How I Have An On Plan Day
I don’t know about you, but there have been a fair few days over the course of my Slimming World journey which haven’t exactly been ‘on plan’, and I’m sure there will be plenty more before I get to target. However, that being said, given that I’ve lost just under 3.5 stone I must be doing something right, some of the time at least! I therefore wanted to have a think about what makes a good day for me, the kinds of thinks that I do during those days, and my mentality behind it. These completely on plan days can often turn into fully on plan weeks, and whenever that happens I know that I’m guaranteed to loose upwards of 3llbs…maybe I should try to have them a bit more often!
1. I plan….
An on plan day will always involve knowing what I’m going to eat ahead of time. Admittedly most days involve this even when I eventually go off plan, but I can’t stick to Slimming World if I don’t have some kind of structure around my meals. I usually plan a week in advance, but at the very least on a day by day basis if I haven’t done this, I’ll lie in bed at night working out my food for the next day and what I need to get from the shops if I’m short of ingredients. It puts me at ease and takes the unknown quantity out of it all. It also means that I can factor in anything like drinks with friends or dinner out, and account for it within my syn allowance!
2. I shop…
This is where planning a full week ahead comes in to play. My general strategy, as often as I can anyway, involves sitting down on a Saturday afternoon with my recipe books, this blog and my brain and working out what meals I’m going to make the next week. My week goes Tuesday to Tuesday because of weigh in so that is how I plan my meals too. I account for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as any puddings I know I want to have, and then once that’s decided I work out my shopping list based around it. I know it sounds time consuming but it actually saves a huge amount of time which might otherwise be spent working out what I’m going to eat on a day by day basis, and traipsing around the shops on my way home from work. Once I’ve got my list together I put it all into an online shop to arrive on the Sunday or the Monday evening, which means I then have everything I need for the week ahead! It also means that I have very little waste, as I’m eating what I plan and only shopping for that! Online shopping also avoids this whole drama…
3. I think positively…
If I wake up on the wrong side of the bed it’s always harder to stay on plan for the rest of the day, but if I really want to achieve my weight loss dreams I’ve got to make sure that I can turn it around. I remember reading somewhere once upon a time that smiling, even if you’re not happy, releases endorphins into the brain and can make you feel happy…so I try to do this even if I’m in a grumpy mood! Staying positive has become much more easy the further along my journey I’ve come, because I’m much more positive about myself. I’m very well aware that when we’ve let ourselves get to the point where we’re no longer happy with the way we look, it can be very hard to be positive on a day to day basis…but smile, take a deep breath, put everything into perspective and you’ll soon be closer to having an on plan day!
4. I rely on support…
This is where all of the wonderful people who read my blog, and follow my social media accounts (and who I follow) come in…I genuinely couldn’t do it without you! If I’m in danger of falling off the wagon I look to the amazing Slimming World community, particularly on Instagram and within the Slimming World group Facebook pages, to steer me right. Just one lovely comment from someone, or a stern word of advice, can be the difference between reaching for a banana, or eating an entire bag of Malteasers! I’m not suggesting that everyone should start a blog, but if you’re not already on Instagram then I’d really recommend it. Even if you don’t post, you can simply follow people for inspiration!
5. I use my syns…
This is so important! I can’t stress enough how many people I see stressing that they haven’t lost any weight even though they’ve been ‘on plan’, but when you ask if they have their syns they say no! That is not being ‘on plan’…on plan means having your syns, it’s literally built in! I too have been guilty of denying myself syns in the hope that it’ll boost my weight loss, with the opposite effects, and this is because your body goes into starvation mode. Eat your syns, and you will have better weight loss. What’s more, if you plan your syns then you’re way less likely to accidentally eat the fridge! I am seriously loving Curly Whirlys at the moment (6 syns each) and Drum Stick Lolly Pops (2.5 syns each) because I can have so much within my allowance!
6. I take pictures…
Of everything! This does partly just come with the territory of being a food blogger, and an Instagram obsessive, but there’s method in my madness! If I photograph something I am not going to forget that I’ve eaten it, it’s like a visual food diary that keeps me from going over my syns. It might annoy a lot of people, who see me snapping away at my plate in a restaurant, but frankly I don’t care…the only downside is that you’re food gets cold whilst you’re trying to take the perfect pic 😉
7. I keep a food diary…
Outside of taking pictures of everything, I also 99% of the time remember to write it down too. My life changed in a big way recently when I discovered that some beautiful person has created an app…yes an actual APP…with which to track my food. It’s specific for Slimming World and it’s called ‘Slimming Tracker’ on the app store. It’s pretty basic and doesn’t have all the terminology right (which is a bit odd) but simple is all you need, and it’s been a great help since I downloaded it! If you want something physical though I’d seriously recommend the Fox and Moon planners, they’re so cute!
8. I stay to group…
Ok so this doesn’t exactly qualify for what I do on a day to day basis, but I know that if I stay to group on the Monday night when I weigh in, then I’ve got a much better chance at staying on track on any given day the week after. What’s so great about staying to group, and listening the stories and advice of the others around you, is that it often relates to something you then experience or notice in the following days. If I’m dangerously close to going off plan then I think back to what I’ve heard at group the week before, or even weeks before, as it can really help focus my mind.
9. I put it in perspective…
I am an emotional eater, and I always have been, it’s a struggle that I’ve written about before, and am doing my best to over come it through my Slimming World journey, but it can still play a big part on a day to day basis. Taking a moment when I’m overcome with a wave of depression or anxiety to put everything into perspective can be effective…not always which is why I still go off the boil a lot, but it can be useful. I often find that breathing exercises to help with anxiety can also help with food cravings, just closing my eyes for 30 seconds and taking some big, deep breaths, can give my brain the time to catch up with my tummy and remind it that actually I don’t need MORE food! Remembering why I started this journey and how unhappy I was before I started is a serious motivator too, and looking at old photographs to put my progress into perspective gives me a proper kick up the bum!
My progress so far!
10. I eat…
Obvious much? Well not really…I know some people who think that to be ‘on plan’ they need to reduce the amount they eat. This is not the way forward (in any situation, because food is awesome) because hunger leads to cravings, and cravings lead to suddenly finding myself in possession of three Curly Whirlys, a Kit Kat and a bag of crisps, and that’s just not helping anyone. If I eat a proper breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack and dinner, not only will I stick to plan but I will see a number I like on the scales at the end of it all. I do not do hungry well (as my long suffering boyfriend will attest) so if you take my food away from me I will fail dramatically.
So there you have it, just a few of the ways I stay on track on a day to day basis. They might seem obvious to you, but it’s easy to become complacent in our weight loss. I know that personally I am often in danger of feeling like I know it all, and like I’m doing it all perfectly without paying attention, but that’s just not the case. If I stop paying attention I eat the wrong things, and find myself pretending like the odd piece of cake or couple of biscuits won’t matter even if it pushes me over my syns! Keeping in mind all of the above from the moment I wake up to the second I fall asleep, can just make that small change, from being off plan to being on plan, and giving me a number I’m happy about when I stand on the scales!
What helps you have a good day? Let me know in the comments!
