Has anyone neglected their own diet while parenting young children?

[Shleepymummy]

I have a 3 yo and 5 yo. I work 3 days a week but they're long day so I'm out the house for 11 hours. I'm constantly tidying up, cleaning up, doing life admin. Life is busy.
I've found since having children my personal nutrition has become terrible! I don't know why but I've just stopped eating vegetables, fruit. We eat as a family 4 nights a week and the kids get veg but I don't make myself a portion. Aside from some peas, I just don't fancy it. And after dinner when the kids have fruit, I just want to clean up and crack on rather than sitting myself and having fruit. When I don't work and have lunch at home, I tend to just eat toast or some egg whilst I tidy up what the kids have been having.
On my work days I either buy a pasta salad, salad, sandwich or I just take some snacks from home but don't eat an actual lunch.
Did anyone go through this? I eat meat and carbs but just feel I have completely gone off fruit and veg and can't seem to stomach it. And I just seem to have small portions of things and that be it. Only time I feel I eat a substantial meal with nutrition is if we go out to a restaurant. My weight hasn't been an issue, probably because I'm just eating less but what I am eating is just empty crap in terms of nutrition.
Almost prioritised the kids eating for so long, and then the mess that's made drives me nuts so I want that sorted rather than sitting eating myself and then having to do the mess after.
Been so tired lately and my diet is clearly poor so I could and should change things, but finding it quite hard!! Is this a young child mum phenomenon?!

I think so! I have a 1 and 4 year old and today ive had an iced coffee and some leftover pizza from yesterday. I’m probably going to have cheesy pasta for dinner. The kids will have veg, fruit and a lean protein to go with the pasta but I just don’t bother for myself. I feel awful and would feel better if I ate better but cannot bring myself to. I think in my case it’s a case of “saving” the healthy stuff for the kids? I don’t get a lot of time to go out shopping so when I do I don’t want to “waste” the fruit and veg on me, I want them to have it.

Yes - I felt like this. I think mostly it was just because I was so tired I craved carbs all the time. I would sometimes just eat whatever was left on the DCs lunch plates because I couldn’t be bothered to cook for myself. Half a slice of cheese on toast? That’ll do!
I eventually realised how crap I was feeling and started going to bed earlier, which helped me do more exercise, which made me eat better.

Yes I totally get what you mean, that might be part of it too. This doesn't ever come up in the parenting books and I've blinked, it's been 5 years and I haven't eaten properly in all that time!

Yes.

It does come up. It's part of "losing yourself in motherhood ". It's why so many mums are a bit overweight etc.

I was a size 6/8 pre-baby. I'm a 12 now (I' 5'7") so not awful but I feel huge. Between working 50 hours a week and spending all non-working seconds with my 2 year old and not getting consistent sleep (thank you molars and constant nursery bugs), there is zero energy for myself.

Yes definitely when my dc were younger. I was tired and had no head space or care really about what I ate.

Yep me! Have way too much caffeine and a habit of forgetting/not having time (crap excuse) to eat until I'm starving so I end up binging on sugar and carbs. My iron is low and I've gained weight so I really need to sort it out! I'm just stressed and dc2 is up all night. It happens.

Mines 7

... 🤭

The only reason my diet is vaguely OK is that I tell myself I need to set a good example. If I want my kids to eat veg, they need to see me doing that too.

I mainline sugar when they’re not around, though. Fcking sleep deprivation.