Always Have a Plan… Or Use Someone Else’s

Ask anyone who has ever attempted to lose weight and they’ll tell you that planning ahead is indisputably one of the keys to success. Only, that’s a problem for people like me. I don’t even plan what I’m going to wear to work each day until five minutes after I already should have left. So I generally don’t plan what I’m going to eat for a meal until my stomach has already started growling.

So a few weeks ago, I was hunting around the internet for inspiration and/or solutions as I prepared to get back on the proverbial wagon. Enter healthfulpursuit.com . What has worked for me in the past is simplifying my diet down to the most basic elements – vegetables, fruits, lean proteins. When I narrowed my food intake down to these things, I learned a lot about my body. It doesn’t digest dairy well, for starters. But it does handle raw veggies better than the average bear’s. While others are popping the Bean-o after snacking on broccoli and carrots, I’m moving merrily about my business.

Healthful Pursuit, founded and operated by a gal named Leanne Vogel (who has no idea who I am, by the way) immediately seemed to line up with everything I wanted. And best of all, Leanne has a Meal Plan Program that comes complete with a shopping list each week. And she specifically points out that you don’t need to shop at expensive fancy stores for good produce. (I love you so much Whole Foods, but Albertson’s prices beat you every time).

I looked at some of the sample recipes and since every one of the looked delicious, it wasn’t a hard decision – I signed up for the meal plan and followed the first one religiously. Those pictures in my last post? All from the menu that week. I lost four pounds and used everything I’d bought, which was great. Usually I go to the store, by lots of things that seem like good, healthy choices, and then throw them all out two weeks later because I had no idea what to do with them.

The second week, unfortunately, has been a bumpy road for me. With an overwhelming number of work projects stacked up on my plate, I haven’t had time to go shopping. So I’m back up three pounds.

Am I bummed? Sure. But I’m not throwing in the towel. That puts me at 186 today.

The temptation is always there to get frustrated and thrown in the towel. Or eat a dozen Sprinkles cupcakes and never look back. But frosting-covered guilt isn’t going to make this better. A reality check, on the other hand, isn’t a bad idea. So I’m reminding myself that I have good food in my fridge and a great pair of running shoes in my closet. And even if I am back up three pounds, I’m not where I started.

I will not let one bad week derail me from my mission.

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Original article: Always Have a Plan… Or Use Someone Else’s