Your second recommendation won't work for everyone. For me, when I don't have the time or energy to cook I am more likely to order unhealthy food or get take out. It helped me a lot to have easy fast healthy options at home. Frozen veggies can be thrown in the oven and then dusted with a really good spice mix. Sandwich with good whole grain bread and lean meats. Once I learned to expect at least 2 "I give up" nights a week, I was able to finally lose a few pounds.
I struggled with this for awhile my solution was literally to go hungry I might skip one or two meals but eventually the hunger pains will beat away the laziness and make it a higher priority. Once I felt the pain enough I got a positive hit from cooking I didn’t get before.
You don't need to cook every day, just cook a large meal once at weekends and freeze it. I always cook about 8 to 12 servings, so I can skip cooking about every other weekend. I'm lazy, so I mostly make stews, soups, lasagnas or sauces for which i just need to add a fresh portion of rice or pasta I boil the day before. These meals take 2 hours to make (max) and I'm prepared for at least a week. The excess servings of each week add up fast, so I already had some variety after a few weeks. I eat those for lunch when I'm at work and started to make whatever-salads in the evening about a week ago (vinegar-oil dressing, whatever spices/herbs, whatever veggies, whatever proteins). Best decision I made, I'm eating far less crap, less meat and the urge to order food is getting rarer. Hoping I'm gonna lose some of my fat ass in the long run, too :)
Here's a couple free ones:
Quit drinking alcohol
When I quit drinking I lost about 50 pounds in 6 months with no other diet changes.
Basically stop drinking your calories.
Another one:
Only buy foods you have to prepare, no snacks.
That way you can prevent yourself from idly eating when bored.
Your second recommendation won't work for everyone. For me, when I don't have the time or energy to cook I am more likely to order unhealthy food or get take out. It helped me a lot to have easy fast healthy options at home. Frozen veggies can be thrown in the oven and then dusted with a really good spice mix. Sandwich with good whole grain bread and lean meats. Once I learned to expect at least 2 "I give up" nights a week, I was able to finally lose a few pounds.
I struggled with this for awhile my solution was literally to go hungry I might skip one or two meals but eventually the hunger pains will beat away the laziness and make it a higher priority. Once I felt the pain enough I got a positive hit from cooking I didn’t get before.
You don't need to cook every day, just cook a large meal once at weekends and freeze it. I always cook about 8 to 12 servings, so I can skip cooking about every other weekend. I'm lazy, so I mostly make stews, soups, lasagnas or sauces for which i just need to add a fresh portion of rice or pasta I boil the day before. These meals take 2 hours to make (max) and I'm prepared for at least a week. The excess servings of each week add up fast, so I already had some variety after a few weeks. I eat those for lunch when I'm at work and started to make whatever-salads in the evening about a week ago (vinegar-oil dressing, whatever spices/herbs, whatever veggies, whatever proteins). Best decision I made, I'm eating far less crap, less meat and the urge to order food is getting rarer. Hoping I'm gonna lose some of my fat ass in the long run, too :)
This is the way! Make extra food and freeze it. Some things do better than others but it's worth exploring this option
When I was trying to lost weight I was also broke as hell, so for me ordering unhealthy food or eating take out wasn't really an option.
Frozen veggies are a great option, and fall under the purview of stuff needing cooked.