Meal Planning = Key to Weight Loss Success

Women are busy.  We sometimes find our days stretching out longer and longer to fit in everything that needs to get done.  With this comes stress and frustration which can cause us to put ourselves at the bottom of the list of priorities.  Our weight loss goals are forgotten or saved for another time.

It doesn’t need to be this way.  If you can learn to create good habits, you will reduce stress and accomplish your fitness goals quickly.  One of the best habits you can learn is planning your meals ahead.  The less you need to cook during the week, the quicker you can get out of the kitchen and the more time you enjoy with your family.

Here are a few strategies to get you started on your road to permanent fat loss:

Strategy #1:  Pick A Planning Day – Pick one day every week to sit down and plan out the menu. 

I start with a blank calendar and a sheet of lined paper.  I also have all my favorite healthy cookbooks out in front of me.  Include 3 meals and 3 snacks for each day of the week.  As you create your meal plans, add the ingredients you will need onto your grocery list and include the cookbook and page number on your menu.  Doing this will enable anyone to follow the menu plan if more than one person cooks meals in the house. 

Be sure and include 2-4 cheat meals.  Denying yourself your favorite foods and calling them forbidden will ensure weight loss failure.  I always include cheat meals on the weekends when we are most likely to eat out or go to the movies (popcorn!). 

Strategy #2:  Create a Master List – Save all your favorite menus and grocery lists.

Compile all your favorites into a notebook and save them for future use.  This is a great time saver.  Most families will eat the same meals over and over again.  Do the work once and save yourself time later. 

I like to break my master list down even further by creating a master meal list.  By having a list already made of your family favorites, you can save a lot of time browsing through cookbooks.  Be sure and include the name of the cookbook and the page number next to each meal for future reference.

Strategy #3:  Pick a Shopping Day – Do all your shopping in one day buying only what is on your grocery list.

I save a lot of money buying in bulk.  Planning your menus ahead of time will let you know exactly how much of one item you will need for the week and it cuts impulse buying drastically.

Always make sure you eat before going shopping.  You will do more impulse buys if you are hungry.  Temptation will be all around you.  The whole, unprocessed foods are on and around the perimeter of the store.  Try to avoid the inner aisles if at all possible. 

Strategy #4:  Do Some Prep Work When You Get Home – Precut your veggies, precook your chicken breast and make a large salad for the week.

You will be grateful during the busy week for taking the time to do this.  If your salads are premade you can just worry about the main dish.  If you purchased a large bag of chicken breast, you can throw it all in a baking pan and roast them ahead of time while you chop veggies.  When they are done, bag them in ziplock bags and put half in the freezer, half in the refrigerator.  Halfway through the week, you can pull the other bag out of the freezer.

Fitness is a lifelong commitment.  Instilling the habit of planning ahead will help you maintain your resolve to get healthy, fit and strong.  Remember that anything of worth takes dedication.  Having a plan will keep you focused and less likely to become overwhelmed to the point of quitting.