So lately I've been waaaaay off plan. And it's not feeling too good. Anyhow, it got me thinking about my off plan behavior. Those red flags that I charged right past to find myself up 7 lbs. We need to know our off plan signs so that we can start correcting sooner.

I know I'm off plan when...
-I don't write down what I eat (it doesn't count if I don't write it down, right?)
-I throw away rotten vegetables en masse because I didn't cook for over a week!
-I keep telling myself I'll make up for it "tommorrow"

How do you know you're off plan?

-I decide it's a good idea to order pizza, grab gas station sludge food, or mindlessly indulge in ice cream -- with the cover of, "Oh! It's just a couple bites! I'll put the rest away! Really!"

-I say I'm too "tired" to exercise or that I don't have time

-I become complacent instead of conscientious

-I stop weighing myself because if I don't see the number, it must not exist

Yup, throwing away rotten vegetables is a huge sign here as well.

I also know I am off plan when...

- I order whatever sounds good off the menu at a restaurant instead of my carefully picked on-plan item that I planned after analyzing the nutrition facts. I don't need to look at the menu! ahhh!! Menus are evil with all their tempting pictures and words! lol

- When I find myself having pepsi instead of water with every meal

- When I find myself piling on unhealthy things (that are normally restricted to a tablespoon or two) onto my otherwise healthy plate - mountains of cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, gravy, etc...

- When my calorie log book has empty pages because I haven't been writing down calories. Which most likely means I haven't been weighing my food, which means I am not tracking calories, which probably means I am eating too much!!

-when I think it's a good idea to have an extra snack instead of doing my daily workout.

-when my shopping cart has more processed, boxed, or frozen items than fresh produce. If I am on plan more than 50% of my cart is from the fresh produce section. I gotta keep it that way!

- When I stop weighing myself daily, and recording those numbers (boy does that keep me on track!)

- When I avoid browsing 3FC

when i stop recording my daily food
when i stop weighing daily
when i get dehydrated from not enough water
when food goes bad because it wasn't used in time
when i don't exercise
when i stop posting accountability

-when my food log is empty..big warning sign
-when I don't want to browse 3FC because I feel guilty that I "blew it"
-when I grab more than one or two items for a night time snack (my binge time)
-when i start justifying bad eating or tell myself I will make up for it

-when I don't run my dishwasher at least 3 times a day
(because that means I'm eating out too much and/or eating too many convenience foods)

All those things you guys said plus I actually start drinking real soft drinks! And sweet iced tea! Talk about empty calories!