I’m short on time today so thanks for letting me stop by to check in and keep things simple.  I am learning (again) how to restructure my time to meet changing commitments and my journey into Fighter Diet is something I would still like to bring into conversation for the duration of this challenge.

As I’m getting acclimated towards a hefty amount of meal prep (What was I thinking when I thought it would be less meal prep?) I notice I’m struggling to find time for everything.  My reliance on already prepared (and mostly prepared) foods is changing as I see how much work it is to set up multiple meals for the week.  The more I open my eyes the more I need to tweak my routine.  I will say I miss some of the convenience of chow hall life now as I am no longer carefree to saunter in, grab food off a chow line, eat and then deposit my dishes for someone else to wash!!!

What a privilege that convenience was as a young adult.

Tomorrow signifies the end of the first two weeks and I’m no perfect person (hello junk food I’ve eaten along the way) but I find the workouts easier to stick with than the eating habits.  Even in late elementary school, I liked running and because the weightlifting is helping me make huge strides in reducing my back pain I power through those no problem.

Right now I’m playing with trial and error a lot with one of my least favorite ingredients, the kale.  I know it’s not a forever food item but I have plans to forego eating it for quite some time after this challenge concludes.

I am looking forward to getting back into Marine Corps shape (or hopefully, better) after undergoing this twelve week transformation.  I am already eating healthier than I do on a regular basis and haven’t consumed a glass of wine or beer since Day 1.  That’s a good start.

It would be nice to show everyone that you can leave the military and work on picking up a healthier lifestyle along the way, especially if you were like me and ate a lot of junk food as a service member.  Looking back, I do wish I had cared to adopt healthier eating habits much earlier in life.  Now, it takes some serious work and I’m stumbling along the way with all this meal prep.

With a full 40 hour week schedule plus almost 2 hours of commuting free time does not come easy.  Additionally, I don’t sacrifice (much) on sleep.  I’ve established a regular sleeping routine as it’s one of the key things that helps me more successfully manage my chest pains.  I like going to be no later than 9:30-10:00 p.m. as best as possible and ideally I’d like to wake up at 6am but with my commute, I get up between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m. most days.  For this challenge, I’ve tried waking up at 04:30 a.m. to help prepare breakfast and lunch before my day wakes for the day and it wasn’t conducive to my lifestyle.

Hence, biting the bullet and losing free time on my weekend.  The end result is worth it. I ended up with 9 full size waffles and one kid-sized one, 2 dinner sides for Monday, dinner entrees Monday through Friday, and lunch sides (so long as my creations are edible) for two days.  I put the kale in my slow cooker which is why I say “so long as my creations are edible” they count as lunch sides.  I attempted to do a healthier version of collard greens but this one might be a failure.  It’s hard to tell by smell alone with kale whether the end result will be good.

I think my favorite unexpected part of this weekend was learning you can use whey protein powder to make a latte.  This item makes the plan easier to enjoy.

I can’t wait to enjoy the “extra time” I got back in my week thanks to prepping today.  Have a great week ahead.

~Cheryl