So I joined up a few weeks ago with good intentions after feeling disgusted with myself lately. Sadly it’s been a busy and stressful month apart from Christmas and I’ve let things slide.
Anyway I have just booked my summer holiday for July and I really want to loose weight for it. This year I do not want to be sitting in the shade embarrassed by myself, struggling to find nice clothes to wear etc so I need to make a positive lifestyle change. However I feel I’m not in the right mindset yet but I know myself and I will just keep putting it off and end up in a rut. I am not a naturally sporty person, I hate cooking and I’m veggie and I feel it’s a hard challenge ahead for me yet I want to feel positive and make healthy lifestyle changes as I’ve put if off for too long . Can anyone advise? Thanks
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srwatson
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What is it about cooking that you don't like? Is it worth working on, in order to make the changes you want? Look for something like Jamie's recipes with 5 ingredients or the Hairy Bikers. Or search online for veggie recipes with ingredients you like. The BBC Good Food site is a good one
I have never enjoyed cooking, I don’t have the time or patience of trying to get all the food ready for the same time. I know it probably sounds silly but it’s just something that I’ve always struggled with even following a recipe. I think also I am a morning person so cone tea time after a day at work, doing household chores and looking after my son I really don’t have the energy for it.
But yes you have made me think about attitude to cooking and that i should look to try again with it. Thank you
Look for all in one pot/pan things like stews, casseroles, big chunky soups that don't need a lot of fiddling about - less washing up, too. As Sewnknit says, a slow cooker is good and you can get one for around £10-12.
If you gave yourself a couple of hours once a week, you could get several meals packed away in the freezer, then just add some extra veg, from frozen if you like
I really agree with BridgeGirl. If you’re going to change there will be things you need to...change! I’m a naturally disorganized and scatty person, I don’t eat meat or fish at home, and I’m definitely a morning person too but I use cooking as a way to wind down from work. You sound like a bright soul - and if you can read you can cook. On the other hand you could switch to salads and nice cold ingredients for dinner which just need taking out of bags and have a cooked breakfast as your main meal? Best of luck I have this really strong feeling you can do this!
Hey Srwatson welcome!🤝 💐 you've come to the right place! Everyone here is so supportive 🙆♀️ and it makes such a difference logging in every day, reading the posts and joining a weigh in day group, and generally getting involved!
Good luck on your journey!🍀 You've got a fab motivation to spur you on! 🏖👙
You've got this! 👍
Ps if you have or can invest in a slow cooker, you could do healthy tasty meals without actually cooking (I'm not a fan of cooking either). There's recipes online. Good luck!
You’ve got a great overall aim-to lose some weight before your holiday-so how about setting yourself some smaller, achievable aims or commit to making a couple of small changes that feel doable and will set you off in the right direction? Rather than setting a weight loss goal (such as losing 7lb by a certain date) your goal could be to log all your food, or batch cook a recipe once a week (maybe using a slow cooker as sammiseal suggested) or not to eat after a certain time of day etc.
We are all different. Some on here make big changes all at once, others go for a more gradual approach with small changes that build up to a big shift in behaviour around food-which is the approach I have taken.
Planning your food for the next day and posting it on the daily diary could be a good place to start?
Hi srwatson, welcome back. It's a pity you don't enjoy cooking it can be a creative,satisfying hobby. I quite like cooking it's the washing up I hate, 😆 lol.
I suggest you join in with the Daily Diary where members share menus, new food ideas and generally have a chat. The weekly weigh in is another easy way to become an active member.
I hope you find a way to enjoy your weight loss journey.
Yes I need to change my mentality as I won’t get anywhere.
Can I ask how you learned to cook? Definitely something I need to do for myself and my family. My partner does the cooking and he’s always happy to accommodate new food for me but I am just not creatively minded when it come to food and cooking so I end up eating the same things. Thanks
Choose a food you like. Look up the recipe. Prepare everything before you start cooking. It's much easier that way. Don't worry how long it takes or how messy the kitchen is.
Some procedures need experience but most are written down somewhere step by step.
If you want, share your first idea and I will help with planning.
If you don't have a meal in mind, tell me your favourite ingredient, and we will figure out a nice dish.
You sound like you need an energy and enthusiasm boost! But what is holding you back may be what is described in this online video “The Skinny on Obesity” episode 3. I mention it often because it’s what gave me a lightbulb moment to turn my life around and I am so grateful to whoever mentioned it here in the first place.
this is the link, you will get a message saying you are being directed away from this website but that’s ok. Any problems just google the title “Skinny on Obesity episode 3” the rest of the series are very good to watch too.
Omg this is me to a tee! I've put on loads of weight over Christmas plus I've hurt my back ! But next year I'm on it ! I actually love going to the gym as it's good for my head but I never lose weight because if. Depressed I eat anything in the fridge ! I've already bought the shakes so I can do it in January and because of all this support I'm gonna do it ! Good luck
Sorry to hear about your back, that must make life difficult.
I really wouldn't advise buying and consuming any more shakes, as they're highly processed, full of chemicals and will probably leave you feeling hungry.
There's plenty of information here to help you on your journey, just follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. We've found active participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary.
If you "slim smart" weight loss is not so hard! It is not all about motivation and masochism.
Some of us here find that what works is a combination of The Low Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet (see the forum here on Health Unlocked) and Not Snacking All Day AKA Intermittent Fasting (IF). See:
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