I do agree that having things in house is one of the most important keys to success. This way if you want to snack, you will have foods that are allowed and not be tempted to say,, well just this once in that there isn't anything else around"

To be able to grab a handful of nuts or a piece of cheese, even left over chicken, steak, a porkchop, whatever, will give you the ability to stay on track.

(read the label on the nuts though!!! some are much higher in carbs than others)

My planning is in having the food there, wether I cook the recipe I intended it for or not is not important, just the fact that I didn't eat anything I'm not supposed to.

I buy my groceries once a week and eat nearly every meal at home. I spend a lot on my groceries, because I buy organic, so I feel compelled to eat all the expensive food I bought and not let it go to waste. It keeps me on track.

Since I'm mostly paleo now, my grocery bill has gone down compared to when I ate cheese. Always having to try every type of imported cheese, the bill really added up.

I usually look through the ads and determine who has the best deals on meat. I mentally plan three or four meals that can be fixed with those items. Day to day I make sure the fridge is stocked with the essentials and wing it as I go.

I pretty much wing it. The only planning I do is in shopping, and little things like keeping some hard boiled eggs handy, and slicing up cheese and veggies to make things easier when I raid the fridge.

I mostly eat the same sort of items at eat meal and do most of my meal planning same day. I have a deep freezer full of meat and since we usually grill in the summer, it's not too hard to figure something out. Veggies are either a big salad or something from the freezer w/melted cheese. Then I make extra so I have something for lunch at work the next day. Breakfast is almost always eggs - mock danishes, or just fried sometimes crepes w/protein powder instead of flour. Snacks are always available - string cheese, nuts, berries w/cream, protein shake, what have you. But I don't usually get too hungry between my meals. Since starting BFL, I'm supposed to plan (but I don't) I just have more protein shakes between my meals.

I do my big shopping day once a week, usually Fridays after work if I sneak out early or early Sunday mornings. I buy all my "staples" that keep me going LC during the week, I also buy whatever fresh veggie/fruit happens to be in season, and sometimes I get some junk for DF lunches (chips, bread, icky yogurt... which I never eat anyway since it makes me so sick now that I lc ).

Then I usually end up grabbing more cream, half/half, berries, etc sometime midweek. I try to not overbuy like I used to before LC. The HC foods kept for so long that it seems like I'd have that junk around forever. Now I mainly buy "perishable" items that need to be eaten soon.

There's a meat buying co-op in my area (Twin Cities, Minnesota http://barfbuyers.tripod.com) that started out of necessity for the area BARF feeders (long story but we all feed our animals (cats, dogs, ferrets what have you... Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods aka Raw Meat and veggies). Well, as it turns out the wholesaler that we found sells to local groceries and restaurants so the meat is all Grade A, hormone and antibiotic free stuff so I have the ability to stock the deep freezer with tons of chicken, beef and pork. We buy collectively once per month and have it delivered to a big parking lot where we separate out everyone's orders and we all drive off happy!

I'm especially proud of the last great buys from May. We had top sirloin, ribeye steaks, chuck roasts, country style pork ribs all for $.89/pound. Ground sirloin was $.59/pound. Of course, it came in 20 pound cases so there's a little work in separating it all into meal size portions and freezing it. But I consider that all part of the fun. My neighbors are all a bit worried about me because I always have cases of meat coming and going and sometimes the dogs are outside chewing on a slab of ribs but DF and I sure save a bundle on meat. Then during the summer, the local hobby farmers bring in their eggs from their chickens & ducks and we get the bonus free range, organic eggs. Which make delicious mock danishes...

I consider myself very lucky because I know without the access to wholesale prices and my deep freezer, this WOE can get expensive if one has expensive tastes. And since DF and I love to grill all summer, steaks are always on our grocery list but at least now they're cheaper.

Annie G.

Planning for me comes more at the grocery store than at home. If I don't have bad foods in the house then I don't have to worry about planning for the day...I have no choice but to choose LC! This doesn't mean that I don't eat well, just that if I really want to cheat I have to march my derriere all the way to the store to do so. I guess that would be a sure sign that the craving was a bad one!!

I guess I fall into more of a weekly planning category than a daily one.

Cheers!

KC

Thanks for the great ideas folks

Where I seem to be having problems is in the planning and scheduling of meals themselves. Shopping isn't a problem at all, and my fridge and pantry are well-stocked with LC choices. And no high-carb foods around, and not craving those things at all. I just find that all too often, I skip meals and end up undereating, or I nibble and graze all day, or I forget to eat all day and end up overeating at night. All LC things, but not helpful in the long run. I guess I need to put in writing a scheduled menu, at least the day ahead.

Doreen

I tend to plan a day at a time, but I only do my shopping once a week. Hence I plan to buy in all the veggies I'm likely to need throughtout the week along with basics like eggs, mayonnaise, etc. Then I buy meat and fish in multi portions, particularly when it is cheaper, and freeze them.

My breakfasts and lunch are pretty standard, with some variation, so each night when I make up my container with breakfast and lunch in it I take out the meat/fish I am going to eat the following night and leave it in the fridge to defrost. It only rarely that I deviate from this.

I wing it day by day.
I tried to plan out my menus but I really don't know what I want until the time arrives. With the 4 kids and my home soooo busy things tend to change without any notice at all..therefore any plans go straight down the drain. Oh well..tis life.

hugs...cin

oh yeah..I voted that I don't plan and don't have problems on the program..atkins.

I eat the same thing every breakfast and lunch and try to have a few choices around for dinner like chicken, salmon and different veggies and sauces I can cook up.

I need to find more variety in snacking though. That's where I'm most likely to cheat.

I eat the same thing every day for breakfast and lunch. For dinner I try to have some variety with a chicken or fish dish and different cooked veggies and different sauces. Thia Peanut sauce on grilled chicken breast is my favorite.

Obsessively plan! LOL...this comes in two forms:

1. Plan out my dinners in advance of grocery shopping...and have extra favourites for snacks etc.

2. I also plan out each meal and snack for the next day and do my best to stick to it where possible...at the same time, I don't get totally stressed out if things go awry.

I started planning meals way back when my daughter was born and I couldn't hack standing in front of the fridge at 3 every afternoon tryng to figure out what to make. Also made it easier to save money on groceries and kept me from constantly running out to pick something up. Became second nature after a while.

Lisa

Hi Doreen!

I plan daily. Generally, after my workout in the morning when I'm having my breakfast shake, I'm sitting at the computer planning the day's meals in FitDay. I've found that doing all of the "thinking" at once makes it easy for me to just run into the kitchen and grab what's on the list. Obviously, what's on the list is based on what's in the fridge and available.

I've also found that the days that I will be eating away from home require more planning. In fact, I'm about to plan the next two days because I'm going to be short on time with working the two jobs, and I want to be certain that I'm going to be eating right.

As far as when I eat....It's pretty much a schedule that I stick to whether I'm hungry or not. Takes regular feeding for this body to meet the requirements of building muscle and losing fat. I usually try to eat at 8AM, 11AM, 1PM, 4PM, 6PM and no later than 9PM. Having these regular eating times helps to keep me on track.

Marlaine

When I was in the grips of an eating disorder, food was all I thought about. When and what I could eat without gaining weight and ideally, losing more and more. It was an obsession, and not a fun one. Now I am back needing to lose more weight again, but I try my hardest not to put too much thought and planning into what and when I will eat. I keep healthy LC food in the house and when I want something I have it. So, no I don't plan, and no, I don't have a problem sticking with it.

Cheers!

I plan about a day in advance, but when shopping it seems like I am really planning a couple days in advance. The only times I really faulter from my plans is if something comes up, happy hour or getting together with friends, then buffalo wings ususally jump right into the picture!!!

Cindy