new here - need help

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
new here - need help
19
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 1:54pm
hey everyone! i'm new here to this board and am looking for some ideas. i've been reading about the 8 minutes in the morning and i'm going to look for that book in our library. my problem is my eating. i work out at least 4 times a week if not more. 2 nights of spinning, other aerobic classes and weight training and i will toot my horn a little - i'm good at all those and love them! anyway - i'm a terrible eater! i dont' eat when or what i should. i am the mother of 22 month old twins and i don't have a lot of time to myslef. when i do eat, i eat AWEFUL!!!!! just something quick and good. any ideas? i've tried "watching what i eat," but always fall off the wagon. please help! thanks in advance!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-17-2004
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 2:20pm

Welcome to the board!


It is hard to eat when you're always on the go.

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Fear

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 2:29pm
thanks for the ideas. i noticed that you had already lost 21 lbs. what have you done and how long has it taken you?
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-17-2004
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 3:01pm

I am not someone you should go by.

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Fear

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-18-2003
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 3:13pm

Hello and welcome...


Hope you don't mind if I step in here with a few suggestions also.

~~ Steffy ~~
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-28-2004
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 3:16pm
I'm doing 8 Minutes in the Morning. If you ever have any questions, just ask! I'd love to help. I'm a mother of three and work full time. I know how hard it is to eat right. I have found the best way to prevent wrong eating is to prepare your food ahead of time. I usually do it the night before; both the family's dinner and my work lunch and snacks. My mother-in-law bought me a crock pot (slow cooker) which helps with family meals. I realized that if I decided the night before what I would eat the next day that it cut out soooo much of the nibbling on junk. You'll find that with 8 Minutes, Jorge encourages you to allow yourself a "treat" once a day so that way you don't feel deprived. As soon as someone tells me I can never have a cookie again, of course, I have to have one! So instead, I decide what day I'll eat my cookie. I also agree with what the other responder said about prebagging veggies etc. It's a great idea because you don't have to prepare something when you feel that panic feeling of hunger, it's already to go. I tend to eat junk when I'm ravished and nothing's prepared so I just grab what's quickest. Also, with 8 Minutes, I have my body on a 3 hour schedule. I eat breakfast at 6am, a snack at 9, lunch at 12, snack at 3, dinner at 6pm. This is so simple and my body knows when it's time to eat. We put our children on a feeding schedule from birth with the same concepts. Example; a baby isn't hungry everytime it cries. Sometimes it wants to be held and sometimes it has a dirty diaper or gas. When babies are too young to verbalize, putting them on a feeding schedule helps you know what their need really is. With me, if it hasn't been 3 hours, I'm not really hungry, I'm wanting to eat out of bordom or emotions.
These things have really helped me, I hope they can help you too.
p.s. try chewing a piece of gum or breath mint to subdue cravings.
Ginger
Avatar for queenbeana
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 3:44pm

Hello and Welcome. :)

Boy do I know what you are going through. I was exactly where you are 7 years ago. Here are some great quick food ideas that I've used in the past to help me stay on track. BUT!!! Remember, it's not always about what you eat. It's how much you eat. Portion control should be your number one priority. I know many people who have gained weight on "good" food.

1. air popped popcorn with parmesan cheese. (5 cups is 150 calories)

2. Portebella Mushrooms instead of hamburger. Tastes very similar and has only 26 calories each.

3. Vegetarian Chili

4. Frozen grapes or peeled frozen bannanas

5. Dip Strawberries into powdered sugar

6. Whole grain crackers and low fat cheese (there are about 5 crackers to a serving)

6. Baked Tortillas with salsa

8. Pita bread with low fat cheese heated then dipped in tomato sauce (think pizza)

9. Soft pretzel dipped in mustard.

10. Melt Low fat moz cheese over a toatsted English Muffin and top w/tomato slices

11. Smoothies are good but be careful if you are like me a smoothie is a drink not a meal replacement

12. Tortillas with refried beans, moz cheese and salsa. Heat and serve.

These two are very Toddler friendly Meal ideas (my boys loved them)

13. Toddler Pasta
a. Tri colored pasta cook remove from heat and drain
b. pour a can of Italian Stewed Tomatoes (Dole makes them) directly over pasta
c. For the little ones you can server immediately because the hot noodles are cooled by the tomatoes and the tomatoes are warmed by the pasta. For adults you may want to warm on med heat for 3 minutes or so.
***Careful you can add all kinds of goodies to this recipe and make it not as good for you... If you want cheese or something else make sure you only use one serving.

14. Chicken Egg Noodles
a. Cook No yolk egg noodles as directed.
b. Drain all but about a 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid
c. Open a can of chicken and a can of cream of chicken soup add them both to noodles.
Stir over med heat til combined.
d. Serve
***You can use fresh chicken in this one but it does add to the cooking time and when you are in a hurry with multiples the shorter the prep the better.

ALSO
15. Keep on hand some Luna or Powerbars. They are perfect for when you have the munchies or it's meal time and you can't get to any other food. Eat one and you will be good to go for a couple of hours. Much healthier for you then a canned diet supplement or heaven forbid a quick candybar.

Finally... (gosh this is long)
Try measuring all snack food into serving sized bags when you bring it home. Same goes with veggies. Then you don't have to think about it. Just grab a small bag and go. You knwo you aren't over eating and if you eat the WHOLE bag it's only 1/2 a cup or so.

Good Luck
Sabrina
Triathlete and Mom to
Jesse(17) Korina(15) Nicholas(10) AND Alex and Cory(9)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 3:56pm

Hi, and Welcome!


The ladies have all welcomed you on "board" already and have had some great advice too! Just a few more pointers and agreements-


i) Eat several smaller meals a day -helps reduce overeating

_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:39pm

this question is right up my alley, because i don't cook and everything i eat has to be quick to prepare. definitely have good snacks on hand for when you are starving and want something immediately. what i usually do is reach for some nuts in that situation. or hot air popped popcorn. also marinated tofu is a

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:42pm

good point about not having the junk available.


i agree that once you get used to eating healthier, it becomes easier and a candy bar just isn't as appealing - the hard part is getting to the point where you've made it a habit. but maybe knowing that it WILL get easier makes it easier to stick with good eating habits during those difficult early days.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 01-03-2005 - 4:45pm

good point about planning ahead. even if you don't prepare the food ahead of time, it helps to plan out what you will eat.

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