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ON BEING PREPARED ...

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Moments after the ringing of my cell phone, I dashed out the front door of my home, with no idea how long I would be gone. A person in crisis was all I heard, and all I needed to hear. I was off and running. Hours later, and not anywhere in the close proximity of healthy food choices for myself, I was starving. The crisis was still not over; I did not feel free to leave the situation, and yet my stomach was screaming for attention. What to do? Well, eat! What was available? Food was available. The kind one quickly gets from a vending machine. Not Good! And too hungry to say "No," I took the only option available to me - save not eating at all. I grabbed some coins and in a moment, I ripped into the bag of ___________, and still far from satisfied, more of my coins eaten up by the vending machine, another bag ripped open, and more unhealthy eating.

There are times that vending machine has taken every coin I have available, along with bill changers for more coins, to fill my empty stomach. I walk away temporarily sated, and filled with more guilt than nutrition. And I ask myself, time and time again, why wasn't I prepared for my day.

Well, who knows when one is to have a crisis in any given day? I don't know when they will happen, but in my line of work, they do happen. And I need to be prepared. Prepared ... in season and out ... for those days when I do have to rush out the door.

Over the years of my life, when weight loss has been a goal for me, I have failed by not being prepared. This type of scenario has happened more times than I care to recount. Unprepared in a situation over which I have little or no control.

What about you? How do you prepare for yourself nutritionally when the unexpected catches you unaware? Do you just go with the flow and try to recapture on another day by manipulating your numbers to create a balance between given days? I blew it yesterday, so I will make up for it today kinda-thing? If I could count the times I went on that premise to pay back, and if the pay back were in dollar bills, I would be a wealthy woman.

I have been in this situation many times, and I know it translates to a cooler in a ready place with frozen ice-packs in my freezer and available healthy choices at my fingertips inside the fridge to toss into that cooler. No more than moments to pull that together. I must be prepared if I want to meet my own healthy goals.

TODAY, I commit to BEING PREPARED ...

How about you?

Many Blessings,

Mary
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Member Comments About This Blog Post
  • KEIPONY
    Everyone has made some good advice. I actually will use some of them too. I think everyone has a slip up or crisis that comes that you can't control. Don't beat yourself up, you've acknowledge the problem and work on a solution. You can do it.
    3128 days ago
  • EBURGITE
    since i started my new eating plan (8/2011), i've worked hard to keep snacks on hand. i eat several times throughout the day, and that works great for me. there have only been a few times that i've been STARVED like you described, and those were the times i would have seriously been in trouble if i were away from home--i would have put ANYTHING into my mouth! fortunately, i was home, but it was challenging to control my portions. i keep a baggie of nuts or seeds with me almost always, and i try to keep fruit and nut bars in my car. but you're right...being prepared is what will keep us on track. emoticon
    3132 days ago
  • no profile photo CD11477432
    Mary, you did a good job of defining the problem and you have a very workable solution. I'm fully retired so I rarely get called out for a crisis but I do try to keep things in the kitchen that I can grab on the go. I like to keep Granola bars and nuts available so I can eat something crunchy.
    3132 days ago
  • GRETA242
    I keep fruits in the frig and cups of yogurt, which i grab when I need to run out the door. Don't beat yourself up about this. Things happen and we learn from these mistakes. Forgive yourself and go on.
    3132 days ago
  • QUILTPUPS
    Each of you leave a tip from your own experiences that further my own cause to be successful, AND you all point out how vitally important it is to BE PREPARED.

    I thank each one of you!
    3132 days ago
  • FLGIRL1234
    Yes being prepared has been vital to my success. When I start to slip, its all because one unprepared event leads to another and so on and so on. It can be a vicious cycle.
    3132 days ago
  • no profile photo KWHARTONHEALTHY
    Mary, you hit the nail right on the head! Boy, I thought that you were in my mind for a second there. You are so right. Life will happen and when you least suspect it. The more that we prepare for those calls, texts, and have healthy food at our fingertips, the better our health will be. In the meantime, yeah, I realize that I made a mistake and instead of beating myself up, I just start over the next day and do it.

    Thanks for sharing today! Make it a great Spark week!
    3132 days ago
  • no profile photo CD5394627
    You make a good point. I keep a 72 hour kit with healthy food that will keep and stuff for survival. Why not keep a kit handy for those days or moments when you have to run. Or even just a healthy snack in the car in case you're out longer than you planned.

    In my case, it would be sliced fruit in the fridge for when the urge to snack hits. Or a menu planned and ready in advance for those nights when I just don't want to cook. I could definitely benefit from a little preparedness.
    3132 days ago
  • NORWOODGIRL
    I usually have some pouches of tuna in the cupboard and some string cheese in the fridge that I grab when I leave the house. I know bottled water is not the best environmental choice, but I also always have several bottles in the freezer. A few of those in my thermal lunch bag act as ice packs and the water is really refreshing when it thaws. Throw in a piece of fruit and it is reasonably healthy food ready to travel in less than 2 minutes.
    3132 days ago
  • no profile photo CD12469226
    A good slogan for every area of life. "Be prepared." Well, that is easier said than done. I know you can do it, keep up the good work and ask Jesus to help you and He will. emoticon
    3132 days ago

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