so. I rely heavily on eating simple, good foods and allowing myself a decent treat periodically. If you are hungry or your blood sugars aren't stable, that may explain the desire to eat easy, fast, sometimes junk, foods. Keep prepped meal components stocked and you should be able to make lower calorie decent quality foods faster than opening up a can of something or heating up a frozen meal. I like chicken that I cook by the tray, frozen fresh veggies, soups, and eggs. If I have all those in my fridge and freezer, I can whip up a week of meals. I also stock up jarred salsa, bbq sauce, and refried beans. I can point you towards blogs and posts that talk about this if you PM me.

"Will power" is a terrible idea, as understood by best psychological research.

What's better is having a PLAN. And accountability. And a clear motivation, and some rewards don't hurt.

What I'd recommend is looking at your environment, because as a mother of young children you have special challenges.

* There are some healthy quick food out there. There's no reason to not embrace things like high fiber pasta, soups, and so on.
* Saying that, eating quick meals ALL the time that fit in your calorie goal is not realistic. You may have to figure out how to set aside time to prep REAL food, not just something that can be nuked in a minute.
* Kids need to learn to eat REAL food. Nothing wrong with mac and cheese, pizza or chicken nuggets... but not all the time. But sometimes dinner should be tilapia with a salad, or a nice chicken breast, or whatever. In America especially we kiddify dinner when really we should expect them to eat what the adults are eating.
* Yes, get unhealthy crap out of the house. You don't need it. The kids don't need it. It doesn't mean you can't have ice cream or chips once in a while.
* Take time for yourself. No, really. I know it's hard. But if you don't take care of yourself with some yoga or walking or whatever, you can't really be there for your kids.

I eat good foods that I enjoy in smaller portions and add in lots of low calorie veggies so I have the volume. That way I don't feel hungry or deprived. I almost always think ahead about what I want to eat and log while I'm preparing it so I can adjust if necessary before over eating. I watch the numbers each time I log and make sure I'm on track. If I'm high on one meal I go low on another. I love snacks and still eat several a day but go for fruit or sugar-free desserts under 100 calories. I know its hard being a busy, working mom (I was there once), and still watch grandkids several days a week. I am the main cook in the household of 5, so I take about 20-30 minutes to prepare a meal but since we all eat whatever I cook it isn't that much work. Even when I'm home alone, I take the time to prepare a healthy meal. It's worth it in the long run and the kids will learn to eat right from the beginning. Also, my daughter loves using her Instapot to make quick one pot meals in a hurry. They are kind of expensive, but perhaps worth it for working moms since they can slow cook to pressure cook.

Mom to 3 boys here (8yrs, 4yrs 2yrs) I have no willpower ...what I do have is determination. I hated feeling sluggish and forced myself to workout just so I could have the energy boost after (this is typically done after work, at my house) I cook while my oldest is doing homework...I will help him study while chopping vegetables for dinner etc. I give my youngest 2 a snack and they play while I'm either working out next to them or cooking. It's not pretty all the time...I get frustrated and want to give up, but then I remember how achy my joints were before and how miserable I was in my own skin and I push through day to day. You can do this...even on the hard days

amtyrell wrote: »

Forget will power it is a limited resource. Instead of needing will power for every choice change habits. Then the choice is already made no willpower needed.

This sounds like helpful advice.