How to Eat Well When Life Is Chaotic

 

Hey hey beautiful human!

Life does not always give you the cute meal prep week.

Sometimes work is wild, the kids have something every night, the calendar is packed, and by Tuesday you are standing in the kitchen at 8:30 p.m. wondering what you can eat with the least amount of effort.

And then comes the guilt.

The week started with the best intentions. Cook at home. Get enough protein. Hit your macros. Stay on track. But once life starts life-ing, nutrition can feel like the first thing slipping through the cracks.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about how to eat well when life feels completely chaotic. Not with a perfect Sunday reset or a fridge full of matching containers, but with simple, realistic habits that can help eating well feel possible in the middle of your actual life.

What’s Discussed:

  • How to stop planning meals for a week you are not actually having

  • The “I have no time” meals every busy woman needs in her back pocket

  • Why protein can make meal decisions feel so much easier

  • How convenience foods can actually help you stay consistent

  • Where to keep high-protein grab-and-go options so they are there when you need them

  • Why repeating meals during busy weeks can be a lifesaver

  • Why nutrition may need to look different in different seasons of life

When life is chaotic, movement does not need to be another thing you have to figure out. Inside the Movement With Julie app, you get five brand-new workouts every week so you never have to waste time piecing together a routine on your own. Open the app, press play, and let me take care of the programming for you. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you will also love Episode 357: 7 Ways to Simplify Your Weekly Meal Planning. It is the perfect next listen if you want to keep making nutrition feel doable in your real life, not just in your most organized weeks.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

Transcript

(0:00) Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:05) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I give you a dose of real talk (0:11) and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your (0:17) authentic self.

Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Real. Let's get it. Let's go.

(0:29) Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. We're going to be (0:33) talking about something that I know can make eating well feel 10 times harder, and that's when (0:38) life gets chaotic. Maybe work is totally insane right now.

Maybe your kids have practices, (0:42) appointments, school events, activities every single night of the week. Maybe you're traveling. (0:47) Maybe you're going through a really busy season personally, or you just simply have one of those (0:51) weeks where you look at your calendar and you genuinely have no idea when you're supposed to (0:55) grocery shop, cook dinner, work out, sleep, and then somehow keep up with everything else that (0:59) you need to do.

Usually, nutrition is one of the first things that we feel like we're failing at (1:03) when this happens. You start the week telling yourself that you're going to cook every meal at (1:07) home, you're going to eat plenty of protein, you're going to hit your macros, you're going to (1:10) completely stay on track, and then Tuesday happens and you're running from one thing to another, (1:14) and you just realize, I haven't barely eaten all day, and you suddenly are standing in front of (1:20) your kitchen fridge at 8 30 p.m. when all the kids are in bed, and you're just eating (1:25) whatever you can find. And then comes the guilt.

You tell yourself you need to get back on track (1:29) tomorrow when, really, you probably just need a nutrition strategy that actually works for the (1:35) season of life that you're in because eating well when life is chaotic should not require you to (1:40) magically find three extra hours in your day. You simply just need systems that will help you (1:45) to make better choices and make better choices easier when you're tired and you're busy and (1:50) you're distracted and you're running out the door. And so in today's episode, I'm going to (1:54) be giving you nine practical ways to eat well when life just feels completely chaotic.

These (2:00) are things that you can actually implement this week without overhauling your entire life or (2:04) spending your Sunday preparing 47 containers of food. Before we get into today's episode, (2:11) I want to share this review. She gave a five-star review and said, (2:14) such great information.

This podcast is full of great reminders and such great information. (2:19) Julie creates a cheerful experience while listening. I've listened to every episode (2:22) once and then went back to save the golden nuggets that are reminders I can keep in my (2:27) back pocket.

Episode five ways to beat burnout was such a great reminder for me this morning while (2:33) listening. I can't begin to explain the positivity this podcast has on how taking care of ourselves (2:39) is important, not just physically but mentally. You won't be disappointed in this podcast.

Thank (2:43) you so much. That was such a thorough review. And honestly, it just warms my heart knowing (2:48) that these podcasts are helping you and that you're going back and you're, you know, (2:52) having them in your back pocket.

That's what I always tell you guys is there might be an (2:56) episode that comes out this week or next week or next month and you look at the title and you're (3:00) like, eh, but maybe in five months that's going to be the exact episode that you need. And so (3:04) having them saved and downloaded in your library is going to be so helpful for you to be able to (3:10) go back and listen to it when you need it. These podcasts are a hundred percent free.

I just (3:14) my hope and prayer every time I turn on this microphone is that I encourage you, I educate you, (3:19) I empower you in some way, shape or form. And so thank you so much for taking time out of your day (3:24) to send in this review. All right.

We're just going to dive right into it. So number one, you (3:28) have to stop planning for your ideal week and instead start planning for the week that you (3:33) actually have. The first thing that I want you to do is look at your calendar before you decide (3:37) what your nutrition needs to look like that week.

I think this is one of the biggest mistakes (3:41) that we make. We create a meal plan based on women that we imagine ourselves being all week (3:47) long, but that is the woman who has plenty of time to cook breakfast. She is preparing a beautiful (3:52) lunch.

She's making dinner from scratch every night, and then she's even clean in the kitchen (3:56) afterward. But then real life shows up. You have a meeting that runs late or practice that runs (4:01) late on Monday.

Your kid has something to go to on Tuesday. You have an appointment on Wednesday, (4:06) Thursday night. You're not even going to be home.

So why are you buying groceries for four (4:10) elaborate dinners, right? Instead, I need you to take five minutes at the beginning of the week (4:14) and look at what is actually happening on your schedule. If you know that Tuesday's going to (4:19) be crazy, Tuesday should not be the night that you plan to make a brand new recipe that takes an hour. (4:24) This might be a rotisserie chicken, microwavable rice, bag salad night, right? If you know you're (4:29) eating out on Thursday, I need you to account for that instead of pretending that you're (4:33) cooking at home and then feeling like you somehow messed up your plan.

Maybe Wednesday morning (4:37) starts earlier than usual. Maybe that's a protein shake, a banana morning instead of your (4:41) normal breakfast. This is one of the biggest things that I want you to remember throughout (4:45) this episode is that your nutrition needs to fit into your life instead of requiring your life to (4:51) revolve around your nutrition.

Let me say that again. Your nutrition needs to fit into your (4:56) life instead of requiring your life to revolve around your nutrition. And when you know a busy (5:02) week is coming, simplify before it gets chaotic.

Number two, you need to create two or three. (5:08) I have no time meals that you can make without thinking. Like these are emergency meals.

And when (5:13) I say emergency meals, I'm not talking about some sad meal that you force yourself to eat because (5:18) you're trying to be good. I just mean meals that you genuinely like that take five to 10 minutes (5:23) and require almost no mental energy because when you're overwhelmed, decision-making becomes one (5:28) more thing that is already on your overflowing plate. And so I want you to choose two or three (5:34) meals that you can make almost automatically.

Maybe that's, again, rotisserie chicken, (5:39) microwavable rice, frozen vegetables, and a sauce that you love. Maybe it's scrambled eggs, (5:44) toast, fruit, turkey sausage. Maybe it's Greek yogurt with berries, granola, a scoop of protein (5:48) powder mixed into that.

Maybe it's a turkey wrap with some pre-cut vegetables, hummus, (5:53) or maybe it's pasta with precooked chicken and jarred sauce. There's no award for making (5:58) every ingredient from scratch. If a meal gives you protein, carbs, and fats, (6:03) some fruits, some vegetables, and keeps you from reaching that 8 p.m. absolutely starving, (6:08) I'm a fan of it.

And you should be as well. So I need you to write down three easy meals (6:13) somewhere where you will remember them. And those are going to be kind of your (6:17) default meals for the weeks when everything feels crazy.

Inside my movement with Julie, (6:22) which is my Dumble Only workout app, I talk about creating routines for your workout that (6:26) you can actually maintain. And nutrition works the exact same way. You need options for your (6:31) busiest days, not only your most organized ones.

Number three, build your meals around protein first. (6:38) So when your schedule is all over the place, I want you to simplify the way that you build (6:42) your meals. Instead of standing in the kitchen wondering what you should eat, I want you to (6:45) start by asking one question.

Okay, first, what is my protein source? Or what is my (6:49) toddler's protein source? Or what is my family's protein source? And once you know that, you can (6:53) build everything else around that. Maybe your protein source is chicken. Great.

Okay, add rice, (6:58) potatoes, vegetables, whatever fats fit your macros. Maybe that's eggs, add some toast, fruit, avocado, (7:05) whatever works for you. Maybe it's Greek yogurt, add fruit, granola, cereal, nut butter, (7:09) or whatever else you need.

Maybe you're grabbing chipotle on the way home. Start with the protein (7:14) that you want in your bowl and then kind of build around it because protein tends to be the (7:19) macro that most women struggle with the most when they're busy because carbs and fats are incredibly (7:24) easy to find on the go. Protein usually requires a little bit more intention.

So rather than reaching (7:29) the end of the night and realizing that you still have 60 grams of protein that you need to try to (7:33) reach, try to anchor your meals around protein from the beginning of the day. That one habit (7:39) alone can make hitting your macros feel so much easier. Number four, let convenience food (7:45) make your life easier.

Can we please stop acting like convenience foods somehow don't count as (7:51) eating well? Like pre-cut vegetables count, frozen vegetables count, frozen fruit counts, (7:56) pre-cooked rice counts, bad salad that counts rotisserie chicken counts, pre-cooked grilled (8:01) chicken counts, Greek yogurt counts, string cheese counts, protein shakes counts, beef jerky (8:07) counts, individual packets of oatmeal. They count pre-cooked full meals from the grocery store that (8:12) counts a food from the salad bar at the grocery store that counts. You can have convenience and (8:19) have food that fuels you at the same time.

You don't need to pick one or the other. You don't (8:23) need to wash, chop, roast, saute, prepare every single thing for yourself. You don't need to wash, (8:28) chop, roast, saute, prepare every single thing yourself for it to be nutritious.

Sometimes we (8:34) are making eating well harder than it needs to be because we have this picture in our heads (8:39) of what quote unquote healthy eating is supposed to look like. Then when we don't have the time to (8:44) make everything from scratch, we decide that we can't do it at all. Sister, if buying that pre-cut (8:49) fruit means that you're actually eating fruit this week, then buy the pre-cut fruit.

Someone (8:54) came over to my house and they're like, why do you have all this pre-cut fruit? I'm like, (8:57) because I don't have the time. Well, because I don't want to make the time to pre-cut all this (9:03) fruit. So yes, I know it's a couple bucks more, but I also know that if we have it in (9:06) our fruit, it's ready to go.

Blake's going to be eating more fruit. Josh is going to be eating (9:10) more fruit. I'm going to be eating more fruit and we're all happy, right? If the frozen vegetables (9:14) save you 20 minutes at dinner, you need to use them.

If a rotisserie chicken means that you can (9:18) get dinner on the table in 10 minutes instead of ordering something because you're exhausted, (9:23) that is a win. Convenience can be one of your greatest tools during busy seasons. Number five, (9:29) keep high protein, grab and go foods where you actually need them.

And this one is incredibly (9:34) practical. Think about where you are and when you actually get hungry and you're unprepared. (9:40) Is it in the car? Is it at your desk? Is it after you pick your kids up? Is it between meetings? (9:45) Is it right before you work out? That's where I need you to put the food.

Maybe you keep a (9:49) protein bar in your purse. Maybe you keep a protein powder at the office. Maybe you throw (9:52) a Greek yogurt and fruit into a cooler before you leave the house.

Maybe you keep jerky tuna (9:57) packets, other shelf stable protein somewhere convenient. Maybe you bring a ready to drink (10:03) protein shake with you on the days that you know lunch might get pushed back. The goal here (10:07) is to stop relying on your future starving self to make a calm, thoughtful decision.

Because when (10:13) you've gone six hours without eating and you're absolutely ravenous, whatever is easiest is (10:18) probably what you're going to be choosing. So I need you to make one of those easy options, (10:23) something that actually supports your goal. And I want you to think ahead to the point in your (10:28) day when things usually fall apart and solve that problem.

Because that is what is actually (10:34) going to get you the results. Number six, repeat meals during your busiest weeks. You don't need (10:39) meals to be exciting every single day.

I think social media has made us believe that every (10:44) single breakfast needs to be completely different. It needs to be a different creation or every (10:48) dinner needs to look something that you would save on Pinterest. There is nothing wrong with (10:52) eating the same breakfast four days in a row or heck the entire week.

There's nothing wrong (10:56) with eating the same lunch Monday through Friday. In fact, repetition can make your nutrition much (11:01) easier when life is busy because it just removes the decision fatigue. If you know your breakfast (11:07) is eggs, toast, fruit, you already know what groceries you need.

You already roughly know (11:12) the macros that's in that breakfast. You already know how long it's going to take you to make. (11:16) You do not have to wake up every morning and figure out what you are eating.

Maybe you rotate (11:21) between two breakfasts, two lunches, three easy dinners. That alone can give you plenty (11:25) of variety without requiring you to reinvent your entire menu every day or every week, (11:31) and you can save the more creative recipes for the weeks that you actually have the time or (11:35) the desire to make them. During chaotic weeks, boring can actually be very, very effective.

(11:41) Number seven, decide what you're eating before you become starving. This one can completely (11:47) change your evenings. If you know that you're going to be running around all afternoon, (11:51) do not wait until 7 30 p.m. when everyone is hungry to decide what dinner is.

(11:55) Decide in the morning. Even better, decide the night before. Maybe you put the chicken in the (12:00) refrigerator to thaw.

Maybe you decide that you're getting takeout and you already know (12:03) what you're ordering from. Maybe you know that you're going to make your 10-minute emergency (12:08) meal. You do not necessarily need to meal prep every single meal, but you do need to (12:13) remove some of the last-minute decisions.

One simple habit I love is asking yourself at night, (12:18) okay, what is tomorrow's dinner? That takes 30 seconds because if tomorrow is going to be (12:23) especially busy, ask yourself what lunch is too. You're basically making life a little easier for (12:28) tomorrow's version of you, and when you remove that decision from the busiest part of your day, (12:33) you are much more likely to actually follow through. Number eight, learn how to order a (12:38) simple balanced meal almost anywhere.

Eating well during a busy season probably means that (12:44) you're going to eat food that you did not prepare yourself. That's totally normal. You do not need to (12:50) avoid restaurants or drive-throughs or take out every time life gets busy.

You just need a simple (12:55) way to kind of navigate them. So when I'm building a meal out, I think about the same things that (13:00) I do when I'm at home. Where's my protein? Where are my carbs and where are my fats? Can I get (13:05) some vegetables or fruit in there? And then I make the best decision and choice available and I (13:09) move on.

So at a Mexican restaurant, that might be a bowl with chicken, rice, beans, (13:14) vegetables, salsa, whatever topping works for you, queso, at a sandwich place. Maybe you choose a (13:19) sandwich with a solid protein source, add some fruit, another side, or if you want less carbs, (13:24) make it an unwish, or you can make it an open-faced sandwich to avoid both pieces of bread. (13:30) There's so many different ways that you can go that route.

At a burger restaurant, (13:34) maybe you have the burger, you choose the sides that make sense for what you need that day. (13:38) You do not need to turn eating out into some complicated equation where you're just terrified (13:43) of making the wrong choice. Do your best to build a balanced meal, enjoy it, and then (13:48) continue on with your day.

One meal that you did not perfectly track is not going to undo (13:53) everything that you've been doing. And if you know that you're going to be eating out regularly (13:57) because of your schedule, learn two or three orders from places that you frequently go. (14:01) And now you have another set of default meals ready when you actually need them.

(14:06) Last but not least, number nine, stop expecting your nutrition to look identical (14:11) in every season of life. And this is the final thing that I want you to remember (14:15) because it's probably the most important. Your quote-unquote best during a calm week (14:19) may look completely different from your best during a chaotic week.

(14:23) Maybe during a slower season, you meal prep on Sundays, you cook most dinner at home, (14:28) you're tracking things pretty closely, and you have plenty of time to actually (14:32) sit down and enjoy your meals. Then when life gets crazy and busy, (14:36) suddenly you're relying on more frozen foods, ready-made meals, protein shakes, (14:40) takeout, repeated breakfast. That does not automatically mean that your (14:43) nutrition has gotten bad.

It just might mean that you've adapted your nutrition (14:47) to the reality of your life, and I would much rather see you simplify your habits (14:51) for a busy season than completely abandon them because you cannot maintain your ideal routine. (14:56) Think about this the same way I want you to think about your workout. (14:59) Maybe you have plenty of time to do your full workout inside Movement with Juliet, (15:04) or whatever workout you do, but one day you're incredibly busy and you need to modify something (15:08) or simply just focus on getting some movements in.

The goal is to continue showing up in a way (15:13) that makes sense for your life. Nutrition is the exact same way. You might not have your (15:18) perfectly prepared dinner tonight, but you can still choose a protein source.

You might not have (15:22) time to cook vegetables, but you can microwave some frozen ones. You might not have time for (15:27) your normal breakfast, but you can grab a protein shake and some fruit. Doing something simpler does (15:32) not mean that you gave up.

It just means that you found a way to keep taking care of yourself, (15:36) even when life made that harder. So there you have it. Those are my nine tips for eating well (15:41) when life feels completely chaotic.

Let me do a quick recap. Number one, I need you to plan (15:47) for the week that you actually have. Look at your calendar and simplify your meals around your (15:51) busiest days.

Number two, create two or three. I have no time meals. Keep these meals easy.

(15:57) Keep them in your back pocket that require very little preparation or thought. Number three, (16:02) build your meals around protein first. So decide on your protein source and then build the rest (16:06) of the meal from there.

Number four, use convenience foods. So frozen, pre-cut, pre-cooked, (16:11) ready to eat options. They can make eating well significantly easier.

Number five, keep high (16:17) protein, grab and go foods where you need them. Solve the part of your day where you're usually (16:22) the hungriest and that catches up to you unprepared. So the car, your desk, wherever you are, (16:27) where you feel unprepared, I need you to try to solve that.

Number six, repeat meals during busy (16:32) weeks. You do not need seven different breakfasts and lunches to eat well. Number seven, decide (16:37) on what you're eating before you are starving.

So even knowing tomorrow night's dinner can (16:42) really eliminate one stressful decision. And again, just looking at your calendar, (16:47) your tomorrow's version of yourself will thank you. Number eight, learn a few easy meals you can (16:53) order when you are out.

So eating at a restaurant, grabbing takeout can absolutely fit into your (16:58) goals if you're just a little bit prepared. And last but not least, number nine, allow your (17:03) nutrition to look different during different seasons. Simplifying your routine does not (17:08) mean that you're abandoning it.

All right, there you have it. And if there is one thing (17:11) that I want you to take away from this episode, it is that eating well during a busy season (17:16) does not require perfection. It requires making the choices that you want to make a little (17:21) bit easier because when your calendar is packed and your brain already has a million things (17:26) to think about, you do not need more rules.

You need fewer decisions. You need food in (17:31) your house that you can prepare quickly. You need some meals you already know how to make.

(17:35) You need convenient protein sources. You need a plan for the nights where you will not be (17:40) cooking. And last but not least, you need to give yourself permission to simplify.

Your (17:44) nutrition does not have to be impressive to be effective. If you love today's episode, (17:50) I know you'll also love episode 357, seven ways to simplify your weekly meal planning, (17:54) because we continue this conversation around building habits to actually work in your real (17:59) life instead of expecting yourself to follow this perfect routine every single day. I will (18:04) link that in the show notes below.

And one final reminder, your busy season does not (18:09) require you to give up on taking care of yourself. It just simply requires a simple (18:14) version of taking care of yourself. So choose the easier meal.

Buy the rotisserie chicken. (18:19) Keep the protein shake in your bag. Repeat your breakfast.

Order the meal that you already know (18:23) works for you. And when it comes to movement, I want to make that easier for you as well. (18:28) Inside my Movement with Juliet, you get five brand new workouts every single week.

(18:31) So you never have to waste time figuring out what workout to do. We're piecing together (18:35) a random workout on your own. You can literally just open the app and go.

These are go at your (18:40) own pace. There's video demonstrations for every single movement, but I want to take care of your (18:44) programming for you because when life gets chaotic, the more decisions that we can take off of our (18:49) plates, the easier it becomes to continue showing up for yourself. You can find the link for that (18:55) in the show notes below.

I am so excited to move alongside of you. For my workouts, all you (18:59) need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. All right, that is everything that I have (19:03) for you today.

Thank you so much for spending that time with me. You do not need a perfect week (19:07) to take care of yourself. Just a simpler one.

I love you so dang much. I mean it, (19:11) and I'll talk to you in the next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, (19:24) but I have two things that I need you to do.

First thing, if you're not already following me (19:29) on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A. Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle.

(19:33) For that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to (19:39) keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts (19:44) to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me.

It means the absolute world. (19:51) And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my (19:55) life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves.

(20:01) Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface, (20:05) so go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.

 
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