Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year around weight loss? If so, you are not alone. Many people feel like after the holiday food and sweets they need a reset for the new year. The only issue with that is usually not everyone knows how to organize and prepare for weight loss success. Meal planning for weight loss is more than just buying healthy groceries.
Weight loss has much to do with mindset. In order to shift a mindset, you have to shift the way you do things in your everyday lives, including shifting your home a bit. To be successful in your goals, the way you organize and prepare for weight loss will determine your success.
If you’re ready to go all in to set yourself up for ultimate meal planning for weight loss journey, it’s time to do an overhaul. Don’t worry, it isn’t as scary as it sounds. It’s really all about finding systems in your home and creating new habits.
What is Meal Planning?
Meal planning is the act of planning out your meals to help prevent you from just grabbing something fast on the go. If you have a plan in place, you are more likely to follow it versus trying to make healthier choices on the spot.
Meal planning for weight loss includes preparing meals ahead of time to take for lunch or to cook for dinner or breakfast. Your kitchen will be your best friend while you plan your meals.
6 Ways to Conquer Meal Planning for Weight Loss
For the best outcome with meal planning for weight loss, follow these six ways you can organize and prepare for this journey. Achieve your weight loss goals this year.
Set up Zones
Your meal planning for weight loss is going to start in your kitchen. In order for this to be successful, set up your zones in the kitchen that support meal planning, meal prepping, and execution of meals. Make things easily accessible like cutting boards, knives, Tupperware, and Ziplock bags.
These items will help you prepare the food items ahead of time and easily store them. In addition, the visual reminder when you go into your kitchen and notice your zones will help remind you about your meal prep plans.
Weekly Meal Planning Board
Use a meal planning board to help you organize and prepare your meal prepping each week. This board helps you remember what is on the menu for all meals of the day. It is also a visual accountability board because if you have something written down, you are more likely to follow through with it. It is like setting an appointment for yourself, except with healthy food choices.
Make the board fun, decorative, and inspiring. The more attractive it looks to you, the more drawn you feel to it, which makes meal prepping less daunting. Put the board in a central location where you will see it every day.
Rethink Your Kitchen
Rethink your kitchen to support your new healthy habits. Sort through visual clutter to promote cleanliness and access to prepping zones. Make utensils easily accessible so you can grab food and go if needed. Have markers for labels to keep your food labeled correctly for easy access.
Create a Meal Prep Area
Create a meal prep zone, where everything you need for meal prep is in the same location. If you find yourself having to go from one area to another constantly, that is a mental drag and likely will become something you think about as a negative towards your meal prepping for weight loss. When everything is in one location, there is no excuse. Work smarter, not harder.
Drawers and Cabinets
Organize and prepare for weight loss with your cabinets and drawers to make executing meals a breeze. It’s frustrating when you have some of your Tupperware items here and lids over there. Or you can’t find lids that fit the containers you have.
When everything is scattered and not in an orderly fashion, it makes meal prepping seem like extra work. Now you feel like you have to reorganize the whole kitchen when you just want to find the right lid. Get these parts of your kitchen organized first to make your life easier.
Pantry Organization
One of the easiest places to get lost in is probably your pantry. Things get shoved in the back and there seems to be no real order to your items. Take the time to organize your pantry for easy meal planning, preparation, and shopping.
Take inventory of items you already have for your meal prepping so that you don’t overspend on things you don’t need. Organizing your pantry will help you see what items you have to make this a success.
Meal Planning for Weight Loss Can Be Successful and Fun
Don’t let the thought of meal planning for weight loss detour you from following your goals. It can be a fun process that really helps you in many parts of your life, not just the weight loss part of it. When your home feels like it is ready to serve you on your weight loss journey, that is one less obstacle you have to overcome. From there it’s about finding delicious meals to prepare and cook each week.
Use some or all of the suggestions listed above to really dial in and focus on your meal planning. Set up a reward for yourself once you have completed the kitchen overhaul for meal preparation. This will help keep you incentivized to keep going.
If you are overwhelmed at the thought of meal planning for weight loss and then having to consider reorganizing your kitchen, you don’t have to do this alone. I am a professional organizer who is here to guide you personally to success. Organize and prepare for weight loss with my help getting your kitchen and pantry in order. It just takes a simple complimentary chat to get started.