To ask for help with my health

[Cerealkillers]

NC’d for this as I’m embarrassed to be a 40something woman & not managed to sort my bad habits out.

Bit of background, I’ve had anxiety GAD for all of my adult life (diagnosed & medicated) & it’s mentally & physically draining. I work full time in a position with lots of responsibilities but I’m not looking after myself & it’s become evident I can’t go on like this.

My diet is bad, toddler with free reign in a supermarket bad. I’ve smoked since around the age of 14 after bowing to peer pressure & use it as a crutch when feeling anxious. The only plus is I rarely drink as it makes the anxiety worse, went out to the pub this weekend & my heart was racing in the taxi home. Finally fell asleep 4hrs later so feeling particularly crap today.

That’s the last time I have more than 3 drinks & I’ve signed up to Stoptober & ordered a vape kit.

Exercise is non existent, I sit behind a desk all day & I suspect due to poor nutrition have no energy or motivation to do anything after work.

Poster here for traffic and a kick up the arse! I have the beginnings of a plan but could use some advice/tips.

What exercise at home would you recommend for a confirmed couch potato? Meals that can be batch cooked at the weekend? Currently 2st overweight which is surprisingly low considering my poor diet!

Oh & I’m a thread killer/invisible poster so hoping I break that duck here.

I'd batch cook a load of mince (5% fat) with done chopped tomatoes and whatever veg you like. Can turn into space bol, chilli, serve with a jacket potato...

Exercise wise, is go with walking. Build up slowly. At home- have you got space/ money for an indoorbike?

I’m looking at Lesley Sansome (?) on YouTube as walking where I don’t feel safe in the dark where I live. Would that work just as well? The indoor bike I do have space for so will definitely look at that.

Mince is a good idea, I’m hoping to up my protein and reduce the ridiculous amount of non nutritional carbs too.

Not a huge amount of help but if you have a lunch break can you go for a walk mid-day? Less draining than after work, and gets you away from your desk. Otherwise is there a local walking group you could join?

Do you have a slow cooker you can batch cook in and then freeze for meals? We invested in that and a soup maker which ensures my assorted teens have access to decent food at all hours. They just grab something and microwave it.

Anything is a positive step in the right direction. Small steps lead to giant leaps - we're not all equipped to go straight to giant leaps.

Also do you have a hobby? I know when my Mum gave up smoking she needed something to do with her hands so took up some crafts. Have to confess I learnt to crochet as a management strategy for anxiety. Repetitive motion and busy hands stops me comfort eating and getting agitated.

Lots of luck and you're not invisible x

Consider swopping beef mince for turkey mince? That’ll help cut a bundle of calories.

Do you have a wii? I know they did a load of exercise games, wii sports or something like wii Zumba?

I can be a thread killer too so apologies in advance 😂 I don't do as much exercise as I should (none) any more but I try to do thing such as walk up and down stairs in the adverts on tv or if I'm taking washing upstairs do it in a few goes rather than all in one go. Doesn't necessarily feel too much then but it is a small first step. When I am more motivated I like exercise videos on YouTube.
Good luck.

Good on you for recognising that you need to make changes. That’s the first step. Start off day by day. Small steps. starting to make homemade healthier meals could be he first one. Next week go for a walk or a swim.
You will get there, just do a bit at a time and don’t give up!!! X

Also just thinking of easy quick healthy things- roasted vegetables with a bit of grated cheese on a baked sweet potato?
Also fish and rice is really quick and easy, especially microwave rice...

I'd recommend just starting with walking - a brisk walk is such an underrated form of exercise imo and can increase your fitness levels significantly which will you give you more energy and confidence to start other more intense forms of exercise in the future.

Listening to a podcast or audio book can be a nice way to pass the time. Get a comfy pair of shoes on and a good coat and you'll be prepared for all weathers. Why not start with 30mins a day and increase from there?

Start with one meal at a time. Maybe a high protein breakfast to set you up for the day. Walk rather than drive short distances, get off the bus a stop sooner for example. Try to choose options with less sugar (ie. Plain yoghurt and fresh fruit), lower fat mince. Have a look at Hairy Bikers diet books, they have all sorts of recipes from quick "takeaways" to batch cooking, using relatively few ingredients but with lots of favour. Often cheap in The Works or on amazon.

Thank you for your replies, my lunch break is short but I could get out for 10 minutes a day.

Is there a trick to cooking turkey mince? The couple of times I’ve tried it it was so dry & ended up as a paste unlike beef mince.

Baked sweet potato sounds good as do soups, especially for upping my vegetables.

Walking up & downstairs during the ads is a great idea, will definitely be trying to move more than I sit!

Used to have a Wii years ago, I’ll have a look to see how much they are.

One last quick meal idea from me.... If you like eggs, whiz a couple up, stick some roasted/ fried veggies in, mix around and pop in an oven dish for 20 minutes.

Good luck OP. You can do it. Like Pp said. Slowly but surely x

I think I’ve got the Hairy Dieters book in the loft, I didn’t unpack my books when I moved house recently. I know the Atkins diet is also up there somewhere unread

Another thread annihilater here so fingers xd you get more replies after this.

I’d start with very small changes so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by too much too soon.
Do you get a lunch break at work ? If so could you try 15 mins brisk walking. Walk up any stairs rather than lifts/escalators.

Keep low calorie snacks at home so you don’t feel deprived of all treats - you can get sugar free biscuits and things like wotsits are under 100 calories.

For batch cooking you could do filling and satisfying stuff like dhal, Chicken masala using yoghurt and baked chicken thighs. Drink more water.

Unless you are pretty disciplined (or can get one very cheaply) I’d not bother with an exercise bike.

Love eggs & it’s quick & simple too, thanks Eggo

Not at all disciplined but I’m thinking about cycling in front of the tv in the evenings. I do need to drink more water, I’ve gone ne today with one cup of tea and a glass of lemonade!

Don’t bother with low fat yogurt or other dairy - full fat will keep you fuller for longer and is more nutritious.

If you have a tendency to snack at work, just make a cup of peppermint tea each time you feel the urge - most of the time we think we are hungry, we are actually thirsty.

Every time you use or make a sauce, make too much and freeze some - makes cooking something when you get home a lot easier

If the turkey is dry it means you’ve over cooked it, it’s a very quick cook. You can also make burgers from turkey mince, also koftas.

Also easy flatbreads, equal g’s of self raising flour (plus a little bit of baking power, like 0.5-1tsp) and fat free natural/Greek yoghurt. There’s loads of recipes online for this but they double as naan breads if made thick or can be used as things like pizza bases.

Do you think you’d enjoy something like weightwatchers or slimming world? Might give you a kick start?

I like Greek yoghurt so try and stock up when it’s on offer, thankfully it has a long use by date. Snacking is currently out of control at work so I really need to chose healthier options.

That makes sense WeirdCatLady I cooked it as I would beef mince.

I did follow WW but gave up as I was flying through the points in the first few days. I’ve downloaded MyFitnessPal and set calories at 1500 as a starting point.

I love hairy bikers diet books. I'm an incredibly bad cook and even I can follow these. Cook big batches and individual freeze. Walking is great. I've started walking to work and back instead of getting the bus. If you drive then park 10 mins away and walk the rest. I've found I don't hate circuits classes at the gym. 30mins after work a couple of days a week. Did some research and weights are better than cardio for 'older' women. So pilates type exercise can be good with weights: dvds available so you can do at home.

My DP has dumbbells that I could use, I was reading about the benefits of weights the older you are so I’m going to have a look at Amazon for some DVDs. Some great ideas here, thank you all for your responses.

Snack wise, I try to take something that is effort to eat and not exactly delicious, like carrot sticks or celery , so that I don't just scoff it all!