The Messy Truth About Maintenance: My Honest Frustrations

Let’s be real: living in maintenance isn’t always easy. But then again, neither is yo-yo dieting. At the end of the day, it’s about choices, not sacrifices. Still, there are plenty of things that make maintenance frustrating, and I know I’m not the only one who deals with this.

Busy Family Life

I’m a stay-at-home mum, but also running a business. A business that, if needed, needs to support our family if my husband can’t work. On top of that, I’m the one making sure:

• appointments are remembered,
• birthday gifts are purchased,
• pets are fed and walked,
• social lives (mine, my husband’s, and my kids’) are ticking over,
• extra-curricular activities are planned for a “well-rounded childhood,”
• family overseas are cared for,
• extended family at home is looked after,
• and, of course, that I’m still a hot, fun, grounded, loving wife and mum.

Oh, and somewhere in there I’m supposed to track my food, get to the gym, weigh myself regularly, take progress photos, and not lose my mind. Spoiler: it’s not easy. I definitely don’t nail it 100% of the time.

Meal Planning Madness

Meal planning sounds simple… until you try doing it in my house.

• My husband loves meat. All the meat. He’ll happily (and only) do a BBQ, but only if I’ve bought everything else to turn it into an actual meal. He says my meals are “too complicated” (translation: they involve more than just meat + sauce).
• My kids? They don’t want spice, herbs, or flavour. They’ll happily drown everything in tomato sauce. They eat broccoli and carrot (sometimes) but only if they are an acceptable colour. And chicken is ok… but only as nuggets.
• And then there’s me: trying to balance protein and carbs, keep fibre high, and avoid too much animal fat.

Add in the cost of groceries, the stress of what’s in season, whether we should buy organic, and the guilt when food ends up in the compost. Throw in the fact we rotate the same six meals over and over, and it’s no wonder I have a few extra grey hairs.

Boredom with Routine

Yes, I get bored of my own routines too. Eating the same salad, sourdough, and chicken for lunch every day gets tedious. Listening to the family complain about having the same meals again doesn’t help.

I could add new recipes into rotation… but that means trial and error, new ingredients, figuring out how to use up the rest of that one random jar, recalculating macros, and hoping everyone eats it. Exhausting.

So sometimes? I stick with boring. Because it’s easier. And that’s just the reality.

Why Am I Sharing This?

Maintenance isn’t perfect. It’s messy, it’s frustrating, and sometimes it’s flat-out boring. But it’s also sustainable. And that’s the whole point.

If you’re struggling with family life, meal planning, or routine fatigue, you’re not alone. This is what maintenance actually looks like: balancing real life with your goals, and figuring it out one choice at a time.

If this feels familiar, you’ll love my post on My Core Philosophy because that’s how I balance the chaos with sanity.

What are you dealing with? Drop me an email or DM me on Insta and I’ll see if I can help! You don’t have to do this alone.