Who plans their meals in advance and why?

Options
1235»

Replies

  • stufie
    stufie Posts: 142 Member
    Options
    My husband and I always plan our meals in advance. We plan every Sunday what we'll have for suppers that week (and then we make double and take leftovers to work the next day for lunch). I find it helps us buy more specific groceries and also solves the "what are we going to have for supper tonight?" issue. I was brought up this way, and I'm sure it'll come in handy when we have kids. Saturday nights we sometimes wing it, but for the most part we do plan in advance. I also have a grocery list that follows the floor plan of the grocery store so that we don't have to run all over the store. Grocery shopping takes no time at all. I'm way too organized, I know, but it makes my life easier :happy:
  • pumalama
    pumalama Posts: 140 Member
    Options
    I like to plan ahead but it is quite difficult to follow all the recommendations regarding how much dairy, whole grains, vegetables, etc. If I am left on my own, I have a bad tendency to "forget" dairy products. If I am not traveling, I use a website called soscuisine. It is for the most part free and they provide meal plans following the recommended guidelines and for many situations such as losing weight, pregnancy, diabetes, controlling acid reflux, or just eating well in general without controlling for anything in particular. The basic meal plans and access to recipes are free but if you take a specialized meal plan you will have to pay up to 2$ a week to cover for the nutritionists reviewing the meal plans and the hard work they put into that. The meal plans are sent once a week and there is also an interactive shopping list (click what you need for the week based on your recipes, then print). Also, the CHUM recently adopted the “Heart-Healthy” meal plans of SOSCuisine (CHUM is an hospital in Montréal), so this is serious stuff I am talking about here, not some gimmick to make money. I am not related to them in any ways, I am a very happy user :)
  • hottiebikerchick
    hottiebikerchick Posts: 187 Member
    Options
    this is what I do too!
  • coopersmom2006
    coopersmom2006 Posts: 839
    Options
    I do! I find if I don't then I make poor choices and blow everything out the water!
  • Buddhasmiracle
    Buddhasmiracle Posts: 925 Member
    Options
    I don't live in the middle of no where but I do live on an island part of the year. It's about a 45 min drive one way to a grocery store so while I don't plan to the degree some other posters do, I think through at least what a dinner menu will look like for the week. I don't want to be schlepin' back and forth to a grocery store. Fresh produce is now available at local farm markets as well as some types of fish so that helps as far as spot buying goes. I don't have too much variation in my menu anyway. I like to have a drink or two or dessert when we go out on weekends so i plan around that; or I end up having a drink but not a dessert, or vice versa.
  • randilynn113
    randilynn113 Posts: 227 Member
    Options
    I do this, up to 3 or 4 days in advance. I do it because it's fun, it takes the anxiety out of how I'm going to eat my calories, and I make sure to leave enough left over calories to not worry myself with unscheduled treats. That being said, I also make my food for the week ahead of time so it really is truly easy.

    It helped me immensely with losing weight and making my diet more custom fit to my nutritional needs. I really hated the anxiety of counting down the calories in the day.

    ^^This
  • aussie_nic_getting_fit
    aussie_nic_getting_fit Posts: 134 Member
    Options
    i tend to plan my meals a day or two in advance.

    i find that stay on track easier this way and can ensure that i have all the ingreditent required for all my meals.

    I always leave extra calories, for things that i "fee'" like eating on the day..
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    Options
    bump...always open to new ideas and methods.:wink:
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    Options
    My husband and I always plan our meals in advance. We plan every Sunday what we'll have for suppers that week (and then we make double and take leftovers to work the next day for lunch). I find it helps us buy more specific groceries and also solves the "what are we going to have for supper tonight?" issue. I was brought up this way, and I'm sure it'll come in handy when we have kids. Saturday nights we sometimes wing it, but for the most part we do plan in advance. I also have a grocery list that follows the floor plan of the grocery store so that we don't have to run all over the store. Grocery shopping takes no time at all. I'm way too organized, I know, but it makes my life easier :happy:
    Sounds like the smart way to grocery shop!! Reduces risk of impulse buying. :blushing: :tongue:
  • abnerner
    abnerner Posts: 452 Member
    Options
    I typically do not plan to far in advance, but I usually have all of my foods in except evening snack by about noon. It helps me stay accountable to myself.

    Two weeks ago I had all of my dinners put into my diary on Monday for the whole week. My boyfriend thought it was weird, but we knew what we were having, so I did it!
  • Longtobeslim
    Longtobeslim Posts: 67 Member
    Options
    I plan out my menu ahead of time. It keeps me on track. That way I know exactly how many calories I am planning for each meal and for the day. Then if something special comes up and I want to have it I know in advance if I have the calories for it. Also, then I am not scrambling at the end of the night either to get all my calories eaten or trying to figure out what I can eat because I am about out of calories.

    Also, if I see it in print, I am more aware of whether or not I am getting a good balance of fats/proteins etc...

    I have a harder time staying on program if I don't pre-plan.
  • JmeJinxx
    JmeJinxx Posts: 210 Member
    Options
    I plan my meals the night before. It's a easy way to keep your eating in check. I find if I don't plan my meals I tend to eat things (sometimes not the most healthy stuff) because they're convenient.

    Ditto this.
  • Ijparsons2004
    Ijparsons2004 Posts: 3
    Options
    I plan my meal to make sure I'm eating good variety of food, it also helps with the grocery list.
  • Tamstar1985
    Tamstar1985 Posts: 334 Member
    Options
    i don't necessarily plan every meal in advance, although usually when i am packing my lunch for work, i will be thinking about what to have for breakfast to balance out the lunch, etc.

    i do loose weekly planning, though! thursday is cooking day, so i will cook a bunch of different foods in large amounts. then if i want to eat the same thing every day, i can, but then if i get tired of something, i can switch it up a bit!
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    Options
    I CHEAT. I have a sports nutritionist that puts my meal plans together. I get a one week plan that I use for 2-3 weeks at a time. It works for me and I'm losing weight fast fast fast. It's all healthy, but I had to cut back on my workouts!
    Still building muscle and supporting my 3-4 workouts a week, but I'm not burning out like I was going 6x a week.

    I love the fact that I can copy my food diary days and it makes it very easy. I track the calories and nutrients on here so that I can learn from what she is doing so that I can carry on with life after this support session is over.

Categories