Weekly Meeting (Originally Posted 16th May 2011 on Facebook)

Weekly Meeting: 16/05/2011

Planning (Please excuse the length of this post, once I started this I realized that I had so much to say I couldn’t stop)
 
This week's meeting topic was about planning, and how this can help with your weight loss as well as life in general.
 
Having talked about planning meals many times before in meetings I don't really think I have much to add. What I got from this weeks meeting was about planning things other than my food. However what I think is something pertinent is talking about finding time to plan. Planning to plan so to speak. One of the members who weighed in with me on Sunday said something to me on this very point and I feel a bit disappointed that she didn't stay to the meeting. No matter dedicated you Are if you are not prepared (mentally and well as physically) if is difficult to actually make progress with your weight loss goals.
 
So other than our meals what other plans is it good to have in motion?

Shopping Lists:

OK a boring and obvious one but actually perfectly valid. If you only have 'good' foods in the house it can be difficult (not impossible) to cheat, if you only have enough good to last for the next week if you eat it you go hungry the following day. You don't necessarily even really need to know what you are going to cook when you prepare your shopping list (unless you want to cook something specific)
 
For example, on my shopping list (I keep a note on my phone) I have a list of basics I always buy and with which (and the content of my store cupboard) I can whip up a healthy and tasty meal in a few minutes. With chicken breasts, tinned tomatoes, and various herbs and spices I can make curries, pasta sauces and bakes, casseroles and roasts, as well as many other concoctions. By taking a few minutes to remember the basics means that I am not wasting time and money buying things I don't need and that take up unnecessary points.

Exercise:

Having talked about walking and the some times impromptu nature of walking as a form of exercise I got to thinking about planning more exercise in my week. With the nature of my work I clock up allot of miles on the converse, at least 5 miles per-day, but as WW new strap line is do more than you did before I cannot rely on this as being the soul form of exercise. Therefore planning your day bit more efficiently can mean you can add bonus PP.  Arranging to meet a friend for lunch at a location a little way away from the restaurant so you need to walk there, catch up with a friend whilst walking the dog rather than over coffee and a muffin, arrange to give others lifts to exercise classes (if they are relying on you wouldn’t it be mean to cancel just because you ‘don’t fancy it’?)

Goals: OK this possibly overlaps with other topics, but are setting your self goals making plans of some sort?  Something I used to do (and something I am going to start again) is using my Membership card to plan for special events.  I would highlight boxes for things such as weddings, parties, and birthdays to show me at a glance what I am aiming for.  Also the converse is also true, I will write down events or activities that may mean that sticking to the plan may be difficult and I can highlight the weeks where I may SS or gain, so that if/when it happens I am prepared.

Finding time to plan:

It strikes me that what puts people off planning it the impression that you need tp do it meticulously and it takes loads of time.  For some people it does, but quite frankly I would hate it if I spent hour upon hour making lists and plans of things to do.  So I am going to go over what I do and hopefully it might give you some ideas.

1.  My Phone:  Even before the fancy new iPhone I used it to make notes, shopping lists, things to do reminders.  There are always those times of the day when we are waiting in a queue, sitting on the bus, standing at a bar trying not to make eye contact with anyone when waiting for a friend, even if its 5 minutes make the most of the time which may be otherwise wasted on Angry Birds.  Most people have there phone with them most of the time, who says you have to use it for just calls and texts?

2.  Bed time:  I love my bed, I love sitting in it I love laying in it, most things are better when conducted from bed.  For me that includes tracking.  When I am feeling good and in control of my weight loss one habit that seems to keep me going is sitting in bed 10/15 minutes before settling down to sleep and planning the following day

3.  WW Meeting:  Who gets to their WW meeting early?  Other than sitting and chatting, skimming through your week, drinking cups of tea, sucking on mint humbugs or eating BBQ snacks, do you generally not have a couple of minutes to kill when you are waiting for the talk to begin?  Do you generally have your WW folder with you?  Your tracker/track book? Your WW buddies to give some inspiration and a kick up the bum?

What is stopping you from taking a couple of these minutes and setting your self some goals/making shopping list/planning a couple of evening meals/schedule a walk with a friend?  I’m not saying forgo your social chat (that’s often my favorite bit) but you can always find ways and means.

My final point I wish to make about planning is about telling people your plans. 

I find If I make my plans/goals public (either in WW meetings, through Facebook, talking to others) it makes me feel more accountable.  Just letting someone else know that I am planning to go for a jog, or that I am planning to save my weeklies for a night out, makes me feel I should carry out my plans.  I know that I am not necessarily going to be called on it by others, but just the thought that someone may ask how my run went and I have to reply I didn’t go because I was feeling lazy is actually motivating, if a little bit weird.

You do not have to plan to be successful, but I think it helps. 

Personally even if it’s sketchy I feel more motivated and in control when I have an idea what I am doing (in life as well as with food) from day to day.  When I don’t plan things go wrong.  When things go wrong I eat badly.  When I eat badly Alan (my food baby) gets bigger.

I am going to stop now.

So what do you plan?  How do you do it?  How do you find time to plan?