Dear Pamela,

What do you eat in a day?

I am battling perimenopause and working hard to improve my health, but I find FOOD to be my biggest obstacle.

Exercise? Check. Sleep? Check.  But FOOD? I feel like I struggle every day. 

I have added more protein and fiber. I try to eat clean. I am never perfect. 

If you could run down your typical day, maybe I could see how I stack up or get inspired.

 

Sincerely,

Menu Seeker

 

Dear Seeker,

AHHH, this question.  It’s an absolute trap, set for certain failure.

I Don’t Think MY Intake is Your Answer

Have you ever slipped on a used pair of shoes? Even if they are the same size, it feels all wrong.  It’s the same with someone else’s meal plan.

To say I have an unfair advantage is a severe understatement. My menu has evolved over 30 years of obsessive-interest meets trial-and-error and and I approach the kitchen like it is my part-time job as I am a paid athlete.

On the occasions when I have run this drill and word-vomited my daily intake on a client, I can literally see the light go out behind her eyes when I name a food she dislikes, would never take the time to cook, or has an allergy to. 

At that instant, I can see the thought in her mind, “Well, if that’s what it takes to eat healthfully, I will always be a failure.”

Even if 90% of what I listed would help her, that little detail is the pin-prick that pops her ballooning nutrition hopes and dreams.

The Guidelines that Guide My Intake 

Rather than matching my intake bite-for-bite, let’s look behind the scenes at HOW and WHY I fix my plate the way I do, so you can set your own Kitchen PR.. 

1. I eat real foods.  Whatever you decide to chew up and swallow, see if it can be the closest version of what grew out of the ground or had a mother.  Want more guidance?  Grab my FREE Best Whole Food Picks.  This is THE list of the foods I eat. Period. 
2. I meal plan every week. Once a week I spend 30 minutes strategizing what I will prep and cook for the family. This saves me loads of time and mental energy over the next seven days. I’ve put together my system in this FREE Meal Planning eBook. You’re welcome.
3. I make protein and veggies the star of every meal. Carbs and fats take supporting roles, but they are important too! Here’s my FREE meal-builder Guide and Worksheet to make this easy for you.
4. When I eat a treat, I enjoy the HELL out of it. I love, love and LOVE ice cream. If I am going to indulge in sweets, it will be on something I truly love and it will be special because it’s not something I do very often. 

 

Epic Nutrition Failures I No Longer Do

When I mentioned my intake has evolved over 30 years, you have to know some awfully bad choices have been made. Let’s take a walk down memory lane so you can learn from my mistakes.

1. Eat as little as possible in the first half of the day……and make up for it in the evening.  This approach guarantees you are burning muscle for fuel during the day and packing on fat at night. Sigh, if I could only have those years in my thirties back.
2. Feel as if I am accomplishing something if I can white-knuckle my way through hunger.  Oh how I prided myself on my ability to withstand absolute misery. Imagine if my body could have felt nourished and supported instead of slamming my metabolism down to the lowest setting possible.
3. Punish myself after indulging. Ice cream with the family at Disneyland? Sounds like a double workout followed by a juice cleanse…followed by wondering why my body is showing so many signs of inflammation. 
4. Eat processed foods and empty calories. Hello cereal, my dirty-little true obsession. Oh, how you have a satisfying crunch and meticulously-crafted flavor bliss-point. Handful upon handful, but why am I still hungry? 
5. Eat rich foods. Sneaky calories in sauces, fatty meats, added butter or oils skyrocket calorie counts on foods. I’m not anti-flavor. But I’m anti-hunger. I would rather not spend 100 calories per bite on rich foods that will upset my stomach for two days.  I want to bury my face in a massive, lean, fiber-filled meal and wake up hungry in the morning. 

 

How are YOU going to change?

Slowly.

Making truly impactful changes that last the test of time, won’t happen overnight or even in one week.  

For me, most started as a little experiment. 

What would it feel like to avoid white flour for a week? What would a week without opening a packaged snack look like? Could I possibly go a month without drinking alcohol? What about two months? 

Goal. End date. Reevaluate. 

What worked? What failed? What did I learn? Where will I go from here?

Each of these attempts was done ONE at a time. Not all together like a total intake overhaul. 

You are stepping up a staircase leading to your best health. Focus on progress over perfection and over time, you will look back amazed at how far you have come. 

 

Sending you trust in yourself (along with all of these free resources),

Coach Pamela