Staying on course

All this week I’ve been diligently packing my snacks to bring to work, as per Mr Nutritionist’s recommendations. My usual eating routine is as follows:

6:30am – breakfast (usually cereal)

9:00am – Green Tea and muffin from the cafeteria with A

12:15pm – Lunch (whatever the cafeteria is serving or a salad and sandwich OR leftovers)

3:00pm – trip to the vending machine for a snack (usually chips!)

7:00pm – dinner (if I can be bothered cooking or a lean cuisine or picking at edamame)

Obviously this plan was not pleasing to Mr Nutritionist’s eye so we devised something with fewer muffins and chips and more protein and fibre. All good and well but here we are 3 days in (I elected to start on Monday instead of the weekend …) and I’m craving.

No, I’m not craving the tastes – although that double chocolate chip muffin was tempting – but more than anything I’m craving the rituals. It’s now 3:35pm and I’ve had my mid-afternoon snack but I had it at my desk, alone. Bringing your own snack negates the necessity of calling up a colleague and ‘persuading’ them to join you for a vending machine break. It takes away the ritual of choosing a snack from the limited supply and munching on it on your way back to your desk.

My day seems longer and less social. Perhaps that’s a good thing – I’m more productive? But I’m not. I’m now ceaselessly thinking about that vending machine and wanting to get some salt and vinegar chips, not for the taste at all. I’m bored and want a reason to get up from my desk.

This is usually what breaks me when it comes to healthy eating. Boredom. Planning is all good and well but it takes away the ritual and routine. I know that eventually I’ll have created a new routine but until I get there, these cravings are tough.

What kind of rituals do you have when it comes to food?