How to Lose Weight When You’re Busy with Work and Family
If you’re wondering how to lose weight when you’re busy with work and family, start with one manageable change.
Life can feel like we’re in the fast lane all day, every day.
Get up for work. Sort the kids out. Think about breakfast, lunches and dinner. Somewhere in between, you’re supposed to look after yourself too. 😅
Then you look for help and get hit with: “Just meal prep!”
Brilliant. Let me find those spare three hours I’ve apparently been hiding.
Meal prep works well for some people. But when your time and energy are already stretched, another job on the list might be the last thing you need.
On paper, starting a healthier lifestyle seems simple. In real life, work runs late, the kids need something and you’re knackered.
Yet we often start with plans like:
“I’ll only eat 1,200 calories.”
“I’ll go to the gym six days a week.”
“I’m only eating steak from now on.”
I love the enthusiasm. But can you see yourself keeping that up when life gets messy?
For me, building a healthier lifestyle is the goal. Changes in how you look can follow, but they don’t need to run your day.
I’ve always tackled things bit by bit. I stopped making visible abs and big muscles the centre of everything years ago. I focus on eating and moving in ways that work for me and fit around family life.
And yes, cake still makes an appearance. 🍰
How to Lose Weight When You’re Busy: Make Weight Loss Fit Around Family Meals 🍽️
Mealtimes can be enough of a headache without cooking one dinner for the family and another for yourself.
You can work with meals you already enjoy: spaghetti bolognese, curries, burgers or pasta dishes. Plenty of versions can be on the table in around 30 minutes.
Look at one thing you could change. Just one.
That might mean adding vegetables to your pasta sauce, changing some of your usual rice to a higher-fibre option, or adjusting a portion that’s grown without you noticing.
I’m not going to tell you carbs are bad. The type and amount you eat both deserve some thought, particularly if you’re managing blood sugar. Choosing higher-fibre options more often is a useful place to start. Diabetes UK explains this here.
And something coming out of a bag doesn’t automatically make it a poor choice. Frozen vegetables are a useful shortcut. Convenience can help you.
Let’s take breaded chicken, chips and peas. A very familiar dinner from my childhood.
Picture half the plate covered in chips, a quarter in peas and the rest taken up by the chicken.
One change could be making skin-on wedges with a little oil, baked or air-fried. That gives you control over how much oil you use, although homemade doesn’t automatically mean lower in calories.
If chopping potatoes feels like another chore, keep the oven chips and add some extra veg alongside a slightly smaller portion of chips.
Choose whichever change feels easiest to repeat. You can make another later.
Fit Movement Around Work and Family 🚶
You might not have a spare hour for a workout. And 10,000 steps might feel a long way off when your day is already full.
Start with what you can fit in.
The NHS recommends building towards at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, but also makes clear that every minute counts. You can start gradually. Read the NHS advice on getting more active.
Imagine you’ve made it to the kitchen and put the kettle on for your morning tea.
While it boils, try one squat, if that movement is comfortable for you. Or stand up from a chair and sit back down.
That’s your starting point. Later, you might do another.
One squat won’t transform your fitness or make the weight fall off. What it can do is give you an easy action to practise.
Over time, one might become a few. A short walk might get a little longer. You might find yourself doing more without needing a complete diary overhaul.
Other starting points could be:
A few minutes walking during your lunch break.
A short family walk after dinner.
Getting up and moving between episodes of your favourite programme.
Fit movement into your day in a way you can build on.
Make Healthy Choices Easier When You’re Tired 😴
You start a new programme with the best intentions. Then come the recipes, the tracking, the shopping, the workouts…
Before long, looking after yourself feels like another full-time job.
Simplicity is our friend here.
For some people, that means preparing lunches in advance. For me, convenience and quickness matter.
Write a simple shopping list and keep ingredients for a couple of easy meals available. You don’t need a fridge full of foods you’ve never heard of.
It’s also worth noticing those little habits that happen without much thought.
Picking at the kids’ leftovers. Snacking while cooking. Opening the cupboard because you’ve finally sat down after a stressful day.
No need to give yourself a telling-off. Just pause and notice: are you hungry, tired, stressed or doing what you usually do?
If you’re hungry, have something to eat. Keeping easy options available, fruit, yoghurt or a small portion of unsalted nuts, for example, gives you choices.
Have a dinner plan for the “I absolutely cannot be bothered” days too.
Mine is microwave rice, microwave veg and a few scrambled eggs. It takes minutes.
I adjust the amount of rice to suit my meal and appetite. I might use a little olive oil when cooking, or add a few nuts if I fancy them. There’s no need to add extras just to make the meal seem healthier.
It won’t win MasterChef. It gets me fed. 👍
Look at where your own difficult days tend to unravel. If dinner is the sticking point, start there.
Start with One Change This Week 🌱
Losing weight while working and looking after a family can feel like a lot. Giving yourself another demanding routine can make it feel even harder.
Start with one part of daily life:
Make one small adjustment to a familiar family meal.
Find a few minutes for movement.
Keep one quick dinner ready for a tiring day.
Pick one to practise this week. Once it feels manageable, build from there.
And if a day goes sideways? You haven’t erased your progress. Take the next opportunity to practise again.
Build a healthier lifestyle you can live with including the busy days and the occasional bit of cake.
Want a Simple Place to Start? 💜
My free 7-Day Blood Sugar Reset offers guidance on food choices and simple habits for busy adults over 40.
If you want help taking that first step towards looking after your weight and blood sugar, start here:
Comments