NEED HELP GETTING IT ALL PREPARED
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NEED HELP GETTING IT ALL PREPARED
| Wed, 01-28-2004 - 1:55pm |
My dh and I started this new way of eating this week. We like all the choices, and there certainly is enough to eat, as a matter of fact, probably more, but the right stuff. My problem is that the food choices require a lot of preparation, i.e., chopping vegies, mixing up salads, etc. I don't get home until 6:30 pm, and by that time I am often so tired, it is hard to get motivated.
I am also a "Flybaby", doing pretty well with it, but this needs some brainstorming, and I hope that I can get some help from you all.
By the way, dh needs to lose 20 and I'll be more than happy with 15 lbs.
Thanks, ingrid in tampa
I am also a "Flybaby", doing pretty well with it, but this needs some brainstorming, and I hope that I can get some help from you all.
By the way, dh needs to lose 20 and I'll be more than happy with 15 lbs.
Thanks, ingrid in tampa

Well, you probably prepare you menus in advance, right (with being a Fly Baby)? What if the night before, you prep for the next night's meal. Same goes for the Quiches. Make some on the weekend & freeze for the upcoming week.
When I go grocery shopping, I cut up all the veggies before I put them away (same with washing fruit). Cut veggies are more tempting to me. I also like to make a big pot of soup on Sunday night & have that for lunches the rest of the week. What about packing your lunch the night before? (Dh's, too)
I have found that I can usually mix up a big bowl of salad, too, at the begining of the week. I don't put in any veggie that can get mushy (tomatoes, cukes) but stiffer veggies hold up well. And what about Premixing your own dressing of vinegar & oil? Also, frozen veggies work just as well. For example - I have a skillet recipe for chicken & tomatoes that calls for chopped onion & peppers. Solution - frozen bag of pepper stir fry mix.
I have figured out that with a little planning & some time, I can do this well. I am on D5/P1.
Stef in cold & snowbound Wisconsin.
Anyway, thanks for your suggestions. I will try and follow your advise and do some of the prep work after the weekend shopping. Making a menu plan for the week has always been my number one problem, but I am getting better at it, and trying this plan should help.
We are only on the third day, but it's fun and has become a game. My boss lost 20 pounds without really trying, and he is encouraging, so are some others in the office. I don't really weigh myself, but I will be able to tell if I lost once some of my clothes fit again. This is perfect timing, and maybe by summer we'll all be fit and trim.
ingrid
You got some great advice but something I'd like to add that might help.
I also felt overwhelmed the first week. I tried to go by the recipes and meal plan in the book - but it was just too much work! Now that I am more comfortable with the food lists and SBD theory, it has become a lot easier to put meals together. Some of the recipes in there are worth trying though - the rosemary salmon is awesome!
AtlantaGirl74
Thanks also for the tip to cook up a batch of vegies or soup ahead. I will do that also, but dh really does not like to have the same thing two days in a row. Freezing some will help in that department.
I do believe that being organized is the name of the game to follow this eating plan. No more last minute sandwich fixing in the morning.
Thanks everybody, it's good to hear that everybody has their own problems/views with the program, but the end result is all we are interested, and that keeps us going.
ingrid in tampa bay
I saw a commercial for low carb Lean Cuisine and I am thinking of checking them out. As they are probably designed more for the Atkin's diet, I expect they may be high in saturated fats as well as other substances I do not want. But it can't hurt to read the label. If they are okay, they may do in a pinch when we are really exhausted.
I go to my health food store regularly too for nuts and high fiber bread and tortillas. They have good quality olive oil there too. As well as soy foods. (I'm not big on soy milk.)
Don't forget to check out the grocery stores that have salad bars in them. You can get chopped broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc. If you can handle the price, the extra convenience is great.
Cooking is like exercise, you have to get used to spending more time cutting and chopping than you are used to, but then it gets to be a habit and you won't notice it so much after a while.
Good luck,
Irene
I so know how you feel! I work all day, and with commuting time don't get home until 7pm on weeknights. Unless I'm prepared for dinner -- know what I plan to make and have all the stuff to make it -- I'm in a real bind! Getting started on SBD has really helped me become better prepared, especially in the meal planning department!
Here's what I do:
1) Make at least double for dinner and package the leftovers in individual servings for quick meals later in the week (lunch or dinner).
2) Make a big pot of soup -- hearty and stewlike in this cold winter! -- and package for lunches during the week. (I believe someone else said this already.)
3) Pre-cut as many veggies as possible, and also opt for more of the frozen bags of veggies for speed.
I also LOVE the rotisserie chickens you find at the grocery store -- they're so inexpensive and easy! (The bones also make a great starter for soup stock...)
AND, best of all -- my DH has offered to help in getting dinner ready, which is HUGE! He will become my "sous chef," so to speak -- cutting veggies and meats, and/or preparing salads as needed. That can easily shave a half-hour or more from my meal prep time.
I hope this all helps -- and good luck to you!!
~Steph
P1/D10
140/?/125?
Irene
Hi Ingrid!!!
Susan :)
Last night we had grilled salmon, steamed broccoli, and a small mixed salad. While I was cutting up the broccoli and getting our lettuce/vegie/turkey rolls ready for today's lunches dh said that this is so much work, and he hates for me to work so hard. Isn't he sweet... Well, I told him that I will prepare more things ahead of time this weekend so that we don't to scramble in the evenings.
The wonderful support this board provides really is the best tool to get used to this way of eating, not to say diet. We have enjoyed all our meals this week, and I cannot see this changing, however, we will have company for four days next week (plus dh birthday), but I am thinking ahead to master that also.
Now we are just waiting for the results to kick in.... let it happen.
Carbs Away, ingrid in sunny but cool Tampa Bay