Now that I have a job (omgawwwwsh I love being able to say that), I’ve had to work a little bit on accommodating a new schedule – especially in terms of eating.
As anyone who’s worked as a waitress can attest, if the restaurant is having a busy day you definitely can’t rely on having time to eat. In my case, I’m also the only waitress in the cafe so if there are any customers, I can’t peace out to nibble on a sandwich or granola bar in the back. The first few days on the job I struggled with this a lot. I was working 9-4, on my feet the entire time, and at one point I was so desperate for some grub I actually snuck in to the bathroom and literally shoved a yogurt and almonds down my throat. I knew the combination of being on my feet all day and not having adequate time to eat everything I needed to was really straining on my body and counterproductive to my weight gain goals, so I actually had to talk to my boss about cutting back the hours of my shift a tad. Being the incredibly sweet, kindhearted, and understanding person that she is, she was more than willing to accommodate. So, now rather than working 9-4, I’ll be working 11-3 which is SO much more manageable.
However, I still don’t have the luxury of eating whenever I want as I did before I started working, so I’ve had to alter my food schedule. Actually, I had to develop a food schedule. I was never one to become too obsessive with rigid eating times. Thank god I dodged the bullet on that one.
Because I know I won’t have time to eat a full meal during my shift, I try to wake up early on work days and eat a full breakfast.
This morning’s was actually identical to Sunday’s….
Then I digest, blog, do my thaaaang, and eat another meal around 10:00 before I leave. I guess we can call this breakfast #2? Lunch #1? Tomato, tom-ah-to.
English muffin, hummus, egg, raspberries, crackers, almond butter puddle.
I still just can’t get the drippy egg thing down. Hrrrrrumph.
I pack a ton of quick and easy snacks that I can easily nosh on sporadically throughout my shift:
Then I’m home in time for an afternoon snack around 3:30 that may look a little something like this…
Rudi’s honey sweet wheat bread with cottage cheese, more raspberries, almonds (this isn’t what I ate today but my afternoon snacks are always fairly similar to this..carbs, protein, fruit, fat, you know how I do)
**I was sent a few loaves of Rudi’s bread from the company and have been LOVING it. It’s slightly sweet, doughy, and so so soft. For some reason it reminds me of my childhood. I think I need to eat a PB&J sandwich on it just for nostalgia’s sake**
and, of course, dinner and dessert ensue later in the night.
This schedule has actually worked really well for me over the past few days. Eating two meals before work and snacking throughout the day definitely helps to keep me energized and my blood sugar regulated. Plus, being so busy takes the emphasis off food and forces me to just eat when I have the chance rather than thinking so much about it. Ya’knawmean?
Do you have an “eating schedule” or just eat whenever you have time/feel like it? I see pros and cons in both situations. I think having an eating schedule just for the sake of comfort and normalcy can become slightly addictive and cause a lot of anxiety in terms of spontaneity. I also think though that eating “whenever you have time or feel like it” can also be dangerous in cases for someone who just doesn’t have time and sometimes doesn’t feel like it. My mom is a great example of this…she’s always going going going and sometimes I have to remind her to eat because it’s just not at the forefront of her thoughts.
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Tonight I’m going over to my love Stacy’s house to catch up with my besties 
I haven’t seen them in months and we are so over-do for a good gossip session!
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