Share Will Power

I have figured out that the key to success with any diet or "life style change" is will power and planning. You can't  leave yourself without a plan. You need to think about what you are going to eat and when, especially if you are not going to be at home, or in my case, have a patient so critical that you can't leave their side to eat (or even pee or poop - here is where planning ahead really comes in handy!) When you are left hungry and unexpectedly in a situation or place where you can't make healthy choices, you either starve, or do what I do, eat anything that is in front of you. You aren't really thinking about whether the food you are eating is doing any good for you, or that it may even be hurting you, you just want to get the calories in quickly, no matter what those calories are. My plan for success in my journey is to plan ahead and to have options available to me, especially when I am in a tight spot. I keep a vegan granola bar in my car and try to carry a piece of fruit with me when I leave the house, just in case I am delayed getting home and need something quick to eat. I have found that, when I was sticking to weight watchers or some other diet, that having a healthy option by my side made me feel more secure, and today I was awfully glad that I had that granola bar in the car.

I went into work today to do some mandatory yearly skills check off. I only planned on being at work for 2 hours, but I threw a granola bar in my car just in case. When I stopped by to bring our secretary a sample of my polenta and zucchini marinara that I made yesterday (she is very adventuresome and was excited about giving it a try after I bragged about how tasty it was), I learned that there was a very ill patient in the cardiac cath lab who would be coming to our unit with a new heart assist device that we have never used before and that our unit was in desperate need for some experienced help. My manager asked if I could stay to work and, as much as I wanted to stay, I actually had to stop and think if I could stay. What was I thinking about? My three children coming home from school? My husband's schedule? No! I was thinking about what food options I would have if I stayed for seven unplanned hours. If I haven't told you, I am telling you now.... I am obsessed with food. I am always planning the next meal while eating the previous. "What will I eat for lunch?" I think while slurping up the last of the soy milk in my cereal bowl.

After texting my husband, I agreed to stay. I knew that I would be very busy and stopping to eat would be unlikely, but if I was hungry I had planned to just eat some peanut butter that we keep in our kitchen at work. I also remembered my trusty little granola bar in the car that, if there was any time, I could run out and get. Well, true to fashion, it was far too busy to even stop for a sip of water. The patient was so critically ill that I never even thought about food, water or elimination until the end of the shift. I began to feel the hunger, but will power and planning kept me going until I reached my car where I had my trusty little granola bar. I knew that my granola bar would keep my plummeting blood sugar at bay until I could get home to eat some real nutrition and it actually worked. I didn't ravage the refrigerator out of desperation for empty calories. I ate some reasonable vegan options and I actually managed to make it through day three of my vegan adventure unscathed.