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Does meal planning or prepping give you anxiety or make you want to yawn? Do you think it’s too time consuming? What about too much needs to go into it? Maybe you don’t know where to even begin? It might comfort you to know that you are not alone! Still, even though it might take some beginner organization skills, the benefits of meal planning and prepping are important to you—and your family!—and your weight loss journey.

Research shows that when you prep and plan your meals ahead of time, you are less likely to deviate off track.1 This can help you with your weight loss, avoid weight regain, and help prevent you from going off track by impulsive eating.

These nine benefits of meal planning, as well as these three suggestions on how to get started, will support you to do meal prepping and planning. Once you get into the routine and habit of this and have a better understanding as to why, it will be easy!

Benefits of Meal Planning

  1. It can save you money. By planning ahead, you can avoid eating out and set expectations for the week.
  2. It can reduce stress. You can plan to use leftovers for lunch or a quick dinner when you are in a hurry.
  3. It can save time. Freezing food/meals is also a great way to save time when it comes to meal planning. Just take it out of the freezer, warm it up, and you’re good to go!
  4. It can help avoid wasting food. When you create a meal plan, you can make a grocery list of only the ingredients you need. This also helps you avoid buying things you don’t need.
  5. It can help you make healthier food choices. When you know what you’re going to eat, you’re less likely to choose unhealthy foods when you’re hungry.
  6. It can help with portion control. Meal planning allows you to buy specific quantities of food, so you can control how much you eat and avoid overeating.
  7. It can eliminate impulsive eating. Some find that a structured balanced meal plan can help reduce some of the decision-making stress related to eating. It can satisfy your physical needs while leaving less room to act impulsively or emotionally.
  8. It can aid in weight loss. When you plan your meals in advance, you are in control of what you prepare your meals with, choosing fresh, healthy ingredients.
  9. It can help regulate regular eating times. A meal schedule can help you eat at regular intervals and early enough in the day. Eating too late at night can cause sleep disturbances, raise blood sugar, and increase the risk of obesity.

How to Get Started

Organization is Key

Firstly, you will need to pick a day that works best for you to plan your meals and/or snacks, should it be on Sunday afternoon or Wednesday after dinner. Look at your calendar of events to see how many meals you will need to prep and how much time you will have to prepare the meals.

Knowing when you will be eating is just as important as knowing what you will be eating. You can use the guides below to create your meal plan to see what meals you will be eating on which days. Also, don’t forget to utilize your freezer! This is an excellent space to put your leftovers or prepped meals for easy last-minute meals.

Implement a Grocery List

You will need to know what your recipe ingredients are, so write them down! Check your fridge and pantry for missing ingredients or items you are getting low on, and start making a list.

It’s crucial that you never grocery shop on an empty stomach. Being hungry while shopping permits your cravings or hunger to determine what foods you buy instead of sticking precisely to your grocery list.

Utilize Apps

Apps such as Baritastic, Lose It, and MyFitnessPal are useful to keep track of protein and fluids, log nutrients, reminders to eat and drink, plus so much more. Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians (RMAP) is working with St. Mark’s Hospital for pre and post support using the Baritastic app! If you would like to join, use code 25921 or scan the QR code from the picture below. All RMAP patients are welcome to use this code.

Remember that practice makes accuracy! There are so many different advantages of meal prepping and planning. This will become easier over time, developing into a new habit, just like the other habits and behavioral changes you made after bariatric surgery.

Links to related articles:
Planning Your Meals
Meal Planning Tools after Weight Loss Surgery

Meal Planning Made Simple
Tips for Meal Planning and Dining Out

 

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www.RMAP.com
Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians
801-268-3800
1521 East 3900 South, Suite 100
SLC, UT 84124

 

Resources:
1. Pauline Ducrot, Caroline Mejean, Vani Aroumougame, Gladys Ibanez, Benjamin Alles, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Serge Hercberg, and Sandrine Peneau, “Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults”; 2017 Feb 2: 10.1186/s12966-017-0461-7; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5288891/