How to Beat Your Eating Plan Rut!

by Mandy Gibbons

Are you sick and tired of eating the same old food day in and day out?

Are you at the point where the thought of eating one more meal of grilled chicken, rice and brocolli makes you want to puke?

Or maybe you've lost your appetite altogether because your eating program makes you feel like you're connected to a ball and chain dragging your body to home, work, training and bed.

So what can YOU do about it? LOTS!

If you're in the above situation then you will value and put into action the following hints to get your eating program back on track.

1. First off, you need to admit that you're experiencing a FOOD RUT!

"D-uh" - I hear you say!

Don't laugh because the above symptoms can be caused from stress at work, colds, or other conditions so it's easy just to pass it off as something that will "come good eventually".

2. Then you need to figure out what part of your eating plan needs work.

a. Are you eating enough? It's easy when you are training to lose body fat to think that eating less is best! Well this is wrong and will ruin your training efforts. If your eating plan isn't supporting your training "calorie-wise" then your body will be battling to survive your everyday activities, let alone your training regime.

b. Are you stuck in the same eating plan routine? Look, there's nothing wrong with having a regular eating routine, in fact it's great, BUT if you're absolutely miserable because you can't stand eating the same meals everyday of the year then you definitely need to make some changes.

c. Are you eating too much of the one food? Are you eating rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week. Or maybe you've been eating nothing but chicken or turkey for the past 6 months and have to force yourself to swallow it.

d. Maybe your eating program doesn't suit your training needs. Maybe you're not eating enough protein. Or you maybe eating too many starchy carbs eg... you may need to focus on complex carbs such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peppers, sweet potatoes, whole-grain bread etc...

e. Do you even have an eating plan? Are you just playing guessing games each day with your eating and hoping for the best because you figure if you're training you can eat whatever you want anyway?

f. Are you being honest about following your eating plan? "YES - I follow my eating plan BUT I don't get any results". I can't tell you how many times I have heard this yet once a person's written down what they have really eaten for last two weeks it would make anyone put on 2-3 kilos!

3. So now that you've discovered where your eating plan needs to be improved what can you do about it.......

a. Obviously to start with you need to make sure your eating plan suits your workout. Without this you are just wasting precious time. Hire the services of a nutritionist who is experienced with providing eating plans for your particular training goals. If you have a trainer pay the extra dollars and ask them to write you out an eating program that suits your training goals and requirements. If you're going the whole training thing alone and have no idea what you are doing then stop fooling around and get yourself a trainer (even if it's just once a month to keep you on track) and an new eating plan.

b. Now you have your eating plan on hand, do your homework on what type of meals you enjoy and how you can alter them to make them low fat and to suit your meal portion requirements such as protein, carbs, fat etc.

c. IMPORTANT!!!! Now this next part is VITAL! Get creative. Spend 1 hour, once every three months, that's all, browsing the net for some recipes that you could incorporate into your own plan.

Examples:

Chicken - you're thinking "boring"! Why not try some Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian or other recipes that offer exciting flavours.

Rice - you immediately think boiled and plain. Why not create low fat risotto, or add low fat spices and sauces.

Veggies and Salad - steamed :-( C'mon, surely you're not that short of ideas! Get on the net and look around, you will be gob smacked at the amount of recipes available.

Egg Whites - poached Just because you're not using the whole egg doesn't mean an egg white can't be used for fun recipes. Many of the recipes that you can use whole eggs for can also be created using egg whites.

Yogurt - tub on it's own Yogurt can be added to your cereal, in plain powdered protein shakes and pancakes that you've made with your egg whites.

4. Keep note of the recipes you've found on the net. Bookmark, print the recipes or save them to a handy place on your computer.

5. Using these recipes and new ideas, create a plan of what you are going to eat for the next week or so. This way you won't have to think about it later or end up eating junk because you've arrived home just before dinner with no idea of what you are going to eat or prepare.

6. Do up your food / shopping list using the ingredients from the above meal plans. This will ensure you can create enjoyable meals because you will have all of the correct ingredients on hand.

7. Have a back up plan for a tasty meal or snack. This can be frozen leftovers from a previous meal that you've made, or purchase a couple of frozen low fat meals that you can whip out for those days when you just aren't organised.

Protein shakes, Meal Replacement powders and bars, as long as they suit your eating plan goals, are fantastic for ensuring you are consuming regular meals and / or to assist with meal supplementation.

8. Eating Plan Rut Check! Once every 3-4 months, go through your eating plan to see if it requires altering. It may just be small changes, but it's worth your while keeping tabs on it to ensure you're keep on track.

Remember, you can still eat healthy and enjoy your food. Don't just put up with food because you have to. Only YOU can make your eating program enjoyable and by taking the time to get involved YOU CAN LOVE YOUR FOOD!