Please Keep Trying!

I have issues with staying organized. Ever since I was young I’ve had a hard time keeping thoughts and possessions tidy. It annoyed my parents when I was a kid and now, as an adult, it’s annoyed me. However, early on in my weight loss, I decided I’d clear the clutter and random junk in my life. Initially it was simply so I could think better, but it soon became apparent being organized had other benefits.

Cut the Crap

First off, we got rid of everything, and I mean everything, we hadn’t used in a year. Clothes, knick knacks, candles, pens, flatware, mugs, posters, everything in our house was a potential piece of clutter. If it didn’t have a foreseeable use, it was donated. If it was nostalgic, we had to give a long and detailed recounting of what it meant to us. If we couldn’t do so within five seconds, away it went. Needless to say, many “meaningful” things were tossed. Soon, the house was pared down and we had breathing room for the first time since we’d been married. The absence of “stuff” had a very soothing effect. If I’m soothed externally, chances are I’m not going to internally soothe myself with food. I noticed I wasn’t as much of a basket case after I started tidying the house and organizing everything and that meant not as much comfort eating.

Don’t Forget the Food!

By organizing everything, I mean even the pantry and refrigerator got a once over, probably more thoroughly than anywhere else. Food was labeled and put in tidy containers, which stated if and where I had refills of the contents. Veggies were precut and stored in clear ziplock baggies. Before, I had no idea what foods I had. I’d peek my head into the pantry or fridge and not see the ingredients I needed to cook a meal. Instead of going out to buy said ingredients, we’d go out and just get an entire meal. At McDonald’s. Not too healthy, or cheap for that matter. Just in knowing what I had saved us money and a bad decision.

Plan Ahead

In order to further get my life in shape, I began organizing my time. One way I did that was to cut down on the amount of time I spent shopping and cooking. To do that required planning out every meal for two weeks. Since we don’t eat meat or much dairy, it was possible to buy foodstuffs which would last between paychecks without expiring. But first, I made lists of what we needed. That was easy because now that the pantry was in good shape, it was a snap to know precisely what I had and didn’t have. I shopped maybe once week, and since all the meals were plotted out weeks in advance, there was no guesswork or time wasted hemming and hawing over what’s for dinner. Time, money, energy and health were optimized simply by putting everything in its place.

Furthermore, the time saved by not shopping daily meant I had more time for the gym. More time for the gym meant more calories burned, which meant more pounds lost.

Getting into shape means getting your surroundings into shape. Weight loss is a holistic process, one that’s not effectively resolved with just healthy eating and exercise. Ever since I’ve cut the clutter and minimized my environment, I’ve helped minimize my waist. Try it and watch your worries and your weight disappear!