Half Size Me

A program of one. Supported by many.

Time Management

Meal Planning Can Help You Win the Weight Loss Battle

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“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” —Alan Lakein

During my weight loss journey I have come to learn that meal planning has been the deciding factor on whether I succeeded or failed.

How do I know when I can make time for my workouts if I don’t work out my calendar?

How do I assure I have good food in my house without a grocery list?

What happens if I come home starving and nothing is made, but McDonalds is across the street ready to eat?

Planning ahead is a vital weapon in this weight loss battle.

As a chef cooking and meal planning is my forte.  I thought I would share some of my tips that have been helpful for me to assure that I always have healthy options available at all times.

1. First you need a list to know what to get. I am horrible at remembering paper lists so I have an app and I add things during the week as I think of it. Add staple items first: things you know you will need during the week.  Milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit etc. Are there items you are craving or recipes you have been wanting to try out? Add it!  It is so important to make your list and stick to it.

2. Adding to the list step I have to add to make sure you get things you like!  I felt this was so important it had to be its own step. Pack delicious snacks and meals that you will be happy to eat.  When you go to work and are faced with cupcakes, candy and donuts what is in your arsenal to knock out that temptation? I bet most cases a baggy of carrot sticks will not make you feel happy about saying no to those sweets.  Make sure you have items available you truly like to eat. Don’t get things just because you feel it’s what you should be eating.

3. Now the fun part – shopping!  Do your best to stick to your list! Of course some items may have a great sale and it may not be on your list but if it is in your plan then sure, go ahead! I am notorious for buying certain meats/fish because they are on sale even if they aren’t on my list.  Now if chips ahoy is buy one get one free..you may want to skip it.

4. Once you have all your fresh and healthy items home it’s time to decide what to do with it all.  I normally shop on Saturdays and prep everything I need on Sundays. Anything you can possibly chop, portion, cook, prep – do it!  Your future self with thank you.  Just like the quote above –“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” 

We have all had those days that when we get home from work or have been home all day tending to children, pets, spouses etc. the last thing on our mind is having to also cook dinner. Some days it seems so much easier to go get whatever take-out is closest.  Imagine if all that was done for you. You have a hot meal in a crock pot, an already prepped casserole ready to be baked.  It makes life so much easier!  It stops a bad choice in its tracks before it even has time to gain leverage against us.

Here is an example of what my prep looks like

  • Chopping all fruits that can be cut ahead of time without losing quality
  • Pre-cook my proteins (grilling chicken, searing off beef)
  • Cook pastas, rice, grains etc
  • Boil eggs for snacks & salads
  • Pre-portion any snacks to avoid over indulgence (chips, popcorn, pretzels etc)
  • Prep casseroles to be baked later in the week

Cutting vegetables and pre-portioning vegetable dips

5. Now that you have all these meals prepped and snacks packed means that your week should be full of good choices!  When heading off to work pack for your day.  Packing a sandwich and an apple isn’t going to be enough fuel for a 9 hour day. Pack your lunch and snacks to get you through the day (or even to get you through your evening traffic jam).  Having everything at your fingertips makes temptations during your day less tempting.  Assure that any crock pot meals are ready before you walk out the door!

6. Come home after a long day of work and throw in your casserole or serve up a delicious meal waiting in your crock pot.  Now you don’t come home ready to eat everything within your reach.  There is now time for a workout or relaxing family time!

7. Lastly, eating out.  Yep..plan for that too!  Have you been craving pizza?  Or maybe a burger? Plan for it!  I do not feel anything is off limits in moderation.  I am not saying starve yourself to assure you can eat pizza later but certainly count your points or calories for the day and work your day around enjoying what you want to eat, not regretting it tomorrow.

Planning does take some of time out of my weekend and it certainly isn’t easy at first.  Once you make it part of your routine it does get easier and I cannot stress how important planning is for successful weight loss.

For the few hours is takes out of the weekend it makes up for the time gained during the week and takes the guess work out of your daily meals.

 

How to find time to accomplish (almost) everything you want

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Time By John-Morgan - on Flickr - Creative Commons License

by Heather Robertson

“Our life is frittered away by detail … simplify, simplify.” — Henry David Thoreau

“Where do you find the time to work on everything you have going on?”

I get this question a lot.

And the answer is simple, although it’s not always easy to make happen: I have a very short priority list.

My priority list consists of my family (hubby and kids), taking care of myself (exercise, eating right), and Half Size Me (podcast, weekly menu, connecting and supporting my audience, etc.). That’s it.

For example, if I know that I’ve got a afternoon activity with the kids, I am home schooling in the morning, and in the evening I am recording a podcast episode – well, then if 5 o’clock in the morning is my only time to work out, then that’s when I work out.

If I know that in the evenings I have some free time, I might plan to go to the gym then.

I balance my life as if I have chess pieces and I move my workout into the open slots that I see, or I put exercise in first and then I shuffle everything else around it.

You have to know what’s important to you. It’s the only way you’re going to create a short priority list and achieve your goals. You need to decide what matters to YOU, not someone else. You ever hear the expression, “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”? Sure. it’s a cliche, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

You can keep your priority list short by not allowing non-important attention takers to creep in.

You know, things like:

— “the shoulds” (I “should” go to that party even though I don’t really want to.)
— so-called obligations to others (usually that means someone thinks you’re obligated to do what THEY want you to do– and you’re not!)
— passive time wasters like watching T.V. (Nothing wrong with a little T.V. The hubby and I watch a couple hours during the week, but I used to watch 4 – 5 hours… a day!)
— all the little fires that go along with being a mom and living life.

Now, it’s not always easy to keep these time drainers at bay. I used to really struggle with, well, all of them. But you can simplify your life and get the truly important things done by following these strategies:

(Special thanks to Leo Baubata at Zen Habits for the following list!)

1. Write down your top priorities.

Write down a list of the most most important things you want to accomplish. Keep it short, only 3-4 things will do. Your list might include going to the gym three days a week, or cutting out sugary foods or sodas from your diet, or maybe doing one physical activity with your family every day.

You can change the list later if you decide you chose the “wrong” thing. The point is to take action on figuring out what you want. But be sure to right down the list and post it somewhere (or in several different places) you’ll see it regularly.

2. Eliminate at least one of your commitments.

Write down another list. This one can be as long, or short, as it needs to be. Think of all the “have tos,” “shoulds,” and obligations facing you over the next week and month. Make a call, or send an email letting those involved know your schedule won’t allow you to get to whatever it is they wanted/needed.

You may disappoint someone, but aren’t you disappointing yourself if you’re always putting someone else’s needs above your own?

The important point is to remove all the “clutter” from your life. You’re trying to prioritize your new, healthy lifestyle, and you need to make room for the priorities that will change your life!

3. Simplify your to-do list.

Think of all the tasks you do in a given week. Dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, and shuttling the kids to Karate lessons or dance practice. And if you work too, there’s all the repetitive tasks there too.

Well, is there anything on that list you not only don’t want to do, but you don’t have to do? Could you give the task to someone else, like one of your kids, your spouse, partner, or even barter with a friend?

Bartering is an excellent win-win scenario. For example, say your neighbor loves yard work, you could ask her to mow your yard and you’ll babysit so she and her hubby can get a date night out.

Try and keep your to-do list as short as possible, cutting out anything you can. Even if you can’t cut a lot out, choose 2 – 3 a day to focus on to help prevent overwhelm.

So what you are going to need to do is create a very short priority list and choose the three essential things that you need to do on a particular day.

It might be your exercise routine, spending time with your kids, or maybe you have a dream art project or business you’ve always wanted to pursue.

Whatever your top three priorities are for that day, plug those into your schedule, and then fill in the other things you want to accomplish, around those three priorities.

It is very easy to lose sight of the things that are most important to you day-in and day-out, if you let a lot of other things overwhelm you or work their way into your daily schedule.