I bet it would be fair to assume that as a child you ate nearly the same breakfast and the same lunch every single day. You would start the day with a predictable bowl of cereal with milk and a banana. Lunch was a peanut butter sandwich cut in ½ or a ham and cheese (American cheese) sandwich. There might have been school milk purchased, and an apple, or perhaps a small baggie of chips if you were lucky. It was a special time the weeks following Halloween because mom would allow ONE small candy bar per day.
Am I right? As for dinner, who knows. You really wanted dessert and to be excused and I bet you could list a few familiar dishes.
Somewhere that got lost. I want to point out that many of the people I talk to who have a healthy relationship with food (meaning they would probably not be interested in this blog post of food) seem to eat similar foods each day, for each meal. They know the groceries to buy, they know the combinations of foods that make them feel good, and most days they simply show up to simplicity.
I want to remind those of you who are looking to create a lifestyle without food guilt, shame, anxiety, and drama, that it is ok to figure out what 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 bridge snacks, and 2 dinners make you feel the best. Decide ahead of time what they are and be sure that each has a protein, fat, and fiber to balance your blood sugar and turn off hunger hormones.
It shouldn’t feel punitive. Rather, I hope this lands on you as an ah-ha that it is ok to simplify. As you get to know me better and follow my lifestyle, you will see the pattern in what I eat, how I order, and what groceries I buy.
I made a deal with myself and did the work to choose the 2 meals for each eating time of the day. It cost me a few minutes that one day but has saved me THOUSANDS of hours thinking about what to eat, what groceries to buy, and if what I am eating will support my health and weight goals.
Now, when I get really hungry (or when one of my students gets over hungry) this is what we do: eat the already planned meal, and THEN have the insanity food that sounds delicious.
This is how it sounds in my head: “I want pretzels and chocolate chips because I am going to eat my arm off. Ok, eat the smoothie first then you can have it.” As I am making my smoothie, I am telling myself I can have the insanity snack in just a few more minutes. However, I eat the smoothie and the craving for the pretzels and chocolate chips subsides. I am back in control.
This does get easy, and it does make your life more simple. It will cost you the homework on the front end but will save you so many calories on the back end.
Go back to the days of childhood. Eating the same thing meal after meal can be a really, really good thing!
Originally posted 2020-01-05 17:36:18.
