To be prepared is half the victory

I can’t believe it. Planning my meals the night before made such a difference! I spent zero time agonizing over food today because I knew everything was already planned. Whenever I started thinking about what to eat, I’d remember I didn’t have to because I had already decided – and I moved to other business. When I was hungry I pulled out my book to see what was on the menu, grabbed the food, and was done.  When I was still hungry after eating my lunch, I simply looked up what I planned for my snack and just ate the snack earlier.  Today was very easy. Now, based on how I felt during the day, I am making adjustments in my plan for tomorrow.  I think I will eventually reach a point where I know exactly what meals are best for me and planning will be 1 or 2 minutes.

"Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy." Ralph Ransom

He Who Fails To Plan, Plans To Fail

Planning meals for the next day is a pain. My evenings are fleeting as is – no additional to do items please. Coach says I don’t have to plan, but I do have to write down everything I eat. And I have been, albeit inconsistent. I honestly find it embarrassing to write down what I eat, so I hide my food journal in a drawer at work. If I am out in the evening, I try to remember what I had and write it down when I get home.

Today was brutal. Finding healthy meal and snack options was challenging, especially when I was already hungry. It takes much longer to think of and find healthy food versus the unhealthy. Having only 5-15 minutes because I have to run back to work for a meeting also adds complexity. The icing on the cake is also trying to figure out what is real hunger versus the habitual, mindless eating that I so love to do. Oh and did I mention that healthy food isn’t as filling and I keep going for more food?

Now I know why people plan in advance. It really saves time. I expended so many thought cycles and so much energy around food today!! Tonight I did what any efficient person would do. I planned my consumption for tomorrow. It took me 10 minutes. And it is a good thing I did because now I will eat in advance of a party that I am going to tomorrow night. That wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Oh the calories I will save.

P.S.  Having a list of meal and snack ideas helps speed up the planning process.

"Always plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark." Richard C. Cushing

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan." Eleanor Roosevelt

The Beginning of the End of Struggling

This is it. This is the end of obsessing over food, my body, my eating habits, my health. Like many people, I have struggled with my weight. I know what to eat and how I should eat. The problem is execution. Willpower fades, self-help books become a burden. Diets are temporary and we all know a lifestyle change is required. Yada yada yada. We’ve heard it all and read it all. The question is always how to make a permanent change. I decided to go to an expert for some one-on-one coaching. It has been exactly one week since my first meeting with my coach. I am now ready to kick this into high gear and I am starting to believe that a rewiring is possible. The plan is that at the end of week 10, I will be 10 lbs lighter and I will have a new relationship with food. Let’s roll…

P.S. I ate two Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches as I wrote this. For real.

“Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them.” Chaim Weizmann