Losing weight is a combination of being physically active and eating healthy. Some will argue that losing weight is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise. Whatever the percentage, it is clear eating healthy and making healthy choices is critical to losing weight. People are challenged to eat healthy for various reasons, but one the more common reasons is that we live busy lives. Many of us are mentally, emotionally and physically depleted after working a long day and after shuffling the kids to and from school. So cooking at the end of the day is often an extra burden to an already exhausted body. So you opt to drive thru the fast food restaurant on the way home because it is the quickest option. More often than not you are picking foods packed with fat, salt , sugar and additives. Completely derailing your weight loss efforts.
Behold, you can avoid the frequent stops to the fast food restaurants by planning your meals ahead of time. Here is how you can do it:
- Write down the meals you want to make for the week. Pick 2-3 meals that you won’t mind eating for the next 6-7 days.
- Make a grocery list once you have selected your meals and go shopping.
- Keep it simple. Don’t plan to make a 3-course meal.
- Pick an off day to prepare your meals. Cook enough food to last throughout the week.
- Freeze your meals in individual containers. Use containers that can be transferred from the freezer to your lunch bag.
- Plan and pack healthy snacks too.
There is a very common saying, “failure to plan is planning to fail.” Planning healthy meals and snacks ahead of time will likely help you to lose weight.