One Simple Question to Ask Yourself to Transform Your Meals
If you're one of those people who have tried multiple meal plans thinking this will finally be the answer to all your problems, this is for you.
Most meal plans fail because they’re too restrictive and you have to completely 180 your current lifestyle to match it. Then once you do fall off the plan (because you will), it becomes this vicious cycle of feeling bad about yourself, negative self-talk, sometimes even binge eating, then feeling even more terrible than when you started. Queue the bad relationship with food cycle.
INSTEAD, why don’t we try a different method. Because there are always 2 paths and one of the roads, as we've learned, keeps us going in a loop with no actual movement forward.
All you need to do is just think about what you’re already eating, and how you could make it a little bit better. That's it!
How you do this is by making small changes and improvements to what you already normally eat and enjoy, one small step at a time. Small is the keyword here.
What you need to do is ask yourself this one simple question everyday when mealtime comes:
“How can I make this meal a little better?”
Example:
Stage 1: You get home from work at 8pm and plop in front of the TV and have 2 alcoholic drinks to unwind with a pile of store-bought mac and cheese.
-> You ask yourself, “How can I make this meal a little bit better next time?”
Stage 2: The next night, instead of store-bought, you decide to cook boxed mac and cheese and add some chicken into the mix. Adding a handful of prepackaged salad to have alongside it with your 2 drinks.
-> You again ask yourself, “How can I make this meal a little bit better next time?”
Stage 3: The next night, you think of this as a game. Upping the protein with a little more chicken, deciding to have 1 drink instead of 2, and adding a large salad on the side with tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots with creamy dressing. You also decide to eat at the table instead of in front of the TV.
-> You ask yourself once more, “How can I make this meal a little bit better next time?”
Stage 4: You whip up some 5-minute cheesy rice instead of pasta and have it with rotisserie chicken you bought from the store. You eat it with a side salad with loads of veggies and light dressing. Instead of a mixed drink, you decide to have red wine with your meal at the table.
Meal transformation is not about reaching perfection, it’s about seeing how you can load up the nutrients and continuously feel better after each meal, RIGHT NOW.
So how do we take this example and implement it into your own lives?
First, take a look at the examples and consider where you sit on the spectrum of meal “stages.” If you're currently on stage one, let's try to go for stage 2 for your next meal. We must start small in order for this to work. Pick one meal to transform and focus on that.
For instance, you might leave all your other meals at stage 1 and just focus on getting lunch to stage 2. Concentrate on improving that one meal each day.
Using the examples above, you might think about things like:
adding more protein
adding veggies or fruits
eating less processed food
eating more nutrient-dense foods
drinking less alcohol or fewer sweet drinks
drinking more water
eating in a calmer, more relaxed setting
eating more slowly and mindfully
Once you’ve improved one meal a day, try another. If you feel like lunch is a solid stage 2 or 3, play with moving breakfast, dinner, or snacks along the spectrum. Or, once you’ve improved one factor in a meal (e.g. adding more protein), try another.
As you work toward making your meals slightly better each day, notice how you are feeling while you are making these adjustments. Do you notice less bloat? More energy? Fewer cravings? Feel your body and how changing things up is affecting it.
Remember, there is no “right” way to do this. Do whatever works for your budget and timeframe. Any progress is progress. Stay consistent with asking yourself how to make a meal better and you will see progress one way or another!
