Last week a client told me she was going to have a "soup and salad" week. Meaning she was going to eat soup and salad for her lunches and dinners. She had already made a pot of soup to get her started. I trained her husband right after. I asked him about "soup and salad" week and he had no idea what I was talking about. Not a good sign. That was on Monday.
Fast forward to Friday. I was training her again and asked how "soup and salad" week was going. Turns out they had dinner plans with friends on Tuesday (which she had taken into account). Then Thursday night, somewhat at the last minute, her husband invited a bunch of people over for dinner and bought a lot of food that wasn't soup or salad.
She had a great plan. Soup and salad is a great way to limit calories (obviously depending on the soups and salads you eat). She even looked ahead and knew there would be one day where it likely wouldn't work (the Tuesday dinner party). What she didn't account for was the unexpected (Thursday's dinner guests).
How do you account for the unexpected? You can't expect people to follow the plan when they don't know there is a plan in place. So one way is to let everyone who will play a role in your plan know about the plan.
I know you think you can do it alone. You can't. This doesn't just telling your significant other either. It means telling your friends and coworkers too. When you tell your friends they can look for healthier options for weekend brunch or they'll be more understanding when you politely decline. Your coworkers will know not to tell you when Susie from accounting brings in donuts for the office.
While you can make a wide ranging public declaration, it doesn't need to be that. You just need to tell those closest to you and those who could have the biggest affect on your plan.
Also notice that telling others doesn't mean that they have to be on plan with you. It just means that they have to be respectful enough of you to not put you in compromising situations when it comes to your plan. On your end, don't take anything less and don't expect anything more.
You taken a great step by coming up with a plan. Now the next step is making sure that you can follow through with the plan. This step is going to require help from others. You can't go it alone.
