I titled this entry “How Much PT?”, so here begs the question:  What is “PT”?  Well, the abbreviation “PT” could stand for “personal training”, “physical therapy” or, in the lab testing field, “prothrombin time”.   However, today, none of these are applicable, but rather, the “PT” I am referring to is “Planning Time”.  And the “Spend” I am referring to is not a monetary expenditure, but rather a devotion of time.

So, please provide an honest answer to this question:  How much time do YOU spend daily/weekly on planning your meals, snacks, exercise and other activities related to your weight control efforts?   Although I cannot see through this computer, I do get a sense that there are LOTS of people reading this that are sort of sheepishly acknowledging that they are pretty much spending zero time planning the above mentioned activities.

Why, if losing weight is so important to them, do people NOT put in the PT?  The answer is pretty clear:  Most people have LOTS of other obligations on their proverbial “plate” that pretty much suck all of the time and energy from them.  If losing weight was the only issue they needed to address and NOT children, job and other responsibilities, PT would be much more readily available.

However, one of the most important contributions to long-term weight control success is planning time.  If we go into a day without a gameplan (meals, snacks, etc) then spontaneous decision making will often lead to derailing eating activities.

My suggestion:  Choose the quietest day of your week and devote 10-15 minutes to planning out your week in advance.  Construct a written out “game plan” identifying the days in front of you and what you will eat for the three meals and snacks.  By doing so, you have a clear picture of how to ensure that week results in aggressive weight loss.

“PT” is an essential part of the strategy to keep that weight coming off.  Please make sure you incorporate this into your week.