I plan as well. When I go to the market on the weekends I do a rough plan in my head of what would be yummy/healthy for the week and make sure I have variety. The night before I plan my exact meals and an emergency snack if I get hungry so I don't blow it on something bad. It works well for me and not having to think about what I'm going to eat during the day is less stressful.
I do this too! But I cook most of my food for the week on Sunday. It works so good for me! I also cook my eggs and veggies the night before. Actually I usually do 3 days worth. It works for me, b/c I wouldn't have time to do it in the morning and sometimes at night, I'm too busy with activities.
I make sure to have lunch prepared the night before... usually I'll just try to make a little extra of whatever we're having for dinner. Mostly I do this so I'm not tempted to hit the salad bar at my office's cafeteria... it's got great options on it, but is WAY too expensive!
I cook for 3 days in advance and it works well for me. This way I can have the convenience of having prepared meals with the option of switching it up mid week and have some variety in what I eat.
When I make recipes now, I purposely make more so that I can have the leftovers for lunch. That way I know I have something healthy to eat at work and am less tempted to go out for lunch.
I also try to plan healthy snacks in my house that are readily available any time I'm hungry like peeled carrots and chopped up celery and a healthy veggie dip.
This is the missing piece for me! I have just started cooking more at home and making enough for lunch the next day to avoid going out. I would love to start planning out the next day's meals regularly, but like everyone I really struggle to find the time to just do it! I'm glad to hear ppl say that it is actually a time & stress saver, and I did it for breakfast & lunch tomorrow just bc of this thread! Thanks ladies, we'll see how it goes...
I always pack my lunch and snacks the night before. It makes life so much easier and I don't feel like I'm spending so much money on fast food.
I haven't quite gotten dinner down, but I'm definitely thinking along the lines of HWGA. My family used to prepare all the meals on the weekend (cook all of the meat at least) and I really think it helps you keep on track. It definitely lowers the stress level of trying to figure out "what's for dinner."
And I like how I'm not the only one who takes an "emergency" snack just in case!
Oh yes, and it keeps me sane! I plan what I'm eating from breakfast to lunch and supper with the snacks in between. The husband and I have to travel to grocery shop, so we'll buy for 3-4 weeks at a time and make a "menu" of what we're going to have for dinner every night. So the night before I can sit at the computer, log onto sparkpeople and figure out everything. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of calorie counting, for me, and also lets me know what I can and can't eat, snack-wise, during the day.
Take yesterday, for example...the dinner I made was lower in calorie, so some of my snacks were a little higher in calorie than normal, such as a packet of peanut butter crackers instead of something smaller....that type of thing...
I dont make my meals the night before (I am a SAHM), but on Sunday I always sit down with my cook books and plan the week out. It is much easier grocery shopping!
this is key for me...even though im just starting again, i know that i need to bring snacks and lunch to work in the morning or ill snack on all of the bad food we have there...
I have not had a meal out since this post! That's huge! I've been packing lots of fruits and vegetables, and eating canned light soups and healthy choices if I don't have time to make something healthy. Thanks for posting this, it hit home for me.
Night Before Planning
And I like how I'm not the only one who takes an "emergency" snack just in case!
