Wanting to Pick the Brains of All You Mamas (And Possibly Daddies)

When I feel like I need to eat more vegetables but like you, feel like I don't have time to prepare, I bite the bullet and buy a pre-made veggie tray. A small tray ranges from $5 - $10. They usually have mini carrots, celery and broccoli in it. Other than rinsing them, there is no preparation. I can leave them in the fridge and grab a few pieces when I feel snacky or hungry...better than a bag of M&Ms! Once I start craving veggies again, then I start buying fresh veggies in bulk and cut up my own. Good for you on wanting to be healthier. You can do it!

Sleep deprivation, can lead to weight gain.
That is a medical fact.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness...

Half of every plate I make is fruit or veggies. I work out 30 minutes or more every day.

It's pretty much a lifestyle change, but I've lost 50 lbs and in a good way that will stay off. You really just have to decide you want it-and make it happen.

You can do it.
Two things: reduced calories (but make them count & make them healthy
but yummy) AND exercise.

Squeeze in exercise whenever you can. Walk. Fast. Whenever poss.

Park far away at the grocery store. Maybe not at work when you have to walk to car late.

Eat 3 main meals a day. 3 mini snacks a day.

Try to eat protein w/each meal. Ex: low cal bread w/peanut butter
salad w/chicken on top
half bagel w/3 sm slices of cheese

Example of typical day:
brkfst: hard boiled egg, slice of low cal toast
snack: low fat protein bar
lunch: salad w/grilled chicken on top (low cal dressing)
snack: granola & yogurt
dinner: grilled chicken, grilled veggie (like zucchini), some brown rice
snack: handful of nuts

Other ideas to mix in:
grilled shrimp
veggie burger/1 slice of bread
lots of salads (ltl bit of low cal dressing)
fruit
fruit salad
3 sm slices of cheese w/10 whole grain crackers
grilled chicken tacos
piece of grilled salmon
corn on the cob
steamed zucchini
asparagus
stir fry, steamed white rice

On the weekend make ahead & freeze:
low cal lasagna
taco meat

grilled veggies

I'm not much of a cook, but I like to be a healthy eater and I AM a snacker, so here is what I do. When I get home from the grocery store I wash and cut up a whole bunch of fruit and veggies (anything that won't go bad in one day) So I ALWAYS have baby carrots, broccoli, all different colored peppers, grape tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries and grapes sealed in containers ready to eat. If I'm starving and looking for something to snack on I am much less likely to pull out the head of broccoli, wash it, cut it..... I'll just eat something else! But if it's all sitting there ready for me, I'll eat it. It helps, too, if you find a good low-cal dip or salad dressing. Right now I'm eating Marzetti's Spinach Salad dressing. My grocery store has it in a little fridge right in the produce section. I dip everything in it and it only has 1.5 grams of fat! I hope that helps a little (at least for the snacking part of your day!) Sometimes I get so full on my veggies while I'm making a meal for my kids, that I don't even need to eat dinner.

Lucky You Summer is Coming. Day light, more hours and Lots of great fruits and veggies are coming. Prepare as much as you can in one shot and make it easy to grab and go with fresh healthy food. The other thought is to get a large ball you can sit on and bounce while at work, use the stairs when you can, walk whenever you can. Slip in the healthy choices into what you have to do already. You have so much going on, big changes may not stick, small changes that are manageable will help. I know not recipes but words of encouragement and a reminder that you are not alone.

I honestly think your body is running on it's last resources. For you to lose weight you need to be healthy or your body just does not cooperate.

I have a friend who has an 18 year old Autistic son and an 8 year old still at home. She recently started a job where she works from midnight to 9am during the week and if she works on weekends she stays from midnight until 1pm the next afternoon. She has to be awake during the days to care for the kids too. She is barely functioning.

I have been watching her hardly take time to eat 5 bites of food at any meal and try to exercise and take care of herself.

If you are not getting the correct amount of sleep for your body to repair issues and fight off illnesses it will not let go of it's stored resources. You are asking your body to do even more when it is running on it's last resource.

Put it this way. Let's say you have a best friend who is a SAHM. She runs after kids all day, tries to get an hour or two nap in when the kids go down, does a pretty good job of managing them and taking care of them.

Since she is taking care of the kids all day she stays up each night cleaning house, doing dishes, laundry, mopping, washing windows, etc...

What would you tell her she needs to do first and foremost. She needs her 8 hours of sleep so she can function and her body does not stay in resource mode.

You cannot ask more of your body than it is already giving if you do not get you right amount of hours of sleep. If you are getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep per day then you might find that you can work on loosing weight too.

I would check how many carbohydrates I was eating per day and go from there. You need to get the rest to get your body back to it's best health then start dieting. I do not think dieting, cutting calories, makes people lose weight, I think that making sure you are eating healthier over all and taking care of your body makes the difference.

Cutting calories in a body that is operating at it's minimal resources is only going to starve the body, not make it healthier.

Mama:

YOU MUST MAKE TIME FOR SLEEP!!! If you do not sleep - your body will not be able to regenerate and it will cause weight gain.

Drink plenty of water.
COOK your foods - do not buy prepared foods or fast food - I know it's hard.
Make menus for the week. If you like to cook on the weekend - make as many meals as you can for the week on the weekend and freeze them - take them out the day you need them and pop 'em in the oven.

Don't forget - it's not just about calorie consumption - it's what you eat...
good carbs vs. bad carbs (foods that break down directly into sugar)
white bread
white rice
processed foods

You also need to find out how your body metabolizes foods like peas and corn - as for some people who have diabetes these two foods will send them into a sugar spike and then drop or bottom out.

Don't be down or hard on yourself. You aren't settling. You are trying to do something about it. It will work. Please make time for sleep - make sure your husband knows you need sleep so that he can pick up some of the slack. You are NOT alone.

Also - check out Weight Watchers for recipe ideas. If you can afford it - join and learn more about food, calorie intake, etc.

YOU CAN DO IT!!

I like to mix nuts and craisins and carry them in my purse for a snack

Just three thoughts for you that help me:
•Crockpot. Throw chicken, beef, pork, stew, soups in there when you get home from work.
•Eat food that look s the same way it did when nature was done making it. (Fresh fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, grains, etc. No processed foods--yes, easier but WAY worse for you!)
•Cook ahead & have a plan for what you'll have each day for dinner.
•Buy Hearts of Romaine lettuce in the 3 pack. Keeps well, and O. "bunch" is the perfect size for a salad for 3 or 4. Toss in lots of extra veggies, dried cranberries, toss with EVOO and balsamic vinegar, add some cooked chicken and dinner is done.
•I love tuna, chopped apple and low-fat mayo for tuna salad. Extra crunch, easy to make, extra fruit serving, lean protein & YUMMY!
That's all I got!
Good luck!

Lack of sleep is a big contributor to gaining weight so try to rest when you can, if you can get a straight 6 hours would help. Don't eat processed foods. Your schedule makes it easier to grab something quick that only needs to be heated up.

Eat lots or fruit and veggies (mostly ones that are high in fiber), small portions of meats, and whole grains. When you can take the little one outside and run around or walk around the block a few times. You don’t need to go to extremes, but at least an hour a day of exercise.

When I lost my weight ( heaviest was over 200) I just cut my portion size. I never let myself have seconds even if I was still hungry, then I would always make sure I left some food on my plate. When that was working and I was getting full on that then I cut my serving size a little more and would leave some food on my plate. It took about a month before I was eating the right amounts of food. That helped alot.

Take your son for a long walk or to the park and let him wear himself out so you both can get a nap before you have to go to work. Sleep is important for weight loss.

Toss out all soda even diet! I drank one pop in the morning otherwise I would get horrible headaches from not having the caffeine then it was water the rest of the day. Now when I need to loose some pounds for an up coming event I will cut out all soda for a couple of weeks and loose about 10lbs right there.

I don't have any low cal recipes, but just make sure you are using fresh/ frozen veggies and low/ no salt foods. Wheat or multigrain is better than regular anything ( pastas, breads).

Good luck with a few small changes to your diet and eating habits it will help so much! You can do this and will do it!

hey hon, keep GOOD snacks around. don't even let yourself buy any cokes, chips, cookies, etc. that may not be an issue, just saying.
i've lost 27 lbs in about a year - not a lot but i'm so proud of myself! i was at 203 a year ago, so i feel ya' girlfriend - you're not alone.
you do have a crazy work schedule though, bless your heart.
i have tried to focus LESS on dieting and just more on eating whole foods.
i read something the other day that if WE don't know what something is, our body won't either. so they recommended whole foods - hard boiled eggs, avocados, almonds, veggies, fruits, fish, chicken, etc.
bbq you some chx on the weekends - freeze that sucker - SO FREAKIN' GOOD! steam squash/zucchini - takes approx TEN minutes - not bad, even when you're busy. cut up fresh cucumbers & have that as a side w/supper. also, girl, i go to ALDI now. bagged salad, spinach, etc is only $1.69 so i'm able to eat salad daily now. i add GOOD fat - blue cheese crumbles, dried cranberries & a lil raspberry vinagairette and GIRL...that's some good stuff right there! lol
100% whole wheat bread for sandwiches. as far as lunch-y stuff - tuna salad - very few calories, half an apple, teaspoon of relish, that's like at MOST 120 calories, slap it on some whole wheat bread & you're good to go! i'm telling you ALDI is the bomb! fresh strawberries - 99 cents! crazy! as you can tell, i'm not much of a COOK, per se, i cook regular meals for the fam (me & my boy) but i always add that veggie in there.
sorry if this is wordy but eating BETTER not on a diet has truly helped me lose weight. also, make you some pinto beans. soak over night, add a couple pieces of ham, salt, pepper, etc & cook while you're at work. SO good....lasts a long time and is a WHOLE food.
ooohhh!!!! here's' a big hug to you. skinnies don't know how hard it can be for us full-figured women - lol. :)
good luck mama! :)

Check out The Primal Blueprint & Primal Blueprint cookbooks by Mark Sisson. Mark's book changed my life and made me realize that everything I was taught about nutrition was wrong. He even goes into why diets don't work and the right way to eat so that you don't feel like you are being deprived of anything.

Your big meal should be breakfast. That's the best time to carb load, bacon and eggs, biscuits and gravy, anything that sticks to the ribs for awhile.
Lunch, a little smaller than breakfast but something with protein, egg salad sandwiches work well.
Dinner needs to be small and easy to digest, protein is best left out at dinner time.... eating meatless dinners helps you sleep better, digests easier and leaves you less bloated.
Drink a bottle of water when you first feel hungry, you can never go wrong getting in that habit.
My favorite hunger zapping snack is celery with peanut butter.
Green tea is a good appetite suppressant.

the more home cooked stuff you do the less calories so cook instead of eating out. that is a good first step. I hit that same milestone myself of deciding I am going to do it this time.

cook as much as possible on the grill. that way your getting fresh grilled meat. do chicken and fish instead of beef and pork.

my current favorite thing is grilled veggies. I got a grilling basket from a friend. I cut up onions, green peppers, red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and either plum tomatoes or fat cherry tomatoes, drizzle with tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and pepper. yummmm i eat a plate ful of those and not much else.

you might want to check into weight watchers cookbooks. go to a second hand store and you can get them for a buck or two. good luck

Don't be so hard on yourself! You're obviously putting the needs of others before your own needs, which makes you a wonderful person. Now you need to forgive yourself for not looking like people whose biggest priority in life is going to the gym.

That said, my quickest, easiest, weight-loss-friendliest recipe is this: Cook lean chicken breasts in curry paste (not powder, paste). Serve this over dark greens (not iceberg lettuce) with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. When I'm being healthy (which is not happening this month, sigh), that's my lunch and dinner right there.

Easy during the week - baked fish (talapia, salmon are my favs) - you can get lots of seasonings that are salt free to give it the kind of taste you like - fresh, steamed veggies - invest in a steamer - they are not expensive - or microwave frozen ones - don't get the veggies with the butter or cheese. Make some brown rice (you can also do the same for legumes or barley) - you can also add to the flavor of this by cooking it in a stock liquid instead of water - you can also add garlic/onion/seasoning etc to the water to give it flavor.

Exercise with your son! If you put on an exercise DVD and do it with him he will probably have fun with you and you will be setting such a great example - if he looses interest, make sure he has some favorite toys out to play with while you finish your work out. You may find at first he doesn't like your attention elsewhere (even for 20-30 min!) but stick to it! Run round outside at the park, take walks together etc.

Good luck!

I've found the best way to lose weight is to not keep any of the bad stuff in the house. If it's not there you can't eat it! :)

Keeping my weight steady is such a constant battle for me! If you can keep every meal to a grilled meat and some veggies the weight will fall off of you. Here's one easy crockpot recipe where you don't have to do any work! I will make up a pot of this and eat on it for 4-5 days. Lunches and dinners.

4-5 frozen boneless chicken breasts in the crockpot
1 can of your favorite picante/hot sauce (we like the medium Ariba)
1 package of the taco seasoning mix
1 small can of chopped green chilies if you like them

Let this cook on low for 6-7 hours. As your chicken gets tender you can shred your chicken up good. Once ready I spoon some into a corn tortilla and eat! Super healthy and delicious!

I've also made this recipe adding black beans and it's yummy.

Why would you post the question as "wanting to pick the brains" rather than, "I am fat"? Of course all of the questions are to pick brains....

I say ditto to the no packaged meals or processed foods--you want to be able to control the amount of fat and salt in your food, and that's impossible with pre-cooked foods. I usually make a couple big pots of soup or stews on the weekends, and that's what we eat during the week, with whole grain bread, rice, or whole grain tortillas. I also don't cook meat, so the protein in my stews comes from pre-soaked dried beans (pintos, kidney beans, great northern white beans, limas) or lentils and split peas (no pre-soaking required). The slow cooker might be ideal for you--cook the beans in it with onions, chopped garlic, and appropriate seasonings such as chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon or two of oil, green peppers, carrots, celery, bay leaf, chili powder, some salt... whatever fits the final taste you want. If you want a thicker stew with grains, you could put in barley or cracked wheat, even some smaller pasta (whole grain).

It probably would be really important for you to bring your own food/snacks to work over night, so you can avoid the high-fat-sugar-salt snack foods available in most vending machines. A good set of reclosable containers that you can reheat food in the microwave would be a wise investment. Of course, finding a way to get the exercise with your kid during the day would be crucial too, along with getting your sleep! I know exercise helps my mind as much as my body. Good luck with everything.

I have seen amazing results with the primal or paleo diet. The most important factor of these diets is no grains or added sugar. You don't count calories, so it is simple. Just eat vegetables and meat, fruit, nuts and healthy fats ( very important!, coconut oil, olive oil and butter). You will feel better and the weight peels off. If you can squeeze in some crossfit activity, all the better!

I haven't read your other responses but did you know that people that work night shifts tend to gain weight? "Scientific studies show that there is a direct link between sleep deprivation and weight gain. There are many hormones that are affected by sleep, and most of them control our appetite, fat, carbohydrate metabolism and the growth of lean muscle. "Here's more info:

http://www.nursetogether.com/Lifestyle/Lifestyle-Article/...

My hubby works 60 hours in about 4 days and has lost 65 pounds since christmas-he hasn't exercised, just cut down his portion sizes, stopped eating processed foods and started drinking water exclusively. Those things don't require any time!
First I would advise you to stop eating beef and pork-way too high in calories and not enough lean proteins. If you are short on time buy the already cooked frozen shrimp-they defrost in a jiffy and you can pretty mush just pour them on salads, soups, whatever.
Make big batches of stuff-cook a turkey on the weekends and then divide it into family sized portions in ziploc bags, label and stick in the freezer if not using immediately. Cook entire packages of chicken-I like the chicken breasts when I am dividing I will pour in barbecue sauce or a combination of herbs before freezing.
My favorite is to buy the huge 5 or 10 pound rolls of ground turkey and cook it all up. In one bag I will add pasta sauce for spaghetti, another taco seasoning for tacos, another maybe beans and tomatoes for chili.
As for your snacks we cook hard boiled eggs and ALWAYS have fresh fruits and veggies cut up and ready to go in the refrigerator. Let us know how you are doing and I'm so glad you are making this decision to become healthier!!!

Try the South Beach Diet book. (Or search for recipes online.) The diet is VERY healthy (was actually designed for heart disease patients) not just a temporary "fad" diet and the book has a LOT of good easy recipes/simple foods that give lots of good ideas, even if you don't use exact recipes. It will change the way you eat forever. And reading the book will make you understand a ton about our weight and our bodies. (You should easily be able to find it at a library, thrift store etc.)

In the meantime:
Increase your fruits and veggies like their going out of style.
Eat ONLY whole grains (bread, rice, pasta etc. Try quinoa, barley, couscous to jazz things up)
Stock up on nonfat/lowfat dairy - cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt and mix em with all your fruits and veggies
EAT MORE FISH & SHELLFISH

I subscribe to "Dinner Tonight" from www.myrecipes.com

Some favorite recipes:
Ancho Pork Tenderloin: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ancho-pork-medallions-100...
Rosemary Chicken and white beans: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/one-dish-rosemary-chicken...
Sesame Soy Salmon: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sesame-soy-salmon-1000000...
Turkey meatballs + store bought tomato sauce + pasta & a salad

Good luck!! And if there's a way, try, try to get more sleep... not sleeping contributes to weight gain :(

2 years ago while i was in school i gained some weight so i just started watching my portions, counting calories and drinking only water .. i ate toast and a fruitcup for breakfast for school (9-2) i would bring a water bottle and one of those 100calorie snack packs cookies/crackers/pretzels. granola bar, whatever (they make tons of them) when i got home from school i would do a half hour on my eliptical and eat a can of plain tuna and a small salad.. for dinner i didnt change what i was eating i just stopped stuffing myself and started eating "normal portions".. i lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks .. diets are hard to stick to you realy have to want it and stick to it and not get discouraged if u dont see results as quickly as you want .. ill admit on the occasion i would allow myself a treat .. i think the biggest thing is not to starve yourself.. its better to eat small meals more often it keeps up your metabolism .. not gna lie i am not looking forward to having to lose all this baby weight at the end of the summer