u/nerdnails

Hello! Sorry in advance if this is beyond the scope of the sub or it gets removed. But I'd love some input or ideas if anyone is willing to share.

My (me: 36f) fiance (40m) works for an emergency veterinary clinic as IT support. He has one coworker and two other guys that are above him as leadership/dept lead.

Him and his coworker have an on-call shift every other week that includes a weekend. The vet clinic is a 24/7/365 emergency and referral clinic, so they need to be available at all hours once their in office day is done.

Long story short, I am not a fan of how this clinic is being ran. I also happen to work in vet med but at a GP clinic that actually uses this emergency clinic for our patients a lot. The decisions from the higher ups are chaotic at best.

This has led to a lot of work stress for my fiance. On his normal weeks it's ok-ish. He can fully relax and we can do things out of the house to help him decompress. His on-call weeks are much more stressful. He got chewed out once for not immediately answering a call even though he did return the call quickly. So he is too anxious to not be ready at the drop of a hat. So obviously as you can imagine, he isn't able to fully relax these weeks.

I fully understand that IT is stressful and hard work. We actually were in college together for network admin but I decided to pivot to vet med and he finished his degree.

Currently he's been called multiple times this weekend for a network issue and has been on and off site all weekend with little support from leadership (lead guy designed the network and has it locked down so only he can control things). And the issues are actually things that my fiance brought up last year as potential problems waiting to happen.

Anyways. He's very stressed. And I want to do what I can to help. Obviously I can't go to his work and help him, and I can't go chew out the place either.

I've already told him that I will handle all of our regular weekend chores that we do together. And that his only job at home today and this upcoming week is to do nothing but try to relax. I am also making him his favorite desert to surprise him with when he gets back home from being on site. I have his fav pop and his fav water stocked. And I will be checking to make sure he eats or I will bring him something on site.

Does anyone else have any other ideas? How do you manage this on-call stress? How does your family help support you so you can work and then relax?

Also, yes, he is working on ways to manage this himself.

Thank you for your time, and the work y'all do.

TLDR: critique my smoothie recipe please. I struggle with mental energy to keep healthy habits and I'm looking for some realistic input. I also have a very active job and have struggled feeling way too hungry with other diets.

Some quick context: 36yr old female, 260 pounds. I've struggled a long time with a poor relationship with food and ADHD (I take meds for it) that makes adopting healthy habits hard.

I've gotten labs done within the past year and they're not horrible (cholesterol is a bit high) but I agree with my doctor that I need to make better changes for my health.

I've tried in the past changing everything at once, like changing my breakfast choices while also trying to meal prep better lunches for myself. It never goes well for me. I don't hate the changes but they take more work and it's hard to feel like I have the mental energy and time. So I usually go back to fast food as it's quick and easy.

I also work in vet med (OTJ trained assistant but I do the same work as a vet tech, I'm just not allowed under law to identify myself as one). So I am on my feet for 9+ hours a day and usually rushing around or lifting heavy pets. So it has also been challenging to find food that doesn't leave me starving and shakey feeling hours before lunch.

This time I have decided to start with two things: better breakfast and drink more water.

I was doing an overnight oats mix of a fiber oatmeal and a protein oatmeal, the quaker oats instant ones. And I like that, but it gave me horrible gas and it took too long to finish. I am also someone that likes to have a "breakfast drink" to start the day. It used to be energy drinks but now it's a matcha latte. But trying to get the oats drink finished never gave me enough time for my matcha and it would just end up sitting all day.

So now I am trying a breakfast smoothie. I usually have it finished right as work starts or at most 30 minutes into my shift and then I have the rest of the morning to drink water. I allow myself a soda at lunch then go right back to my water.

But I am hoping for some input on my smoothie. I've read that protein and fats will help keep me fuller while fiber will help with digestion and blood sugar as well as benefits to my colon. But I'm worried the amount of fruit in it is too much? I really enjoy the smoothie and I find myself wanting it on my days off.

Here's what's in it:

6 oz of planet oat barista blend oat milk

2 tsp matcha powder

3 tbsp manitoba harvest chia, flax, hemp seed mix

1 4oz noosa raspberry yogurt

1/4 cup cooked lentils

2-3 handfuls of frozen mixed berries (raspberry, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries) and frozen pomegranate seeds. I buy the two and mix them in a freezer bag.

I've put the numbers into my Google health app and it seems like decent numbers. It keeps me full and gives me energy for the day. I don't find myself wanting more food before lunch or craving more intense caffeine options. I also have an omega-3 nut mix that I will snack on if lunch is delayed by work (it happens frequently).

I wanna get to a good spot with this where I am happy and willing to make the smoothie cuz I enjoy it and it is good for my body. Then I will work on my lunch habits as currently I've settled for pizza rolls.

I'm sorry if this ended up being a bit long. But I am looking for any input on the smoothie recipe and my doctor kinda acts like all sugar is bad (I get where he's coming from, I'm sure I'm at some risk of diabetes). And the only healthy friend I have is very intense about his diet and activity and I really can't keep up with his recommendations. So I am looking for a good midway point to help me build momentum in managing my body and my health. Thanks in advance if you made it this far!

I have a pixel 2. I am looking for either an app or a way to set up a reminder to take a breath during the day. Long story short, it's something my therapist recommended but I have a swiss cheese memory.

The regular alarm is too involved. I wear my watch for work (vet med) and I don't want to have to be messing with it a lot to turn off normal alarms.

I'm looking for something that would give me a buzz every hour to remind me to take a breath. Without a full alarm going off and needing input from me to silence.

Any options, or input, or help would be great. Thanks!!