Well you know, a) I have been working on this for some time, and b) it's really part of a larger habit that I will be reiterating for four months, viz., eat protein and vegetables for every meal pretty much. This is a good place to stick a big old YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY. Because like I said, I've been working on this for years and believe me it's been baby steps all the way. Maybe this is the next baby step for you, or maybe a big step is fine by you, or maybe this isn't your next step. I don't write these as prescriptions. I would have to actually talk to you, ask you questions, and listen to your answers—very complicated stuff, I know—before I could begin to suggest something personally for you. In the meantime, I'm writing up these habits just as descriptions of what I'm doing over here. If that gives you ideas of your own, obviously that's great.
Anyway protein and vegetables for every meal is a great result, but as a target it's too broad. So I decided on what specific protein to shoot for every meal, and for breakfast it's eggs and then the tricky part is vegetables—though not as tricky as it used to be, now that I'm getting to know them. It's not that fruit isn't fine and good, but you don't want to fall into having fruit for every meal just because it's easy and sweet. I haven't officially limited my fruit consumption yet, I'm seeing first if I can proactively develop a taste for vegetables like how self-regulation is supposed to work.
The Cue
Easy enough, the cue is breakfast! Man, you don't have to ask me twice. See, this is what I'm saying about baby steps—you don't have to tell me not to skip breakfast. I would look at you like you had two heads if you did; but if your habit is to skip breakfast, I feel like eggs and vegetables might not be the easiest introduction? I know I started with eggs and fruit, eggs and fruit is good.
The Routine
The whole reason that I develop recipes the way I do is, it's time for breakfast and I can grab a jar of egg bites and heat them up in two minutes and eat them. Eggs, vegetables, boom. In summer, it'll be hardboiled eggs and fruit jars. In fall, I think I'm going back to egg bites. In winter, poached eggs and vegetable puree. All this is to say, I don't even have to think about it. Because I think about it, that's when the opera about the bagel starts up.
Level up, though! I'm actually at the point that I think eggs and vegetables when I think breakfast, like it finally got recoded in my brain. So now I can think more creatively about breakfasts, which in my opinion is what creativity is: freedom within limits. So like I have egg bites five or six days a week, and one or two days a week I'm on my own. And I'm aware of myself thinking, okay, I have eggs and what vegetable, oh here's a zucchini, well, I know what to do with a zucchini. Oh and here's a tomato, zucchini and tomato go good together. Et voila. Now that we're having Sunday breakfasts at home, I've been getting pretty fancy with this.
The Reward
I mean, the long term reward of this is supposed to be that you get the body fat percentage of your dreams and then rest of your life is summer. But that's not the kind of reward that keeps a habit going, you know what I mean? I mean, apart from the fact that I'm kidding. I personally am not that motivated by something that I'm chasing, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm a lot more motivated by all the birds in my hand than that stuck up bird in the bush.
Birds off the top of my head: 1) who knew, vegetables are yummy, 2) a lot of your life does go more easily if you can form the thought vegetables are yummy on a regular basis. I mean, it won't make you popular. Really don't brag about it too much, nobody who's jonesing for a Thin Mint wants to hear how much you're craving some celery sticks. I'm just saying, your food choices will be easier if you actually like things that are good for you. 3) I personally like being creative, in general, and with food in particular. There's just something a lot more artful about vegetables than toast to me. 4) Not gonna lie though, there is something to be said about feeling virtuous about your food, and even more virtuous because it tastes good, because you're that good of a person.
Status: ACTIVE
