I am so far off the wagon that the wagon has not only disappeared around the corner but is now trundling off to Sydney.

Somehow in the past two weeks I’ve forgotten how to eat three square meals. Lunch has been the most neglected meal. I have been eating either Weet-bix or a banana, or failing to acknowledge lunch all together. I’ve also forgotten how not to eat wheat, even though I know I don’t tolerate it very well. I am eating more junk food than I have all year, and I seem to have gone backwards in every possible way with regard to my diet.

Yesterday I finally had enough. I have decided that I am not allowed to do anything social unless I can manage to eat three square meals. It is ridiculous to skip lunch because I am meeting someone at 2 and I’m running late. I cannot place social engagements over my basic health and wellbeing. Eating regularly and well must become my top priority.

How am I going to remember to eat? By planning my meals ahead of time, finding new and exciting recipes, and setting an alarm on my phone to remind me that it’s meal time.

Meal planning
During semester I sat down once a week to plan out the next seven days’ worth of meals, including snacks. I wrote a ‘to do’ list for each evening (highlighted below in pink), detailing exactly what I had to cook or assemble to take to uni the following day.

The whole process took about half an hour, and saved me a lot of brain power and time. I rarely found myself staring blankly into the fridge, wondering what to make. Instead of dilly dallying around the kitchen, trying to come up with something, I could get straight into cooking. My meal plan also discouraged me from impulse buying and eating junk food, because in following the plan I was rarely caught out with nothing to eat and only a 7-11 within walking distance. As a bonus, I rarely wasted food, because everything I bought in my weekly grocery shop was included in the plan.

I kept my meal plans in a binder, scrappily written on lined paper:

If you prefer something more visually appealing, Kikki K, a boutique stationer with stores in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, has made these delightful little meal planner pads. I’m sure there are equivalents available in other parts of the world.

(Photo courtesy of the Kikki K website)

I am a crafty sort and may design my own meal planner pad this summer. Anything to make healthy eating fun, right?

New and exciting recipes
Food is not merely fuel. For a healthy diet to really take hold, food must capture all the five senses (with the possible exception of hearing). I have had the most success with sticking to a healthy eating plan when my food has been tasty, novel, beautifully presented, and eaten with due attention and reverence (read: away from the television).

Part of my problem at the moment is that my food is same old, same old. I am eating the same vegetables prepared in only slightly different ways. It’s time for something new.

My favourite source of new recipes is Vegweb, a free site where members upload their favourite vegetarian or vegan recipes and other members comment on them and rate them. It also comes with a ‘Recipe Box’, where you can save recipes you are interested in, a Grocery List, which automatically extracts the ingredients list from your chosen recipe, and a Meal Planner which is self-explanatory. My favourite Vegweb recipes include the Spicy Sweet Potato-Bean Burrito, which I made for Boyfriend on a very successful candlelit dinner at the beginning of our relationship. I also wholeheartedly recommend the Nigerian Peanut Stew and the Spicy Fries for a treat.

Setting alarms on my phone
Boyfriend is possibly the most forgetful person on the planet. To remind himself of important dates and tasks he needs to accomplish, he sets alarms on his phone. Co-opting his method will help me remember to eat. I will set alarms for the next week for an hour before I am likely to be hungry, so I remember to get cooking!

In other news…

Exercise

Exercise has gone out the window. It’s hard to move my body when I am not providing it with the nutrients required to make energy. I have been feeling weak and lethargic due to my poor diet, and it’s unrealistic to expect to drive myself as far as I have been while only half-filling the tank. I will pick exercise up again once I get my diet in order. In the meantime I will walk as often as possible.

Body shot

I look a bit larger in this picture, but that’s only because it was taken in a different place. I assure you that I remain unchanged.

Do you forget to eat? What are your strategies for organising yourself around mealtimes?