Do you ever feel like that your best intentions were ambushed and defeated by life?  You intended to eat right and to exercise.  Monday came, and you were sure that you would do it right this week.

And life happened.   A busy schedule and unexpected temptations caused you to cave and your plan for a healthy, vibrant life is set back yet again.  Since you’ve blown it, and since you are so busy, you decide to wait until it is convenient to start up again.

It happens to all of us — and it just happened to me.  I’m determined to get on track and stay there.  A smart soldier is prepared for ambushes and on his guard.

So here is my plan for staying alert and ready this week, because I REALLY don’t like how I feel when the bad stuff is in my system.

The biggest factor is planning.  A soldier doesn’t wander onto the battlefield, but has a plan.  So this week, I encourage you to make a plan.  And here is the plan  — Part 1.

 Write out exactly what you will eat this week.

What are you going to have for breakfast? For mid-morning snack? For lunch?  For afternoon snack?  For supper?  Write it out — and make sure you have the food on hand.   Why is this important?  Because if you have to make a decision when you are hungry and tired you will very likely make the wrong one.  Sit down when you are at a your best and make out your menu for the week.  And make it easy.  If it is too difficult to make, you might make a less healthy choice.

Make as much of your meals as possible during the hours when you are at your strongest mentally and physically.  For most people, that means first thing in the morning.  Your body is in fasting mode and you aren’t hungry. That’s the time to get your food ready for the day.

If you are planning to eat celery sticks with nut butter as a snack, for example, wash and stuff the celery first thing in the morning so they are ready to pick up and crunch.  Otherwise you may grab that stray cookie instead.  If you are having nuts, measure them out and put them in a baggie so you won’t be tempted to eat too many.  You don’t want to be making decisions when you are at a weak point.

You might want to pack your lunch, even if you aren’t going anywhere, so you will have it ready to eat.  Put dinner in the crockpot and prepare your salad so it is easy to serve and eat.

The old adage is true — if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  Don’t just think, “I’m going to eat right.”  Plan out what you will eat.  You will find you are much likely to stick to those good intentions and avoid the pitfalls.

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown