Most of us have heard the phrase “Fail to plan, plan to fail” and experienced its impact first-hand at some point in our lives. I suspect very few of us can argue with the truth in this statement. When it comes to health & fitness, I am fortunate to say I have reaped the benefits of setting aside time each week to plan my workouts and meals (higher energy and productivity, greater confidence, quality sleep). On the contrary, I have also experienced the havoc that can occur when I don’t devote a little extra time to plan ahead (poor eating habits and less focused workouts, resulting in increased fatigue, stress, irritability, head and muscle aches, and digestive distress).
For me, planning my workouts and time to exercise is not so difficult. However, when it comes to consistently eating well, and sticking to a good plan, it’s a whole other story. Even though I’m a cooler-toting girl at the office, recently I noticed my late afternoon, evening, and weekend eating habits were in need an “extreme makeover”.
After careful scrutiny and reflection of my eating habits, I identified some potential problem areas and triggers. Here are my findings and the actions I’m taking to get my eating behaviors back on the right track:
The brochure suggested writing out your eating plan and for extra measure, sharing it with someone who can provide accountability, encouragement, and objective feedback. An accountability partner may spot behavior trends you do not recognize or care to admit on your own. Finally, it recommended keeping your eating plan flexible. If it’s too rigid, it may backfire. Like you, an eating plan will change over time. If you find you’re having trouble sticking to your plan, you may need to go back to the drawing board to see what is or isn’t working – and adjust accordingly.
Stay tuned for a tasty dinner dish that can be prepped in advance.
For me, planning my workouts and time to exercise is not so difficult. However, when it comes to consistently eating well, and sticking to a good plan, it’s a whole other story. Even though I’m a cooler-toting girl at the office, recently I noticed my late afternoon, evening, and weekend eating habits were in need an “extreme makeover”.
After careful scrutiny and reflection of my eating habits, I identified some potential problem areas and triggers. Here are my findings and the actions I’m taking to get my eating behaviors back on the right track:
Scenario 1 - The Office: Around 4:00 each afternoon I get the munchies for something sweet. Even if I have a healthy snack in my cooler, I gravitate toward the free-for-all office treats (e.g., troughs of candy welcoming visitors at every other cubicle, and left-over trays of bagels, pastries, and cookie platters from meetings). When I give into these cravings, I find myself elated for a half hour or so, but then shortly thereafter I’m crashing and wanting more.
Potential problems/triggers: I may not be eating enough earlier in the day and truly need more fuel to have energy to get through the rest of the afternoon. By 4:00 pm, I’ve usually been sitting for a few hours, trying to accomplish all the things on my “to-do” list before I leave the office. Feelings of stress, extended inactivity, and thirst may be playing a role.
Makeover action: I now make a point to eat every 3-4 hours throughout the day to help prevent extreme hunger. To curb my sweet-tooth cravings, I make sure there’s a sweet and satisfying food item in my cooler for my late afternoon snack and pair it with a lean protein to ensure I am satiated until dinner. Before I grab a snack, I take a moment to confirm I’m actually hungry. Sometimes I just need to get up, stretch, and hydrate (thirst is often mistaken for hunger). If I still have the munchies after I climb a few flights and refill my water bottle, it’s time for my late afternoon snack.
Scenario 2 - Weeknights: As soon as I get home I’m famished! Instead of taking time to prep a healthy meal, I go straight for any quick and crunchy convenience food in the house (cereal, baked tortilla chips, etc.).
Potential problems/triggers: Like my afternoon slump, I may need to eat more during the day. Stress is also a likely factor as I find myself noshing on chips while I catch up on emails and work at my laptop and scurry around the house getting ready for the next day. My husband also pointed out, I may not be getting enough whole grains in my diet. (Ever since our house became gluten free our house has been void of many of our former staple foods like breads, bagels, and pasta).
Makeover action: I am now adding more to my cooler and eating at regular intervals throughout the day. In addition to my daytime meals, I now prep my dinners for the week on Sundays so they are ready to go in the microwave as soon as I get home. To satisfy my crunchy food cravings, I include a portioned-controlled size of whole grain chips or cereal.
Scenario 3 - Weekends: Saturdays I start my day at the gym then spend the rest of the afternoon on-the-go running errands. I don’t leave the house without a pre-workout mini-meal and a full water bottle, but then I’m running on empty. In absence of regularly convenient water fountains, I nurse my 24 oz. water bottle all day - a fraction of what my body needs - and rely on the occasional grocery store or Costco samples to refuel. Energy depleted, I end up making low-nutrient snack food impulse purchases to recharge, rarely enough to satiate. When I finally get home my head is pounding, I’m cranky, tired and famished!
Potential problems/triggers: Clearly the lack of hydration and substantive fuel is contributing to my headaches, fatigue, and mood. Waiting too long to eat could also explain my impulse junk food purchases.
Makeover action: I now treat Saturdays like any other weekday and pack a full cooler before I head out the door to ensure I have enough substantive, nourishing food in my body to keep me energized all day. I pack a second water bottle and invested in a HydraCoach to monitor and remind me how much water I need to drink throughout the day.
In the midst of my eating plan make-over, I came across a brochure highlighting key benefits of having an eating plan: it frees up our time and energy spent thinking about food, thereby reducing the chances of making poor choices in the moment, and minimizes the likelihood of making those choices in an emotional state. For those of us who eat for reasons other than hunger (stress, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, grief, depression, or habit – because the food is there) this speaks volumes! Having and sticking to an eating plan significantly removes the emotion out of eating.
The brochure suggested writing out your eating plan and for extra measure, sharing it with someone who can provide accountability, encouragement, and objective feedback. An accountability partner may spot behavior trends you do not recognize or care to admit on your own. Finally, it recommended keeping your eating plan flexible. If it’s too rigid, it may backfire. Like you, an eating plan will change over time. If you find you’re having trouble sticking to your plan, you may need to go back to the drawing board to see what is or isn’t working – and adjust accordingly.
Applying this information to my findings, I’ve taken a few more steps to ensure my eating plan is more specific, satisfying, and flexible. It is has helped me get back on track, stay focused, and become more aware of what I’m eating, why I’m eating, and how it impacts my mind, body, and spirit.
Stay tuned for a tasty dinner dish that can be prepped in advance.
Kerri L. Mikeska, MHRM, PHR, NASM-CPT
What has your body done for you today? What have you done for it?
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