Are you a list lover?
I love a list and am very forgetful, so I always have a few to-do lists on the go: a house one, a work one and a me one. Plus a whole stack of random post-its scrawled with various illegible reminders.
Chances are, you have a million things to do and loads of balls to juggle every day. When you add “eat more healthily” into the mix, the last thing you want is it to make your busy life even more crammed. This is where lots of eating plans can fall down (and let you down). They can be overcomplicated, too full, contain meals or ingredients that you don’t normally eat, or want you to serve up dishes that your family aren’t keen on.
Then factor in the recommendations about eating at least 5 portions of fruit and veg each day, or that we should support our gut biome with 30 different plant varieties each week. That’s another 2 balls in the air, are you feeling short on arms yet?
Lists make life better
Surprisingly, using lists to plan your food intake can make your daily life run much more smoothly, rather than adding a new layer of stress. One of my lowest moments was standing in Sainsbury’s veg aisle with a tear rolling down my cheek because I couldn’t think want to get for dinner. (Forever grateful to the nice assistant who bravely suggested “How about cauliflower cheese?”. What a saint).
The best lists are the ones that keep things simple. The kind you can note down before you clock off work for the day or compile in the morning while you have a coffee. Whether it’s for fat loss or for eating well (or both), a to-do list can really help with focussing on what’s important to you.
What’s on the list?
A daily fat-loss to-do list might look like this:
- decide what’s for dinner
- schedule a late afternoon snack
- have 2 pieces of fruit
- hit 7000+ steps / move goal
- prep high protein breakfast for tomorrow
You’ll see that this includes healthy options, a bit of meal planning and a movement goal. Nothing extreme, all things you can adapt so that they fit into your day and, crucially, give you less to do.
As per my cauliflower incident, the first item on that list may also be the most challenging. I can never think of the meals we actually eat when I’m on the spot and stood in the supermarket. You can get ahead here by taking 5 minutes when you’re not too tired to write a master list of the meals you usually cook.
Spag bol, macaroni cheese, jacket potatoes and beans, fajitas, chicken curry, chilli con carne, roasted veg with fish, tuna pasta bake, oysters and caviar… However your tea-times look, thinking ahead can save time, and tears, later on.
An example of a quick healthy to-do list
If we use the example above, here’s what your quick list might look like:
- Pizza and salad
- Pot of 0% Greek yoghurt with a chopped apple at 4pm
- Nectarine and banana
- 20 minute walk at lunch time plus incidental walking when possible during the day
- protein overnight oats in the fridge
Boom! It takes no time but will work brilliantly the next day. You’ll save time, headspace and calories all in a matter of moments. Plus, having a basic list of non-negotiables boosts your chances of achieving what you want, be that with weight or general health and wellbeing. And if you fancy extra ideas on snacks or healthy eating, take a look at my Easy Healthy Eating Handbook.
Of course, you might choose to add different things to your list, focusing on areas you find tricky or are trying to improve. Remember to tick them off as you go along, it’s a great boost to motivation to feel smug about getting ahead of the game.
So, time to find the back of an envelope, a whiteboard or a snazzy pad and get writing!
For more ideas of what you might have on yours, download your free Weekly Habit Tracker and start now!