I'm so excited to be sharing the Part 2 National Nutrition Month blog with you. In the previous blog post, we talked about three reasons you weren't effectively meal planning. Now it's time to talk about solutions. Yay!
I have learned a lot of lessons the hard way regarding meal planning. Therefore, I love sharing meal planning solutions to help you find what works for you without making costly and timely mistakes.
From my personal and professional experience coaching other people to do their meal planning, I found the top three solutions to making meal planning easier.
Divide Your Meal Planning Into Smaller Steps
Delegate where you can.
Don't make it harder than it has to be.
Let's discuss each solution in a little more detail.
Divide Your Meal Planning Into Smaller Steps.
You've had a busy week working. On your free day, you plan to take care of your laundry and dry cleaning, clean up the house, get your hair done, do a little shopping, catch up with some friends, help the kids, and meal plan. Guess what's not going to happen on this list. Yes, the meal planning.
What's more, is meal planning and meal prepping are two different things. Planning is just deciding what you will make and getting the ingredients you need. Prepping is making the food and storing it. The combination of meal planning and planning in one day can take anywhere from 5-8 hours.
Suppose you don't have 8 hours to spend meal planning & prepping. It helps to divide your meal planning tasks into smaller chunks of time. For example, you could spend 1 hour Friday night gathering recipes or writing out what you want. Saturday- Go grocery shopping and chop your ingredients. Sunday-Cook and store your meals. Breaking up the steps takes the pressure off of doing everything all at once.
2. Delegate where you can.
Now that you know the steps for your meal plan review the list.
Ask yourself:
Which steps do I not enjoy doing?
Or which step can I make easier?
Forcing yourself to do steps you dislike makes meal planning harder. So instead, delegate out the tasks you don't like to do or tasks that are easy to delegate. Here are some examples of how you can delegate:
Recipe hunting: Can you enlist the help of people in your family, so you're not guessing what they want to eat? Maybe you could use an online meal scheduler?
Grocery shopping: Can you use a grocery delivery system like eMeals or Instacart? Can you prep by adding frozen foods that are pre-cut?
This step aims to figure out what do you find most challenging and "phone a friend" to help with that step. Delegating will also help make Solution 3 even more effortless.
3. Don't make it harder than it has to be.
Consistently meal planning does take work. But it doesn't have to be hard work.
You can make your meal plan easier by being:
Flexible- life happens. Always have a backup plan. In the 6 Solutions to Fix Your Meal Plan course, I give you lots of solutions to help you prepare for the things that throw your meal plan off track, such as busyness, schedule interruptions, cravings, & more.
Realistic- Be honest about your likes and preferences. It's more challenging to force yourself to do things you don't like to do. For example, if you don't like to cook. Admit it! Once you own your preferences, you can personalize your meal plan to suit you.
Also, it helps to allow yourself to:
Eat out-Just plan for it. Review the menus and have your healthy go-to spots.
Enjoy the food on your plan. Healthy food doesn't have to be bland. Make your food satisfying and flavorful. In the 6 Solutions to Fix Your Meal Plan course, I have over 10 Fast in Fifteen minutes plant-based meals full of flavor and super satisfying. Invest in healthful, flavorful seasonings. Dr. Flava's brand is top on my list of favorites.
Yes, you can win at meal planning! I'm rooting for you. I have learned so many lessons the hard way, so you don't have to. Grab your 6 Solutions to Fix Your Meal Plan course for only $47. I guarantee you'll find a solution to your meal plan problem.
See you soon!
Dr. Sylvia
Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, MD is a dual-board certified obesity expert, Diplomate American Board of Obesity Medicine, and best-selling author of Embrace You: Your Guide to Transforming Weight Loss Misconceptions Into Lifelong Wellness. Embrace You: Your Guide is Healthline.com's "Best Overall Weight Loss Book of 2022" & Livestrong.com's "Top 8 Weight Loss Books of 2022." Dr. Sylvia is a Believer, wife, mother of 2 vibrant children under 10, lifelong foodie, and former non-cook turned creative home cook who enjoys creating flavorful, filling, health-full 15-minute meals.
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