Sunday Planning
I know we've all heard it, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. At the beginning of my weight loss journey, I really didn't see the importance of this statement, or meal planning and really didn't feel like I had the time. UH, HELLO - THREE JOBS! I barely had time to remember to go to the bathroom let alone plan out an entire week of food AND cook it (especially cause the live-in has NO weight/health issues whatsoever, so that's 6 DIFFERENT meals a day instead of 3).
I FELT like I had no issues with making healthy choices on the go and in a pinch, was seeing results doing things the same way I had been, but not as fast as I wanted, so I chalked it up to working overnights and moved along. And then IT happend, I plateued. I plateued HARD and even gained some weight back that I realized I needed to make a change and that it was TIME for me to FOCUS on my nutrition.
I am VERY busy just like everyone else. And being busy means, I had to keep it SIMPLE, stupid proof, and that I needed to NOT wait until the last minute. I figured out that if I waited until the LAST minute then my chances of sticking with it or seeing progress were very small. So there I was at 11pm on a Saturday, drawing out a plan on what I was going to feed my face for that upcoming week. That one change has become a weekend ritual that has changed my ENTIRE life for the better.
Don't wait until MONDAY morning to decide what you are going to eat! I tried to do this for several weeks, failing to remember just how CRAZY Monday mornings are at the house - getting his lunch ready, the dog craps on the floor, the alarm didn't go off, OMG the dryer didn't finish, next thing you know, you're running late and reaching for whatever's easy and not always the best choice. Do yourself a favor and take the time to sit-down with your program's nutrition guide and figure out which plan you're supposed to be following. Make a copy of a blank meal planning guide and FILL IT OUT COMPLETEY. Next, make your grocery list so that you're ready to hit the store while you're running your weekend errands! By taking the time to make sure I am in control of what I eat and when, the daily anxiety I used to have with food is gone.
If there is one tip that I want to stress to others in their journey it's to PLAN AHEAD and DON'T PROCRASTINATE. Take 30 minutes of your Saturday to develop your upcoming week's plan of attack.
Then, once I've planned my week, I head out shopping and on Sunday I spend some time getting my food prepped and ready.
Here is my meal plan for the upcoming week! For PiYo, I am following Plan A, but using the 21 Day Fix Container System since I have been using it for the last 6 months and it's makes prepping SOOOO easy and impossible to mess up! I'm a big fan of "two-fers" - or making a large batch of something and using it as an ingredient several times a week, on purpose and to be able to change options up in a pinch.
Even though I work from home during the week some days can get crazy enough that my laid out plans fail. On those days I usually reach for an extra dose of Shakeoloy to make sure I'm getting all my vitamins and minerals. Other times I'll reach for a quickie omelet, hard boiled eggs (I boil 8 at the start of the week), or greek yogurt and fruit.
Tonight I will spend part of the evening finishing prepping my foods for the week.
I'll make a large batch of Quinoa and/or Brown Rice. While that's cooking I'll chop up all my fruits and vegetables and pre-portion them out into baggies and tupperware. I make pre-packaged smoothie packs that I freeze for my Shakeology - makes it taste just like ice cream! And, I even pre-portion out my snacks to keep me from eating out of the bag and intentionally losing count :)
My breakfast is super easy since I work-out before work in the morning! Shake-O Packets live on my counter in easy reach!
Lastly, I'll bake some chicken and hardboil some eggs so I have options for protein in case there is a change of plans. No matter how prepared I am - something always comes up, I do my best to stay 1-step ahead :)
Having my meals planned, shopping done, and foods prepped helps relieve a lot of the stress I used to have about staying on track. It gives me the extra boost of confidence reminding me that - YES! I can DO this!
This week my goal is to NOT miss a workout, add 2 days of extra cardio, drink ALL my water each day, and to follow my MASTER PLAN!
My new bathing suit just came in and it's warming up fast - I WILL be ready this year!!
Remember, it's okay to start small! Small changes do turn into big changes! Start by ridding your house of all the garbage - refined sugars, carbonated drinks, etc! Replace with healthier more nutritious alternatives. Change ONE thing a week and I promise you will start seeing results!
If you're in need of more tips like these - don't forget to ask about my upcoming Support Group to give you more motivation, accountability, tips and tricks!
