Plan-schman! I fly by the seat of my pants...go with the flow...I'm loose...easygoing... impulsive...indulgent...overwhelmed...
Yeah, the first thing I learned about myself when I had my third child was how very essential a good plan is. Without a plan in place, I literally run around the house like a chicken with my head cut off. It's a miserable way to live. Thinking things through and using my down time wisely not only make life easier, they give my soul room to actually be in the moment and to recognize the beauty and joy around me. I know it is the same with food, and a big part of why I joined WW to begin with. The system works when I know how I'm spending my points, when I know what (and when) I'm cooking for dinner, when I have a list to buy from at the grocery store.
But I also need flexibility. I need the freedom to look in the refrigerator/pantry and say, "I'm really not hungry for xyz...let's have this instead." Which is why menu planning and grocery shopping have always been so difficult for me to do. It's hard to plan ahead when you don't know how you'll be feeling or what you'll be hungry for!
I think I've got a decent rhythm going right now. I keep three to four variations of breakfast and lunch on hand (it's basically all different forms of cereal, and for lunch it's crackers with peanut butter/cheese with whatever fruit and veggies we have on hand. Simple and easy to keep around.). Then I plan three to four days of dinners, based on the week's schedule. Knowing what I have on hand and having several options, I can decide what's for dinner that day, but have the flexibility to change it should the need (or mood) arise! This also means I'm only going to the store twice a week which is very manageable.
I made an important realization in my second week of WW. When I "cheat", the only person I'm cheating on is me. The Points Plus program is very simple and everything...EVERYTHING is allowed. You just have to count and track the points. So I would eat something and then think, Well, I'm just not going to track this. Then was immediately chastised by myself thinking, Why? So you'll be surprised when you don't loose this week? You are the only one in this! It is your body - your pounds - your choice! No one is going to look over your tracker and judge your choices. But your body will not keep your secrets for long!
Choosing a healthy eating plan has been a very long journey for me, and I am easily overwhelmed. One of the key reasons I chose WW, after having done it and many other programs in the past (with varying degrees of success!) is that I'm not only interested in loosing weight. I want to change the way I think and feel about food. I want to make fruit and vegetables the star of our meals, with healthy grains, lean meats, and limited dairy playing supporting roles. The points plus program gives me the freedom to experiment, resources to explore, and accountability to lose weight while I'm learning.
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