I joined this forum because I feel like I just need a little support. Its hard to overcome something alone, and honestly I feel sorta like I don't deserve help. I know that's not true but after trying and quitting over and over again, it sorta wears your helpers out like crying wolf or something. Pretty soon nobody takes you serious let alone taking your self serious.

I want to go back after loosing weight. I would really like it to be for good, but I have to admit that I am starting to doubt that it will ever happen. Not a good attitude for success, I know. But it's honest.

I am 35, I weighed my self the other day and I weighed 160! I have never been that high. I grew up fat, and never knew what it was like to be small except 6 years ago I did Herbalife FAITHFULLY and went from 236 to 163 in 7 months. It was amazing. I had never felt so good. then...slowly I gained it all back and more. I know I could have kept it off but I just didn't hold my ground. I have lost 50 lbs. on WW and tried all the rest. I know that it's not the diets that caused me to succeed it was my determination and discipline.

So here I am, whining to all of you, really because I feel like I need a little boost to get going. OK a big boost. I know I will need to change a lot of bad habits. Its not impossible but I feel so lazy.

What I do believe that I need is someone to mentor me in cooking. I honestly don't enjoy cooking. I can learn to enjoy it but I would rather snack all day. But I cant, I have a little boy that needs structure and proper meals. I also have a husband that is a truck driver and he is only home a few days a month, , and when he is home, I cook for him my best.

I have in the last year joined WW online, and like it. I lost 17 lbs. last summer and then binged. I still have my membership, but haven't been online for a few months. I can do it but I think my key is planning.

I get frustrated and irritated by cookbooks that have a few good recipes in them but are mostly filled with odd fancy food that I am not sure if anyone eats on a normal basis. I am from the Midwest, and need simple recipes that I can make that don't have a bunch of unusual ingredients.

I am so sorry to vent like this - I guess I just need to let it out, get in gear and go for it.

Thanks for listening,
Breezy

I'm not a great cook - I tend to make the same 7-8 recipes over and over. I know the recipes down cold, I know the calorie count of each one, can make them easily, and they have interchangeable ingredients so they are easy to shop for. That really helped me on the cooking front - cookbooks tend to make me crazy too. I always look for simple recipes on line to add to my list, but still tend to come back to the same 7-8. How old is your son? Does he eat different foods? (I ask because my DSS is picky - it is pretty much nuggets, pizza, spaghetti, jelly sandwich or cereal for him.)

Oh Shannon,

I wish cooking was easier. Maybe thats what I should do is find two weeks worth of simple normal food and repeat adding a "new" more interesting one every week or so. Maybe that would make it less intimadating.

My son is 6, and is not a picky eater I worked really hard to train him to eat what gave him when he was a baby. But he doesn't have eating problems like me.

I really like this site, I have been looking around and cant believe all the beautiful people here.

First of all you DO deserve help -- no matter how many times you have tried and not succeeded. It only takes once to do it for life so you just have to keep plugging away.

And so many of us have tried and failed and there's nothing about crying wolf to this. This is not easy. It is a daily struggle for many people. And it will take time to find the lifestyle that works for you.

So welcome and glad you have decided to tackle this battle yet once again.

Regarding the cooking, one thing I can think of that might make it easier for you in the beginning is to take the meals you would normally make and try small modifications. Extra lean ground beef instead of medium, less low-fat butter instead of full fat and a full amount, whole grain bread instead of white, etc.

Once you start learning ways to make your meals suited to weight loss, and still enjoyable, it's possible cooking may become more enjoyable too. And there's also a food forum here with lots of chatter about tasty things to eat.

Ohmygosh, we all deserve support and help! No one has gotten it right the first try, or second, or third. This is an ongoing process! Each day, each choice is a chance to get back on a road to health.

I'd encourage you to check out some of the accountability threads around the forum to get an idea of meals that work well for some of us. Cooking is a skill and takes some practice. I learned from waching Racheal Ray (don't laugh!), but once you get some techniques down, it is easy to tweak recipes. Some people swear by the George Foreman grill. Crock pots are also way easy.

Good luck!

You can do this!

I have the same snacks and meals over and over again but change up the flavors.

Also, the george foreman grill is a lazy girl's best friend.

Well I think that I've found a treasure here. I have been looking through the recipes here and sucess stories and I think that this is the place for me!

Thanks for your help, and when I get going I'll be sure to get a ticker thing and keep everyone posted. I am going to make sure I am prepared when I start.

Breezy

My rule for cooking is 2 pots and under 30 minutes. I don't mind chopping but I don't want to spend a lot of time cooking.

The internet has literally thousands and thousands of healthy, easy recipes - it doesn't have to be hard.

Here is my favorite recipe - dinner in 30 minutes

Maple glazed salmon over brown rice with steamed broccoli

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbs soy
a little crushed garlic
2 salmon fillets (4 oz each)

Preheat oven to 400.

Marinate salmon for 10 minutes in maple, soy, garlic

Line a baking pan with foil (I'm also big on easy clean up), put salmon skin side down, pour remaining marinade over fish. Bake for 20 minutes.

While salmon is baking, steam broccoli. I am a total cheater and buy the little packages of ready-to-go brown rice from Trader Joe's (Annie Chung also has a line that's for sale at regular grocery stores).

Put a scoop of rice on a plate, lay salmon over rice, spoon some sauce on top. Put broccoli on side.

Enjoy

Glory!

I'm gonna try that, never cooked with salmon before. Sounds like a good first time to me.

Breezy

Welcome to 3fc's Breezy! Have you ever tried Recipe.com? You might find something helpful there.

There are also two excellent threads here with many wonderful recipes for both chicken and vegetables. I'm sorry I don't know how to link them. I've gotten a lot of good ideas from both.

Best of luck to you!

Breezy, welcome to the forum!!

It's a daily, CONSTANT struggle... that's why a lot of us post regularly on 3fatchicks... to get support especially in times like what you mentioned.

You're off to a good start, just keep posting here!

~ tea