It Coulda Been Worser (No, worser is not a real word)!

So today's WI yielded the results I expected, +.4 lbs. Boooooooooooooooooo! It coulda been WORSER (intentional bad grammar alert)!

Definition of worser :it is worser than worse but not badder than worstest
Used in a conversation:
Friend #1: That shirt is worser.
Friend #2: Worser is not a word.
Friend #1: Yea it is. Worser is better to use than badder right?

That concludes today's bad grammar lesson. Back to the subject at hand, today's WI. I believe contributors to the gain include two birthday celebrations, a lack of activity, spending countless hours on my laptop blogging, and sharing a free order of birthday fried ice cream at Ichibons. So, what now? Today's WW meeting topic, "Planning For Success" prepared me for the what now.

To kick the meeting off the leader asked the group, what do you plan for? I thought about it, and some of the things I plan for include the following:

• College (for myself and kids)
• Retirement (???)
• Vacation

During summer, most of plan to take a vacation. In our vacation planning we take the time to extensively research the best lodging, malls, tourist attractions, and restaurants. We even go so far as to map out and print an itinerary. So, riddle me this Batman...why don't we take that approach with our weight loss efforts? I find that my week flows smoother when I take the time to plan ahead.

As our conversation progressed, the leader then posed the following questions:

Do we plan in Weight Watches? Answer: As Whitney Houston says "Hell to tha Yea!"

Okay, we established that we plan, so what do we plan?

• Grocery shopping: Never show up at the grocery store without a list. Only buy the items on your list. Never arrive hungry. When I arrive hungry, I reach for the nearest crappy snack (e.g. hot Cheetos, chips, something salty, etc.) and eat while I shop. As a general rule of thumb, always shop the outer perimeter of the grocery store first. The outer perimeter provides healthier choices: diary, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins. The aisles contain mostly processed foods.
  
  
• Menu: At the beginning of the week plan a menu and STICK TO IT! A menu will help you stay on track as far as budgeting and help you stay within your daily points target. For me planning a menu cuts down on those" Oh Yeah I Forget I Need This" trips to the grocery store during the middle of the week. At one point, I stopped by Wal-Mart or HEB 3 to 4 times a week on my way home from work, and the constant daily grocery stops ate into my after work activities (i.e. cleaning, cooking, exercise, etc).


• Activity: Booooooooo! I'm still waiting for the "I LOVE TO WORKOUT" feeling to kick in. As far as activity, plan a specific time to workout and STICK TO IT! I need to follow my own advice. If you prefer to workout outside, prepare a back-up plan for inclement weather.


• Event Survival (e.g. parties, pot-luck at work, celebrations): Plan ahead for celebrations by conserving points or dipping into your flex points. If I plan to attend a party or happy hour on a Friday, I usually workout at least 4 or 5 times during the week and I meticulously count my points.
  
  
• Surprises: Let's say for example you plan to attend a, let's say scrap booking class at 6 PM, but your son calls to inform you that he stayed after school and he needs a ride. BUT, you can't pick him up until, let's say 5 PM. BUT, you still need to go to the craft store and, let's say purchase a "home" for you Cricut machine, AND you still have to go home and cook. Solutions: BACK UP DINNERS! My kids and I purchase 2 frozen meals for back-up in case of surprises. I am not a proponent for frozen meals, but it beats the driving thru.

True Story...At work, each month a specific grade level hosts the monthly employee birthday celebration. The librarian sends the celebration announcement ahead of time with the menu listed on the bottom of the invite. In May, the 4th grade teachers hosted the birthday celebration, and the menu included tacos. Instead of eating the beef provided, I brought my own chicken breast. Lesson learned, if you know the menu ahead of time make adjustment to accommodate your weight loss efforts.

3 Steps of Success when planning for success:

GET ORGANIZED

• Place labels on food indicating point values. For example, a serving size of brown rice equals 3 points. Using a sharpie, write a number 3 on the box in order to remember the point value.


• Measure foods and bag them in Ziploc bags. Instead of sitting on the couch and eating out of the BIG bag of baked hot Cheetos, I measure and bag the suggested serving size.

PLAN AHEAD

• If you plan to eat out, look up point values ahead of time on the internet. An excellent resource to use, Dotti's Weight Loss Zone.


• Pack your breakfast and lunch at night to save time in the morning.


• Plan a menu in order to track points ahead of time. Sometimes at night I track the food I plan to eat for the following day.

PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED

• Life happens! While running errands carry snacks or 2 point bars in your purse or car to prevent unplanned trips through the drive thru.
  
  
• Use the WW mobile application to look up nutrition info when unexpected foods cross your path.
  
  
• If your the designated donut picker-upper, place the donuts in your trunk until you reach your destination. With the donuts in the trunk, you wont be tempted to nosh while driving.

Listen people, we all have the same amount of time. It's what you choose to do with it. I CHOOSE TO PLAN FOR SUCCESS! What do you choose?