What to do (& What NOT to do) When Eating Right Gets Tough
OK so let me set the scene:
You’ve been doing SO good! You’re staying on top of your “meal prep game”, making sure you’re eating regularly throughout the day and you’ve even started to physically see results. AWESOME JOB.
And then? **Cue the scary music** You just can’t do it. Things get tough.
My wife lives what I would call a “balanced” type of lifestyle. She’s not an athlete, so she doesn’t need to be super regimented with her meal plan. But during the week and MOST of the weekend she tries to eat whole foods, get plenty of water, eat lean protein, consume enough healthy fats and avoid excessive amounts of starchy carbs. HOWEVER – she loves to socialize, go out to eat and share a drink with friends. We’re going to estimate that 80% of the time she’s fairly disciplined and 20% of the time she does whatever she wants (within reason).
Yesterday at dinner time I went through my normal routine, grabbing my meal prepped items out of the fridge (grilled steak, steamed vegetables and roasted sweet potatoes…YUM). Eating meal prepped food and the same thing everyday is not difficult for me.
I sat down to eat, and I see my wife – standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open for what seems like 10 minutes. This confuses me…there’s like 7 bins of prepared, delicious food in there. What could be the problem??
Nothing sounded “good” to her. NOTHING. In fact? She was disgusted by what she saw. Cue the violins because FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS, AMIRITE? Anyway…
She had hit the proverbial wall.
This happens to her sometimes. Because she’s made eating healthy a habit – the majority of the times she doesn’t really have issues. But yesterday wasn’t her day. She didn’t feel like eating what was prepped.
Has this ever happened to you?
If so - let’s start with what you SHOULD NOT do:
Skip a meal.
If you’re anything like my wife - when you are feeling this way, the “easiest” thing to do is to just forget about that meal. You don’t want to eat what’s in front of you, so instead of making an effort you just move on. But don’t do it! Reconsider! Your body needs fuel. Missing a meal can really affect your energy levels, motivation to work out and if you do it enough - even your metabolism.
Go completely off the rails.
So you don’t want the perfectly healthy, prepared choice? Fine. I get it! But don’t throw the baby out the bathwater. Doing a 180 and going out to get fast food like picking up a pizza isn’t the best way to go either. Try to find some middle ground before you jump to the other end of the scale.
Here’s what you SHOULD do: 😊
Put the prepped food on the plate and then find SOMETHING that makes you excited to eat it.
So after the 10 minutes of staring into the fridge, my wife put her grilled chicken on the plate. Then she opened the freezer. We usually have a stash of semi-healthy yet still fun options in there like sweet potato fries or cauliflower tots. She grabbed the garlic mashed cauliflower and threw that in the microwave. Then she found some shredded cheddar cheese and melted that on the chicken. Was it the perfectly healthy steamed veggies and plain grilled chicken she had originally planned? Nope! Was it pretty dang close? Sure was! If an unexpected side, an ounce of cheese, a different condiment or a piece of bread/dollop of potatoes/flavored rice will help you get over the hump? Do it! Those small modifications can make a world of difference. Will they start to add up if you’re doing that at every meal? Sure, but once in a while isn’t going to hurt anything.
Go out to eat, but keep it clean.
Her next favorite option if she REALLY can’t make it work? Head to her favorite Greek restaurant. She can have a meal of chicken and roasted vegetables with her favorite tzatziki sauce and stay mostly within bounds. Do you have a go-to restaurant you go to and pick up something that keeps you on your eating plan? Awesome. If you don’t - I encourage you to find one. It will help you stay on track in a pinch.
So again -are these tips and tricks something you should be doing every single day? Probably not. As an athlete sometimes you have to push through the “not feeling like” it part because you have GOALS. At the same time, we’re all human! Give yourself some grace, and keep it moving.
Need some help with your nutrition and how you can get started on a good path? Click the button below to set up a time to chat. I love answering your questions! Now let’s get after it.