Plan for the life you want to create

How often have you started following a healthy eating plan only to be forced to make unhealthy choices because you didn’t have the right foods in the fridge, you didn’t have time to eat a ‘proper’ breakfast or make the lunch you wanted to take to work? I’m guessing quite a few because that’s just what happens when life gets in the way. 

You’ve probably heard the saying ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’. Or maybe ‘goals without a plan are just wishes’? They are things that we want but we have not yet committed to doing them… 

Without a weekly food plan, it will be pure luck if you end up with the right foods in the fridge or cupboards. And, without planning your time, you won’t always make the time to enjoy breakfast or make that lunch. 

Here’s the thing about planning: 

It’s easy to get derailed by events, situations, relationships, and tasks that insert themselves into our already-busy lives. So, if you’re committed to changing the way you eat, losing weight and, in fact, making any change in your life, this post is perfect for you. 

The very first thing you need to do is to find time to sit down and plan your meals. When can you do that? Get that in the diary now. 

If you’re one of those super-busy people who always finds themselves complaining that they don’t have time, I have an exercise for that, too. You see, ‘not having time’ is a story we tell ourselves or other people in order not to have to take responsibility for – or actually have to do – a particular thing. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you make time for what you prioritise in life. Anything else is just an excuse. 

If you’re reading this thinking, ‘yes but…’ let’s take a look at how you are spending your time. 

Ask yourself how you feel about how you are spending your time. Are you in control of your time? If you looked back over your life, would you be happy with the way you had spent your time? 

Every day over the next week use a daily planner to jot down everything you are doing in the time slots provided. This can help you discover the REAL reason behind what you say you want and what you actually do. It’s common, for example, to realise you are spending 15##plus## hours a week randomly online (on Facebook, following links or doing ‘research’). 

Where you are losing time or being inefficient with it? What is the cost to you of spending your time like this? 

Does it make it impossible to follow a healthy eating plan? Are the Starbucks breakfast bills piling up because you haven’t made time to get breakfast at home? How is this working for you? It’s often incredible how much time you gain so reorganise your life in a new way to fit in your new healthy habits. 

Organise your week

Once you at the set-aside time in your diary when you are going to plan your meals, work out when you are going to fit in the shopping. Can you allocate time to go to the supermarket? Or can you book in an online grocery delivery. Get that in the diary now too and book the slot.

Next, work out what’s happening over the course of the week. Are you going out to eat any days? Do your kids have after-school clubs or packed lunches that need making? Are you working late one evening, so might need a quick fix supper? With these in mind, mark in your journal which meals will fit with which occasion. 

Then check your cupboards and fridge for ingredients you may already have for these meals, so that you don’t double up. Write up a shopping list for the ingredients you need for you to take to the supermarket, or put these items into your online shopping basket.

Job done!

You now have a week’s worth of meals planned, ingredients organised, and shopping on its way. You can rest assured that you are eating well and won’t be tempted to order a takeaway as you don’t have the rights foods in! Plus, you know that there isn’t going to be a whole heap of food waste going on, so it’s better for the environment too. It’s a win-win!

And if you’d like some help coming up with a weekly menu, drop me a line! I’m here to help people plan what works for them and their families.