We’ve often heard that meal planning will help us eat healthier and lose weight, but it can also help save us money and time every week. There’s no one way to plan out our meals. In fact, it looks different for everyone, so you should customize it to fit your needs, schedule, and dietary preferences.
Transitioning to a meal plan may take some trial-and-error at first, but coming in with a strategy will help you create a long-lasting, sustainable routine. Here are four important steps to creating a meal plan that will help set the foundation for a plan that works for you.
Prioritize What Works for You
What works for you will likely be different from what helps the next person. If weekends are better for you, you can opt to cook your meals over the weekend and grab your food before heading off for the day during the week. Alternatively, you can always choose to cook your meals daily if you have the time and ingredients throughout the week.
Regardless of how you choose to plan, it might help to first consider the space in your refrigerator and pantry as well as your available time and energy during the week.
Start Small
While it’s important to experiment with different recipes, you also don’t need to rush to the kitchen with the intention to make everything from scratch. If you’re accustomed to ordering takeout, attempting a quick transition to cooking everything from scratch won’t be realistic.
As we stated before, meal planning looks different for everyone, so if you don’t have the time to make everything fresh, that’s completely okay. We recommend that you avoid the ultra-processed foods from the store, so using freshly cooked store-bought foods like bakery bread or rotisserie chicken is a great idea and would definitely lighten the load of cooking all your own meals.
Try New Recipes
Sticking to the same boring recipe for weeks is a sure way to become unsatisfied and wanting more. Trying new and exciting recipes every week can help bring some excitement to your meal planning.
Maintaining this inspiration is the perfect way to find out about new, freshly cooked meals while eating more nutritious and healthy food for your body.
Snack Smart
For many, snacking can lead to overeating and weight gain. If this is you, consider healthier snack options as well as controlling your portions. When done right, snacking can help limit your cravings for junk food while helping you reach your health goals.
Snacking on nuts and veggies as well as other snacks that are rich in protein and nutrients is a sure way to help you on your weight loss journey without having to limit yourself too much.
Contact MediPlan for Information on How to Get Started!
MediPlan Diet Services is committed to helping people on their weight loss journey by providing well-informed weight loss programs and guidance. Whether you’re just getting started with your journey or are in the middle of it and still looking for support, MediPlan can help. Contact our highly knowledgeable team today at (901) 362-7546 for more information on how we can help.