When I say that losing weight biking is simple, I really and truly mean it.

In the past when I tried to lose weight I made it SO hard on myself. 

I insisted on counting calories, points, or macros. To be completely honest I never really got the hang of any of it, and I could only stick with it for a couple days or a week at most.

Additionally, I would beat myself up over every little thing, and I was ALWAYS feeling like I had to restrict, and I was always HUNGRY.

Needless to say, for a girl who likes things to be easy AND likes to eat, this all thoroughly sucked.

When I lost 50 pounds biking I did not count a single calorie, macro, point, or anything.

How did I lose weight? I planned my food. I made a VERY simple, doable plan each morning that was SO easy to execute.

You see, when it comes to weight loss, you truly don’t need a diet. You need a PLAN.

Curious as to why? Read on for the 3 reasons why planning your food is essential to biking weight loss. 

#1: It Removes All of the Guesswork 

How many times have you stood in front of the pantry or fridge wondering what to eat?

Then you just grab the quickest/easiest thing that you find?

The thing is we do not make the best choices when we don’t plan ahead.

Every morning when I wake up I put together a super simple meal plan for the day.

I write the following in my journal.

B:
L:
S:
D:
D:
(B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, S=Snack, D=Dinner, D=Dessert) 

Then, I just fill in what I am going to eat for each of those things.

First thing in the morning we are using our prefrontal cortex…the planning part of our brain. The part of our brain that makes the best decisions.

I used to go through every day wondering what I would have for the next snack or meal. It took up SO much of my time trying to figure it out.

Honestly? It was kind of exhausting, and it kept me from being productive and doing other things. 

I would find myself running to the supermarket to grab something for lunch when if I just planned ahead I could have brought something healthy from home.

It is so NICE to take 5 minutes in the morning to plan out your meals.  Then you don’t have to worry about it at all for the entire rest of the day. 

#2: It Helps Prevent Impulsive, Emotional Eating 

We never plan to emotionally eat, it just happens. And usually it happens after a long day when we are standing in front of the fridge and SUPER hungry.

I don’t know about you, but I am not about to make the best choices in this scenario. I am going to eat whatever I want in the moment, and I am going to eat a LOT of it.

When you plan your food in the morning this is a lot less likely to happen. You are more likely to realize that you aren’t actually hungry, and you are less likely to eat something that you didn’t plan.

For example, I used to come home from work FAMISHED every single day. I am a teacher, and we eat lunch EARLY. Therefore, I am always hungry before dinner. I mean, there are usually 6 hours between lunch and dinner! Of course I am going to get hungry.

When I started bringing a healthy snack to eat right after work I no longer felt the need for that hangry/ emotional eating when I got home.

#3: It Puts YOU in Control…NOT the Food 

When I came home from work and shoveled in a bunch of food because I was so hungry and tired the food was in control. 

I felt like it was almost an out of body experience, as weird as that sounds.

That the food just kept going into my mouth and I was powerless to stop it.

In other words, it was the food that was in control, not me. Still, I was responsible. I was truly giving the food that control. Out of body experience feeling or not, the person up to her elbows in a bag of doritios was absolutely me.

When I started planning my food, I was the one in control.

I planned a snack! I got home and was able to just relax without the food. I didn’t need the food to make me feel better anymore.

I had made this SUCH a big issue for so long.

Suddenly, something that felt like it was such a problem for so long wasn’t a problem anymore.

I didn’t need to shovel in a bunch of food when I got home, beat myself up for it, not be hungry for dinner, and say eff it and eat a big dinner anyway anymore. I just made sure I had a healthy snack after work.

It was really THAT simple. If you find yourself doing something similar, please know that a plan can make it super simple for YOU, too.   

A Final Note 

Planning your food in advance takes out all of the guesswork. It keeps you from randomly shoveling food into your face, and puts YOU in the driver seat, not the food.

Of course there will be hiccups and bumps along the way.

You will have days when you say eff it and eat off plan. Days when you go out for dinner and weren’t planning to. Or, days when the food you planned isn’t available like you thought it would be.

I mean, literally just today I left my perfectly packed lunch and snacks on the counter.

So yes, I will have to run out and grab something at the supermarket. BUT since I already packed my lunch I know exactly what to grab at the market and it’s going to be a VERY quick trip. 

I am not going to use it as an excuse to get whatever I want. I am just going to get the same thing that I planned and packed for lunch. Easy peasy.

Likewise, if we go out to dinner and I am not eating what I planned? I just find something on the menu that is a similar substitution.

At the end of the day, maintaining my weight is truly easy if I follow my plan.

On the days I go off plan? I let it go. I move on.

I remember that the key is to make better decisions the majority of the time, and I can do this.

So, my friend, can you. I absolutely know it and believe it.

Ride on! 

xoxo
Stacy