72. Food Protocols and Emergency Food Plans for When You Are Not Feeling Well

In this episode of Weight Loss Made Simple, Dr. Stacy Heimburger shares how to stay on track with your healthy eating plan, even when you're feeling sick, stressed, or overwhelmed. She breaks down the difference between food protocols and daily meal plans, the importance of emergency meal strategies, and how safety nets can prevent last-minute unhealthy eating habits.

If you’ve ever turned to emotional eating, skipped meals, or struggled with meal planning when you weren’t feeling your best, this episode will help you create simple, sustainable nutrition strategies that support your weight loss goals—no matter what life throws at you. Learn how to stock up on healthy, nutrient-dense meals, eliminate decision fatigue, and set yourself up for success, even on tough days.

Tune in for practical, actionable tips to help you maintain consistent, balanced eating habits and achieve long-term weight loss success!

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

We all know that feeling—our energy is low. Maybe we are fighting a cold, waking up feeling gross, in pain, or just overwhelmed. What we sometimes do is turn to food for comfort or skip meals. But what I want to offer today is the idea of an emergency food plan so that we can avoid these unhealthy choices even when we’re not feeling our best.

I know I’ve talked about food protocols before, but I want to reintroduce the idea and make a small distinction between a protocol and a plan.

To me, a protocol is our general food plan. My food protocol might look something like this: I’m going to have protein for breakfast. I’m going to have protein and veggies for lunch with a healthy fat. I’m going to have protein, veggies, and healthy fat for dinner. I will try not to snack, but if I’m hungry, my snack will be protein or healthy fat. I’ll have alcohol one to two times per week. I’ll have a piece of dark chocolate two to three times a week.

So, that’s my protocol—it’s my general eating plan. It outlines how many meals I’ll have, whether I’ll snack, what my indulgences will be, and what my meals will consist of. Am I eating mostly protein? Am I adding healthy fats? That’s what my food protocol determines.

A food plan, on the other hand, is more specific. It’s what I am eating for the day. Either the night before or the morning of, I’ll look in the fridge and find foods that fit my protocol. Then I’ll pack my lunchbox or prepare my meals accordingly.

For example, my daily food plan might look like this: Breakfast will be egg bites. Lunch will be taco salad with avocado. Dinner will be red beans with rice, or just red beans with no rice. If I need a snack, I’ll have mixed roasted nuts. For an indulgence, I’ll have a piece of dark chocolate.

I personally don’t track macros or food amounts, but some of my clients do. For me, my brain needs things to be simple, but you can track however you prefer.

Now, let’s talk about why it’s helpful to have preset plans for when we are not feeling well. This can be divided into two parts: emergency plans and safety nets.

When we’re not feeling well, it’s great to have planned to eat protein and veggies for breakfast. But when we wake up sick, the idea of making a spinach omelet might sound awful. If we’re super stressed and all we want is lasagna, baked chicken and broccoli just won’t cut it.

That’s where an emergency food plan comes in. This is a plan you create ahead of time when you’re in a good mental space so that when you’re not feeling great, you already have a strategy.

For example, if I know I don’t feel well, my emergency food plan might look like this: Hot tea with or without honey. Soup and crackers. Eggs or toast.

I have this written down so I don’t have to think about it when I’m feeling unwell. I also stock my pantry with the necessary foods so they’re available when I need them.

One of my favorite coaches, Craig, has a PMS emergency plan. She keeps a frozen lean cuisine pizza and Popchips because she knows that’s what she craves. Instead of fighting it, she plans for it.

If you know you turn to comfort food, you can make smarter choices ahead of time. Instead of buying a full lasagna, maybe you get a single-serve version or freeze small portions for future cravings. These little emergency plans make decision-making easier when we’re not at our best.

When we’re sick or stressed, our brain struggles with decision-making. It defaults to comfort and convenience, which often doesn’t align with our long-term goals. Having a preset emergency plan removes the need for decision-making in those moments and helps us stay on track.

The second concept I want to introduce is safety nets. These are different from emergency plans because they help with unexpected situations, rather than planned-for difficult days.

For example, I always keep tuna packs or sipping soup in my desk in case I forget my lunch. That’s my safety net. I scope out healthy grab-and-go options on my commute home in case I don’t have time to cook dinner. I stock frozen, pre-portioned meals at home for nights when I just can’t deal with cooking.

One time, I had a sick patient at work, my husband was running late, and my kids had an event at school. We had planned to cook dinner, but life had other ideas. Thankfully, there’s a place near us that sells cooked meat by the pound, so I grabbed some on my way home. Crisis averted!

Think about where you can buy a meal that fits your protocol if you don’t have time to cook. What non-perishable foods can you stock in your desk or car for forgotten meals? Can you keep emergency frozen meals in your freezer? Having these pre-planned solutions means that when life throws you a curveball, you don’t have to derail your progress.

To summarize, we have four types of plans. The Food Protocol is your general eating plan, like eating protein, veggies, and healthy fats at three meals with no snacks or minimal indulgences. The Daily Food Plan is the specific meals you’re eating that day. The Emergency Plan is a pre-planned set of meals for when you’re feeling sick or overwhelmed. The Safety Nets are backup options for unexpected situations, like forgetting lunch or getting home too late to cook.

Having these plans in place is a form of self-care. It’s doing something kind for your future self so that even when you’re sick, stressed, or forgetful, you’re still taken care of.

Don’t overcomplicate this! If soup is your go-to comfort food, just stock up on a few cans. Keep one in your desk, a couple in your pantry, and maybe freeze some homemade soup for extra nourishment. It doesn’t have to be elaborate—it just needs to be ready when you need it.

I hope this was helpful! If you found this useful, please share it or leave a review—I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, take care and keep making simple, mindful choices!