Recipe for Success!

I was making some macaroni and cheese for Caleb the other day and as I was measuring out the milk and butter, I got to thinking… Almost everything we do in life has a recipe and in order for the outcome to be correct, we have to follow that recipe. While at work we follow a recipe (plan) to get our job’s done, our relationships (marriages and friendships) take recipes in order to keep them running smoothly, and even our cars have recipes in order to keep them driving (gas, maintenance , tires etc.)… So, why would weight loss be any different?

Take macaroni and cheese for example: if you make it by the box (which I do) you will already have a box of pre measured out noodles and a packet of pre measured out cheese. The recipe then tells you how to cook the noodles and then exactly how much milk and butter you will need when the noodles are done and you are ready to mix the cheese. Of course you can tweak it a bit to make it fit your taste, maybe more cheesy or more runny.

Weight losses recipe is 80% healthy eating (life style change, NOT a diet) and 20% working out.

My weight loss recipe: Every Sunday (before I go grocery shopping) I sit down and make a weekly calendar of what I am going to eat throughout the week and then I go back and write down my workout plan next to each day. This helps me stay on track at the grocery store and only buy the foods that are on my list. When I get home I go ahead and prepare and measure out all of my foods for the week so that when I am in a hurry I can just grab it and go. When stuff is planned and measured out, it will help stop you from using the excuse “I didn’t have time so I just went through the drive thru.” Having my workouts planned ahead, helps keep me accountable and helps me not waste any time when I get to the gym.

Of course my recipe for success in weight loss will not be exactly what you need, so tweak it! The main thing to remember is without a plan (recipe) you probably aren’t going to get the correct outcome that you are hoping for.