Have You Planned for Weight Loss Success?

What’s the single most important weight loss tool? Planning. Hands down, it’s #1 if you want to succeed long term.  What’s the old saying? “Failing to plan is planning to fail?”
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That’s never more true than in dieting. Not just if you’re doing the Kimkins diet, but any weight loss plan that requires a change in food choices and/or exercise and activity levels — and I don’t know of one that doesn’t.
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For many of us, this might be our first foray into actually paying attention to what we’re putting in our mouths!
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Without checking, how many of us would know that a Crispy Chicken Sandwich & large chocolate shake at McD’s runs roughly 1840 calories AND 267 carbs! Naturally we’d pick a seemingly healthier option of Chicken Strips (10), ranch dressing (3) to balance that chocolate shake — and be flabbergasted to see it totals 3030 calories and 334 carbs! For 1 meal!
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You can review calorie and carb options on several online food journal sites. One of my favorites is Fitday PC. Their data is extracted from the USDA food and nutrition site.
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What’s involved in this planning? Well, for starters we need to address the basics of behavior modification, paying particular attention to:
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1. You need to commit to your new program
2. Figure out what foods will be on your menu and plan meals
3. What needs to be added to the shopping list (new spices?)
4. Whether work or school lunches need tweaking (lunch bag?)
5. How social occasions will be handled (no plan = dead!)
6. And if exercise is part of your new lifestyle, then figure out where you can squeeze 2 or 3 15-minute sessions.
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By the way, it’s perfectly fine to break up your exercise routine into smaller, more manageable sections. I’m not an exercise fan, but my sister really makes an effort. She walks 15 minutes (1 mile) early in the morning before showering for work. Then she knocks out 30 minutes (2 miles) on her treadmill after dinner while watching her favorite soap, Days of Our Lives, which she tapes religiously! So, that’s 3 miles a day with no special tools or tears.
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So, be familiar with your program (or pick a simple diet like Kimkins). Plan. Have meals and snacks on hand, including a few do-it-yourself TV dinners for hectic days.