It's All About Premeditation...

Photo courtesy improbcat, licensed CC-BY-NC

This morning the Nerd and I enjoyed a breakfast of Brand Buds, yogurt, and fruit, along with some cereal mix after my workout.  Yesterday we had a similar breakfast.

This got me thinking about the benefits of planning ahead.  We could only have enjoyed that breakfast because I got up at 5:30 am to work out (!), and because I was thinking about breakfasts this week when I went grocery shopping, so there was food in the house.

I planned ahead for lunch, too, and packed a delicious dish of beans with peanut sauce on rice.  That takes time to make, and I had that time because I made a point of getting out of bed to start my day early.

Sure, incremental snuggles are a truly wonderful thing.  I have flannel sheets on the bed this week, and with the pillowtop mattress, they make my bed an almost irresistible lure.  It's like sleeping in a fluffy warm hug.  And who doesn't like that?

The thing is, if I sleep in until 8 am, then I can't get to work until 9.30 or 10 am at the earliest - - too much time is required for my morning work out routine to stay in bed any time past 7 am, it seems.

And when I sleep in, forget about eating a healthy breakfast, or packing my lunch - - I start the day off on the wrong food and I am left to my own devices and whatever I choose to buy from one of the local food stands.

This goes for eating out or having friends over as well.  I have found that if I plan out what we will eat for the entire day, then I know how much slack I have in the diet plan for dinner.  I know beforehand that I can have a glass of wine, or a slice of cake, but not both.  This is indispensable in social situations, because I don't want to be seen as a shut in who can't go out and do anything because she is on a diet.  I am not on a diet, per se, I am just aware of what I am eating, and I am trying to keep what I am eating within reason.

And that is a heck of a lot easier when I plan ahead.