When you're over 30, going to Costco is like a trip to Chuck E. Cheese for a five year old but without the creepy ass animatronics. Today was my Costco day, and I happily strolled through the aisles in my leggings listening to an audiobook like the basic white girl I am. After making it through the sweet smell of the bakery section without face planting into a birthday cake, walking past the nice lady offering free samples of creamy crab dip, and ignoring the rude glare of the 700 calorie chocolate chip cookies at the cafe that were begging for my attention, I left feeling...hungry. Then, I was gifted a reminder of how special it is to be strong and healthy and capable. I was putting my cart back in the cart return like everyone should, and a mixture of my undiagnosed OCD and my pet peeve for people leaving their carts in parking spots or not pushing them in all the way so that the lineup of carts sticks out into the road unnecessarily kicked in full force. Next thing I knew, I was rearranging all the carts into nice tidy rows while a woman cheered me on, saying how strong I was and how I was helping people who couldn't do what I could do. Wow, she made me smile. She also made me realize I shouldn't be quick to judge others. Maybe they don't return their cart properly because they're physically hurting. I take for granted how blessed I am to have a healthy body. I never want to go back to not prioritizing being the best version of myself I can be. And on that note, I'm choosing to go home and eat the high protein, high fiber meal I planned for myself. 🖤

Today is my partner’s birthday!! 🎉 Earlier this week I asked him if he wanted to go out for dinner. He said “No.” Fast forward to today… stressful, busy workday (we both WFH). He walks over to my desk and says: “Babe… I know I said I didn’t want to eat out. But today has been crazy and I just need to get out of the house. Are you cool if we go to Korean BBQ?” My inner self: YEEESSS 🙌 My tracking brain: Dang it… I already pre-tracked my Thai Bison 🦬 & Turkey 🦃 Kaprow meal plan 😆 (And apparently birthday man does NOT want Kaprow tonight 😂) Of course I couldn’t say no on his birthday 🎉 So I said yes — BUT I told him my execution plan. 🔥 Game Plan: - ❌ Marinated meats - ❌ Beef belly - ✅ Brisket - ✅ Short rib finger - ❌ Ice cream (painful but necessary 😅) Now here’s the part that saves me time ⏱️ Korean BBQ is a rotational social meal for us. I eat it often enough that I already have it structured. I got the blessing from Coach @Aaron Wong 🙌 and to make life easier, I saved it in MFP under “Saved Meals.” So instead of re-tracking everything from scratch: ✔️ I pull up the saved meal ✔️ Edit the quantity of what I actually eat ✔️ Done in minutes Planning ahead + using saved meals = GAME CHANGER. And guess what? I adjusted. I pivoted. I’m STILL within my calorie deficit range. This is a SKILL you build when you track consistently. Real life will throw last-minute social meals at you. The goal isn’t to panic. It’s to execute with structure. No stress. No guilt. Just strategy + celebration. Happy Birthday to my guy 🥂🎉 We can enjoy life AND stay aligned. Balance over extremes. Always.