Feeling crap need to change

[Ginnypotter44]

Ive always been very up and down with my weight but since having dd 4 months ago I'm really struggling with my eating and I look and feel rubbish. A typical day for me looks like this:

Breakfast
Coffee and a cereal bar or sometimes pancakes and Nutella or a crumpet.

Lunch
Something bread based like a bagel, sandwich or wrap with ham and cheese. Crisps.

Dinner
We use Gousto which are fairly balanced meals but I tend to add extra chips or garlic bread to them because I struggle to get full.

Snacks
Crisps, chocolate, biscuits, breadsticks with cream cheese.

My kitchen isn't the best for cooking, I have an old unreliable oven and limited worktop space, I'm also not a natural cook and don't find any enjoyment in it. But I really need to change. When I was sticking to 1600 calories a day I was eating far better than this so I imagine I'm easily topping 2000 now.

Does anyone have any ideas for healthier more balanced eating for someone who is always hungry and shit at cooking!

I’m in a similar situation my baby is 3 months. I’ve lost a stone but honestly I’m massive and not making an effort anymore. It’s just so hard and with 2 kids I snack a lot. When I have followed the slimming world plan I can lose weight quite easily but I’ve just not got the will power atm!!!

Fruit and veg for your snacks - celery, apples, blueberries, grapes etc etc. None of your snacks are healthy.

Lots more fruit and veg.

Instead of adding more carbs to your dinner add 2 or 3 portions of vegetables or salad.

Sandwich with salad and fruit for lunch. No crisps.

Breakfast could be porridge cooked with berries and no sugar, or plain yogurt with fruit salad. Or something a lot more filling like scrambled eggs, beans on toast, grilled tomatoes, etc.

I find that eggs and tuna are my friend, both so filling and versatile.

It's the amount of sugar you're having that will continuously increase your appetite. It's understandable why you're having it; with a 4-month-old, sleep deprivation will lead to sugar cravings.

You won't have too much time to cook, hence the many quick options, so I won't patronise you by suggesting anything too complicated.

Scrambled eggs for breakfast are a good start and will set you up nicely while taking 5min max to make. You can chuck cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or even bacon bits at them to make them more filling and they are way healthier than a cereal bar. If you do crave something sweet, add a tablespoon full of tomato sauce to dip them in.

For lunch, add lettuce to your sandwich to fill you up more, or a few slices of cucumber, tomato, onion if you like. Swap the crisps for some quick fruit - that can be tinned if you're worried about them going off too quickly and will hit your sweet cravings nicely.

Can you swap your savoury snacks for crackers, cheese and grapes? They will automatically make you feel filled and are healthier than what you have at the moment. Do you like nuts? Nut and fruit mixes are ace for skin and hair, or try the roasted/ salted varieties, which are still better for you than crisps.

I find the Gousto portions more than enough so def don’t add extra!

agree lots more fruit and veg and less sugar

Your sugar intake is off the charts, it's no wonder you feel so awful. More protein and no sugary, processed snacks.

Try making a bowl of fruit salad and a bowl of salad (savoury) every couple of days - keep in the fridge and use for meal times and snacks. Fruit salad is lovely for breakfast.

Don’t buy the crisps, chocolate, biscuits - easier to eat healthily if all you have to hand is healthy food.

I do like eggs, I find them really filling and tasty. But fruit and veg doesn't seem to fill me up. When I'm starving I just want stodgy comforting carbs. Fruit and veg feel watery and unappealing. But I know the lack of them in my diet is meaning I'm missing a lot of vitamins which I'd probably leading to a lot of my problems anyway. I guess when you're knackered and hungry it's too easy to just reach for packet junk food :-(

When I'm starving I just want stodgy comforting carbs

Nuts are a good alternative to crisps when you feel like this - or crackers with a dip like guacamole or salsa, which will give you some veg as well.

Tbh the actual amount you're eating seems pretty normal. Just a bit more fruit and veg/a bit less crisps. Are you finding time to exercise? I feel like that might be the key to feeling less rubbish rather than focusing totally on your diet.

If you need to fill up I'd say add more protein, definitely not the carbs. I get where you're coming from that you want stodge and fruit / veg is watery and just feels meh. Try increasing your veg, add an extra portion as it's almost calorie free but if you can increase your protein so more chicken, fish, eggs then this should help fill you up and keep you away from carbs.

@gannett no I'm barely exercising either which doesn't help. I do try and get out for walks but I'm so tired and have had a lot of post birth issues that have zapped my energy - infected stitches then covid. I just need to find some sort of meal plan than I can make easily and that fills me up but offers more nutritional value. I've done slimming world before which is good for weight loss but not a long term sustainable diet for me.