Success comes to those who PLAN! Planning meals is a huge part of staying on track with weight loss goals. At Blue Sky MD, we encourage all of our patients to make this part of their weekly routine and find that those patients who do end up having the most success!
If meal preparation for weight loss is something you’ve never done, it can be a little overwhelming not knowing where to start, but don’t let that deter you! Below, we have put together some helpful meal prep benefits and how-to’s to help you get started!
Meal Prep Benefits:
Save money: Having a menu plan and list before you head to the store can help you stay on track with what you are putting in your cart. Instead of throwing in random “maybe that will taste good” items that can add up quickly in cost, planning can eliminate those impulse buys and help you SAVE bucks at checkout!
Save time: Planning meals to meal prep for weight loss can save you tons of time during the week. Yes, it does take a LITTLE time out of one day, but then you are done! Think about how nice it would be to know exactly what you are going to eat all week, know that it’s already cooked or all you have to do is pop it in the crockpot! Little cooking needs to be done during the week, therefore you have more TIME with your family to do something fun!
Stay on track with goals: If you have a diet plan, you are less likely to veer off the path and make poor food choices! Meal prep for weight loss and planning will help you have less cheat days and/or meals. We promise. Want to reach your goals quicker? PREP and PLAN!
What to do:
- Invest in some good Tupperware containers. Having plenty of containers to store the food you have prepped will help a ton! You can even find portion control containers so you know exactly how much you are eating! We like Snapware Containers!
- Weekly prep day. Dedicate a specific day every week to meal prep. Set an appointment on your calendar. Make it a priority and make it happen!
- Start by thinking what your week looks like. Do you have a client lunch one day so you only need to make four lunches? Do the kids have soccer practice so you need to throw something in the crockpot one morning to have dinner ready when you get home?
- Pick meals. Mix it up weekly so you don’t get bored. Go to the Blue Sky MD Pinterest page for some good recipe ideas.
- Make grocery list. Use old fashioned pen and paper or download a list app. One of our favorites is Grocery IQ. Now head to the store!
It’s prep time:
You have your Tupperware, you have your meal plan and you have your groceries. Now it’s time to do the prep! Chop and wash veggies, put all your crockpot ingredients into “dump” baggies for later in the week, pre-measure out your snacks, etc.! You’ve got this!!
Still need some guidance on your weight loss journey? Click here to Request an Appointment with Blue Sky MD!
