What's the consensus on meal planning?

derposaurus

Is it better for long term success to plan your meals a week or days in advance, or to just figure it out as you go?

diannethegeek

It works really well for some people and others don't like it. Try it and see if it works for you!

Keladelphia

I think it depends on the person. For me I generally plan my meals for the week on Saturday and then do all of the prep for breakfast and lunch on Sundays. I cook dinner every night but at least have a plan of what i'm going to cook for the week. When I plan/prep like this is when I have my most successful weeks for hitting calories and macros.

upoffthemat

I think it makes things easier. Sometimes I plan out days in advance, there are other times I will decide to try a special meal or two. I try to pre-log each day at least. I don't mind eating the same meal a few meals in a row or alternating a couple meals so it does make it easier. I use leftovers a lot.
The other thing I have found very helpful is having a few go to meals available for the days I don't have a plan. I am not perfect or even close, but having some frozen chicken breasts, tuna, protein bars, canned tomatoes, soups, etc always available really helps me as well.
For the most part my diet is fairly boring, but once a week at least I try something totally new.

smiles4jo

I would not be where I am today (almost 30 lbs down) if it weren't for my weekly menu planning and grocery shopping.

kommodevaran

What works for me is planning an outline, and adjusting/filling in as I get closer, so that tomorrow is almost always planned down to the last detail.

This helps me not just to get in the right amount of calories, and assembling balanced meals; it also ensures variety and minimizes waste. I love the predictability - I never run unexpectedly out - and it makes me look forward to eating - I can eat whatever I want as long as I plan for it. Grocery shopping makes a lot more sense now

smit7633

Do it!

rosebarnalice

Try it and see if you like it. It works for some people and not for others.

Personally, I'm sort of a "middle-of-the-road" planner. On weekdays I pack my lunch & snacks at the same time I make my breakfast, so I'm basically planning breakfast and lunch together. Then, since I know how many "daytime" calories I have/will be/am consuming, then I can sort of plan dinner/evening snacks appropriately from what's left (and whether or not I've exercised that day!)

I also keep a fairly well-stocked freezer and pantry with healthy ready-to-serve options for quick dinners and weekend meals (e.g. preportioned casseroles and stews in the freezer, ready-to-eat soups in the pantry) so that there are good meal options on hand when I'm tired or cranky or not in the mood to think about cooking too much. That's not so much "meal planning" as it is "pre-planning for when I don't feel like planning" -- but it works for me!

aeb09

I plan the next week's meals before I go grocery shopping, but I don't plan the actual day I eat them at that time and I don't do any meal prep. I just make sure I have enough on my list for the dinners I want to make and enough eggs and things for breakfast. Then each night, after dinner, I plan the next day's food in order to make sure it fits my macro goals (keto). Both steps give me peace of mind.

cwolfman13

As with most things in life, having a plan is generally more desirable from an overall success standpoint than just winging it and hoping for the best.

ASKyle

Meal planning works for me because it means I bring lunch to work. The lunches I bring to work are half the calories of something I would otherwise go out and buy.

It also helps keep my grocery bill in check because I know exactly what I need for the week when I go on Sunday.

JShailen

I'm flexible but I work better if I have an idea of how many calories I have reserved for each meal. I always pre log my meals the night before but if i'm in the mood for something else I'll change it.

gramarye

I plan our dinners for the week so that I know what protein to take out of the freezer, and to control our grocery spending throughout the week. It also helps me to come home and say, "Okay, we're having X," instead of coming home tired and having no idea what to cook for dinner.

That said, I don't do advance prep. The closest I come to that is putting stuff in the crockpot in the morning for certain meals. And otherwise, I let our breakfasts and lunches on the days we're home happen by whim. (I make lunches for us Monday through Friday.)

kommodevaran

I love your name by the way

fishshark

i plan my day out in the morning. I first figure out what my husband (or i) wants for dinner because thats my biggest calorie meal. then i plan my break/lunch around that. Sometimes through out the day it changes but dinner is almost always pre planned

brb_2013

I can't function without a plan. I shop once a week, I need to know what to buy. I hate realizing I forgot something, or I want to make X for dinner and I'm missing an ingredient. I make a weekly dinner plan, map out a couple lunch options for my husband and I, and shop once.

I would starve if I ended up needing to stop at the store every night for dinner ingredients because screw that I want to be home asap after work. I'd also not be successful at weight loss because of multiple trips to the grocery with opportunities for impulse buys, and I'd probably give in to fast food and pizza more often out of laziness. Planning is absolutely essential for my success.

snowflake930

Plan it for the week.
Prep on Sunday, and package in individual portions for the week.
My husband works 2pm to 10pm, and every other weekend. He has 4 day weekends the weekend he is off.
I work days, long hours and some Saturdays and Sundays. So this works very well for us.

rbfdac

Definitely depends on the person-- most nights I pre-log and prepare everything (except dinner) for the next day, but always have a thought of what the next day's dinner will be. Some days I was too tired to do that the night before so I scramble around the next morning logging and packing my breakfast and lunch for the day!

Lounmoun

I plan dinners for the month for budget reasons and did so long before losing any weight. I have a tight budget. I don't really understand how people live without planning meals in advance. I know people do it but it is definitely not for me.
I prelog my whole day every morning and that helps me figure out what portion sizes fit my calorie goal and if I am getting enough protein.

robot_potato

I don't plan. I do pre-make batches of healthy freezer meals so i don't have to resort to eating garbage if i'm too tired to do something big. Other than that i do kind of wing it. I do, however, log everything before I put it in my mouth. That way i don't go over unintentionally. I do still go over sometimes, but i've lost 60 pounds so I guess i'm doing ok.

TrickyDisco

1. Prefer to see what I feel like eating at the time, know if I'd pre-planned something then that'd almost certainly be the thing I DON'T want to eat right now. On a budget but there's still loads of choices of what can be made from whatever's in the cupboards/fridge/freezer.
2. Can't be arst.

EmilyEmpowered

I plan for the week. One, it helps with my grocery shopping. Two, I can prepack most of the things I take to work with me- I work 12 hour shifts, so on days that I work I ONLY eat there and take multiple small meals/snacks with me. Three, its pretty easy because when I go shopping for the week I buy enough of certain snacks to last through and I eat basically the same thing every day and then mix it up next time I go shopping. For me, this helps stop cravings and stops the unknown of what I am going to eat. I can plan out my meals to meet my macro and calorie goals. I just know what I have planned is what I will eat. I can see that might not work for everyone, though.