Okay, the title of the blog post is about preparation.  If preparation is the key to weight loss success it took me 10 years to prepare for success!  The entire time I was fat I thought about losing weight and tried a lot of different things, but I never lost weight.  When I joined WW I went in with the best of intentions, but quickly lost hope and interest.  When different situations arose where food was readily available, I fell right back into my old habits.  If I was driving in the car, and I felt hungry, I would just feel compelled to pull into the drive thru and eat something.  Without a list at the grocery store, I’d purchase my favorite foods, sometimes without thinking about it.  Back then, I never thought about weight loss in terms of preparation.

Once I started my Fit to the Finish plan, I realized that being prepared for different situations that arise is vital to successful weight loss and maintenance.  We prepare for so many different things in our lives, from school tests to office projects and everything in between.  We are currently preparing for visits from Grandparents, so while I should be cleaning my house, instead I’m writing this blog!  I digress.  Preparing for success in weight loss isn’t that hard, and can have lots of benefits.

The reason I recommend thinking about weight loss preparation is because there are so many different times that unusual circumstances arise.  Life isn’t static.  As I was losing 150 pounds, our family celebrated many holidays and experienced many different stressful situations.  I prepared for those holidays, situations and life events by having a plan in place to deal with unusual happenings.  Whereas I previously went to WW, or other diet centers, just hoping things would be different – this time – I had a plan. 

I always carried healthy snacks in the car with me, so if I was hungry, I had an alternative to fast food.  When I went grocery shopping, I took the time to plan and make a detailed list that helped me avoid impulse purchases.  Holidays and special occasions required dedicated planning and preparation both physically and emotionally.  I knew that cake would be around, and with the cake was often ice cream.  I took time to think about my choices before the event happened, so that when the party was in full swing, I had full control over my choices.  The mental preparation worked almost all the time! 

If you take the time to prepare your responses to food choices before the situation arises, you will be surprised how much more success you will have in handling those events that come up.  The few minutes you spend in grabbing some snacks for the car trip may save you hundreds, if not thousands of calories!  And each calorie you save, is one less you have to burn off later.  Preparation – what do you think about it?  Diane