Sticking to a Meal Plan

When you’re trying to lose weight, to build muscle, or improve your health, good nutrition is important.  A healthy meal plan can help you to nourish your body and provide it with the essentials it needs to perform at its best.  Making a healthy meal plan part of your lifestyle can help to set you up for success with your fitness goals.

A meal plan can teach you how to balance meals or how to fuel your body.  We know that consistency is important when it comes to health and fitness.  

Here are a few tips to help you be successful! 

Be Realistic

Following a nutritious meal plan can have many health benefits, however, it’s only going to work if you want to do it.  You are more likely to follow a meal plan that is realistic for you and your lifestyle.

We all have different needs, different goals and different bodies.  This means there is no such thing as a perfect diet.  Once you make that shift in mindset, there is less pressure on yourself to be perfect when following the plan. 

Just aim to eat healthy and follow your meal plan without feeling as though you have to give up your favorites.  Look for balance. Enjoy those favorites in moderation if you wish, but try not to give in to every single craving.  Soon you’ll have built up those mental muscles that make it easier to resist cravings when they arise. 

Shop Smarter

When you have meals already planned, you might find you only need to grocery shop once or twice a week.  If you have a pantry stocked with staples such as grains, spices and canned goods, you’ll find shopping can take less time and meals become a little easier to put together.

Have a shopping list ready and grocery shopping can become less hassle too.  You will be less tempted to fill your cart with convenience foods or unhealthy snacks and you will have everything you need to prepare healthy meals at home.

One of the best ways to stay on track with your meal plan is to spend some time each week on meal preparation.  Taking an hour or two to prepare vegetables and fruits in advance can save you so much time over the week.  You simply grab the washed and chopped veggies and add to healthy dishes or use for snacks.  Having some fruit washed and ready will make it easy to grab for your lunch.  Also, if you store fruit in separate freezer bags, it makes for a quick, healthy smoothie.

Pre-planning

Social situations can make it hard to stick to a meal plan, but it doesn’t have to derail your hard work.  Planning ahead can help you to navigate social situations comfortably.  Heading to a restaurant?  Just research what’s on the menu and choose something that resembles your meal plan.  Heading to a friend’s place for dinner?  Offer to bring a healthy side dish or salad.  If you’re following your meal plan the majority of the time, it’s absolutely okay to indulge or to deviate from that plan every now and then. 

Eat Delicious Food

Any meal plan that makes you miserable is going to be hard to follow.  Instead, find a meal plan that feels enjoyable, fulfilling and offers plenty of variety.  Think of a healthy meal plan as a way to give your body the best fuel possible.  That doesn’t mean you need to spend extra on premium ingredients.  Choosing fresh produce and real foods while skipping the packaged, over-processed items can make a huge difference to your health. 

Following a healthy meal plan can take time and practice, so remember to be patient with yourself.  Don’t be upset with yourself if you slip up.  Persistence can really pay off even if it takes a few tries, keep at it.