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  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    I'm so glad you are feeling better this week!

    I love making extra soup to freeze (chicken soup, minestrone, borscht, beef stew, split pea). Lasagna freezes and reheats really well too - you could do a traditional version, or a lighter veggie-heavy one. Probably any sort of saucy pasta dish would work for this. Oh, curries too!

    I got a vacuum sealer for Christmas, which has been amazing. I often bag up and freeze leftovers, which can be reheated by plopping the frozen bag into hot/simmering water. I have some lemon chicken orzo in the freezer right now! It is so easy to just cook a little extra, plop a portion or two into the bags, and freeze.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    edited June 2021
    Athijade wrote: »
    Anyone have any suggestions?

    I try to break up all the standing work with use of the freezer, as I have a standing budget. By doing this, I can do the ten minutes of standing to fry up hamburger for taco filling at a different time than the ten minutes standing up to heat tacos, cut lettuce, and put sour cream in a pastry bag to pipe, and that sometimes makes the difference for me between "I have the spoons to make dinner" and "I can't stand up long enough to cook that."

    Thank you for the suggestions. They all sound really good.

    The part I quoted has been my problem in the past when it comes to prepping food for the freezer, but it is also the reason I NEED to have stuff prepped in the freezer. Some days I just can't. My body hurts and my fatigue is high. As you said, I don't have the spoons to do it.

    Right now the only meat I plan to keep on hand is chicken breasts and salmon. Those are things I eat at least once a week. I do have some steaks in there right now that will last me like 6 months or more since I am trying to only eat red meat like once a month for health reasons. Otherwise I want to use the space for premade meals (homemade or bought), frozen veggies, frozen buns, and occasional treats (like ice cream bars).

  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    eliezalot wrote: »
    I'm so glad you are feeling better this week!

    I love making extra soup to freeze (chicken soup, minestrone, borscht, beef stew, split pea). Lasagna freezes and reheats really well too - you could do a traditional version, or a lighter veggie-heavy one. Probably any sort of saucy pasta dish would work for this. Oh, curries too!

    I got a vacuum sealer for Christmas, which has been amazing. I often bag up and freeze leftovers, which can be reheated by plopping the frozen bag into hot/simmering water. I have some lemon chicken orzo in the freezer right now! It is so easy to just cook a little extra, plop a portion or two into the bags, and freeze.

    Thank you!

    The lasagna is a great idea. Mine is not super diet friendly because I use a white sauce, but it is veggie loaded. I hate making it though because it is a lot of food for one person to eat. Freezing it in individual slices (or even 2 servings per) would make perfect sense.

    The soup also sounds great. I feel I would more likely eat frozen homemade soup then canned soup.

    I am getting a few things this weekend. A restaurant in a town near me does what they call "Sunday Supper Club" where they have a menu each week for prepared meals you can just pick up on Sundays. They have their freshly prepared menu, but then also usually have some frozen items as well. Currently I have a pint of their chicken and wild rice soup in the freezer. This week I am going to get some potato and leek soup and a vegetarian tamale pie for the freezer. The soup is enough for 2 meals with a side of some sort while the tamale pie says 2-3 servings. By getting their stuff, I can also have a few "nice" items up there as well.
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    Vacation approaches.

    Our first trip is driving Michigan next week to see my in-laws. I'm planning to track as best as I can and not eat above maintenance. We'll be gone about 10 days. I think this one should be mostly okay - my in-laws don't eat a ton, and most of it is reasonable amounts of relatively simple and healthy-ish foods. We'll be fairly active, lots of walking. I'm not too worried about this one. The drive out and back will be more difficult. My husband LOVES sugary, salty, fatty, calorie-dense car snacks. Even if I don't buy it for myself, it will be sitting right next to me in the car, and I have zero willpower. Though he also has been making an effort to cut down on junk food lately, so maybe he can be convinced to plan on healthier car treats?

    After this trip, we'll be home for a few weeks, then vacationing with my parents in MN for another week on house boat! We've never done that, and I am super excited. But. My mom LOVES to cook, and makes a lot of food. Unlike at my in-laws, I'm going to have to contend with home-cooked comfort (aka filling, delicious, starchy, meaty, buttery) food and lots of it. The good news at least, is that mom and I will do some meal planning together, so I can offer suggestions, make sure there is plenty of fruit to snack on, etc... She knows my cholesterol is up and that I have to watch it, so I think she'll be pretty accommodating. But even so, I know there will just be more food than we need, and constant temptation to eat it. I haven't worried too much about this too much in the past, but I'm still losing the 20 lbs I gained over my last 3 trips home, so clearly I need to worry a bit more about it :lol: . I should be pretty active on this trip - lots of swimming and hiking. But ugh. I'm going to be on a tiny boat full of easily accessible snacks. We will be fully out of cell-phone service, so logging won't even be an option. It is going to be all on me. :neutral:
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Get a journal notebook to track your foods and you can still keep track of your calories…..try to enjoy a few of your favorite foods but don’t go crazy….portion control….convince your husband you really need to eat fruit and veggies and string cheese in the car….make him keep his snacks separate….pack your own goodie bag…..popcorn is a great low calorie snack…make a big batch and put in a plastic container….you can do this!….most of all relax and enjoy yourself….make lots of great memories!
  • rhaiin
    rhaiin Posts: 35 Member
    Has anyone else tried Joyn yet? Its a website with free workout videos for people that are overweight/have mobility issues/etc. I like that the trainers are closer to my size and the videos are more targeted for my fitness abilities. I'm really out of shape and I can never keep up with traditional fitness trainers.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    rhaiin wrote: »
    Has anyone else tried Joyn yet? Its a website with free workout videos for people that are overweight/have mobility issues/etc. I like that the trainers are closer to my size and the videos are more targeted for my fitness abilities. I'm really out of shape and I can never keep up with traditional fitness trainers.

    I had not heard of this but just looked them up. It looks really cool! I have been looking for workouts designed for people more my size and ability. Going to try some of these for sure. The mindfulness boxing stands out as something I may like.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,786 Member
    rhaiin wrote: »
    Has anyone else tried Joyn yet? Its a website with free workout videos for people that are overweight/have mobility issues/etc. I like that the trainers are closer to my size and the videos are more targeted for my fitness abilities. I'm really out of shape and I can never keep up with traditional fitness trainers.

    @pdb101 - I just read your post, and then read this. Maybe something helpful here?
  • pdb101
    pdb101 Posts: 2 Member


    @pdb101 - I just read your post, and then read this. Maybe something helpful here?[/quote]

    Laurie, thanks for the heads up. I'm going to take a look.

  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    I hope you find the answers you are looking for….hang in there…
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,292 Member
    I do hope you find answers Alexandra! :heart:
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    rhaiin wrote: »
    Has anyone else tried Joyn yet? Its a website with free workout videos for people that are overweight/have mobility issues/etc. I like that the trainers are closer to my size and the videos are more targeted for my fitness abilities. I'm really out of shape and I can never keep up with traditional fitness trainers.

    I had not heard of this but just looked them up. It looks really cool! I have been looking for workouts designed for people more my size and ability. Going to try some of these for sure. The mindfulness boxing stands out as something I may like.

    Gonna update on this.

    I actually really am liking this site. They have a very wide variety of workouts. I have done boxing, dance, and some basic stretching so far (dealing with some back issues so been keeping it easy). I feel good after the workouts... and I don't feel like a failure like I do with some other videos where I can't keep up or can't do a move as shown.

    I also like that they have a good selection of seated workouts. When my back, hip, or knee flare up, it's nice that I can still get some movement in without too much stress on them.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    So I am thinking of doing something odd.

    I want to log what I eat this week but without thought of my deficit. Just try and listen to my body, eat what I want, but log it. I think seeing what I eat "normally" might help me in the long run because I will be able to pinpoint problem areas. Then, when I go back into a deficit next week, I will know where I can cut things out and where I ran into issues. Like eating after dinner or mindless snacking. Can I use this week to really focus on those habits and start to heal them? Obviously it will take more then a week to heal those problems, but I think that may be the step I need to take before I can be successful in losing weight.

    Any thoughts?
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    If this works for you, I think it is a great idea…if I did this, it would be very difficult for me ….I know my problem area is sweets….eating mindfully, I would eat sweets until I was full!…
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I should also mention that I am starting to feel anxiety about food again and beginning to have the intrusive negative thoughts when it comes to "good and bad" or punishing myself for eating something. So I need to break that NOW before it becomes really bad and unhealthy.
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    So I am thinking of doing something odd.

    I want to log what I eat this week but without thought of my deficit. Just try and listen to my body, eat what I want, but log it. I think seeing what I eat "normally" might help me in the long run because I will be able to pinpoint problem areas. Then, when I go back into a deficit next week, I will know where I can cut things out and where I ran into issues. Like eating after dinner or mindless snacking. Can I use this week to really focus on those habits and start to heal them? Obviously it will take more then a week to heal those problems, but I think that may be the step I need to take before I can be successful in losing weight.

    Any thoughts?

    I think that is a great idea. Eat what you need, what feels good, what you want, and then tweak where needed. As you of course know, there is no need to force yourself to eat "good" food, or punish yourself for eating "bad" food. And if this helps you break out of mentally categorizing food like that, then I think you should go for it! Make sure you take care of yourself - that can be a slippery slope, so it is great you recognized and are addressing it early on!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,786 Member
    @Athijade - you are being very responsible. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry when I read your second explanatory post. Been right there the past few days and I wish I had switched things up a bit before I hit that point.

    Maybe it doesn't matter when we address red flags - just so long as we do.

    Keep us posted. Please. Share how this is feeling for you so we can garner a bit of wisdom along the way.

    I'm thinking this sounds like "mindful" eating with some support. Logging can act like a brace on a questionable joint...hopefully just helping it not go completely out of place.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member

    I'm thinking this sounds like "mindful" eating with some support. Logging can act like a brace on a questionable joint...hopefully just helping it not go completely out of place.

    That is sort of what I am hoping for.

    When I started with my current therapist, one of the things we discussed was the negative thoughts I had around food like the ones I mentioned in my second post. At the time I was way undereating because I was being so picky about what I could have because of evil calories. I was having full blown meltdowns and panic attacks at home and in stores because I JUST wanted a pizza or a candy bar. Just one... but I couldn't because those were "bad".

    Her suggestion was intuitive eating or mindful eating, but I was too scared to do it. Not count calories?!? Oh dear oh no!!

    I am thinking this may be a nice balance to hopefully help the mental aspect without letting myself get totally out of control. By tracking I will be mindful about what I eat and what impact those foods and those amounts have on me mentally and physically. It will give me data that I don't have.

    Honestly, this may be a more then 1 week thing. It may be a couple weeks or at least until I see my therapist again. But my hope is that once I can see the things I am looking for, that I can then slowly reduce the calories without ended up in a bad place again. It's an experiment. I can't end up in a worse place then I am now.

    I will be sure to keep everyone posted. I am not going anywhere. The community here has helped me through a few dark patches and I am forever grateful.

  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Please keep us updated because we do care about you!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,292 Member
    Are these thoughts coming in after large or long periods of deficits, or are they un-related? Plan sounds like a good experiment for the circumstances!
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Are these thoughts coming in after large or long periods of deficits, or are they un-related? Plan sounds like a good experiment for the circumstances!

    They come after I have been in a deficit for a period of time. I will do great for a few weeks or a month, then I start getting the food anxiety once that honeymoon period is over. I know it is tied to having to restrict my calories and it is taking that into hyper focus and to an extreme.

    I see my therapist on Monday and will talk to her about this. See what she wants me to do.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,292 Member
    Without being AT ALL ANYTHING of a "specialist", it does seem not unknown for large/extended deficits to exacerbate food ideation (and possibly to trigger or re-resurface dormant ED). I realize that it doesn't necessarily appear to help with weight loss... but a maintenance break may reset some of this depending on how hard it's hitting.

    Take care.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,786 Member
    Just read this article about hydration. I'm sure there are better ones out there - but this came across my screen and I learned some things!

    Thought I would share the link:

    https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210802-is-water-always-the-best-choice-on-a-hot-day
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Sorry you are going thru this…on some level we all have issues with food…always here for you and please keep us updated on your progress!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,786 Member
    Another sideroad in the food journey. Hope this approach brings you some calm, @Athijade. Glad you are sticking around - keep us updated about how this approach feels.