Next to knowing exactly what it is you’re putting in your mouth when you’re trying to lose weight, another key factor in busting through a weight loss plateau is:

Meal planning

Now, I know you’re probably rolling your eyes thinking this is worthless and tedious–especially if you’re single. Why would you want to plan meals if you’re single and you’re not prepping food or meals for a family?  Or, perhaps you “don’t cook”, so why in the world would you want to plan meals??

Simply put, if you’re struggling to lose weight, you need to get a better handle on your food intake. One way to do this is to have better stuff on hand, and, if you do prepare meals at home, plan them ahead of time.

I remind participants in my boot camps in San Jose and Los Gatos all the time that good workouts are important for weight loss and lifetime weight maintenance.  However, exercise for weight loss needs to be backed up by good nutrition.  I see great exercise habits developing in my boot campers, but a lack of supportive eating can slow down their results.

Let’s broaden our definition of “meal planning” for a moment, and consider Solution #2 as “food planning” or “pantry stocking”.  

That’s what I mean by planning.  I don’t care if you don’t cook, or if you’re single, or a single parent with octuplets for that matter.  You need to have good, healthy food on hand if you want to lose weight.  Otherwise, when you’re hungry and on the go, you’ll grab less than nutritious options.

Here are some ideas on how  you can plan your way into busting through a weight loss plateau-

-Pick one day during the week where you can sit down for a few minutes and plan out what you need to buy to stock your kitchen w/good food and then shop for the food.

-If you eat at home, plan out a few meals ahead of time. Build your meals around these items:  Lean protein, produce (fruits and veggies) and a little healthy fat (olive oil, nuts, nut butters).  

-If you’re busy and on the run a lot, buy healthy convenience items like salad in a bag, pre-cut veggies in bags, frozen veggies, string cheese, rotisserie chicken, and pre-seasoned pork tenderloin (check sodium content on pre-seasoned proteins, though!).  

-Buy healthy, non perishable snacks for your office and car.

Having good stuff within reach at all times so that  you don’t grab junk takes just a little forethought and planning.  It’s not rocket science.  It works for busy parents with families, single folks, and folks who are on the road a lot.

If you’re struggling with a weight loss plateau and you’re not eating as well as you could, give weight loss plateau Solution #2 a try.

You’ve got nothing to lose, except maybe a few pounds.

Committed to your success,

Becky