I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, right? It’s a simple statement, but a very important one. Planning is the key to accomplishing any goal.
As an example, let’s say you want to go on your dream vacation in the next year.
In one scenario, you continue doing exactly what you have been doing with your money on a monthly basis. Everything stays the same.
In scenario number two, you create a budget, determine how much you need to save each month, and track your expenses.
Of those two scenarios, which do you think would be more successful in getting you to that vacation? The second, obviously!
The reason being, because you planned for it. You were able to save the money you needed because you followed your budget.
Nutrition is exactly the same. In order to be successful, it all starts with establishing a plan.
What I mean by this is a weekly plan. You can do this at the beginning of every week. Let me explain how.
It all starts with identifying what you want to eat during the week. On a sheet of paper, write down some food options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
On that same sheet of paper, make note of what meals you will be able to cook at home and what meals you will be eating away from home. This could be because of social events, sporting events, etc.
You’ve just created a plan. You may be asking yourself how this works exactly. That’s ok, let me explain further.
What this does is allow you to see into the future, so to speak. Many people get thrown off during the week when something unexpected happens.
This can cause poor food choices. With this plan you set yourself up for the week.
You know what meals you will be having at home and what meals you will be having away from home. This allows you to plan and cook accordingly.
You can cook your meals ahead of time, and be prepared to choose something good when you go out to eat.
Here’s an example.
Sunday-Thursday
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 avocado, apple
Lunch: 2 chicken breast, quinoa, veggies
Dinner: 2 Pork chops, sweet potato, veggies
Friday-Saturday
Breakfast and Lunch same as Sunday-Thursday
Dinner: Restaurant (away from home)
I used the same meals for simplicity, but you can vary as you see fit.
By creating this plan, I am able to know what my meals will look like during the week. I also know exactly what to buy when I go shopping.
In this example, I wrote I would be eating out twice. This allows me to prepare ahead of time. If I know where I am going, I could go ahead and look at the menu.
If I don’t know, most restaurants have some type of protein packed meal with veggies. I could easily have this as my back up.
Now, there may be times where something comes up and you have to deviate from the plan a little. That’s ok. The important thing is consistency.
It shouldn’t take you longer than 10 minutes to write a plan each week, and this will put things on autopilot. We all have so many things to worry with during the week. That’s why food normally takes a back seat.
By establishing a plan, you take care of your nutrition without having to put any excess attention towards it. One less headache for you.
Success is often hard to come by when it comes to fat loss, but it shouldn’t have to be. Remember, if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Establish your plan, and watch your results dramatically increase!
Photo Credit: http://www.allenspence.com/family-law/why-you-need-a-plan-for-your-north-carolina-divorce/
