busy single mom looking for a healthy relationship with food
 

Hi guys! Does anyone have any short cut kind of solutions for an overwhelmed mom who is constantly on the go? I think the best place for me to start is cutting out the fast food.

I'm new to this site and still trying to figure things out, so please be patient. I'm new to this whole thing actually. I tend to not ask for help when I need it, so I have a tough time figuring out how to ask when I get the courage to do so. Does that make sense? Anyhow, I thought this would be a good place. I have to do something. My son keeps calling me "biggie" and I just want to cry.

Thanks in advance.

Hi busysinglemom!

First I want you to give yourself a BIG HUG!:hug: Next I want you to take a moment to WRITE DOWN all the things you did for your son just in the last 24 hours. Next I want you to make ANOTHER LIST. This one is a list of the things you did FOR YOURSELF during the last 24 hours.

If you are like most moms, list #2 is WAAAAAAAY shorter than list #1. Am I right?!!!

So, you are doing lots for your son and probably doing tons of house stuff and feeling overwhelmed, right? When you are in this state of being I think it is close to impossible to NOT use food as a comfort! Being busy and stressed ALWAYS put me into "I need to eat this" mode!

Here's what I think will help. Try to buy foods that you can eat a lot of but will help you stay within a good calorie budget for the day. That means lots of fruits and vegetables and fiber. Either get a PUR water purifier to put on your kitchen faucet at home (about $30) OR buy bottled water that tastes good. Drink plenty of it and quit the soda.

Try to get in some exercise every day. If you can get out of the house when your son is at school (if he's old enough to BE in school!) go walking for an hour. If that won't work, there are many DVDs that you can get at your local library for free that can get you moving right there in your livingroom or familyroom, and you can do them anytime that you want. I've been using DVDs for the last few years and lost lots of weight without ever entering a gym or taking a class!

Yes, fast food is a no-no. It has too many calories and too much fat and not enough nutrition either. If you eat more nutritious foods and drink water, you will find that your body just begins to feel more efficient and a lot less sluggish.

YOU CAN DO THIS! Be sure to give yourself incentives along the way. My favorite is one Lillybelle also likes to do, and that is buy a pair of jeans that is tight. Keep working at the weight loss until the jeans FIT! Try them on each week to see how you are doing. When those get too big, move on to a smaller tight pair! This and of course EXERCISE have helped me lose several pants sizes within the last year even when the weight on the scale isn't moving quite as fast as the inches that are melting off my body.

Check out the site and you will find many,many of us who are fighting the bulge and who are busy moms who are often stressed out. WE ALL need to learn how to take care of ourselves better!

Good Luck! Come back often and post and let us know how it is going for you!

Cheryl

Welcome!!!

Thank you so much for the support. I think that's on that list of things that I need for me but don't take the time to seek out. My mom tries, but she's a size one trying to starve into a zero while calling herself a buffalo and that's just counter productive for me. I think this is really what I need. What's that line from "Jaws"? "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat".

Thanks again and I'll definately keep you posted!!

Welcome! Jump in and ask questions....it's the only way any of us learned the things that work for us.

I was just reading Cheryl's post, and she has such good advice! Fast food is a convenience trap, and it's so bad for you. I also think it becomes a nasty habit just like anything else. Once you break the fast food habit, you won't really even think about it anymore, and you'll be amazed at how much money stays in your wallet. I was shocked! If you are in a rush and need to cave in and pick something up, go for subway. It really is not bad for you! I know a lot of people aren't wild about the amount of bread, but order wheat instead of white, and load the sandwich with tons of veggies. You'll be full and satisfied, and will have eaten something a lot better for you than a big mac.

Other things that I do to help when on the go are packaging individual servings of things as soon as I get home from the grocery store. Those fabulous baby carrots don't do me any good in a two pound bag, but I divvy them up into the little snack size ziploc bags and I can just reach into the fridge and grab one on my way out the door. I now keep fresh fruit like apples and bananas in a basket in the middle of the kitchen table....right there where you see it immediately before you start looking around for something and end up grabbing something unhealthy. Grapes I was and divvy up just like the carrots....quick, easy, on the go snacks.

As a busy mom myself, one thing I've found very useful is my slow cooker. Usually by the end of the day, I'm just exhausted and it's very easy to turn to fast food. But with the slow cooker it's much easier. The day before I throw everything into the slow cooker. Then the next morning I just turn it on. Then at the end of the day, I'll have a healthy meal all ready for me and my family. No matter how tired I am! :)

There are tonnes of healthy slow cooker recipes out there. I think it's one of the best inventions for a busy mom! :)

Good luck to you!

:welcome: busysinglemom!!!

Something I find that helps is cooking a large amount of food and then portioning it off and popping it into the freezer. Usually I do this for dinner. Then when I want to eat it, I'll take it out of the freezer that morning and by suppertime it is ready to heat up. Some foods are not meant to be frozen, but in general I find it works quite well.

My mom does this. SHe is totally into the healthy lifestyle now and she makes food for the entire week. She marinates the meats, cooks the soaps, etc. for an entire week (usu on a Sunday) . Thus, all she really needs to do is "cook" the carb portion for the days -- like rice or pasta and the other stuff is already made, just need to be thawed out. SHe is also a BIG fan of the George Foreman grill. She doesn't fry anymore.

Also, she drinks Seltzer water instead of regular coke or diet coke. Sometimes all you really crave is the carbonation.