**Disclaimer: Please be aware that this post contains content that some readers may find triggering. This is not intended to be dietary advice. Anything written here is not necessarily appropriate for the Enara program you are on or consistent with your particular goals.
These Food Diaries have a conspicuous way of catching me far from my ideal. Either they are a curse or they are a practice in detailing what “do your best given the circumstances” looks like. I think the latter can be valuable so let’s go with it. Making the best of it is never the original plan, of course, but you have to adapt. I think this is a major factor in sustaining healthy habits because there will inevitably be obstacles along whatever path you are on.
I started the week trying to get out of recovery mode. I suffered a concussion earlier in the month and all I wanted, besides an assurance that my brain wasn’t bleeding (which I got), was to feel healthy. I had not been eating well and unsurprisingly it wasn’t making me feel good.
Monday
I started Monday morning off with a breakfast that has become quite traditional for me, 2 eggs with a whole wheat tortilla and some hot sauce. This was a decent start but I feared for the sustainability of it because the fridge was starting to look barren. For lunch, I tried to keep the positive momentum going by pulling on one of those shelf stable protein options I am always talking about. In this case, anchovies. They were a good deal at Costco but I’m not sure if I like them yet. I’m also not sure if they are worth the frenzy our cat suffers from when a can is opened. Anyway, the meal was some rice, black beans, the anchovies, and some vegetables (Costco frozen blend). For dinner, my fiancée fortunately felt like cooking. Otherwise, it was looking grim for protein options. She made tofu and I paired that with black beans and vegetables along with some wasabi sauce that I’ve come to really enjoy. I have to be careful not to have too much on one forkful or my nostrils light on fire but it’s an especially good bite to add to beans. It packs a punch for sure.
Tuesday
By Tuesday I finally felt well enough to exercise again so I had a banana and then hit my local lake, Lake Chabot, for a 3 mile run. In the last one of these I did, I mentioned a hip injury. This is unfortunately still present, and one of the biggest downsides of the concussion was having to postpone the surgery another month. Three miles has been about the max I’ve been able to handle without my legs falling apart, but I’ll take what I can get. After that I had 3 eggs and a whole wheat tortilla before heading out to Stockton for a minor league baseball game. There, I brought a Clif Bar so skipped the concessions. I was feeling good about not eating ballpark food, both financially and health-wise, but I was starving on the way home and caved for one of my all-time indulgences: two McChickens and a Diet Coke. This was a textbook example for what happens without a plan. They were good though and I tried not to beat myself up over it. Dinner was a bit better but not ideal. My fiancée made tofu again but this time in a curry with broccoli over white rice. I felt bad for having a refined carb two meals in a row but oh well.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning was where I really felt the pains of still having not gone shopping. I always talk about how big of a barrier grocery shopping is and I say this from first hand experience. I really do not like to do it. What I had for breakfast then was a half of a handful of frozen blueberries (all that was left), Greek yogurt, and the end of the bag (sawdust) of granola. It did not do the trick and soon after I found myself returning to the well of eggs and a whole wheat tortilla. We will call that brunch and then lunch around 2 was where I felt like I began to turn the tides. As I was putting the meal together—beans, tofu, and veg, I finally prepped more food. This was so necessary because all that I had here for lunch was the last of it. I baked some chicken, steamed some frozen vegetables, and rinsed two cans of black beans. I finally felt like I was back on track legitimately. My internal timer for having prepped foods available had been going off for a few days there. Dinner was then chicken, beans, veg with that wasabi sauce. It feels good to have solid stores of healthy foods ready to go.
Thursday
Writing this has me realizing how boring my habits are when I’m on track:
- Breakfast: 2 eggs, whole wheat tortilla, hot sauce
- Lunch #1: Chicken, beans, rice, vegetables, wasabi sauce
- Lunch #2: whole wheat tortilla, chicken patty from Costco, tomatoes, mustard
- Dinner: Rice, beans, chicken breast + 1 piece breaded chicken, olive oil
Friday
- Breakfast: Yogurt, blueberries, granola
- Snack: RX Bar
- Lunch: 3 eggs, tomatoes, whole wheat tortilla, hot sauce
- Dinner: Burrito at A’s game
Wrap
At this point you might be wondering, what about snacks? I really try not to snack but sometimes I do. This is made easier by working from home as I’ve adopted the habit of eating 2 smaller meals spaced out in place of a traditional lunch. I used to be very reliant on Clif Bars for snacks which was not ideal because of the added sugar content. I have them once in a while now but have been trying for RX bars instead as they are much cleaner. I also bought wasabi almonds at Costco recently and they have turned into a go-to if I need a snack.
Hopefully this post was insightful. I think the biggest takeaway is something I talk about all the time and just showcased: planning and preparation are so important for success. If you fail to do so you might find yourself starving at the drive-thru!
