When it comes to making the best food choices, one of the easiest things we can do to set ourselves up for weight loss success is meal planning and following an eating schedule. The good news is, there is no right or wrong way to do this. It’s totally up to you what your plan looks like. As you begin to try it out, you’ll discover what works and what you’d like to change. Play around with it as you go along.

There are so many ways to develop a meal plan. It can be just for you or your entire family. It can be focused on specific dietary needs, quick and healthy meals, low carb, crock pot meals, gluten-free, the options are endless. Having a meal plan keeps me organized, saves time and money, plus keeps me from making poor food choices. Since I know what I will be eating each day, I am less likely to graze all day as I follow my food plan and eat per schedule.  When I plan my meals I feel empowered because I am making conscious decisions about the foods I will eat, which has a direct impact on my overall wellness and weight loss.  One thing I have noticed is my eating plan allows me to get more creative and play around with my meal ideas and try new things.  I create a meal plan for me and my family. I adapt my meals to the portion sizes; and other specific guidelines I follow as a bariatric patient.

Here are some basics to get started:

1. Get a paper and pen. Simply take some time each week to put your plan together. I used to write out my entire food plan and shopping list each week. Then I developed a spreadsheet, which I sometimes type in, but I do find it easier to write in pencil as I make changes to my meals.
2. Review next week’s schedule and figure out how many meals you will need for the week and how many you will be able to prepare at home.  For example, in looking at last week’s schedule. I had meetings at work that ran long, plus my bariatric support group meeting, Bible Study, and going to the gym. I got home late almost every night and had other activities on my schedule in the evenings, so I knew ahead of time I would not be able to cook every night.  In knowing that, I had a good game plan before the week began so we will sill enjoyed healthy and delicious meals.
3. Look at supermarket flyers for what’s on sale. This step is something I have always done, prior to my weight loss. In addition to eating healthy and losing weight, one of my goals has always been, how to feed my family without breaking the bank. Every week I know I need to buy some groceries and I read through the flyers for deals on what I am looking for or I add new meal ideas based on some of the items that are on sale. For example, I normally buy Greek yogurt every week or every other week. I like to buy just a few brands of Greek yogurt as Dannon Oikos, Fage, or Chobani. So, I choose one of my favorite brands which happens to be on sale that week. With Greek yogurt being the example, last week Publix had Dannon Oikos 5/$6.00 but I had a store coupon for $3.00 off, if I purchase 10, I also had a $1.00 off manufacturer’s coupon. Each container yogurt cost me $0.80.
4. Begin to fill in your sheet of paper or spreadsheet. It will take some time to plan your meals for the week. I make numerous changes before the final plan is complete and I sometimes switch things around during the week. Once you set up the meals, you have in the week’s plan, it’s quite ok to change things around.
5. Create your shopping list. Remember to include any ingredients or other staple items you are out of or are running low.
6. Cook Ahead, Portion, and Store – In starting your meal planning; I highly recommend cooking a few different meals and portion them to store in the freezer. I always have a freezer full of portioned meals, such as ground chicken meatballs, roasted pork loin slices and baked chicken, just to name a few.
7. Create a Master List of family favorite healthy meals and snacks that you and your family regularly enjoy. Come up with 5 to 6 quick and easy go to meals that you would be able to fix on those hectic days when you are pressed for time.

Here’s a sample of two days of my eating plan:

Weekly Meal Plan  – 01-16-17
	Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	6th Meal	Some Meal Ideas	Shopping List
Monday	6:30am 2 hard-boiled eggs	9:30am plain greek yogurt, 2 strawberries 1 package stevia	12:30pm 2 oz flatiron steak, organic mixed greens, 1 tsp lightly dressed balsamic dressing	4:00pm protein bar, 100 calorie natural almonds	7:00 pm 2 oz loin pork chop, 2 oz organic red quinoa pilaf, 2 pieces watercress	Premier Protein Caramel , Instant Def. Espresso, Hershey’s Sugar Free Syrup Drizzle	Ground Chicken & Sausage Meatballs Flat Bread
Tuesday	6:30 protein bar, 3 mozzarella balls	Tuna, salad greens, kalamata olives, chopped tomato, artichoke hearts, no dressing	Turkey Bacon, Boars Head BBQ Chicken, Cheese Lettuce, Tortilla Wrap	ground chicken& sausage meatballs, 1 tbsp tomato sauce, shaved parmesan cheese	Stewed Chicken Thigh,  Watercress	Protein Bar or Protein Shake	Turkey Bacon BLT Wrap

I’m happy to share my meal plan spreadsheet with you, just send me an email to:

kim@weightitgetsbetter.com and I’ll send you a copy.

Please tell me how you plan your meals! I’d love to hear from you.

Now Get Planning!