The Lessons of Meal Prepping

January 13, 2022

I have been so encouraged by the people around me when it comes to my weight loss journey. It has been a long eighteen month process and I still have a long way to go, but the encouragement and support that I have seen thus far, has kept me motivated and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Throughout these eighteen months, I have learned the importance of setting healthy boundaries. When I first started, those boundaries looked small in retrospect, but to me, were difficult to form: drinking more water instead of sugary drinks, cutting out fast food, eating more vegetables and fruit, learning to enjoy food and see it as a sense of "fuel" versus "comfort" and to be completely honest, all of these things and much more took a lot of practice. I mean, not only did I have to learn to establish those boundaries and habits, but I also had to change my lifestyle completely. I went from being a person who was non-active, who sat on the couch with potato chips and Dairy Queen ice cream, and who lacked *all forms* of motivation and discipline...to being someone who now is a "gym junkie" and a battle rope slayer with the mindset that she is Wonder Woman. (and yes, I did just refer to myself in third person haha)

All of those things, are things that I am constantly learning. And out of everyone that you see on your social media page who eat healthy, look fit, and portray themselves to live that "perfect life", I want to be the first to tell you, that although I go to the gym, drink my water, and so on and so forth, I still very much struggle with eating healthy all the time. In eighteen months, I have gone through McDonalds drive-thru, I have ate multiple slices of pizza in one sitting, I have ordered that milkshake and fries from Wendy's. I have gone to Taco Bell at 1a.m to binge eat tacos and quesadilla's. But you know what-every single time, I regret it. I regret it because my body no longer knows how to handle those types of foods. My stomach hurts a lot, I get headaches, anxiety, hot-flashes, sugar spikes...ect...every time. So why do I still do it if I know it's not good for me?

Because I am only 18 months "clean and sober" from an addiction that has held me captive for 28 years.

Learning to change the habits that been instilled in me for years is no easy task. It's daunting, frightening, and sometimes self-degrading because you literally see your mess that you have to clean up,...

But that's where grace comes in.

I am so thankful to know and love a Heavenly Father who doesn't see me for the number that's portrayed on the scale, or the size jeans that I wear, or the stretch marks that make up 95% of my body. He doesn't see me for the unhealthy or the healthy foods that I eat. He doesn't define me by anything that the world says is "beautiful and worthy" and He's certainly not keeping tally on how many times I go to the gym in a week or how often I lift weights. Praise God! But instead, He pours grace over us and He meets us where we're at and wants to teach us new things and help us form better habits so we look more like Him.

And that's where meal prepping comes into play.

Meal prepping is a new habit that I am learning and I am actually enjoying it! Through meal prepping, I have seen so many benefits!

#1. it's a time saver by far. Sure-I spend about 1hr 1/2 to 3 hours cooking on one day, but I don't have to worry about spending 30-60 minutes in the kitchen each night after a long day of work.

#2. It's budget friendly! You don't have to spend a fortune to make meals last all week. I choose 3-4 proteins (meats) that I want and then I pair them with veggies and other sides (rice, quinoa, potatoes, ect) and it equals out to about $1.50-$6 per meal. Which if you think about it, two meal prepped meals is the same amount of money that you would spend at a fast food place or other restaurants for ONE MEAL. *still blows my mind*

#3. It makes you feel good about yourself! Developing this habit for me has made me feel secure and in control of what is going in my body. Being a recovering food addict, meal prepping gives me the ability and the space to not have to worry or second-guess myself while eating. The anxiety that used to be there with food, isn't there when I meal prep and take the time to do it. IT'S WORTH IT!

I am so thankful for this journey so far! Yes, it has been very hard at times. Tears have fallen many a times, injuries have happened, sickness has come and gone, poor eating has happened...but all in all, I keep going and I choose to be healthier than I was the day before.

"His mercies are new every morning..." (Lamentations 3:22)

*below are some photos of my meal prepped foods. Super simple and easy recipes!

ps- always roast potatoes and veggies in your prep- they go a loooong way!