Best diet for no routine?

[TheVeryHungryDieter]

I work 3 days a week and the other 2 I am at home with DS(4) and DD(2). The weekends we are away or have friends over or are celebrating something with friends, most weekends. We have very few weekends where we have one or more days free at home. Likewise when I'm at home I'm doing preschool run and activities and play dates with the kids, so we don't spend a lot of time making meals.

What diet can I do? I feel like I'm always eating! I don't need to eat much in the evenings but I find I'm starving after work as I eat an early lunch and then never want to cook, so I end up eating chunks of bread and cheese, or snacking on crisps (I don't even like crisps! I only buy them for DH!) as DH eats at work in the evening so won't want a meal but he will pour a glass of wine when the kids have gone to bed.

Kids are in the house all week even when I'm at work (nanny) so we have copious stocks of bread, cheese, pasta, fruit etc etc. As well as loads of veg. There is lots to cook, I'm just usually shattered and can't bear making two lots of meals, one for them and one for me.

I don't drink much wine but I will probably have 3-4 gin and tonics in a week. Reluctant to cut that out as it's my social thing and I've already lost most of my head for alcohol and don't want my tolerance to drop off completely.

Is there something? Where I can use convenience foods on working days, cook for whole family on weekends and not have to worry about days out and about with the kids?

I have exactly the same problem. Trouble is I know what to do (did it before pre kids as normal for a few years,) and am struggling to mange it this time.

What I used to do:
Log everything in my fitness pal
Try to stick to 1200 calories a day
Apple or low cal cereal for breakfast mon-thurs
Can of tuna or chunk of chicken breast with leaf salad and balsamic vinegar for lunch mon-thurs
NO SNACKS
Whatever you like for supper every day but only fruit for pudding 4 days a week
Drink what you like (within reason)
30 minutes jog 4 days a week/walk everywhere possible
Whatever you like for breakfast/lunch on weekends but with an eye on the calories app.

It worked like a dream and was my basic way of eating (rather than a diet,) for two years pre children. It also worked perfectly post DS1 and I went right back to previous dress size and weight pretty easily. Now I have ds1 (4yo) and ds2 (2 yo) like you and my self control is really kicking it in the teeth. I NEED someone/thing to rein me in on tidying the boys' supper and have just downloaded the app again. Ideally I'd have a person to help remind me not to eat but DH won't do it as he's worried about coming across as a f*cker/annoying me and doesn't seem as bothered as I am about how I look. I'm a stone over what to be, which should be easy to lose but I've been like this for over a year now.

If you want to try to motivate each other I'd be up for it?

I'm up for it! I'm just back from Easter break with family, where we visited three families and they all stuffed us to the gills, so I'm breaking the scales today!

That is exactly my situation - even down to the stone to go! Logically speaking, just like you, I know what to do, as I lost two and half stone when DS was little (I weighed less than my pre-pg weight) and maintained it relatively easily for two years until DD came along - but my family life is hard to diet around now.

I don't know how to manage a new routine on top of juggling everything else, and I don't know how to get in the groove and stay in it!

Even getting exercise is hard as we moved recently and the commute is tight and there's no leftover room in the day. 7.45am dropoff, 8am train and 8.55am at desk, then the same in the evening - 5pm leaving work, 5.05 train and 6pm pickup - it's as tight as it can be. And with DH working longer hours and no family support I feel a bit trapped, I can't even go anywhere with the kids for exercise unless I'm walking at 4-year-old speed and pushing a buggy!

Maybe 5:2 might work? It's only two days to have to plan for. Work is easy enough as I'm sitting down drinking water all day and don't feel the time pass, it's just when I get home and need to eat but then get roped into other things because DH and kids don't want to eat so I do stuff with them instead, but then get too hungry later.

I have heard that the thing with 5:2 and tracking is, that even on your off days you're still more aware of what you're eating (and therefore more likely to bin your 4-yo's leftover spaghetti instead of helping him finish it!)

I'm another one without a real routine. I also don't spend a lot of times on meals, but following on from reading another thread of b the book 'Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal', I have started doing a version of 16:8 based on that. I eat my main meal by 7 in the evening no then don't eat again until at least 11 the next day. I then eat some lunch, have a snack mid to late afternoon and a main meal, which I prefer to be a reDy meal so I can keep an eye on the calories. Nearly a week in and I am finding that my urge to snack and pick constantly is getting less. Also I feel that I am always starting the day on a good note and that the more difficult bit is out of the way IYSWIM. Hope this continues as I am hopeless at eating plans and usually end up going visit no up after 3 weeks. Ideally I would like to lose a stone but even half a stone would be good. I'm also prepared for it to take a few months

Have you tried the 5:2 diet? I work 3 days a week too and do my 500 days on the days I work. I find work distracts me from being hungry so I drink mainly coffee in the day and then have most of my 500 calories when I get home and so am not going to bed too hungry, I've lost 6 pounds in the last 3 weeks. I am careful what I eat on the other days but not restrictive but I have cut out alcohol. I'm so determined to lose this last 13lbs and when I drink I lose my resolve!

Good luck!

It's going to have to be 5:2.

This was an awful weekend for me. Ended up having lunch at soft play on Friday afternoon because we got an invite to join the preschool mums, which I usually don't have time to do. And DD didn't eat her lunch so I absentmindedly ate half of it after DS ate some.

Yesterday was ok until the afternoon, we went to a friend's house to watch rugby and they were getting takeaway. It was a massive burger and chips, but although I stopped when I was full we stayed at the table chatting and an hour later the chips were gone..

And today we have friends visiting for the day. I've planned to do some salmon and a variety of salads, but I am probably going to eat more than I need to because unless I'm paying attention I forget and keep shovelling.

I'm looking forward to Monday so I can just stop! At least now I feel more motivated about starting!

Golly, what a busy life you lead! Hope you can find your resolve to keep up the 5:2. 'Diets' are hard. As previous poster said, making things a new way of life helps you stop falling of the wagon. Ever thought of high protein, low GI? Totally takes a lot of time to get head round but can be a forever lifestyle. And gin isn't a sin!
Talking of sins, how the heck anyone follows that nonsense diet I think it's weight watchers 😱🔫!!
Good luck anyhow!

It's pretty full on! I've done low GI with my MIL a few years ago but it wasn't for me as I was drinking too much and eating out all the time (no kids then!) but it could work better for me now that I think about it... I'm going to give 5:2 a shot for a while.

Ok, Day One. Starting at 80kgs, goal is 72kgs. I have a low cal chicken pho from Cook in the freezer for tea and I'll have a pret soup for lunch, plenty of water and coffee.

The thing that I'll have to watch out for is forgetful eating, just grazing on whatever is in front of me.