I think we are all familiar with that horrible moment during the day when you stand in front of the refrigerator and your mind goes completely blank. Maybe it only happens to you once a week, maybe once a day, or maybe – if you’re really unlucky – it happens at every meal.
There’s gotta be a name for this phenomenon. But the goal is always the same: “What am I going to eat for (insert name of meal here)?”

There are a few nights of the year when I always know what I’ll be eating. Christmas Eve is one of them. We always have enchiladas for Christmas Eve dinner. And they’re always more delicious than on any other night of the year.
But here’s how it usually works with me: I’m in the middle of something when I realize I’m hungry. So I get up, go to the fridge, e xamine the contents, and draw a blank. Typically I will close the fridge, check the cabinets and also come up empty minded. So I go back to whatever I was doing for a few minutes and when my hunger (shockingly) doesn’t subside I repeat the whole process. Sometimes in a different order -cabinets first, then fridge – but almost always with the same results : my mind is a total blank.
I’ll be clear – I cannot think of a time when I have had literally nothing to eat. But there are times when I see the pieces of the puzzle in front of me and my mind just will not connect the dots. Which is why I end up repeating the cabinet check. Just in case something delicious appears in front of me that I didn’t notice the first 25 times I looked. Cause that happens.
(Should I remind you of the definition of insanity? No? Okay.)
Anyway, if you didn’t already know I am in the thick of race-training season. I can’t say the midst because we haven’t even reached the first race yet but I’m definitely “feeling” it. Because I know that my athletic performance is improved by what I eat, I am on a ”diet” until further notice. Because I can’t decide if my last race is in September or November. But that’s not the point.
My point is that given my desire to eat food that will help me feel better and run better and the fact that I’m oh-so guilty of the mind melt when it comes to figuring out what to eat at 90% of my meals I knew I would need to boost the odds of being successful when it came to making good food choices.
So I did what I do best – plan. I printed out a blank calendar and got to work.
Now, fellow royals, you are looking at a girl who has every meal and snack planned for the next two months.
Here’s why this works:
I plan generically. A lot of lunches just say “salad.” Many dinners say “chicken.” I know at least one says “Ground beef.” Obviously I am not going to eat plain ground beef for dinner! I’m training for a race, not a swimsuit competition. But by planning the basic outline of the meal I have the freedom to make adjustments as my mood dictates. And by changing up the veggies or way I cook something I can add in the variation that will keep me from going crazy.
I have specific goals. My focus is on getting enough protein to support my muscles, a handful of “good” carbs to give me the right kind of energy, and just enough fat as is necessary to function. One day a week I give myself permission to indulge in whatever I want – but that means I have to be good the other 6 days of the week. Having these goals in place makes it very easy to plan. I also have a training schedule set up so when I was planning meals I knew when I would want more carbs and when I’d be better sticking to a small snack.
Balance is everything: I’m realistic. Real life is messy and sometimes things come up. If you’re like me, things come up a lot. The biggest reason this plan works is that I’m willing to be flexible. But I’m also willing to fight to stick to my plan as much as possible. Spontaneous dinner outing? Great. I’ll just order whatever I was going to make at home. That’s how I can plan for a month or two at a time and not just fall off the wagon when life gets in the way.
The other advantage this plan provides is that I no longer have to wander aimlessly through the grocery store. I know ahead of time what I need for the week but still have the freedom to plan around sales.
So tell me. What would you call that moment when you start looking for food and you can’t for the life of you figure out what to eat?