Variety
**As always, at the bottom of each post I will provide an Amazon link to some of my favorite things-this post deals mostly with nutrition so I am just including some miscellaneous things that make my life easier when meal prepping-Should you find yourself in the market for any of this items, it is much appreciated that you use my link. Thank you beautiful people for coming to my space.
I don’t know if this post will be relatable or not. Based on conversations I have had in the nutrition coaching space I might be an anomaly and my approach may not be replicable. I would call myself a creature of habit, born of the fact that I experience decision fatigue easily. The silver lining I guess is that routine breeds consistency and consistency is really the holy grail of fitness and nutrition. You can’t do “75 Hard” or “Whole30” or “Keto” or any other trendy diet or challenge with any sort of longevity. For most the will power isn’t there, not because they are weak-minded but your body and mind will literally rebel against any stringent approach to your food or lifestyle after an extended period. So what’s the secret to weight-loss or whatever you consider physical success? Small habits practiced over your entire relationship with food and movement.
There is a picture of me that has circulated fairly substantially in my small circle of the fitness and nutrition space. In the past, it has been the picture people have wanted me to choose to market my nutrition coaching and training. It was taken by an experienced photographer, in the middle of an intense workout, with some seriously awesome lighting. But there are 2 truths about that picture.
I looked that lean and fit for that singularly documented moment in time.
I fucking hate that picture because I am SO mentally and physically unhealthy.
At the time of that picture I am 2 or 3 weeks out from the most tragic and traumatic experience of my life. An experience that I will never completely heal from. It will stand, without a doubt, as the worst thing that has ever happened in my lifetime. Everyone had an opinion on how I dealt with my grief. Everyone had an opinion on whether I coped appropriately. Everyone had an opinion on the amount of time I should spend in each stage. Everyone had an opinion on how/when/where/what I should do to move on. Everyone had an opinion on if I looked like I ‘should’ if my facial expression was appropriate, the amount of tears I should shed publicly. Everyone had an opinion on what I should have said, posted or done on social media and everyone thought I owed them an explanation for my actions. No one else watched the light go out of the love of their life. People had plenty of opinions but no one else was trapped behind the emergency response team, the only familiar face in the room unable to hold eye contact with your partner as they tried to attach an oxygen bag and instead crumbled into tears in the fetal position in a corner of a hospital room until someone pulled you away.
The amount of pressure I felt to carry other people’s grief, to give other people the answers they needed. The amount of guilt I still feel was crippling. I didn’t eat. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t function without anti-depressants. All I knew was routine. All I had was one voice who did not expect or need anything from me, other than to take care of myself. The time that picture was taken I was less than 5% body fat. I’d lost something like 10# in 2 weeks. I hadn’t eaten a real meal and wouldn’t for another month. Everyone around me needed me to be something for them. And that was much easier to do than to address how much I needed to help myself. That picture has been toted as ‘the best shape of my life.’ And there was only one human, one friend, who knew how inaccurate that statement was. I still remember when my now husband, put his foot down to tell me I needed to eat upwards of 4500 calories in a day and that I needed to tell everyone else to ‘fuck off’ and get it together.
I don’t digress into that window of my life to garner sympathy or guilt. I want you to understand how that picture is not reality. There are pictures just like it that circulate the social medias of fitness influencers and they are a spark in time. The means by which that look is achieved is not by the routine or the habits that human has created, it is just a moment. Most who compete in bodybuilding, bikini, or figure shows will tell you, it is referred to as ‘prep’ or a ‘season’ for a reason. They are not stage ready for the majority of their fitness life.
Consistency and small habits. That’s it. I rotate the same 3 or 4 meals every week. I meal prep on Sundays because as a busy, working mom it is easier for me to pull something prepped out of the fridge than it is to spend time even thinking about what I want to eat. I know what I think tastes good, I know what macronutrient profile makes me feel good and my grocery list is essentially the same week to week.
The most common complaints I would get from clients during my coaching consults were both that they didn’t know what to eat and that they needed more variety….. What I hear in those statements is that “it is easier to pick up something quick from a restaurant, from Starbucks, from fast food because I know it will be delicious and I won’t have to think about it.” It’s not about variety, it’s about comfort. Be honest, are you really a connoisseur of the drive-thru menu? If you prefer to go to McDonalds 4 or 5 or 6 times in a week I’d venture to guess you get the exact same fucking thing every time. To say you can’t stick to a meal plan because it lacks variety is an excuse. It can be hard to create new habits but once you do the work to find out what you like, what feels good, and where in your week you have time to prepare…..meal prep is far easier, far cheaper and far better for you than the current habits most Americans find themselves stuck in.
I live an incredibly comfortable life. I’m not rich, but I am far from poor. I have a profoundly beautiful family and a husband who loves hard, lives hard, and cares hard. If you have ever met him you know there are no mediocre emotions there. I’m not going to state that I’m “blessed” or “grateful” because people who have to practice acknowledging gratitude or their blessings are spoiled and bored. You have never struggled or met real challenges and must suffer from extreme egocentric tendencies if you don’t wake up in the morning and realize life is pretty fucking great here. I don’t have food insecurities. In fact I have a surplus of available healthy food to the point that it is overwhelming. The need for more “variety” is bull. A sample meal schedule for my week consists of the following in various forms:
Egg white omelet w/ veggies
Larabar(s) and coffee
Chicken, rice, broccoli w/ fage yogurt and taco sauce
Beef, rice, broccoli w/ siracha
Protein waffle
Oatmeal with fruit
Chocolate Rice Cakes
I don’t waste time at the grocery store looking around, I don’t waste time in the evenings wondering what to eat, I don’t waste time in the mornings getting my lunch ready.
We do have 2 small children in the house with us, and my husband typically eats differently than me. Because I meal prep on Sunday and can pull out any dinner for myself it is not a big deal to cook something easy for my daughter and step-daughter in the evenings. Now, you might think “aha! they require variety!” Both of my children also have acquired a few favorite meals that I may season, present, or garnish differently depending on their moods:
Berries of any variety
Apples
Bananas
Eggs
Avocado
Spaghetti
Tacos
Crescent Rolls
Pizza
Cheese
Oatmeal
Cereal
Peanut Butter
Chicken
Beef
There are plenty of fat, carb, protein and micronutrients available in their staple foods. Even family’s and client’s with children baffle me when they act like the obstacle they face is that their kid’s must require a new 4 course meal at every dinner so they can’t possibly adhere to a plan….Don’t kid yourself, no one has time for that.
My body looks much different now that I have had a baby. But I am more proud of it today than at any other point in its existence. It is a product of routine, habit and love. Every weekend we have donut Saturday and me and the kids all get donuts for breakfast. Typically the rest of that day I will eat out or eat whatever I want…..I get the same donuts every week and if I have a “cheat meal” it is the same thing every week.
Stop making up excuses and start asking yourself what your real boundaries are. Once you are honest, that’s when you can problem solve with yourself or a professional. - xoxo