WLJ: Planning and being flexible

I've never considered myself a spontaneous person, yet I'm not a meticulous planner either.  I tend to like to know the general plan without needing too many details. I think planning is going to become a huge part of my weight-loss journey though.

First of all, I have to plan my fitness.  As I mentioned last week, I am mixing running with circuit training (ala Jillian Michaels).  I looked at the weather forecast and figured I'd probably only get outside on Monday and Wednesday (there was a good chance of rain on Thursday and Friday), so I ran half of a 3K on Monday and an entire 3K on Wednesday. (That's not much, I know, but I'm still trying to get back in the regular running habit after a winter off.) The weather ended up being fine on Friday, but I'd already told my body I wouldn't be running that day.  Ack.  I had plenty of other things to do anyway, but I wish I'd gone for that run.  This week, I knew I needed to get to the store on Monday, so I shifted my running to Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  If this works out easier, they might become my regular running days (weather-permitting).  On the non-running days, I do one of my Jillian Michaels DVDs.  I have two, and although I'm trying to stick with The Shred, sometimes I need a change, so I do the Last Chance Workout.  Both are pretty intense. Oh, and I usually try and take one or two days off each week, depending on how I'm feeling.  I think rest is just as important as activity.

Second, I have to plan my meals.  I sit down on Sunday afternoon/evening and plan out what I would like to eat that week -- lunch and dinner.  Then, on Monday (or Tuesday if I can skate by until then), I hit the store to get what I need. Naturally, sometimes I get into the week and something changes -- I decide I don't want that particular meal or someone invites me out.  There's nothing wrong from straying from the plan a little.  The challenge in this is making sure I stay true to my goals throughout the process.  I'm still learning how to make better choices in restaurants without giving up the things I love.  I've watched enough "Biggest Loser" to have some ideas, but it's much more difficult when you're sitting across from a friend or colleague who does not have the same concerns.

Even though I wasn't perfect last week on my workouts, I still managed a slight loss this week.  I'll take it, and I'll work harder this week.


Weight-loss goal: 40 lbs.
This week's progress: - 1.2 lbs.
Progress to date (since 4/26/11): - 4.2 lbs.