do you plan your meals ahead? eating healthy seems daunting.

MrsAFR

I put all my meals in to my app the night before the next day that way I have a plan in place. I usually have a couple of hundred calories to play around with should I change my mind but generally I stick to the plan. I find that if I leave it to chance i'm more likely to stray.

iKristine

I think there is a misunderstanding.

Eating healthy, isn't smart ones or lean cuisines. Those are low calorie foods. Not the same things.

I eat healthy 90% of the time and spend no more time in the kitchen than before. Healthy are things like whole foods, veggies, fruits, beans, lean meats, etc etc. I made modest changes to my diet (as a noun) than before. When I was fat. I still eat boxed foods like tv dinners. I just can tell the difference between all of them now.

I replaced low fat foods with the real deals. I removed the fake foods like hamburger helper, and replaced it with real foods like quinoa and brown rice and chicken. I stopped buying foods that contained ingredients I couldn't pronounce, and started buying ones that had a shorter list of ingredients. There are several brands that are a safe list.

Newmans Own, Kashi, Natures Path to name a couple. I replaced sugar flakes with Pumpkin Flax crunch for example. I also replaced the 2% cheapo walmart milk with costco organic milk that lasts 4x as long. If I have to go a long day without homebase to return to, it can be more challenging. But not impossible. Surely planning ahead is cheaper than on the go. I usually cook in bulk some staple things like my favorite quinoa recipe from eatingwell.com and will last several servings. Cook my chicken in a smoker and refridgerate the leftovers for the following few days.

Simple changes.

There is a website called fooducate.com that has an app for smart phones. This was helpful when I first embarked, so that I could tell what was good vs bad before I placed them in my cart.

stuffinmuffin

Oooooh I'm totally obsessed with planning ahead as much as I can!!! I'm going to a hen do on Saturday and know that scones and cream will be on the menu - so it's already marked in the diary!!!

During the week is my strictest time in terms of eating within my calories (I also try not to eat back exercise calories and then save them for high calorie weekends). I am a bit 'formulaic' I think for the last 14 days (if not more) I have eaten porridge with peanut butter and milk every morning (try it - it's delicious!!! ; ) and then sandwiches or soup for lunch. Evenings are a bit more varied but will be within my cals and always cooked from scratch. I've never liked ready meals and avoid over processed foods where possible - they just don't keep me satiated. If I've done a weekly shop then I will try and add in as many of the meals as possible through the week but certainly will be filling in my diary for tomorrow at some point today....it just helps to stay within cals and know what the 'food plan' is for the day so you can forget about it or not have to panic about staying within your cals.