I never plan unless I know there's something I've been craving that I want to "budget" for. I use FatSecret.com which has a phone app where you can keep track of what you're eating. I generally enter what I've eaten right after (or if I'm at a restaurant, check out what I want before the waiter comes to make sure it's not going to be outrageous) in the phone app which syncs to the website. By the time I get home I can check my page on the site and see what I've got left for dinner and eat accordingly. It's amazingly easy.
Eating healthy won't happen on it's own. It doesn't happen by chance. It needs to be planned out in advance. How can you eat the right foods if you don't have them on hand? You've got to have the right foods available to you. I keep my home fully, fully stocked with healthy foods; I pack my healthy lunches and snacks to go. Adhering to a healthy lifestyle takes planning, thought, effort and time. You can't wing it.
I too have am a calorie counter, but I have guidelines that I follow as just any old calories won't do. Where my calories come from make all the difference in the world. Each and every bite, lick and crumb that goes down my throat has to be filling, satisfying and satiating, other wise I'd be starving and full of miserable cravings. The foods that I eat fit the bill on this very important part of weight loss/maintenance.
It's very important to set oneself up for success; the planning, the being choosy about calories, the guidelines all ensure this.
So, ummm, yes, I most definitely plan my foods in advance.
One of my very worst prior bad habits was 'forgetting to defrost something' and then I had an excuse to grab fast food.
I had to address every bad habit with a different solution. And even if I really do forget, I always have eggbeater veggie omelet for a back up. I have to maintain a "No excuses" zone!
One of my very worst prior bad habits was 'forgetting to defrost something' and then I had an excuse to grab fast food.
I had to address every bad habit with a different solution. And even if I really do forget, I always have eggbeater veggie omelet for a back up. I have to maintain a "No excuses" zone!
Yup, you've got to even have a plan for when you can't plan. Always having some *safe*, "go to" foods to turn to.
I don't plan specific meals, but I do have a set amount of calories I can have at each meal and snack and a list of what fits into each one of those. I try to keep everything needed for at least 2-3 options for each meal and snack on hand so I can eat what I'm in the mood for/have the time to prepare and still be in my calorie range (like some days I just don't have time to make a salad, I can have a can of soup quickly that fits into my range).
my breakfast is the same weekday mornings (bowl of cheerios, scoop of cottage cheese and some fruit), and weekends it's slow cooked oatmeal; Lunches are pretty set too - veg soup and 1/2 sammich, some veg to munch and piece of fruit; I usually know a few days ahead what I'm having for dinner; that leaves a few hundred cals a day to 'play with' if something comes up. I usually keep a tally in my head to know whereabouts I am in the day.
I plan my menu for that day in the morning and I leave my self room to add more food if I choose too because some days Im real hungry and other days not so much.
Here is an Ex:
Breakfest- 1 cup regualr cherrios-110, 1/2 cup skim milk-45, 1 banana-105
TOTAL-260
Lunch- a tuna fish sandwich on wheat with light mayo-245, 1 apple-70, 1/2 cup cottage cheese-90
TOTAL- 395
Because I do not cook the evening meal in our house, I cannot plan exactly for it. But I have a calorie range for breakfast and lunch, so I know what I can have for dinner. Because I can't change what it is, I keep close watch on how much of it I eat.
This is the main reason why I have a calorie range, rather than a calorie limit. Most days I'm eating low in the range, but I have flexibility for those days when I'm hungrier or my husband makes a dinner that is more calorific than usual.
