We have a strategy here at Ideal Balance. That strategy is that you put so much yummy, healthy food down your gullet that your body 1) releases all the fat because it’s not afraid anymore and 2) you don’t feel the need to put as much other, unhealthy stuff in it. This process helps us change our relationship with food and with “diets.” So, when and what do we eat? Well, do you mind if we take a detour and talk about hobbits first?
I read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as a child. Nerd alert! Moreover, I do love the hobbits in the movies. So, when I’m asking clients to eat more (it’s hardly ever LESS than what they were eating), I like to tell them about hobbits. Hobbits love food and this is partly what makes them so jolly we are led to believe. So, they have six meal times daily.
- Breakfast
- Second breakfast
- Elevenses
- Luncheon
- Afternoon tea
- Dinner
- Supper
For our purposes, we’re going to change things up a bit. Here’s what we’re going to advise our clients eventually work to:
- Breakfast
- Shake
- Lunch
- Second Lunch
- Dinner
- Evening tea
Breakfast is usually one of the hardest habits for our clients to adapt. So many time busy folks are subsisting on coffee until lunch time. That isn’t going to work for us. We are building strong, healthy bodies that require fuel! So, we start by asking them to eat something simple like a banana just to get into the habit. Eventually, we’d like to move them over to a light but fueling protein + carb meal for breakfast.
We of course LOVE our Shakeology, so that’s going to be an excellent snack for our clients, though many of them choose to have them for breakfast. Our shakes fuel your bodies with nutrition, energy and digestion enzymes. That means the earlier they get it in, the better. It will serve them as the eat food throughout the day and it will keep the cravings at bay as well. Plus, it’ll help them stay regular. 😉
Next up we’re going to have our “comfort” lunch. Yes, in this lunch you’ll likely find some sort of carbs in them. Now, we work with each client individually to dial their nutrition in according to their goals. So, if they are still consuming some flour or sugar in their diet AND making progress, we are good. If they aren’t, we will incorporate small changes so they keep making progress. Over the course of a client’s journey this might look like:
- Track what we’re eating for lunch (Sandwich or tacos)
- Modify portions for lunch (Half sandwich or 1 taco)
- Change types of food for lunch (salad or bowl)
- Avoid flour + sugar unless planning for joy eating (beans, rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc)
Remember, we only dial the nutrition in as the progress slows. If you’re making progress, we’re happy. But, as you slowly change, what’s hard today will be so much easier in six months. And when it’s easier, we know your body will adjust and will need a little extra to keep losing weight. Our key here is that carbs are done and over with by this lunch meal, so enjoy them! Carbs are not the enemy we say, but we do like to use them to our advantage.
On our hobbit-like journey, we’re now going to have second lunch. Now, this second lunch will be according to your body and your goals. Either way, we’re looking for fill in any nutritional gaps you might have. So, if you’re needing more veggies, fruit, healthy fats, etc, this is the time! This second lunch is likely a form of an adult lunchable. So, we might have a favorite fruit, a veggie w/ hummus or avocado and hard-boiled eggs. We’re popping in nutrition that is yummy and fun to eat!
When we get to dinner we’ve have a lovely day full of yummy food. We might not even be super hungry, but we are going to eat for fuel. When we eat to fuel at night, we want to be sure to eat in a way that will support the night both in terms of digestion and in rest. You don’t want to be super hungry when you go to bed but you do want your tummy to not be very full either. You also don’t want to eat foods that are hard for your body to process. As we progress along your health journey, you’ll figure out what that means for your body. We have healthy dinner ideas that are lean and nutritious here.
Evening tea is a fun way to help think about relaxing and avoiding temptation at the same time. Evening tends to be the time our clients struggle the most with eating or drinking in ways that is not in alignment with their plans. So, we might try to modify-not completely change- that habit to something healthy that still feels a bit indulgent. So, a warm cup of tea might just do that trick. It will satisfy our need for manual stimulation while also giving us something simple to put in our bellies!
Okay, that’s it. That’s how you eat like a hobbit while avoiding their waistline. 😉
PS: If any of this resonated with you, we’d love to work with you 1-on-1. We teach our clients how to build a body they love and change habits slowly to match their goals. In a world with fake quick fixes, we help them adapt a lifestyle that they’ll want to keep. If that resonates with you, please get in touch with the form below!
