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 People using meal plans lost 50% more weight than people not using meal plans and kept the weight off better over time.
A meal plan is an exact plan of what to eat every day, combined with a
shopping list of which foods you need to buy to cook all the planned meals.
Your meal plan tells you exactly which foods to buy, how much to buy, what
meals you will make and when you will eat them.
Why is using a food plan such a strong strategy for losing weight and
staying on your diet?
1. Following your chosen diet becomes much simpler because
you’ve reduced the number of decisions you have to make. It will
be difficult to eat outside your meal plan because that’s the only
food you’ll have easily available.
2. Your portions will be correctly sized because you planned them
to be the right size. There’s no guessing involved. And by having
known portion sizes, you are also learning better calorie estimation
skills. This also helps to stop overeating.
3. You will eat better quality food. You can pick better recipes that
are more nutritious so you end up eating better.
4. You will snack less and eat more regularly. Eating breakfast, lunch,
and dinner decreases the temptation to skip meals and snack.
The problem is, meal planning can be hard because it, well, requires
planning! It’s always easier not to plan.
How might you go about creating a meal plan?
1. Realize that this isn’t easy. Meal planning is a skill you develop
with practice.
2. Pick a planning day. When are you going to plan your meals?
Sunday is a common day, but it can be any convenient day for you.
A typical meal plan lasts a week because food can normally stay
fresh for that long, but you can use any time period that works
for you.
3. Who will do the planning? Consider rotating the task if someone
doesn’t take the job on permanently. Remember to involve kids
in the process, so they can learn how to plan meals for when they
grow up.
4. Pick a shopping day. When will you go shopping? Sunday is a
common shopping day, but again, you can pick any day. You can
also make several smaller trips during the week to pick up fresh
foods like fruits and vegetables and anything else you might have
forgotten.
5. Know your way of eating. What type of diet will your family eat?
What’s the target calorie budget for each person? Do any of your
family members have special dietary needs? If so, how will you
accommodate them?
6. Have a backup plan if you’re busy. What happens when life gets
in the way and you didn’t get the meal planning done or didn’t go
shopping yet? Have a backup plan so your family can still eat a
healthy meal.
7. Find sources of meal plans. Meal planning is a huge topic. You
can find lots of advice in cookbooks at your local library. Ask your
family and friends too. A lot of people love to cook and will be
full of great ideas. There are also many meal planning services
available on the Internet. And you may already have a huge batch
of cookbooks. Always be on the lookout for new sources of meal
ideas.
8. Recycle meal plans. Find out what your family likes and keep
making it. People don’t really get bored with meals when they
are served relatively far a part. Include new meals in your plans,
but don’t think you always have to be inventive. This puts too
much stress on you and the more stress you feel the less likely
you are to plan meals. Old favorites are old favorites for a reason:
people like them.
9. Use seasonal meal plans. Vegetables and fruits are usually much
cheaper and better tasting when they come into season.
Your risk of overeating is almost non-existent if you only buy what you
plan on eating.
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