Nursing/Working Need Help Making this Work

[ladamo]

Hello all,

 

I had my sweet baby girl a little over 8 months ago and she's amazing. Less amazing is the last 20 lbs that is mostly sticking around my belly quite stubbornly. However, that is largely because I continue to make food choices that are not in my own best interest. I've done one, possibly two Whole 30s already (crazy that I'm not sure how many I've done, right?!?), and was happy with the (somewhat modest) results I've gotten, but the problem is that I've found it really difficult to sustain the frequent cooking required to continue eating healthy and I've found that I'm very susceptible to giving into my frequent desire for treats and such. Even though everything is thankfully going well and my daughter makes me so happy, I think that at the same time the demands of being a parent seem to deplete my supply of self-discipline. I want to do another Whole 30 (my terrible skin, cravings, and frequent stomach upsets are making that pretty clear), but I'd love some tips/motivation/inspiration for really making this count and making these healthy habits stick. How do you all balance having a little one that you have to keep a close eye on when you might otherwise be cooking? My freezer is half-full with milk at all times, so I can't even do much cooking ahead & freezing (especially as I just joined a grass-fed meat share - no idea where 8lbs of meat is going to go!). Clearly, I'm not so sure what I'm even asking for, but I'm hoping some of you will read this, have gone through something similar, and can perhaps let me know what helped you get back on and stay on the healthy eating track. 

 

Thanks so much!

[AJ Banks]

Sounds like you are desiring some self-service, but not sure how exactly to go about doing it? I am a mother of a 2month old, have done w30 before, and am starting today. BUT, today is very different for me compared with the last time I started. I am actually doing this one day at a time... instead of making a commitment I'm not sure I can sustain. That wouldn't work for everyone, and at other times it might not work for me. But right now... its the only way I can even do 1 day of this type of clean eating! Kind of like with a baby, some structure is good, and some 'go-with-flow' is good. Only you can decided how much of either. 

Some things to consider based on my previous experience...

 

1) are you getting your emotional needs met? I personally, have to start with that one, because everything else is affected by my mental emotional state.

2) are you sleeping/resting enough? This is one of the reasons I'm not being aggressive with my approach this time around. I have no idea what my body will do with out my preferred 8-9hrs. 

3)sounds like you need a bigger freezer! I'm about to purchase a separate freezer because I swear I use it more than the fridge.. lol

 

Best to you, on your journey!

[rfirthy]

Can you recruit some helpers for meal preparation? We do a lot of food prep on Sundays. My husband will mix up a batch of his own breakfast sausage (that we eat for dinner!) that's easy to warm up after work. I also put together baggies of veggies that I can grab for my lunches at work. Are there any healthy delivery options near you? We have a place that delivers the yummiest rotisserie chicken that comes with sweet potatoes, avocado, and a salad. It feeds our whole family. 

 

As I've just come back to work after my second child, I'm all the more willing to accept help!

[mommato2girls]

Go to theclothesmakethegirl.com she has a brilliant cook up plan you can do once a week. Since you'll eat everything you cook within the week you won't need to freeze anything. I have a 2.5 year old and 3 months old so I had to be able to cook on a day dad was home to help. You still cook a little at dinner and breakfast but it's more minimal and definitely decreases clean up time. I also work so it's so helpful to be able to throw a lunch together quickly.