Meal planning is a genius idea. Prepare your meals and snacks on Sunday and you have every meal ready for the entire week. What a time savor! No chopping, shopping, prepping or cooking needed each day to give you so much "free" time to do what you want/need to do and still come home to a healthy meal.
As great as this looks, this wouldn't work for me.
I need a lot of variety in my diet or else my taste buds get bored.
Plus, my workout routine is constantly changing, with different workouts putting a different stress on my body every day.
And lastly, I love to cook, I work from home, I know how to match my metabolic/health needs with my diet and I have the time to cook every day.
But that's me.
What about you?
When it comes to healthy eating and feeling control over what you put inside your body, planning your meals and snacks is a key to success.
Anytime you go too long without eating, let your blood sugar drop, work out or feel stressed, there is a good chance that your food choices are not what you should be eating but instead, what you can eat quickly and easily.
There is a huge difference between the two.
Without a doubt, if your meals were prepared ahead of time and you didn't have to think about what you were going to eat, there is a great chance that you would put the food inside your body that you need and ultimately, you would experience less cravings for the foods that are quick, easy and convenient.
Plus, when the body and brain is depleted, it is a physiological (not willpower) situation that you put yourself in that you will crave sugars and carbs.
Plus, when the body and brain is depleted, it is a physiological (not willpower) situation that you put yourself in that you will crave sugars and carbs.
By setting aside some time to prep, cook and prepare meals ahead of time, you save a lot of time and money. Plus, you never have to put yourself into the situation of "what should I eat?" or "I'm too hungry to cook."
Try it out for next week. Plan a few meals and see if this is a game changer for you.
Think about your life, workout routine, energy and biological hunger when planning your meals and snacks.
Don't plan to be "good" or "perfect".
Plan to nourish and to fuel.
(and don't forget to plan for the occasional indulgences too!)