Plan Your Meals

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It's a savvy way to streamline prep, shop efficiently and stay on plan!

 Benjamin Franklin once said " If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail".  He couldn't ne more on point when it comes to success in weight loss!  As with most things in life, advance work pays off with mealtime.  Whether you pre-track your dinner in the afternoon, batch prep the week's lunches or decide on a full day's menu before you even eat breakfast, planning make it easier to do the following:
  • Avoid spur of the moment eating.  When you know what and when your next meal is, you are less likely to be influenced by extreme hunger or external triggers (think donuts).
  • Multiply your possibilities!  Planning your meals helps you explore different foods and bring in a range of flavors and nutritional benefits.
  • Save money.  If you enter the supermarket with a solid list of ingredients for specific meals, you won't spend on food you don't need.  
  • Get in the Healthy Eating Zone.  You can plot out your meals and snacks to have them fit into your healthy calorie range.  
  • Enjoy every bite.  When you shed the stress of last minute decisions, you can anticipate and then really savor the tastes, textures and colors of your meals and snacks.
For me - planning before hitting the grocery is the most important thing.  Each week I plan out healthy meals for the family, then make my list of what I need to pick up at the store.  I really push myself to ONLY buy the items on my list.  Junk food is NEVER on my list.  Now don't get me wrong - does the junk food jump in the cart every now and again - yup!  But going in with a plan spares me those "easy" dinners that aren't always good for you.

In the Weight Watcher's Weekly on this topic a member had some suggestions on what she does to plan for success -
  1. Batch cook and freeze!
  2. Focus on the foods you love!
  3. Keep pre-cut fresh and veggies on hand!
  4. Boost flavor with salsa!
Try planning for a week and see how it goes - I bet you'll love it.  You definitely save money when you plan.  Because the chance of getting takeout goes WAY down. 


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