Planning is Never Overrated

If you want to take care of yourself (health, diet, fitness) I cannot begin to explain how important it is to plan.  Our lifestyles today are distractors to being healthy and well.  From the smell of delicious foods, to oversized plates, to lack of knowledge over how much and how to exercise as well as what and how much to eat we are bombarded by external influences that cause us humans to forget and be disengaged from our internal cues. 
Because of this we almost cannot just 'listen to our bodies' because i think it's really hard to nowadays.  So then, what are we to do if we're constantly influenced by others around us or activities around us?  Well, PLAN!  You need to have a game plan for your diet (what you plan to eat, when, how much you'll have, etc) as well as or activity (ie exercise: whether it's leisurely activity or a hard core routine).  Sorry, for those of you who feel you can go day to day thinking 'oh i'll just "eat well" today' or 'i'll workout later on after work'.  Without a more specific goal and measurable plan intact it's far to easy to lose track and then get discouraged if we do not like our results of how we look and feel.
You wouldn't walk into work with no idea of what you were going to be doing would you?  Your life should be the same.
I'm going to begin with the planning for our 'diets'.  When i say 'diet' i actually mean a lifestyle.  A diet is not a short term eating plan.  It is for the LONGTERM.  So forget the quick fixes and LISTEN UP!

When planning a healthy eating lifestyle (aka diet) there are a few components you need to address.  These include when you will eat, what you might eat, how much you'll eat, where/circumstances you'll be eating.  This might sound like a lot of things to attend to but it's really simple.  First off though you need to know your goals and what you need in your diet to reach those goals.  If you're trying to lose weight there are many ways to do so but not everyone really knows where to begin.  THIS IS WHY YOU NEED A KNOWLEDGABLE TRAINER OR COACH.  (AND I CAN DEFINTELY HELP YOU IN THIS AREA BY THE WAY!). 

With this said, i have been planning my diet for years now.  Initially, i planned without being knowledgable of what my body needed.  But with lots of practice, education, and trial and error i have become very in tune with my body and with science of how our bodies work.  I first began planning pretty specifically, but as the years went on it became HABIT.  Now, it's second nature.  I don't need to write things down to know my plan.  It's just in the back of my head and i 'just know' what i will be doing from day to day.

Let me give you my example of today...
I woke up and did a little cardio to get me up and going at 5 AM.  I came home and had a light breakfast.  I am sticking to my protein and produce plan so todays' breakfast was some sauteed mushrooms and spinach and an egg white omelet with a slice of canadian bacon.  I also had 3 chunks of energy cubes (i plan to swap these out for fresh fruit in the next few days to tame my sweet tooth).
I knew i had a hard workout ahead (includling working my back and biceps then finishing up with abs and some cardio).  I had planned in an optional snack of a hard boiled egg.  The egg would be a source of protein and some fat if i felt hungry.  I actually want to keep my carb intake a little low right now so i can strip away the fat i've put on in the past few months.  It turns out i wasn't hungry at all so i finished up without the egg.
For lunch today i will be having some protein-egg crepes filled with zucchini and mushrooms.  Snack later will be celery and guac with this delicious black bean dip. 
I know this evening i will be going out to eat at this sushi/hibatchi steakhouse before i play on pool league so i intend to stick to my protien and produce plan again.  I am going to look at the menu before hand.  I will probably be getting a side salad, some sashimi, and taking a bite or 2 of my mom's dish as i usually do. (I can never finish a main entree, unless its really small or mostly veggies, so lately i've learned to get a salad and pick of my dining partner's plate for healthy things).

This is making me excited already!