Meal Planning for a week

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Hi Everyone,
I need some serious help here. My biggest road block to weightloss is meal planning. Does anyone out there have any tips on how to plan meals for a week? Is there some kind of app or something?

Thanks so much in advance!

Replies

  • auntjenny74
    auntjenny74 Posts: 72 Member
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    I tend to eat roughly the same breakfast, lunch and snack during the week and only vary my dinner. I meal plan and make my grocery list over the weekend and then am trying to log the whole week's worth of food on Monday to take guesswork out of it. I have a spreadsheet with 2 tabs - one has the weekly menu, and the second tab has meals that my family willingly eats. I usually try and incorporate 1 or 2 new things in per week and amend the list accordingly.
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
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    Pfft, I plan my meals for a month.


    Good old pencil seems to do the trick best if you ask me.

    I have a binder for all my favourite dinner recipes and then another one for lunch recipes. I also have a list of different breakfasts, to get some inspiration out of.

    Then I just sit down with my pencil and some paper and plan out all my meals, trying to make sure I finish whatever I have to buy. I.e. if I buy a pack of three bell pepper, I make three recipes with bell pepper, to try and finish them before they go off.
    It's actually kind of fun, like a little puzzle.

    I type it in to MFP on the day. I am usually about right where calories are concerned. I've had practice.
  • Mluster1206
    Mluster1206 Posts: 1 Member
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    I have a piece of cardboard that you can use dry eraser on and write it out per week and put it on the refrigerator. I usually only do it for dinners since those are the meals we eat as a family. But I have done it for an entire day as well, including snacks. Great reminder when you open the frig to think before eating.
  • preciousme150
    preciousme150 Posts: 119 Member
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    "meals that my family willingly eats" sounds familiar, they refuse to get on board, even when I try to sneak in healthier options, I literally laughed out loud when I read that...
  • preciousme150
    preciousme150 Posts: 119 Member
    Options
    I tend to eat roughly the same breakfast, lunch and snack during the week and only vary my dinner. I meal plan and make my grocery list over the weekend and then am trying to log the whole week's worth of food on Monday to take guesswork out of it. I have a spreadsheet with 2 tabs - one has the weekly menu, and the second tab has meals that my family willingly eats. I usually try and incorporate 1 or 2 new things in per week and amend the list accordingly.


    "meals that my family willingly eats" sounds familiar, they refuse to get on board, even when I try to sneak in healthier options, I literally laughed out loud when I read that...
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
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    I'm not that organized. I buy what's on sale out of the usual suspects (lean beef, chicken, pork, etc.) and then put the meal around it. I try to do a vegetable and carb side (such as brown rice pilaf or couscous with broccoli) but if I can't think of a side, then I do a salad. Each week, I do layered bean dip, one pasta dish, pizza (from a pizza shell), some kind of steak, stir-fry and baked chicken. I try to throw in some salmon, too, but it doesn't always happen. I did a Buffalo Chicken Breast recipe that was highly regarded, and paired that with yogurt ranch dressing and carrots.

    I have to do a dish with at least 3 oz. of animal protein paired with vegetables. A GI carb is acceptable, but sometimes I'm just too tired for that. If I had kids, I would probably have to make it or throw in a piece of bread.

    Luckily, my husband is not very picky and will eat almost anything willingly -- but meat especially.