PLAN, PREPARE, EXECUTE and Discuss
Recently, I was in the locker room at my gym and a couple of ladies were joking about how the scale must still be broken. The joke about holiday weight gain went completely over my head. My mind wasn’t anywhere near that thought, probably because this year instead of packing on the holiday pounds I managed to lose 4 1/2 between Thanksgiving and New Years. Four simple steps helped me get a jump start on my New Year’s resolution, and are now propelling me to success in the New Year.
Plan, Prepare, Execute, and Discuss.
Plan: First, I look at the month as a whole. I keep a calendar pinned up at my office desk, that way I see it and see it often. At the beginning of each month, I highlight the days where I know there is an dining out situation I can’t control, like a party or a big family dinner (a regular weekend dinner out does not count). As the month progresses, I add any highlighter days that come up. Seeing how many “outside my control” events there are in a month, makes me realize how important it is to make good choices on those days when I don’t have any special plans. Just knowing I have a fancy dinner on the horizon, makes the office candy bowl look a lot less tempting.
Every Sunday, I go grocery shopping for the week. Before I go, I check the pantry, fridge and freezer to make note of any staples I need and add them to the list. Then I think about anything I am really craving, healthy meals, not junk, and add that as well. I don’t like to add too many fruits, vegetables, or meats to the list because I like to buy what looks fresh. At the grocery store, I stick to the perimeter, the produce section, meat and fish counter, and the dairy case. When I need to venture into the middle isles to stock up on those pantry staples I stick to the list, strictly. Once I am home from the store, the shopping is done for the week, no exceptions. If I forgot it, it will wait until next week, this not only saves you pounds but dollars too, because there is no chance I can run into the store and just by one thing.
After I get home from the store I plan my meals, in detail, as much as possible for the following week. Generally, this means planning Monday breakfast through Fridaday’s snack. Later in the week when I know my weekend plans I will fill in the rest of my meal tracker. I find it helpful to start with dinner, since that is typically my largest meal of the day and the only one where I am cooking for more than just myself. I try to create lunches around what the dinners are, so that I can utilize any leftovers, or know to “steal” some of the veggies from one night’s dinner to put in a lunch. On days with more complicated dinners, I try to keep the following day’s meals simple to minimize kitchen time. Breakfasts and snacks are more standardized. I have a handful of each that I rotate throughout the week; changing the fruit up to fit what’s in my fridge that week. I always try to leave myself about 100 wiggle room calories for the day just in case I need them and if I do not, I can enjoy a small treat after dinner. For Friday’s, I plan for a lighter day, knocking a handful of calories off each meal, in case I am going out for dinner or drinks. If not, I can enjoy a slightly larger after dinner treat, or add those calories back into the day’s plan. Any meals out or events that I know about (drinks with friends, an office lunch, date night, etc) I leave blank, but try to treat like a Friday, making sure the other meals of the day are a bit lighter, or I have a fruit only snack.
When it comes to meal planning, be as detailed as possible. For example, my plan doesn’t say oatmeal with milk and fruit for Thursday’s breakfast, it says:
- 1 packet of regular oatmeal
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond breeze
- 1 tbsp of walnuts
- ½ cup of blueberries
- 1 tsp of maple syrup
Prepare: A plan is only a good plan if you have the ability to execute it, that’s where preparation comes in. I can plan out my meals all I want, but if I didn’t pack my lunch the night before for work, I’m not eating it. So that is exactly what I do. I eat three meals a day at work, breakfast lunch and a snack. Every night, before or while I am making dinner I pack for the next day. I pull up my plan for the following day and I pack exactly what is on it, nothing more, and nothing less. I measure absolutely everything. I can eyeball two teaspoons of peanut butter or three ounces of chicken any day of the week, but I still grab a teaspoon or my kitchen scale. Better to be precise because portions can creep larger over time. As for those blank spaces left in my planner, as soon as I know the restaurant I am going to, I immediately look to see if they have a menu online, most places do. I pick what I am going to order and how (dressing on the side, no mayo, swap fruit for hash browns, etc), then I put it in my planner the best I can. Obviously, I don’t always know what the menu will be or where I am going. For example, this weekend I am having brunch at a friend’s house, and I have no idea what she is making, so that part of my planner will be blank until after I eat. 90% of the time however, I have checked the menu and at least narrowed it down to two selections.
Being prepared extends to my workout routine too, I am fortunate enough to have a gym at work, so I pack my gym bag before bed to make sure it’s ready to grab and go in the morning. If I am planning on an early morning workout, I lay out my gym clothes and pack my work clothes to ensure that I get out the door on time and with ease.