I have a young friend that recently graduated college and is working with Jodi towards a cool goal. Since she’s new to “dieting” like we do around here, it’s the eating that’s become challenging. She called me the other night and needed to kind of confess and cry for a little bit. Basically it’s the old I’m obsessed with food and all I want is crap that I know doesn’t even taste good. I cannot wait for my cheat meal. Every where I turn in this office there’s a candy dish or it’s food day or there are leftover pastries in the break room. Recently someone was even eating McDonalds in the same train car (the nerve!)

We laughed as she described what she was feeling. Basically she’s not satisfied after she eats. She’s not starving, that’s not the problem. It’s that she’s not full, ever. Like leave food on the plate full. Yeah, we don’t get you full, sorry. But that’s the point. How are you going to eat three-four hours later if you’re stuffed now?

It’s also the texture/mouth feel issue that Jodi mentioned a week or so ago that’s she’s missing that add to the feeling of being unsatisfied. It was no surprise to learn that her cheat meals are pizza, fried foods, beer.

I don’t do the diets but I’ve been through this so I had a few suggestions:

* Quit eating the same thing meal after meal, day after day. A high variety will keep your mouth surprised and your brain engaged as you eat. Change up every component, the protein, the starch, the veg, fruit and the fat.

* Change up the preparations. Cooking Light is a terrific source for yummy recipes. If you can’t have the food exactly as is then take inspiration from the recipe and modify it to fit your plan. For example: a baked rosemary chicken cutlet recipe that calls for a panko breading is just as amazing with Ezekiel bread crumbs or omit the crumbs all together.

* Try something new. Nicole has been treating us with really yummy recipes lately and Amy and Heather too. Give them a go; these gals have been in the dieting game for a long time and know what they’re talking about.

* For these suggestions to work, you have to cook. You have to plan. You have to put in the effort to make your food be more satisfying.

* Avoid fake food crutches. For example, using Crystal Light in every glass of water you drink or bathing all your foods in butter spray. In time, artificial anything will dull your ability to taste the food, which is never satisfying.

* Get smarter about cheat meals. I have to think it’s time for her to move away from pizza and on to maybe something like a gourmet burger and a few sweet potato chips or mom’s clam chowder with a hunk of sour dough bread slathered with perfect English butter as her cheats.

As far the traps at the office:

* Don’t start with the candy. A small handful of skittles or m&m’s may in time be ok, but it’s deadly to newbies because once it begins, it’s very difficult to stop. What’s stupid is that with candy, after a while you can’t even taste it anymore and you’re mouth hurts. Each day, make it a goal to not do the candy. Don’t even start with just one or two tiny pieces. Walk away.

* Food days are a ridiculous office phenomenon. I mean, really, every birthday, every holiday, every other Friday? Like the dreaded candy dish, you have to decide ahead of time to not partake. And see about making your meals that day be especially yummy and inspiring. If you have to, join in the birthday song and immediately go back to your desk.

* When thoughts of food begin to take over, get up from your desk and go do something, put on your headphones, or whatever you can to distract yourself. Get your mind onto something interesting to minimize the space you have to think about food. Like on weekends, when it’s 4pm and you realize you’ve only eaten twice, it’s because you’re busy!

I don’t know if I helped her besides listening and sharing some of my own crazy thoughts and behaviors. Just getting it off her chest and hearing from a veteran that she’s not alone was enough to put it all back into perspective and have a few belly laughs too. She’s going to be fine.

So, what else works to keep your meals inspiring and your mind in the eating game? How do you deal with a toxic food environment at the office? Let’s chat it out in the comments.

You know I am all about inner beauty because it is what facilitates your outer beauty.  And you know that inner beauty comes from a balanced, healthy diet with fabulous training.  And I’m sure that by now you probably know that I shoot straight from the hip and will do whatever is necessary to get your attention.  You may have even picked up on the fact that I may know a thing or two about nutrition.  Well it is time to start putting all those traits together to make some learning magic. 

Welcome to the first of one of many series I will be hosting on my blog.  From time to time I will introduce a new topic that I will cover in bite size pieces so you can really learn something from it and then take something useful away with you.  I do not have any worries about giving you useful information and I hope you do not mind receiving it!  I also hope you don’t mind that I’m going to be pretty silly while giving you the info, too.  You know I’m a clown.;o)

No matter who I am speaking with, food is an issue.  Let me say that again b/c you may be in denial:  food. is. an. issue!   It could be planning it, controlling it, liking it, eating it, sharing it (that’s mine–back it down cuz forks hurt when they hit your hand!lol), who knows what *it* is, just know that “it” is many people’s source of stress.  Thus, success demands that you will to have to be a Jack of all trades and a master of none.  I say master of none simply because people tend to beat themselves up when they are not “perfect” at something and I honestly do not expect any one to be perfect at anything food related. 

Dieting (meaning the act of planning and controlling one’s nutrient intake) is hard.  No doubt about it.  Ask anyone, whether they are a seasoned athlete or a mom just wanting to be hot again, what they are doing that day for a workout and they will give you great detail (whether you wanted it or not).  They can tell you what time they are going, how long it should take, what weights they like to use…etc.  They can even tell you when they last made a change to their workout and what effects they got from the change.  Let me just quickly add that I am referring to those folks that really are interested in looking good–you know…you!  Anyway, they are like a walking workout journal.  But if you ask that same person what they are eating and when the last time they changed what they have been eating, they look at you like you just asked them if you can lick their spoon for them (what a nasty thought…ewww). 

Now don’t get me wrong, they will tell you they eat “healthy” or “clean” or whatever–and they most likely do.  But they also eat the same thing day in and day out because they don’t want to, or do not know how to:  menu plan.  That’s right, I just said it.  Menu Planning.  What are you going to do about it?  Hide under a chair and act like I just didn’t bring that topic up?  Menu Planning.  Said it again!  And I meant it too. Haha!

So let’s stop this awful practice of eating the same thing over and over again and just learn how to plan a menu, rotate some foods in and out, count some macros and etc.  We’ll take it step by step beginning with the layout.  How does that sound to you?  Let me know before I roll this Cadillac worth of information out on this blog and scare some of you into hibernation.  How about we do it over a 4 day period–maybe 3 if we’re feeling adventurous.  We can put a few days in between so you may have time to digest the info and try a few things.  You have one day to say yay or nay…so what you say?