The Official Monday Meeting - Week 1

A quick "housekeeping" note - as more people join the session, there may be posts asking questions that have already been answered.  If you post a question that doesn't get answered, that's likely because it was answered earlier in the thread, and you'll be able to review all of the answers at your convenience.

Thank you, Teresa for that warm welcome. I'd like to congratulate all of you for taking on the 2010 Challenge. This is a very exciting venture. Good luck!

Please send any questions you may have. We’d love to help you on this journey.

Maureen

Happy New Year!

As we start the New Year, I’ve been thinking about what makes some people more successful at healthy living than others. One of the main reasons is simply being organized. I’m willing to bet that the more organized you are this year the more likely you’ll reach your wellness goals. How do I know this is true? I’ve experienced it myself, in fact, in all aspects of my life. I’m a better mom, wife, and employee when I’ve put time and energy into planning and organizing my days and weeks. So how does this make you more successful at weight loss? Well, having a plan will make you less likely to fold when you’re tempted, or hungry without any healthy options, or less likely to choose convenience over a healthy meal. And as we’ll discuss this week, there are plenty of tools on the site to help you plan the best meal for your phase of the diet.

How many of us have had one of those days, or weeks, where you didn’t make it to the grocery store and then you notice how much ‘off plan’ stuff you’ve been eating? It’s amazing how a little time and effort put into planning can make you much more successful at sticking to your goals. Now, you’re thinking, “Yeah, right —  making a plan isn’t all that simple,” and you’re right. You do need to put in a little to get something in return, but I guarantee the payoff will be more than what you invest.

So before you start thinking about your weight loss goals and how you’ll get started on the South Beach Diet, first think about how to get organized. This is really the first step to getting ready to take on any weight-loss effort.

Here are some of my organizational tips that will help you be more successful at following the South Beach Diet.

• Always write a shopping list before going to the grocery store.
• Organize your grocery shopping list by the design of your grocery store (mine always goes, veggies and fruit, meat, milk/dairy, and finally bread — whole grain of course). This way, you aren’t running in circles around the store.
• Write your grocery list on an envelope and put your coupons inside.
• While writing your grocery list, plan your menu for the week.
• Keep an appointment to do your menu/grocery planning — i.e., every Sunday morning — and make it an important part of your schedule.
• Pack your lunch the night before.
• Plan your outfit (and those of your kids) the night before.
• Keep an emergency bag in your car. (This is really helpful if you have children.) A bottle of water, beef jerky, and some nuts will go help you avoid convenience-food temptation and buy you time to get you to a more healthy option.
• Cook in bigger batches:
• Make double portions of brown rice and save half for another dinner that week. The same approach can be used for steel-cut oats.
• Make a soup to get extra veggie (and bean) servings in all week. This is a nice break from salads in the winter time.
• Freeze some for dinner on another week when you usually might be too busy to cook — chili is really good this time of year!
• Wash your salad lettuce right after you get home from the grocery store — this will make salad prep very easy!
• Pack up part of your dinner for lunch the next day — this way you won’t be tempted to eat too much, and you’ll be ready for tomorrow.

If you can be more organized, you’ll realize you have more time to go for that daily walk! Simple steps can save 10–15 minutes every day. That’s time you can do something special for yourself, such as taking the dog for a walk and getting some extra steps in.

What are some of your planning tips that could help with this challenge?