Shopping Tricks – Just Do It

Starting weight: 262.5
Current weight: 259.5
Pounds lost: 2.0
Next weight goal: 255.0

Starting BMI: 45.1 
Current BMI: 44.7
Starting BMI designation: Morbidly obese
Current BMI designation: Morbidly obese
Next BMI goal: 43.8

Water intake: 32 oz
Weekly Step Goal: 1,100-3,200
Steps Today: 2,557

For my next several posts, I’m going to focus on some ways to help make meal planning and grocery shopping a little more effective.  I was going to say “easier,” but that may not be accurate.

According to my Noom app, “people who plan their meals are 350% more likely to stay within their calorie budget” (Noom article, “Make Your Calorie Budget Last”).  My goodness that’s a big percentage.  But, as we already determined this week, planning is only half the battle.  I planned a great meal plan this week!  Have I done anything with it?  No!

Because I planned, except that I didn’t.  I planned out the schedule, I didn’t schedule in the grocery trip.  That makes things hard, right?  You can’t cook what you don’t possess.

Bee tee dubs (“BTW” or “By The Way” for the less text-lingo-inclined), I didn’t re-plan anything for tomorrow, Friday, or Saturday except what I’m going to do for breakfasts for myself.  My poor Kiddo, I’m still flying by the seat of my pants on what he’s going to eat for breakfast.  Probably dry cereal.  Or pop-tarts.  (He calls them “tacos.”  I’m never correcting him.)  Anyway, goal failed.

But really, I think it’s VBS prep week kicking in because I almost don’t care.  At all.  I care, but only a little.  This week has been a busy week at work.  I’ve been working through my lunch breaks and traversing all across the Triangle for various doctor’s appointments and such, and really, at this point in the week, I’m lucky if I crossed two things off my to-do lists because people keep adding random things on that weren’t originally on the list and I spend my day doing those things instead of the things on the list.  (Have I said the word “list” enough times yet?)

Anyway, I digress.  This post is talking about the first tip in making your shopping trips more effective for eliminating your food triggers.  (I.e., you can’t eat that bag of chips if you didn’t buy any in the first place.)

Note: All of these tips are coming directly from my Noom app.  If you want to learn what they say about these things instead of what I say about them, download the app.  And, I can’t stress this enough, pay the money for the full version.  Pro-tip: Sign up first for the free 2-week plan and then wait.  At some point, you WILL receive an email for 50-85% off your full membership.  For as many times I have reset, the lessons I have learned and am still learning are worth the money.  In addition to the coursework, they pair you with group coaches and a personal coach for additional advice, support, encouragement, and accountability.  Just do it. 

No really.  I’ll wait.  In fact, use my referral link: https://friends.noom.com/YVRLN0dJNUNTOmNm

You’ll get 20% off your subscription and I’ll get a $20 Amazon gift card.

I digress again.  (But really, if you think these things will be helpful to you, just do it.)  So here we go.  Tips for shopping smarter to help you reach your weight-loss goals.

1. Go in the morning, before you’ve reached decision fatigue.  (This is a real thing.)
2. Plan ahead.  I feel like we’ve been over this one.  Make your plan, make your list.
3. Buddy up. I seriously just might call my SOS (you know who you are) to see if she’ll go shopping with me this weekend.  When I inevitably pick up that bag of Ritz Crisps, she can remind me that that may not help me reach my goals.
4. Avoid the crowds.  Grocery shopping is already overwhelming.  Don’t make it worse by surrounding yourself with 100 other shoppers.
5. Expose yourself, to your triggers, just to be clear.  It’s like working out.  Stand in front of that double fudge brownie ice cream and say “No, thank you” repeatedly. 
   
   This last one is actually not a Noom recommendation but came from a Facebook friend (and then another one!) after they read yesterday’s post.  I’m really loving it.  It seems like a ridiculously smart thing to do.
   
6. Use the shopping app instead of going to the physical store to shop.  Fill up your cart as you plan, add stuff to it during the week as you go through the pantry and run low on staples like salt or spices, and when Saturday comes, hit the purchase button, drive to the store, and pick it all up from the employees who have done the work for you already.

Talk about not being tempted by the cookies, chips, and frozen pizza. 

That’s all I’ve got for tonight, folks.  Sign up for Noom, plan your meals, and pick a shopping trick or two.