I suspect it has more to do with decision fatigue. I sort-of resemble this, because I have ADD, and while I have developed a number of coping mechanisms over time, there are weeks that it's all too much -- work stuff, kid school stuff, DH travel stuff, cat stuff, my own medical stuff, etc. etc. etc. And then Saturday we run around doing a bunch of other stuff, and so I wake up Sunday morning, make pancakes, get the kids out the door to Hebrew School at 8:30, and now it's time to make the menu for next week and shop and cook, and I just cannot muster the mental energy to do it. Or like Friday: I had food in the damn fridge to make a lovely meal of chicken and waffles and salad and fruit, and I worked and went to crossfit and came home exhausted and starving, and again, I just couldn't face standing there for another hour pulling it all together.
Not that any of that is an excuse; my own lazy habits are what brought me to the grocery challenge this year, and I am learning to plan better for failure (e.g., at least Friday we had weisswurst from the freezer instead of takeout). But I do feel like life is just busier than it used to be -- and, in fact, that for many people and in many places (such as, say, NYC), being "busy" is a badge of honor. And when you're busy-busy-busy managing all of these other areas of your life, and you live in an awesome place like NYC with awesome restaurants around every corner, it's easy for meal prep to be the thing that gives.
Which is why the advice was so disappointing. People in that kind of rut need to be woken up and given coping skills, not told that what they're doing is perfectly normal and reasonable.
I can definitely sympathize with the decision fatigue. Two parents, each with a full time job. Volunteer work at the school. Two kids, 2 baseball schedules, music practice, work stress, doctor's appointments, random school holidays.
I have a produce box delivery on Saturdays now. It helps but...
I cannot tell you how many times on Sunday, I just sit and stare. I can't face it. I know I need to prep it for the week, and make at least one meal ahead of time.
But I stare at it. Then I write a few things down so that I can get it out of my head. Then I sometimes take a nap. I mean, get home from baseball then?? Face washing and prepping berries, melon, 3 heads of lettuce, kale, the world's largest bunch of celery (seriously 3 feet long), carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, baby peppers, beets. Have to think about what will go bad first, what must be cooked, what is good for lunches vs. dinners, etc. It makes me so so tired.
(Of course, Mon-Weds is now easy, because I can just assemble salads in the morning, throw veggies and dip into containers, and the fruit is already cut up. But I still have a hard time facing it.)
And then there's the 11 year old who wants to eat out. Because his friends eat out. I know why they do (decision fatigue, the mom and I talk about it a lot). This weekend I said "fine, but use your own money and you have to pay for daddy too because he's driving you.)