*Chelle...I thought of you when I read this...hope you find it helpful! Love you, Colette

Making Time for Dieting
By Leslie Fink, MS, RD | 1/26/2001


Between work, your life and your kids' extracurricular activities, there's not a lot of time left for healthy meal planning and exercise. And when you've got to make choices between helping your kids with an important school project and an hour at the gym — guess which one is going to lose out. How can you live your hectic life and still make time to slim down?

Keep It Simple
"If you have too many things going on in your life, you cannot properly manage your time, " says Susie Glennan, owner of thebusywoman.com. So think of your life as an onion and peel away any unnecessary layers. For example, offers Glennan, once you've decided which of your day's activities are important to do, find a way to fit them in, for less time. And consider combining steps to get maximum return for your effort, like writing out your grocery list on the train or getting in a walk during a lunch break.

Here are some suggestions on how to handle some real life "I don't have time to diet" dilemmas:

Dilemma: I don't have time to cook dinner during the week.

Solution: Start reallocating your time — use the 15 minutes it might take you to drive to Mickey D's for a fast food dinner to create a weekly grocery list instead. Base your list upon three, freezable meals that can be doubled for six night's worth of dinners. Then pencil in a few hours on the weekend to shop (you were going to the grocery store anyway!) and cook. Leave Sunday and Monday night's meals in the fridge and then freeze the rest in small, reheatable portions for the rest of the week.

And to help you get out of the kitchen faster, rely upon pre-made staples, such as stir-fry mixes and already-marinated or precooked chicken breasts.

Dilemma: I'd like to work out after work but I get home too late.

Solution: Don't sweat it if you can't make it to the gym. Instead, tag team your activities. In other words, work out while doing other things. Lace up a pair of sneakers and conduct a brief business meeting on a walk. Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Park at the far end of the parking lot when going shopping, and walk or jog to the door.

Dilemma: I'd like to cook healthier meals for myself, but chopping all that produce takes forever and I lose interest.

Solution: If cooking's not your thing, but healthy eating's a top priority, learn to cut a few corners. Stock up on convenience items to minimize time in the kitchen. Buy already chopped, frozen vegetables and stir-fry mixes (they're usually just as or more nutritious than fresh vegetables) or already cleaned and cut up plain veggies from a salad bar. And when you're really in a pinch, order several portions of steamed vegetables from a Chinese restaurant and keep them on hand.

Dilemma: I feel guilty when I try to exercise — like I'm neglecting my kids who need me for homework, to play games and to cheer them on at soccer games — so I keep cutting back on my workout time.

Solution: Include your kids in your activity time and you'll kill two birds with one stone. Ride your bikes side-by-side while you review the new topics they've learned in school, volunteer to help out the soccer coach and warm up with the kids — then run up and down the sidelines during the big game. And plan calorie-burning weekend activities that the whole family can enjoy, such as hiking, swimming or ice skating.

Dilemma: I get hungry in the middle of the afternoon and the only quick snack around is a candy bar from the vending machine. Who has time to run down to the deli for a piece of fruit or baked chips?

Solution: Forget the vending machine — buy an apple at lunchtime and keep it on your desk for later. Also, consider storing staples such as mini boxes of raisins, individual bags of baked chips and microwave popcorn in your desk drawer as a back-up arsenal.