Tasty Tuesday (what's in my bowl)

We’ve had a bit of a cold snap here in California, between the early daffodils and the coming late spring flowers. I have leaned hard into soup (of all things in April).

That’s a picture of it up there in that little bowl.

I couldn’t begin to provide the specific soup recipe at this point, but it is packed with greens and various mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and turmeric (in a bone broth base). I have added it to my menu this year, often eating a small bowl an hour or so before my big meal and then a second small bowl a few hours after. I eat everything in about five hours.

My main meal is in the photo below and it looks like it often looks. It’s just a bit smaller and leaner. I cut some of the dressing and added a lean protein.

What’s In My Bowl: Adapting To My Needs

That added soup is an adaptation of my own “one meal a day” for weight loss eating that you know me for, an extra-nutritious adaptation as I navigate recovery from an injury and work on nourishing myself the best I can.

It’s actually a pretty good idea in maintenance and in recovery to have an easy and formulaic way of eating to get you through, especially on bad days when it just takes extra energy to make good decisions.

Sometimes, your plan may involve two or even three meals, for maintenance or for weight loss.

I didn’t have a two-meal formula myself all these years because I never needed one but I have leaned into it this year out of medical necessity.

Lucky for me, we have been actively discussing two-meal strategies in the Deep Den for about a year. In fact, I had written a draft of a two-meal e-book that has some pretty slick little ideas and stories in it. It’s in the Deep Den Content Library for now in its current draft. I hope to finish it sometime this year as I recover. (It’s hard to know how long it will actually be.)

Until Those Two Meal Recipes…

Surely I will finish that two-meal book some day, but the fact is, I couldn’t make a new recipe right now to save my life with my brain injury. As the book waits for my brain to build new synapses, there is no reason you cannot adapt all of this as you need to. Many community members have done so.

You can find soups, skillets, and salads here in this YouTube playlist as a starting point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72VmffaH7b4&list=PLWIdJi6c6J810-F_4yItOR70AQSEiRwnf

(Cut recipes in half or in thirds as a start.)

All that said, the main one meal model I have leaned into all these years is one I am ready to get back to. In my opinion, in my case, it’s easier and more effective.

That said, we all need to find our path. The two-meal e-book features a community member who lost a bunch of weight on an adapted two meal approach. I have used the lessons from her case to craft my own approach these past months.

If you have a slick formulaic two-meal approach you’ve had great success with, I’d love to hear about it. Shoot an email right back!

The Deep Den Weigh In and Check In

We have a weekly weigh-in in the Deep Den on Saturday mornings. It’s quick and it’s via Zoom so it’s a great way to see people face-to-face. Not everyone has a weight goal and that’s definitely cool. For my part, I am monitoring my weight and my sleep pretty closely. Members can find the details on our event page: https://www.eatlikeabearden.com/c/live-events

If you’re not a Deep Den member, it’s a great time to join. Learn more here: https://eatlikeabear.com/the-deep-den/

Shoot an email back if you need any help navigating!

Ask me anything (+Adapting in Hard Times) (LIVE)

Ask me anything in tomorrow’s LIVE video, catch the discussion about adapting in hard times, 9 am Pacific, noon Eastern, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTXfiv2KVQQ

That’s it!

I appreciate you.

P.S. Get strategic about your meals if you haven’t. The popular meal framework here at Eat Like a Bear will help with that. Grab the three-pack collection from the Bear Shop for more: https://thebearshop.life/products/three-pack-print-book-collection