Also, forgot to say Wednesday I think you focus too much on ‘diet’ rather than just changing your habits and your long term eating. So I think you feel too restricted during the week and make up for it at the weekends by what you think of as ‘normal’ eating to make yourself feel better, or like a reward. I think you need to find a way to see your weekday eating as just the new way of eating, by finding meals that are healthy and that you enjoy, then it takes the pressure off. If people feel like they’re eating rabbit food, it just won’t last. It’s like when people say they don’t like salad, but they do it for 2 weeks, then go back to their old way of eating, because if they don’t like it, they won’t want to carry on beyond the initial period when the motivation is highest.
I’ve got myself into a great routine now, and I don’t need to think about meal planning as much, only choosing what to have for dinner. It was hard work to start with, because I changed a lot of things all in one go, but honestly I’ve consistently lost 1-2lbs per week, I have more energy, I know I must be getting stronger (and now do higher resistance on the machines), I don’t ache when I get up in the mornings.
So my day is this,
Morning - plain water. Walk kids to school, walk to gym. Workout/class. Refill bottle twice during that time. Walk home.
11am - large coffee with teaspoon of honey and skimmed milk.
12pm - lunch. Either 150g plain bio / Greek yoghurt with 30g granola and 80g strawberries/raspberries, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1tsp flax seeds. Or 3 scrambled eggs, cooked in 5g butter, sprinkled with chives. Or 25g porridge with skimmed milk and 1tsp maple syrup.
3pm - large mug of green tea
5.30pm - family dinner
Evening - plain water only.
Occasionally I have a small amount of chocolate, but it usually fits into my 1200 cals because I’m essentially skipping breakfast. But in the last 7 weeks I’d say I’ve had 3 puddings (2 at home, 1 at restaurant meal out), 2 packets of crisps, maybe 4 chocolate bars. Oh and a few squares of DH’s hotel chocolat slabs.
I know some people say they can lose weight eating far more calories, but it’s what’s working for me, at my height (5’4”) and age 40. I’m not yo-yoing, I’m consistently losing. So if that seems like a routine you can follow, you can get there. If you can’t, then have more calories and maybe you’ll lose slower, maybe you have a higher metabolism or whatever and you’ll still lose at that rate. But I think you need to find really healthy meals you’ll enjoy, so you can stick with it.
My dinners are things like spaghetti bolognese - lots of chopped veg, passata, chopped tomatoes, no sauce jar, small portion of wholemeal spaghetti. Salmon with quinoa and veg. Sometimes quiche and chips. But I do weigh out my portions. Occasionally pizza, but one slice (my DH has the rest) with salad. Roast dinner on a Sunday, but again i weigh out the meat (slow cooked, rather than roasted in oil), 3 roast potatoes, 1 yorkshire and then veg. But that day I make sure I have a lighter lunch and no breakfast.
Sorry if this sounds preachy. But MrsH if that routine sounds doable, then fresh start, and I’ll try and help as you carry on!