Before I really say anything, I want to give myself a big woot, woot for hitting the big 8-0 this morning!   I'm a little disappointed because I only lost 1 pound this week....but I'm not letting that put a damper on the fact that since I started this journey, I've lost an entire 6th grader!    All the glory goes to God, who has given me the strength and courage to surrender, work hard and overcome!   Not to mention the people He has put in my path who are part of "Team Kristin".    I think we need shirts.

So in my last post, I talked about learning....I wanted to share something that I've been learning in regards to preparation.

prep·a·ra·tion "the action or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty"

What I'm talking about is food preparation.    

I'll paint you a picture.   I'm busy.   I'm here.   I'm there.   I'm in my car.  I'm at the gym.    I'm here again.   I'm hungry.   Did I mention I'm busy?   How's that picture looking?    Where does my nutrition fit into that picture?   Let me tell you, I've been spending alot of time trying to get this one right.

Let me paint you another picture.    It's me.   It's two years ago.   I'm here.  I'm there.  I'm in my car.  I'm hungry.   I'm  not prepared.   Oh look, it's a McDonald's!   Oh look, it's a super-size!   Oh look, it's 1000 calories!   Oh look, my hips are growing by the minute!

Ok, so on my quest to live clean, I've had to completely change my mind about what eating looks like in my busy life.    I've also talked about still being in the process of grieving the foods that I have loved.    All my clean living friends out there can scoff at me.   However, even with the knowledge of how bad some foods are for me, I still love and want them.   I hope that goes away, but for now, I have to manage those desires with a dose of reality.     A light reprimand from my trainer also helps in this area :)

So how do I do nutrition on the go.   I'm going to break it down for you right here.    Are you ready?

I take stuff with me!

Gasp.

Revolutionary, isn't it?   Let me tell you, the Igloo and the blue ice are my new best friends.      But there is alot of PREPARATION  that has to happen in order for me to be able to throw a little something in my Igloo.  I have to have stuff ready to go out of the fridge.   Not only that, but my schedule changes every day.   What works for me on Monday is not going to work for me on Tuesday or Friday.   What happened last Wednesday is not necessarily what will happen this Wednesday.    Every day (and even the night before) I have to plan ahead - not just what I'm doing, but where and when I will eat my food.    I also have to factor in my workouts.    Don't want to snarf down my chicken and asparagus and then walk into the gym.....as much as I hate that stinkin' rower, I don't want to toss my cookies all over it!    I need to give myself some digestion time before I workout.

I'm not going to lie - it's hard.     Sometimes I mess it up.    Sometimes, I've gotten lazy.    But my priorities have shifted over the last 6 months.    Healthy living becomes more important to me with each passing month.   Does that mean that I don't want to die a little every time I walk out of the gym and get a whiff of that Popeye's chicken?   No.    But it means that most of the time, it's more important to me to eat healthy than it is to indulge myself with something I want for the moment.