When I plan it is more of an overall feeling and then I adjust as the day goes along. Seems like no day ever goes as I think it will so I plan ahead as far as having ingredients or supplies and then go with the flow. I don't do well with a solid structure or schedule and when I try to force myself to do things that way it is almost like my inner child takes it as a challenge to make sure I go off track.

I was planning ahead when I first started my Whole 30 plan 4 months ago, but lately I have not done as much planning ahead. So far, so good, but I know i'll Need to start more preplanning to succeed with this.

I do quite a bit of planning, with wiggle room. I bulk cook and freeze so I have clean "fast food" for quick weeknight meals, often a big salad or a hearty soup poured over fresh super greens. When I very first committed to eating clean, the learning curve took up a lot of time, but I quickly learned many go-tos, and with beautiful, organic plant based foods, there are no labels to navigate. I plan to eat clean every single day. When life happens and I am veered off course with less than stellar choices i.e. unexpected delay in traffic, life emergency, etc.- I either choose not to eat, knowing I will not starve, or eat a very small portion of a less desirable option. Same with an unexpected but delicious treat: just a small portion. Most of the time I am on the wide road of eating clean, with planned treats along the way, all so delicious that I have no reason to do less for my body- my temple. I always have a choice what I put into my mouth.

I plan menus for the week and then switch days if necessary.
The other parts of my life are luckily very easily lived without much planning.
Retirement changes everything, happily for me.

I really don't do much planning. I try to cook meat on Sunday so that I can pop it in the microwave for lunch/dinner during the week. My issue wasn't so much about what I ate but about how much I ate. I'm not doing any special 'diet'. My goal was to keep my normal food. That was the only way I could keep this going after the weight loss.

I now do just 3 meals a day...no snacking! I weigh/measure my food to stay within my daily goals. I include a small daily sweet (such as 3 hershey kisses) to crave that beast. Saturday is a cheat day where I allow myself something that I would not have during the week such a donuts or cake. So far it is working.

Planning is vital for me. I mean, without planning I don't think I would make any progress at all. Even when the plan has to be tweaked or even abandoned, it was worth doing. I am really into making goals, trying to think out what I really want, how I am going yo achieve that. Planning is all part of the process.

Another thought - surely a plan is thereto be tweaked, altered and used to best advantage.

When I plan, I lose weight. It's so much easier for me to know what I'm going to eat. The problem is with a house of young teenage boys and working full time, I sometimes take care of them first and I end up not planning my next day and things aren't good when I don't plan. If I have my meals all planned I feel like it's easy peezy and I have good results. When I'm not able to plan I feel like I'm drifting through the day, and it's more stressful for me, trying to find something healthy for lunch. When I plan, I lose. It's actually that simple.