One Meal at a Time

 

I was talking to my friend the other day, and she was saying how she can’t stick to diet if it’s too strict and short term. And I said “it has to be a lifestyle.” There are so many diets that eliminate complete food groups, or ingrediencies and it puts so many limitations on what you tell yourself you can and can’t eat. Think about the no-carb diet. And then you want pizza because you are going to some great pizza restaurant or traveling to a city (Boston) that has great pizza. So you eat it, then you feel bloated, but now you have the taste so now you go off your diet for weeks and it’s so hard to get back on. That’s because you body doesn’t need you to eliminate carbs it needs you to choose good carbs 80-90% of the time.

If this sounds like you, no diet or meal plan seems to work. Try this till the end of the year. Find a breakfast that is healthy has at least 30g of protein that you love enough to eat every day.

I have eaten the same breakfast for almost a year and a half because I like it, it hits all the carbs, fats, and protein I need for my first meal, it’s easy. It’s one less decision I need to make every day around what I am going to eat. Infact I eat the same breakfast, lunch and snack every day. I do eat a variety of dinners.

Just start with breakfast. Every morning after I workout I eat 2 eggs, ¼ cup of egg whites, 2 everything rice cakes, and a unsweetened almond milk protein latte. Some days I do put avocado spread on my rice cakes, but I have been saving my fats for later in the day recently. My breakfast is 376 calories, 20g carbs, 15g fats, 39g protein. If I add in the avocado spread it’s 471 calories, 25g carbs, 25g fat, 40g protein.

And here is the best part, it’s a lot of food, I am full after I eat breakfast.

So this week find a breakfast that you enjoy enough to eat every day for the rest of the year. Then move on to lunch, when you don’t have to think about what you are eating every day it frees up so much time and thinking. Think protein first try to get a least 30g of protein in every meal.

One Meal at a Time: A Simpler Way to Eat Healthy

I was talking to a friend the other day, and she told me she can never stick to a diet if it’s too strict or feels like something she can only do short term.

And I said, “That’s because it has to be a lifestyle.”

There are so many diets that tell us to eliminate entire food groups or certain ingredients. They give us long lists of foods we can eat and foods we can’t eat. And maybe we can follow those rules for a few weeks or even a few months but what happens when real life happens?

Think about the no-carb diet.

Then you go to a great pizza restaurant. Or you travel somewhere like Boston and want to try the pizza. You eat it, maybe feel a little bloated afterward, and suddenly you think you’ve “messed up.” But now you’ve had a taste of the food you’ve been restricting, so one meal turns into a weekend, which turns into a few weeks, and suddenly getting “back on track” feels impossible.

The problem wasn’t the pizza.

The problem was creating a way of eating that didn’t leave room for pizza in the first place.

Your body doesn’t need you to eliminate carbohydrates. Instead, focus on choosing nutritious sources of carbohydrates most of the time while still leaving room for the foods and experiences you enjoy.

If this sounds like you, if no diet or meal plan ever seems to stick, I want you to try something different for the rest of the year.

Start with breakfast.

Find ONE breakfast that you enjoy, is easy to make, works with your goals, and gives you at least 30 grams of protein. Then eat it every day.

That’s it.

I have eaten essentially the same breakfast for almost a year and a half because I genuinely like it. It gives me the protein, carbs, and fats I want in my first meal, it keeps me full, it’s easy to make, and maybe most importantly it’s one less decision I have to make every day.

In fact, I eat pretty much the same breakfast, lunch, and snack every day. Dinner is where I add more variety.

Every morning after I work out, I have two eggs, ¼ cup of egg whites, two everything rice cakes, and an unsweetened almond milk protein latte. Some days I add avocado spread to my rice cakes, although lately I’ve been saving more of my fats for later in the day.

Without the avocado, my breakfast is about 376 calories, 20g carbs, 15g fat, and 39g protein.

With the avocado, it’s about 471 calories, 25g carbs, 25g fat, and 40g protein.

And here’s the best part: it’s a lot of food. I finish breakfast feeling full and satisfied.

So this week, don’t overhaul your entire diet.

Just figure out breakfast.

Find a breakfast you enjoy enough to eat regularly for the rest of the year. Once breakfast becomes automatic, work on lunch. Then your snacks. Build your routine one meal at a time.

When you don’t have to constantly think about what you’re going to eat, it frees up so much mental energy. And when you build meals, think protein first. Aim for around 30 grams of protein at each meal if that fits your individual needs and goals.

You don't need another diet you can follow for 30 days.

You need a way of eating you can still see yourself doing years from now, one that leaves room for your health goals, your everyday life, and yes, the pizza.