"Fail to plan, plan to fail."

I fancy myself a "planner."  I like to put together our trips, spending hours researching every detail and the must-see items.  I'm the control freak friend that organizes parties and thinks of all the little details.  And I'm the one who brought random safety pins to my friend's wedding and saved the day when they were needed.  I also bully everyone into doing enjoy putting together these Challenges for everyone.

Yes, I suppose I am a planner.  So when it came time to plan out my health regimen, I went at it with the same vigor.
I spent several hours looking up different recipe ideas, calorie requirements, exercise routines, weight loss tricks, etc. etc.  I came up with a list of healthy things I should keep in my fridge, and packed lunches every day. My trainer told me, "Fail to plan, and plan to fail."  It was true, and I thought I had it all planned out. But then I would run late one morning and not have time to make lunch. Or I would have to do something after work and not have time to cook something healthy that I had planned.  That's when I started to realize that planning is not the same as preparing. 

While I've always been a great planner, I've never really been a natural at preparing.  Sure I had planned out my marketing presentation, but had I prepared for it in advance I would have missed out on 15 hours and 8 pots of coffee at Finnegan's.  Okay, maybe that's a bad example (but one that I experienced more than once)! The point is, great plans can get spoiled. 

Since I am getting serious for this Challenge, I'm trying a new tactic and taking "prepared" to the next level....

Meet the big-Bertha of pots.... 

I steamed 20 cups of frozen vegetables in this puppy on Sunday (shooting for 3 cups of veggies a day minimum).  I also baked up 20 oz of chicken and 4 oz of fish.  I created 10 baggies, each containing a small meal consisting of one cup of veggies and 2-4 oz of fish or chicken. Talk about prepared!  Now, even when I'm running late, I just grab a couple baggies (I'm eating two small lunches instead of one large).

I also made some Mini Egg Souffles in a muffin tin so I can get a quick protein in the mornings (or for a snack....I don't mind cold eggs, but you could microwave them too). 

Next week I'm adding dinner to my Sunday preparations.  If I stick to this, it will make excuses impossible. 

Feel free to comment and share some of the ways you have prepared for your goal.