I love diet plans with prepackaged food. Some diet fairies somewhere make up a menu with the exact foods I need, then I just buy it all and eat it. I love this. . . for about 2 or 3 weeks. Then either the book with the diet plan runs out of days or the company that mails me food runs out of stuff I want to eat.
Whether I follow a plan someone else designed or something I make up myself, I know my diet will fail if I don't have a plan and I just wing it. Days without a plan go something like this: don't have time to make a full breakfast and I'm missing a few ingredients for all my healthy options, so I'll just have one of the kids' pop tarts (just for today, I swear). I'm starving by lunch because all I had was that pop tart and a coffee so I drive around and run errands, waiting for some inspiration, which usually ends up being the smell of a Chinese buffet or a $1 menu ad on a fast food sign. By dinner, I am completely disgusted with myself so I figure why bother trying to make something healthy now.
On the other hand, when I take the time to plan, whether it is my own or someone else's, I buy the ingredients I need, make healthy food at home and plan my eating out splurges. Sometimes I'm all inspired and I will make a weekly menu myself, other weeks I surf and google till I find a menu someone else put together and posted that I can tweek for me and my family. Either way, I know I have a better chance at success with a plan.
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| A diet journal can help with planning |
Part of the frustration of starting any diet is not knowing what to eat. It's irritating to have to dissect restaurant menus and recipes into carbs or calories or points. Fortunately, if I stick to a few favorite restaurants and recipes it becomes easier quickly. In his book "YOU: Losing Weight", Dr. Oz suggests that you chose a few breakfast and lunch menus and stick with them for a while.
There will be times when planning ahead is almost impossible, like holidays. Then I have to chose to either come armed with nutrition numbers on the foods most likely to be there, or I can just throw up my hands, dump the diet for one day, and enjoy myself. (I usually go for option #2).
Labels: diet, journal, TFS, weight
