Meal Planning Burn-out

[fitdeb]

I had a startling realization the other day - I have been planning/preparing meals for 53 years! My mother went back to work when I was 13 and the cooking fell to me 5-days-a-week. I can't even imagine how many individual meals I have prepared over my life.

Anyone else burned-out with the entire planning process?

My husband and I eat really clean so I feel like I am endless doing math -- calculating grams of protein, fiber, sugar, salt, etc.

There are days when a bag of chips and a soda seems like the perfect meal -ha!

 

[aqua girl]

There are days when a bag of chips and a soda seems like the perfect meal -ha

Right there with ya’….

 

[Kellyro77]

While I've not been around the sun as may times as you, nor have I been given the responsibility of cooking at a young age, I still am the only one responsible for cooking all my meals as an adult. I'm vegan, too, which is similar in ways to other healthy eating lifestyles, which is to say: If you want to know what's in your food and make sure it doesn't have garbage in it that you don't want, you make it yourself.

So... YES. I tire of planning and cooking all the time. I occasionally get something from out maybe once or twice a month, and sometimes I do go for "cheat" meals - meaning frozen entrees or a bagged salad kit (kinda addicted to the bags of shredded kale and cabbage that come with a dressing and toppings like pepitas and craisins), but the rest of the time it's a lot of time spent in the kitchen.

It's more fun when I can find fun and interesting recipes. They get bonus points from me if they're quick to throw together, too.

I stepped away from calorie and micro/macro-nutrient tracking. I found I fall into self-judgment too easily doing that, plus, it built a bad habit of not eating enough even though I was hungry, or eating even though I wasn't hungry because I needed to get my calories in for the day.