I’ve said before that I do best with my eating when I plan ahead. Most days I prepare and bring lunch and my morning and mid-day snacks to work. This way I don’t have to make a food decision when there are things around to tempt me or when I’m rushed or busy. It’s all too easy at those times to run to the lunch truck and order up something that really isn’t in my best interests as I work toward knocking off these last 50 pounds.
Today I brought what I call my yogurt parfait (Non-fat Greek yogurt, handful of blueberries and some oat meal), a can of “Soup to Go” and some other fruit. I decided that I haven’t been taking in enough fluids, so I’m really pushing myself on water and other drinks. I had my mid-morning bite. Lunch time rolled around and I thoroughly enjoyed my yogurt mixture. Mid-afternoon approached and I took my soup to the kitchen to heat.
I don’t know what happened but for some reason, the perfectly fine can inexplicably tilted over in the microwave and almost everything spilled out. Not only did this create a large, annoying mess in the microwave that I had to clean, but it also left me without my mid-afternoon snack. General crankiness ensued. Then I remembered that I had a backup! I’d stashed a few individual serving size containers of almond milk in my desk drawer. Last week, I’d brought a scoop of protein powder in to, just in case I hit a circumstance like today. Presto! A protein shake. This met my nutritional needs, calmed any food craving, and resolved my crankiness.
It is important to have a backup plan. It’s helpful to keep small servings of appropriate foods around that don’t need refrigeration. I honestly don’t do well if I don’t eat a small something every two-and-a-half to three hours. Lately, I’ve fallen out of the habit of keeping around some cheese wedges or healthy nuts. I must get back into that routine. Without the almond milk and protein powder, I would have needed to find something else to eat to stave off a headache, hunger pangs, and other undesirable symptoms. That something else could have been a food I’d prefer not to eat while still focused on losing weight.
I’m stopping at the grocery store on my way home. I’ve added non-perishable snacks for my backup plan to my list.
Weighty Matters 
I just need to make sure my backup plan isn’t too tasty, or I’ll eat it too. :p
I’m a big fan of backup plans, especially ones that are well planned in advance. If I don’t have them, I tend to feel I have no options and I get panicky.
It’s great that you had the makings of a protein shake at work! And having a selection of non-perishable snacks at your desk will make a huge difference, I’m sure. When I had nuts at hand, I was less likely to go buy a candy bar.
So way to go for a solution!