One of the best ways to stick to your diet and save money is to meal plan and prepping, but a lot of people think it is just too much work for them to incorporate into their daily lives. So, we’re going to be giving you all the information you need to know on meal planning and prep with a view to help you lose weight and save the pennies too!
What Is Meal Planning?
Meal planning is an organisation technique that means you plan what you are going to eat in advance so you can shop and cook accordingly.
A lot of people meal plan for the week ahead and this allows you to write a shopping list for the exact ingredients you need, therefore saving you money. Also, it means you know what you need to cook in advance, so you’re less likely to give in to temptation.
What is Meal Prepping?
Meal prepping goes hand in hand with meal planning as this is the technique in which you batch cook or pre-make your food before the time to eat it. So, it is ready to go for when you want it.
By meal planning, you know what you need to cook for when and can then prep these meals in advance. So, you can simply grab them and eat them when the time comes, once again helping you to resist the temptation or need to grab convenience food on the go.
Why Does Meal Planning and Prepping Help With Dieting?
Meal planning allows you to make food choices when you’re not hungry and think carefully about what you want to eat. By planning your meals ahead, you can think about what ingredients you want to be eating, how often you want to be eating different foods and count your calories and other nutritional values out in advance.
By planning your meals in advance, you can also make sure you’re only buying in the foods you need for your meals.
Top Tips for Successful Meal Prepping
Meal prepping is all about making your food in advance, so you always have quick and easy meals to grab and go with, so a lot of this is to do with batch cooking.
To successfully batch cook, you need to ensure what you’re cooking will last a couple of days in the fridge and then pop the rest in the freezer. Small tupperware containers are a must-have when meal prepping as you can store these in the fridge / freezer to keep your meals organised and fresh.
Curries, chilli, pasta sauces and soups all work really well being made in big batches then portioned out for the fridge and freezer and can be served with vegetables, pasta or rice to help you mix the meals up so you don’t get bored.
Meal prepping also allows you to pre-portion your food before you’re hungry and want to eat which helps to ensure you’re only eating a recommend serving and getting the amount of calories you think you are.
Where to Look for Meal Inspiration
Getting inspiration for what to cook can be difficult, especially when you want balanced and nutritious meals. Why not explore the Bodyline Blog for recipes, as well as the following resources:
- BBC Good Food
- Jamie Oliver
- Pinch of Nom
- Joe Wicks’ Books
If you’re trying to lose weight and stick to a diet you’ve set out for yourself then meal planning and prepping is really going to be key to your success, so take these tips and try it today!
