“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”
is a quote you’ve probably heard a million times. But, if you’re honest, it’s true!
Especially when it comes to weight loss. Think about it, how many times do you have every intention of eating healthy and then before you know it it’s 12:30pm and you’re starving? You have 30 minutes to eat lunch and the only things available are out of a box, bag, or a window.
Don’t let that happen!
In today’s fast-paced world one of the best tips that we can offer you is:
meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!
Planning out your meals in advance gives you the opportunity to make sure that by the end of the day you are within all of your caloric and macronutrient (carbs, fats, and proteins) goals. It’s also a no-fail strategy. If you have the right foods available you are way less likely to cheat.
Though meal planning is important, it’s only the first step to success.
The second step is to meal prep!
Make sure you actually put the time in to go to the grocery store, prepare the food, and separate it so that each day is readily available.
Here’s a few tips to get you started:
1. Find a useful meal planning tool that works for you.
One of the many reasons we LOVE the Fitbook is because it includes a space at the beginning of each week to meal plan. You can also use printable meal plans like this one we found on this blog Dear Crissy
2. Log your foods in advance.
The best part about planning your meals in advance is that you have the opportunity to log all of your foods to ensure that your ranges for calories, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are where they need to be.
3. Change up your meal plan each day/week.
Don’t let yourself get bored or tired of eating the same thing every day/week. That is a quick way to fail. Keep your foods creative!
4. Make sure you have enough containers!
This tip may seem obvious, but trust us… There is nothing more frustrating than preparing a bunch of food and not having a place to store it.
5. Embrace your Crockpot!
Don’t underestimate the power of the Crockpot! There isn’t much better than being able to “set it and forget it” when it comes to cooking. But don’t forget that you can use your slow cooker to cook enough chicken, shredded pork, or roast beef for the entire week!
Ready to start meal planning? Get more recipes today!