In the Struggle: Planning Ahead

This past week I took a trip several hours away.  I realized during the trip that I should have planned ahead when it came to my meals.  Two of my meals were fast food.  I was surprised when I entered the calories into MyFitnessPal just how many were involved in the choices I’d made, even when I thought they were semi-healthy.

Last week I shared about the calories when eating out, but I realized this week that planning ahead is important when I know I’m going to be

Planning Ahead for a roadtrip will save work later

out for a day or taking a trip.  I’ll admit that this is not my strong suit and sometimes events come up that cannot be planned for.  However, there are some things I can do to make my choices healthier.

1. Keep water with me at all times
2. Keep a bag of nuts, veggies or other healthy snacks packed to take on the road with me
3. Plan ahead where I’m going to eat and allow the time to eat
4. Make a list of healthy options to eat at various restaurants
5. Avoid fast food outlets
6. Research restaurants and options in the area where traveling
7. If fast food is a must, make a list of foods I can eat at these places [for instance Wendy’s small chili and sour cream & chives baked potato are 536 calories for both]
8. Don’t beat myself up for making a mistake. Sometimes life happens and I just have to move forward and make better choices for the next meal.
9. Make the time to exercise—this is important anyways, but even more so when we make bad choices or have a heavy calorie meal. A pair of walking shoes and you can find a place to walk almost anywhere.

Knowing what to do helps, now it comes to implementing these steps into my routine.

In what ways do you struggle with planning ahead?