Question on shakes

WIChelle

I only work 2-3 days a week but do not get any scheduled breaks unless I actually have a break in my appointments. I am usually pretty booked up since I am only there a few days a week. A lot of times I do not have more than 2-3 minutes to quick bolt some food down.

Is there any reason at all I can't just make appropriate shakes for all my at work meals. I figure shake with oats or a fruit for high carb day or with peanut butter on the low carb days. I could just bring a big shake I made and drink half at each meal time. The only part I can't figure out is how to put a veggie with it if I really don't have the time between appointments to stop and eat. Any ideas and is there a problem with all the shakes?

jbdowns35

I think that's a perfect solution. Since it's only a few days a week anyhow, no problem. And don't worry about the veggies, you can try & incorporate more veggies when you aren't at work. I have no time for breakfast, so I make a shake the night before & chug it down while I'm getting ready for work & grab a banana on my way out the door, that's the best I can do. I plan to just make a heartier breakfast on the days I don't work, oatmeal, eggs, etc. So far I'm enjoying the shakes. I haven't tried the one with oatmeal yet, but I will. I love the Peanut butter/chocolate shake. I found the ones I add fruit to are better if I drink them freshly made, left in the refrigerator over night they seem to get a little funky.

babeinthemoon

This is a perfect topic! It illustrates the diet prison vs healthy lifestyle framework debate.

My "Diet Prison" answer:
You need to limit your shake intake to 2 a day, and if you eat them later than breakfast, you must eat your veggies along with it. Also, breakfast must be high carb, low fat... so no peanut butter at the breakfast meal, even if you are on a low carb day.


But, no, I believe CTL is not about a "diet" it is about getting healthier for the rest of your life. It is a framework to live your life within. You just need to figure out what will work best FOR YOU.

So, my real answer is below:
Yes! On your work days, do your shakes for meals if that's all you have time to eat. It's better than going hungry the whole day. Stoke that fire with what you can. Now, my challenge to you is that your other meals of those days to really focus on getting in your veggies. Over the course those days, try to fit in your full 8 fistfulls of veggies. Maybe have some cut veggies to snack on before & after work to help with that goal? There is nothing wrong with spreading out your veggies differently if you have to.

Really, if your hand size portions are appropriate for the day, then you'll do great with this "diet."

WIChelle

You know I should buy a heavy duty food processor to go with my cheap blender . I bet I could blend some veggies in I do very frequently completely skip meals and beverages at work. I really need to stop this even if I do end up with the 2 shakes. I could leave cut up veggies in the back and hurry and chew a few as i am mixing up colors etc. That might work!

Is the "Diet Prison" in the book? I haven't read all of it yet. I read from the plan on to the back and am now reading the rest.

I have no problem eating breakfast before work. MMM I'm all set for tomorrow with some speltz bread and eggs. MMMM

Jbdown, that sounds like a plan on your way out the door. You are getting the requirements in

babeinthemoon

Nope. "Diet Prison" is a concept I came up with one day when I was having an argument with someone regarding what is or was not in book about the diet rules. The conversation was getting really nitpicky, and it was over something that wasn't included in the safe foods list in the book, but was included on the Smart Foods Guide on the website.

In any case, it was then that I made the decision that this was 100% a framework or a map for me. It isn't a prision. I'm allowed to make mistakes, and I'm allowed to CHOOSE to not follow the plan 100% of the time.

After all, the title of the book is "Choose to Lose." :drinker:

I've said it many times since then, and it seems to resonate with people. I like it, and I'm keeping it! :laugh:

Edited to add:
The beauty of CTL is that Chris highly recommends that we pre-portion our meals so that we don't have to think about it when it is time to eat. Get creative with things that you can snack on that will make a complete meal. I homeschool my kids, but on several Mondays out of the year we are at a co-op that I'm heavily envolved with teaching and volunteering. We do have a set "lunch time," and I get a break as a teacher as well... but those never seem to coeinside with the time I need to eat. I have to really think about what I'm going to bring to eat since we are away from the house from 8am - 3pm or later (on the warmer dry days we go to the park afterwards). We do have a snack table for the teachers, and I use to not even pack a lunch because I'd have no trouble eating off of it... but it usually high carb & lower in protein things... and Mondays are almost always a LC day for me. Sigh.

So, my monday meals during co-op look something like this:

HC Breakfast shake in the AM

Snack 1: 1 oz herbed turkey lunch meat, 1 string cheese, 2 snack sized bags of baby carrots or other cut veggies. I eat parts of this meal in bits and pieces over the day when ever I get hungry.

Lunch: Something LC and delicious that I can warm up in the microwave in the cold months (usually soup w/ chicken and cheese or a stirfry), or a salad with cheese and turkey lunch meat in the warmer months.

Emergency snack: 1 oz of turkey jerkey, 1 pkg of cashews (trader joes), and a couple extra bags of cut veggies. I rarely have to dip into this one, so the turkey jerkey and cashews live in my purse... and the veggies go in the fridge for "tomorrow's" lunch. This one tends to be on the higher sodium side, but so would fast food, so I figure it is a much lower & healthier alternative!

Dinner: What ever the heck is easiest. because I'm simply exhausted. The family will often have mac & cheese, or pizza or something else that I "can't" have, and I'll make myself an omlette, or stirfry or something. This is their day to be on a break from mommy's diet. It is a night for choosing the battles I want to fight, and instead of yelling at my daughter to eat her healthy dinner, I cave and let her have something "fun." Besides, I don't mind being a short-order cook... when I get all the benefit out of it.

If I don't need my emergency snack, I'll have a chocolate pb shake (made with coconut milk) as my 5th meal... and sometimes I'll eat the cut veggies, other times I just leave them for the next day.

WIChelle

Sounds like you really have the planning down. I have full faith I will get there eventually

I do like the diet prison term. It is very true. I do from personal experience think one can be too rigid. I had that problem with low carb 24/7. I would tend to eat perfect for about 3 weeks and then slip. I'd think I already had xyz so i might as well make it worth it by having zyx. Obvioulsy at the weight I am at that didn't work for me!

I was thinking Thur will always be low carb which is super easy at work. Fri high carb and slightly harder but doable. I work every other Sat. Well those are fun days! I just got easier than I thought! I guess if I absolutely have too I will just excuse myself from a cleint and get 5 min behind. Most of my clients know I am a diabetic so no one would likely bat an eye at excuse me I need to go drink a quick shake or grab a very quick snack. If I didn't have someone booking me so tight it would help.

babeinthemoon

You are right.... you will get there! Lucky for me, my first 3 months or so on the program I was home for meals most of the time. I didn't start back to school with the kids at co-op until September, and by that time I had things pretty well figured out.

It sounds like you are on a roll already.

Something to watch out for, that might be true for you (My mom and I both found it true for us):

If I wait too long to eat, I don't get hunger pangs, I actually get a slight headache. The strange thing about this, is that soon after eating, the headache goes away. So, now that I've figured that out, the first thing I do when I get a headache is think about how long it has been since I've eaten. If it has been 3 or more hours I eat immediately, and wait 30 min - 1 hour before taking any pain medicine. Usually the headache goes away. I've also noticed that some things move through me much more quickly. My shakes for instance tend to wear off at about 2.5 hours... Most everything else though, I'll usually get a headache at the 4.5 hour mark if not before.

Wierd I know, but something to look for.

WIChelle

I don't get headaches but do get the shakes and feel nauseous. I do ok if I eat a monster fatty breakfast and skip lunch. However if I eat carbs I can not skip meals period or the hypoglycemia hits like a rock. It is ok on very low carb/high fat if i skip a meal once I have been on it for a good week solid. It is totally different eating carbs for me. I am assuming it is because of my wonky blood sugar since i have been this way since I was a kid.

I made it every 3 hours yesterday eating but sure had a little dizziness going on. I know this is just an adjustment time with switching my bodys fuel.

It sounds like you have your body's reaction right down to a science! There is for sure something to it since you and your mom noticed it.

judychicken

Bump