Did you know I am on a weight loss & fitness journey? I don't think I have mentioned it enough lately have I? The journey is made up of multiple parts that are going to help me achieve my end goal and I have realised that two big parts are training and nutrition. Now I have slowly got much better with my training and I am hitting my session fairly often and making progress (it isn't 100% yet but I am getting there) however, my biggest issue is by far the nutrition side of things I just can't get it under control and I know if I control this I will make huge progress towards my end goal. 

The nutrition side of things has definitely always been my biggest downfall, even from a young age I have been terrible when it comes to food for a variety of reasons. I have always been a fussy eater, yes I might eat a lot but it is always the same kind of things and those meals aren't necessarily the best as they don't include fruit or veg & are often processed foods. I am terrible for eating for the sake of it too... if I am bored I just go raid the cupboards for absolutely anything to eat however, I know this is a bad habit and I am slowly getting out of doing this by using different techniques but until this is fully removed I know that I am going to struggle to make the progress I want to make. I am also far too lazy when it comes to cooking, me & Liam are meant to take it in turns cooking however, when it comes to my turn I either make him do the majority of the work or I just order in, I have always said I can think of better ways to spend my time after a day at work than standing making food however, this is something I really need to get out of if I want my journey to really get going.

The annoying part is I do all these silly things when I am bored or lazy when I know for a fact when I actually focus on my nutrition and eat properly consistently I feel so much better as the pain in my side doesn't flare up half as much as normal meaning I am for once in minimal discomfort. I also have so much more energy when I eat right as I am fueling my body the right way and not filling it with nutrients that make me lethargic. This is why I am now spending more time focusing on my nutrition and trying to get my eating really under control rather than wasting money on foods that don't make me feel good or don't help me achieve my end goal. 

One big thing I am planning on changing is at lunch time at work... I buy a meal deal nearly everyday and I never pick a good option, there are so many better lower calorie options than I pick however, I never make them and I am wasting my money each day on food that I don't even enjoy, I just have it for the sake of it. Rather than getting a meal deal that I don't enjoy I am planning on spending some time maybe a few times a week actually meal prepping some good food that I know is going to keep me feeling satisfied and help me towards my goals. When I did this in the past it really did help me drop the weight and I felt so much better about myself so it is certainly time to bring that back.

I am also planning on reducing my snacking a lot as I am sick of eating for the sake of it, I won't be cutting snacks out all together though as sometimes they are required to get me through the day, I just won't be having as many as I do and I will make sure they are better for me, so something filled with protein or something lower in calories like the skinny bars that I absolutely love and could happily have daily. Just reducing the snacking is going to have a big benefit I think and if I do have the meal prepped lunch I shouldn't really need to many snacks as I should be full from a good lunch before finally having an evening meal.

The big plan though is for me to actually cook more, take my turn so the split of cooking is more even between me and Liam and so that I actually know what is going into my meal. With takeaways and meals out you never 100 know what you are eating where as if I am in the kitchen preparing my own food and actually seeing what is going into each meal, I know if I am helping myself towards my goal or if I am going to be delaying progress. Cooking more will also mean cutting a big chunk of processed foods too as if I am cooking I like to keep them fresh which in turn should mean much more & better nutrients into my daily diet. I don't really have an excuse for not cooking now either as we have an air fryer which makes cooking a whole lot easier and faster plus a lot of my favourite meals these days taste great out of the air fryer which is an added bonus, I definitely do want to experiment with other things in the air fryer though as it really is the gift that keeps on giving. We have plenty of cookbooks in the house so we can try new foods at long last too and maybe by doing this I will help break the habit of being a fussy eater, I could easily eat foods I have never bothered with hidden in tasty meals and that way I will be giving my body nutrients it has lacked previously. 

This is really only the start of getting things food wise under control as I know it is going to be a long trial and error journey however, I know that if I do make these better choices and get my nutrition under control I should soon see the weight start to drop off which is the ultimate goal however, I should also start to feel much better with in myself both physically and mentally which is going to be beneficial all round. This is going to take some getting used to as well as I am 100% a novice in the kitchen & am only able to cook basic dishes but I am looking forward to seeing my skills develop over time as I do start to finally cook more. 

Question is though what shall I cook first?