Looking into Meal Prep Future

As mentioned in my first post, the inspiration for this blog was a picture I posted the evening I completed my first week of meal prep for Blake (my boyfriend) and I.

Tupperware heaven - packed with chicken and vegetables, salmon and rice, 48 hard boiled eggs (not pictured), raspberries separated into snack bags, and more...

I was not only pleased that we were able to fit it all in the fridge, but overjoyed by thoughts of what my future week would look like without having to cook every night.  That has always been my downfall - I'm not much of a chef.  I don't like cooking and I'm not good at it.  Coming home from work and doing something that brought me absolutely no happiness was not on the top of my list of things to do.  So instead, I'd head to Taco Bell, order pizza, eat foods that were not contributing to my goals.

So why are you reading a blog detailing a meal prep from someone who doesn't know how to cook and doesn't know what she's doing?  I'd like to think I'm learning from the experience, and maybe others can learn from me and do it right the first time.  Here are my concerns going into my first week:

1. Am I going to get sick of the same thing for breakfast, lunch & dinner all week?
2. What are the meals going to taste like on Friday and Saturday?
3. Am I eating enough?
4. How long with this slight discomfort last?

Hopefully, I'll have a lot of these answered by the end of the week and be able to adjust for next week.  However, so far, so good.  :)

Day 2 of Meal Prep

In the midst of the second day of my current attempt at meal prep I have lots of mixed feelings.  For lack of a less cliche metaphor, it is a lot like jumping into the cold river - it may be a little shocking, uncomfortable, and somewhat painful at first, but in the end, it feels great to be in the water having a good time!  Let me explain:

Shocking/Uncomfortable/Painful: My body is screaming awful, obscene things at me.  It's gotten used to massive amounts of Taco Bell, bread, sugar, and an insane amount of calories.  I took those things away from it and am limiting the amount of calories I consume and my body is quite confused.

I've read a lot about meal prepping and I don't think people talk about this as much as they should.  IT'S GOING TO FEEL LIKE SHIT AT FIRST.  That's why its difficult for people to start and maintain this lifestyle.  You think you're doing something awesome for your body, so you get excited, buy all your healthy food, cook it, and go after it full force the first day.  But then... what is happening to your body? You're trying to lift weights at the gym and you're shaking.  Your stomach is crying for attention. You seem more tired than usual. In the past, I've assumed I was doing something wrong.  Millions of things race through my mind: I must have planned incorrectly, I didn't give myself enough of this, I need to do more research...

So, I fall off the boat because I'm disappointed.  A couple days of discomfort and I've given up all of my hopes and dreams of a body I can be proud of and live in for years to come.  Seems silly, but it just doesn't feel right when you're starting off.  Now that I know this, I'm preparing myself.  I know I'm not going to feel awesome, but my body will adjust, and I'm looking forward to that day.

And that day is when I'll realize jumping in was worth it.  When the feeling of pins and needles has subsided and I'm enjoying myself and feel amazing.  That is what I'm hoping for, and that is why I'm sticking with it this time.

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."

Here we go...

Despite all of my efforts to NOT create a blog, here I am...  It is always something that I've wanted to do but I didn't have any motivation (this is key to the premise of this blog, keep reading below).  I didn't want to create something that required extra time and thought in my hectic daily life.  Nor did I think that I had anything profound enough to say that people would want to read.  Regardless, I've been needing to make changes in my life and I made a big step towards reaching my goals yesterday, August 24, 2014.

After posting a picture documenting the beginning of my meal prepping journey on Instagram and Facebook (see my next post for details) I got a few comments from friends asking questions about what I was doing, what my strategy was, and how it was working.  My mom suggested starting a blog, so here it goes...

My name is Jessye and I already have a confession: I don't exactly know where this blog is going to go.  I'm not going to limit it to meal prep only - my goals go far beyond just that.  I've named the blog "Strive for Drive" because I hope to discuss the difficulty I have in finding motivation to better myself and what I do to overcome that hurdle.  So, although the topics may vary, the goal of this blog is to detail the organization and inspiration that helps me stay on track in hopes that it may help someone else to do the same.

Enjoy...