I don’t have a lot to write about today. It was a fairly no drama day. This is not to say that my life is usually filled with angst and dramatic events. Most of the time, I’m pretty even keeled. This doesn’t mean that I don’t run into stress sometimes, but I don’t usually go all wiggy with it.
That said, I guess there was always an undercurrent of tension and anxiety about food. What would I eat? Would I stay on my diet? Would I be able to get the food I wanted when I wanted? What would I want? Even on days that I was following my food plan or a diet and packed a lunch for work, I’d obsess to some extent. What if lunch time rolled around and I didn’t want the meal I’d prepped and packed?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who sometimes loathes food she usually likes. Have you ever made, for example, a yummy salad with flavorful ingredients that are also healthy and savored every bite? Ever make the same thing right down to the lettuce leaf but when you were about to eat it suddenly thought, “Bleck. Garbage!”?
These days, I still get some of those conflicting food thoughts, but not nearly as frequently as in the past.
Even when I’m away from home in situations where I don’t have the ability to keep a stocked fridge and pre-plan every meal, I don’t get all twitchy. Honestly, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, it’s fairly easy for me to find some protein to eat. Once the protein need is met, everything else is gravy — in a matter of speaking.
Planning is important. It begins with my weekend supermarket shopping trip. I make sure that I have all of the meals and snacks covered on my list. Milk for my morning protein shakes. A few Greek yogurts, some lunch meat, and a soup or two will give me a variety of choices for lunch. Whatever I consider making for dinner usually lasts for a couple of meals. Fruit, some veggies. I’m good to go.
Every morning when I’m getting ready for work I decide what I’m taking to work for two snacks and lunch. Sometime during the day, often on my drive home, I choose which of the dinner choices I’ll make that evening — unless I’m eating leftovers, in which case the decisions already been made.
Doesn’t this make it all sound incredibly easy? That’s the fun part. It is that easy! All these years I’ve obsessed over my meals, creating God knows how much stress and drama. None of it was necessary. Honestly, it can be rather matter of fact.
It feels great! I’ll take a “no drama” day over the old way, anytime!
I guess I never realized just how much underlying stress I had about my meals until I consistently experienced its absence.
Weighty Matters 
It’s a challenge, particularly now. The doctor reminds me that my food plan will change when I hit goal weight. However, my stomach capacity won’t, and I still have to think about preparation so that I don’t waste a lot of food. I buy the smallest quantities possible of foods that don’t keep long or freeze well. I also can bring in food to share with co-workers.
Using your cantaloupe example, I would buy the smallest one and then assess how much of it I could reasonably plan to eat before it goes bad. I’d then cut out that share for myself and bring the rest into work to offer to my friends.
With fruits like berries or pineapples, I eat some fresh and then cut up the rest into chunks and freeze them to make smoothies. With Greek yogurt, skim milk and some additional protein powder, those smoothies provide me with protein and not much fat.
I haven’t yet gotten to the point where I ask the butcher at the supermarket to make me up smaller packets of meat, but that’s usually only an issue with poultry. (I can always find a single steak which will then last me a couple of meals.) Still, a package of four chicken thighs will do me for a couple of meals. If I have too much left over, into the freezer it goes, or I’ll use the extra for soup.
I’m still learning and, unfortunately, sometimes I do have to waste a little food. I expect that my efforts will improve as I go along.
Question: Say you buy a cantaloupe. If you can only eat small portions, and a good percentage of them have to be protein, do you simply throw away half the thing? I mean, I can buy a melon, cut it in quarters, and eat two slices (¼ of the melon) for four days. But if I could eat only a small bit of that, maybe one slice, the melon sure won’t last 8 days. And it doesn’t freeze well either. If you’re single/divorced, like me, how do you plan varied meals without throwing away stuff that’s opened and you can’t eat?