
A good plan executed violently today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow
General George S. Patton
As the old adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail.
Preparing a daily, simple, realistic plan for your meals is the first step in losing weight.
You need to see what you’re eating that’s caused you to gain weight and keep it on.
Create a 24-hour eating plan. Write down exactly what you’re going to eat tomorrow.
Be realistic. If you know you’ll be eating a burger and fries for lunch, write it down. Write down the candy bar from the vending machine. Write down the two glasses of wine before dinner
Don’t start with a plan that you know you won’t follow. Don’t write down food that you don’t like and won’t really eat.
Start with a real plan of the food you know you will eat tomorrow. The goal at the beginning is to create a plan, commit to it, and follow it exactly.
Even when your plan is super doable (i.e. burger & fries), your brain will still pitch a fit. It will decide it doesn’t want the burger & fries. Here’s the trick, eat the damn burger & fries.
At the end of the day review what you ate. Check the box! You did it! You are now retraining your brain to follow a plan.
You’re probably thinking, I’ll never lose weight eating like this. You will. Just eat what you plan, every day, non-negotiable. After a week or so of successfully following your plan, you can then tweak it just a little bit. Implement minor changes. Instead of the fries with the burger have a side salad. Your brain’s going to throw a hissy fit, but you know how to exactly follow the plan. Each week put in a few small changes to the plan. Before you know you’ll be creating and following a plan that will get your excess weight off AND keep it off.
Try it out this week. It takes only a few minutes a day to make the plan. Review the plan each evening and write down anything you ate that wasn’t on plan. This is the data you need to understand what’s causing the excess weight.
Making a plan is the blueprint for your journey to successful weight loss.