can i have two meals per day? crying uncle on cooking shopping eating

[Lizitea]

I know the answer is know, but yikes.

 

So much food, so much eating, so much cooking.

 

Why does this feel like so much work?

 

I am 60 years old and over weight. Before my whole30 I was very happy on 2 meals per day.

 

I am sure I was eating too little and not losing weight either.

 

Two meals per day sure was less work for a woman who has been a housewife my whole life and is just tired of being in the kitchen

 

I do like the kitchen a bit better right now, because the food feels right.

 

But still !!!!

 

So much cooking, shopping, eating  -- it feel like it's all I do anymore.

[Physibeth]

Can you eat leftovers at one or two meals per day to reduce the cooking? I make much more than I need at each meal I cook so I can eat the leftovers later. I also keep quick and easy things around. Cans of tuna, applegate grass fed hot dogs, frozen pre-cooked meat, etc that I can throw together with raw veggies for a scrounge meal in a rush. If you are ok with eating the same thing for breakfast each day you can make a casserole or frittata or muffins and eat those for breakfast many days in a row.

[Susan W]

Felicity, you need to learn the beauty of weekly cookups and leftovers. Depending what my food plans are, I choose a day or two to steam saute a bunch of veggies, make mayo, ghee and bone broth and cook one or two crockpot meals. I also roast a whole chicken or bake up a bunch of chicken thighs. After that, the rest of my week is easy peasy. Tuna salad, egg salad and sardines make for easy meals.

[KitchenWitch]

Oh Felicity, I hear ya!  I am having bone broth soup with some chicken and veggies for my #2 Meal.  I made a ginormous batch when I was feeling "off" and had only soup for a few days.  Now I'm back to trying  three meals again.

I was like you before the Whole30. Two meals a day. A small lunch and a smaller dinner. I was overweight, NEVER hungry, and had no metabolism whatsoever. I'm eating more now than I ever have in my life. It's working.  Try it. I think you'll find it's worth the trouble.

[srice11]

Echoing the PPs - make more than you need and eat leftovers! It will make your life a LOT easier. 

[jehu90s]

Thanks for the info. My wife is going to be with the children and grand children for 20 days and is cooking a bunch of stuff ahead of time for me.

[Vian]

I tried doing the weekly cookup and steam-sauteeing veggies ahead of time as outlined in Well Fed. I hated it. The first day or two, it's fine eating food that was cooked a day or two ago. After that, it starts getting yucky. I'm super picky about the freshness of my food and I will not eat leftovers if they've been in the fridge longer than 2 days. 

 

So, as a compromise, I take all the veggies for the week and chop them up and portion them out for meals for the week, but leave them raw. This saves time when I come home from work and I'm hungry and just want to throw something together in 30 minutes or less. I also ALWAYS cook enough for dinner to have lunch the next day as leftovers. Breakfast is usually scrambled eggs with veggies and bacon.

[Vian]

Also, while it's not whole30, look into intermittent fasting. I'm considering trying it because it's hard for me to make myself eat some mornings, I'm just not hungry. The eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 seems like the easiest to do. Some people really thrive doing it.

[Jtandi]

agree with all others. I try to make all my meals as simple as possible. and as I've changed my life I've also changed how I eat in that I eat the same thing for several meals at a time (I make cabbage and beef? I eat it for two days...). I can't remember where I read it on here, but it really resonated with me - we are so stuck on new and unique meals that we forget that in the majority of other countries they eat the same thing over and over again, no need for new or fancy. and I've found this works for me. it allows me to make one big meal 3 or 4 times a week, I often make enough to even freeze some after that.