Help with my diet!!

[irishchick93]

Posting for traffic.

With 2 small children my diet has gone to complete shambles.

I literally eat chocolate and crisps all day long. I'm slim and 8stone so the weight isn't the issue. I feel so rubbish and in a rut!! I buy fruit and cut it etc and all healthy foods for kids but I actually can't think for the past week or 2 if I've eat any protein or fruit or veg. I just grab from the cupboard and run. They are small enough to jot notice what I'm eating so I'm not worried about that. I really need some motivation to eat better my skin and hair is crap I'm so bloated and I have literally zero energy I just don't know where to start as I have always had a poor appetite and always snacking.

How can I implement healthier choices

Why don't you cook enough for all 3 of you to eat together?

Don’t buy chocolate and crisped, if you haven’t got them in you can snack on them.

meal plan and think about what you want to eat over the week.

what sort of food do you like and perhaps people can share quick recipe ideas for you?

Thanks for replying. I'm very fussy and always have been. I don't eat meat and I don't actually like most healthy foods.

I know this is up to me to motivate myself but I actually just can't find the energy 😕

I have eaten 3 x kinder beunos today an ice cream, a jambon, milkshake, crisps, cheese on toast. Not one thing nutrional. I sound so lazy but I think I'm stuck in a rut with myself.

Could you make one small change, starting with breakfast? I find eating something healthier at the start of the day sets me off on the right foot.

Perhaps a smoothie?

Agree with pp. Start small. A smoothie for breakfast might be good. Almond milk, banana, frozen blueberries, honey blended in a nutribullet is really nice and it has vitamins, fibre plus a little bit of protein from the milk.

Keep a supply of various salad items that you like. Also frozen peas and sweet corn. Then make omelettes or jacket potatoes/sweet potatoes and various fillings like tuna or cottage cheese.

write a list of things that you do like / will eat and go from there. Limit yourself to a certain amount of the junk food a day - eg one bag of crisps and one chocolate bar (a twirl sized one rather than a family sized bar).

Don’t buy the crisps and chocolate. Honestly that sounds like a lot of junk food to keep at home. The problem is you’re grabbing what’s easy and in the cupboards. Work out what healthy snacks you enjoy and only have them available - you say you’re fussy but can you start with anything that is healthy and you already like? Then you can start to expand from there and maybe introduce some more new things.

I don't even have this junk in my house. Stop buying this processed crap!

Bake with the kids. Cheese straws or savoury scones to eat!

It might be easier to work backwards.

What foods do you like?

Also a daily multivit with minerals wouldn't be a bad idea.

Your kids are young enough to not notice what you eat now, but that won't last for long so well done for identifying that this is something you want to improve on!

Thanks everyone for the help!!

Can any recommend a good multivitamin??

Sorry but the easiest solution is not buy any of that crap. And don't just take a multivitamin, they shouldn't used to make up for a poor diet. You need to improve your diet for the sake of your kids, they will follow your eating behaviour. Work out what you do like to eat, and work backwards from there. Meal plan for the whole family, get kids involved. I'd be very worried about your dental health as well!

The best way to start and to get some specific suggestions is to give us a list of the healthy foods you do actually like?

A multi-vitamin is a good idea, but don't be fooled into thinking it will make the crisps and chocolate OK. It helps, but you need to focus on your food.

How old are you?

I used to be like this and it caught up with me

Well you know that this cannot go on if you want to model healthy eating for your children. It is important for you to eat well to give you the energy that being a mother of young children entails. You will continue to feel sluggish eating like this. Are you in the position of having a family member who could help you with cooking tips etc?

I'm a big snacker too.

I swapped crisps for lentil chips (they taste close enough to crisps for me to actually choose them rather than buy them and ignore).

fruit & seed oatcakes (effectively biscuits, with more nutrition and less sugar).

I prep veg weekly in little pots ahead of time so I have no excuse even when I'm in a rush, even if it's just carrot sticks - you could do this since you do fruit anyway.

I buy high protein yoghurts. Houmous. High protein bagel with cream cheese or cucumber, or your choice of topping.

M&S do a great veggie breakfast in a box you can just microwave in 2 mins and it has protein, veg etc and actually tastes really nice. They also have a bunch of healthy snacks, like boiled eggs, pre-done high protein overnight oats etc.

she has no time, and baking requires even more time with kids!

You need to start modelling healthy eating for your children.

I'm 29. Caught up in what way?

Caught up with me as in I was really skinny and ate loads of junk. Got to mid 40’s and put on 3 stone.

So the thing is, most people given the choice would choose a kinder bueno over a stick of celery (cue the MN mummys telling me their 3 year old would always choose the celery...), but you're the adult here. You need to parent yourself the way you parent your children. You wouldn't let them eat the way you do, so just don't do it. What is a jambon? I'd have guessed ham?

Do you have a partner? Could you do hellofresh or gusto? If no partner you could get the meals for two and take the leftovers for lunch. Cuts out so much mental load and forces you to eat what you order or see it go to waste.

You need to radically change the way you see your body. It is the most important thing you have, so why are you treating it so badly? You're going to need it to keep functioning for maybe another 60 years if you're going to be around for your DC and their DC, enjoying life to the maximum so you need to care for it properly. Just as you would anything else that was precious and essential. Its just as easy to grab and run healthy as unhealthy. A piece of chicken breast, a banana, a bag of carrots, a pot of natural yoghurt. Nuts instead of crisps. Replace your white carbs with whole grain/brown versions. Whatever junk you reach for come up with a substitute and buy that instead. It doesn't have to be complicated. You could even make healthy smoothies so you could get your 5 a day in a drink.

Why are you grabbing and running if you have the time to cut up fruit and prep healthy foods for your kids? When you do this, set always aside a portion for yourself to snack on. As I asked above, what do you like and dislike? I know you say your kids don't notice because they're young, but they will be registering that their mummy doesn't eat the same as them. As they become older, they'll question it and then it becomes a problem.

Probably weight! It will pile on when you are older and the bad habits will be harder to shift as they’re so ingrained.

What small changes do you think you can make?