Diane from 'Fit to the Finish' Shares Food PlanningTips

Last month, Dave Philips, our chief blogger, wrote about Diane, who blogs on her site, “Fit to the Finish,” and shared her inspiring story of losing 150 pounds by improving diet and getting into an exercise routine.  Today, Diane is guest blogging on Snack Chat, bringing you tips she uses to maintain her and her family’s healthy lifestyle, including how she enjoys her favorite foods and stays on track through meal/snack planning.

A former coworker used to ask me daily, "What are you having for lunch today, Diane?" I rarely knew ahead of time what I was having for lunch.  Most days, I ended up sitting in a restaurant somewhere eating too much. I can't blame my weight gain solely on restaurant meals, of course, but my lack of meal planning did play a major role in finding myself at the ridiculous weight of 305 pounds.

Throughout my journey to lose 150 pounds, I learned a lot of lessons: I learned that restaurant meals are a treat, chocolate cookies are not to be consumed by the boxful, and planning is the key to continued weight-loss success.

Twelve years after losing the weight, I'm now the proud mom of seven children, and I know firsthand that packing lunches, organizing morning routines, and getting everyone where they need to be isn't always easy. But because my family's health is one of my main priorities, a little time spent planning is well worth the effort. (A recent picture of my family is at left.)

When planning the food I put in packed lunches, and bring as on-the-go snacks, I keep several criteria in mind. The food needs to be easy to prepare, healthy to eat and transportable. And it’s an added bonus if everyone enjoys it!

So what does a healthy, easy-to-prepare lunch look like for my family? It begins with some planning the night before. This process often involves planning out the different components of each person’s lunch, from my husband all the way down to our 1 year old. The next morning, I finish packing each person’s lunch bag by filling it with sandwiches, subs or wraps, fruit, yogurt and something savory. For the savory snack, I prefer individual-sized bags of chips, since they are easy to transport and help with portion control.

Critical to my weight-loss success was learning to eat the proper portions of a wide variety of foods. What better way to teach my kids to enjoy the foods they love than to show them, visually, what a proper portion is? In addition to planning ahead for lunches, I also make sure I am prepared for those days when I get caught away from the house at snack time. When I was obese, I mistakenly thought it took too much effort to pack snacks for the car.

But now I realize it’s actually much easier, and less expensive, to fill my tote bag with snacks for the kids and myself than to stop at the convenience store or the food court at the mall. When we are running errands, I want snacks that are filling, don't require refrigeration, and aren’t full of sugar! I take foods like raisins, nuts and my new favorite Frito-Lay snack, SmartFood popcorn clusters. (Those are intended to be just for me, although I'll share if I have to!) Water bottles, hand sanitizer and a stash of napkins complete my bag.

Throughout the 12 years since I lost my weight, I've seen a tremendous difference in how I feel physically, mentally and emotionally. And the best part of my success is that I've been able to teach my children that planning ahead means they can have the foods you love without settling for second best.

Comments

[LoriAnn]

Great Post, Diane! Preparing ahead is a huge help for me. I can totally relate to eating on the run and how it can sabotage a healthy diet.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000022393662]

Loved your inspirational story (wow! 150 lbs!) and the way you've maintained. I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and realized, thru WW, just was you said...portion control, exercise and, as the boy scout motto goes, "always be prepared". I've lot 52 pounds and never felt better...or happier! Good going, Diane!

[Donna]

Thank you for the great advice on planning for snacks and meals on the go. I rarely plan, and end up spending a lot of money on unhealthy food and drinks. Planning will also help me with portion size too! Great ideas--I will try them.