Meal planning is too hard

When I tell people that I plan every meal and snack for the whole week in advance, I get a lot of resistance. People say things like “Oh, I couldn’t do that, I don’t have time” or: “I wouldn’t like that, I like to be able to eat what I want”  Never mind the fact that I never asked them to try it, they usually feel compelled to tell me that it won’t work for them anyway

The bottom line is, people think menu planning is too hard, too time consuming, and too restrictive. It will stop them being spontaneous, it will take away their freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Here are a few things I’ve learned since I started meal planning;

1. It doesn’t take away spontaneity. A meal plan is a GUIDE, not a rule. If I’ve planned chicken and asparagus on Monday, but I get home only wanting eggs on toast, that’s OK. The eggs are less calories than the chicken, and the chicken can be cooked on Wednesday, while Wednesday’s steak can go in the freezer for next week. Whatever. Likewise, if I’m unexpectedly invited out on Thursday night, I will simply make the best choice I can from what is on offer. Having said that, more often than not, if I am at home I will eat what is on the plan, because the ingredients are there and it does not require thinking about.
2. I get more variety with a meal plan.Think about it - how often when you’re wandering round the supermarket looking for something to cook tonight do you think “Oh, I’ll try that new recipe I saw in that magazine!” Not often I’ll bet. But when I’m planning meals I often think, “Oh, I’ll have a look through a cookbook and find something new to do” In fact, I try to make a point of trying at least one new thing each week.
3. It doesn’t take up a lot of time - In fact it’s getting quicker as I go along. I can do up a meal plan in about 20 minutes now.  The reason it’s getting faster is because I’m building up my database of custom foods in my calorie king software, I don’t have to hunt around and add things in so much.
4. It’s not hard to do- I use calorie king software to plan my days, then I jot each day onto a printed grid, which has mon-sun across the top and breakfast, snack, lunch etc down the side. This allows me to see my whole week in a glance.
5. I only count calories once a week, not every day - The best thing about meal planning is that it takes away the stress of continuously obsessing over numbers. The numbers are already added for me at the beginning of the week. If I eat what I planned, I will be under my calories. I generally know how many cals I have planned for the day, so I know if I have extra space for the freddo after lunch. I also know that my lunch was around 400 cals, so if I have a 400 cal subway instead of what I planned, it will still work out. Or i could have a 300 cal salad, and then I know I can have an extra snack when I get home.
6. IT WORKS!!- I have been planning my meals in advance for many months now. Whether I stick to the plan religiously or use it only as a guideline, it is the one thing that has kept me, and my weightloss, on track for so long.

So, what are you waiting for? Give it a go, even if only for a couple of weeks. I dare you!