Grocery store dysfunction

I log my dinner first thing in the morning, save back about 100 calories for a nighttime snack (not always needed) and go from there. If I want some M&Ms, I have to have room for them.

Lots of great advice!
Here's my routine:
1) quick check of flyers for sale items on foods I like (fruits,veggies, lean meats) on Thursday.
2) I decide what meals I am going to make during the week on Friday.
3) Saturday, I run to my 2 fave markets with food list on phone. When I get home, I cook a batch or 2 of meals, logging them in MFP recipes. Then I portion out my meals into Tupperware.
4) on Sunday, I cook a roast or chicken breasts for sandwich meat and to put into my salads.

I love being able to get up at 5 to head for gym and I can just grab the containers out of fridge.

I plan my meal and make a list.

Also don't buy into the 'low carb' or 'gluten free' fads. Just eat less food.

I agree with having a plan before you go. If you're having issues with fad diet rules, then shopping the perimeter isn't going to be a good approach either. It's just another arbitrary "clean" eating food rule that doesn't mean much and can be thrown on the pile of confusion. All of the breads, legumes, pastas, vinegars, and various staples are in the center aisles of most stores, and no reason to give up any of those things.
Just find a couple of recipes that sound good for the week, and go shop for those things. Look for what's on sale and maybe that will help inspire you, too.
Having a plan is 3/4th of the battle, especially if you do it for the whole week. I know by Friday evening exactly what I'm having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the following week, shop for the necessary items on Saturday, and do cooking and prep on Sunday. Then I just prelog everything for the week and I'm good to go. No muss, no fuss.

Wynterbourne wrote: »

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

What's all this about "perimeter" and "centre aisles"? Do American supermarkets have standardised aisle layouts or something? They're all different here.

Officially, no, but I'd say 99% of markets I've seen will have produce, fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats around the outside walls and canned and boxed goods in the center. So in other words, most American markets have fresh foods on the outside perimeter and processed foods in the middle.

And this.

You need a routine. That makes shopping and cooking easier, and it is much better for your calorie budget AND your financial budget.

You need to meal plan, shop for that plan, and stay out of food stores when you don't have a plan and a list.

I shop Saturday mornings - get it all out of the way. (You can, obviously, pick any time. But try to make it regular to build the habit).
The night before, I sit down with a notebook and the family calendar. I list the days of the upcoming week on a sheet of paper and i note what activities family members have that might affect dinner (late day at work means not wanting to cook, an event at school means we have to eat early).

I put a meal in every slot. Not a "recipe" meal every night, but "what will we eat?"
This lets me balance the meals across the week. I spread out meat vs. meatless, richer food vs. plainer food, etc.

I plan for leftovers at this point: If we're having grilled pork tenderloin, I plan to grill extra chicken breasts to be eaten cold, on salad, in another meal. I also plan to cook extra to set aside for lunches - make enough soup to take a cup to lunch a few times.

I write down all the things I need for that list of meals. Then I add all the non-planned meals. We each eat one or two possible breakfasts, so I add that. The kids have a standard packed lunch of sandwich, apple, etc, so I add that.

(I put the whole list into the handy app my grocery store has, which sorts it by aisle and shows me how much it will cost, but that's a totally optional step).

I go to the grocery store with my notebook and buy ONLY what is on the list.
IF I see an awesome deal or some seasonal thing I forgot about? I might swap it out - but I write down on my list what I have done and what meal it is replacing. ("Found fresh ripe figs! Make tomato-fig salad in place of caprese.")

You don't have to put the meals to specific days, but you really need to shop with specific meals in mind. There have been times when I jsut made a list of "here are 7 meals" and we'd pick off the list until they were gone. But having an order allows you to plan for leftovers.

I’m prone to picking up anything and everything that sounds good at the moment, and end up with a cart full of stuff that doesn’t go together to form actual meals, or doesn’t fit into my calorie/macros goals at all. I have to plan my meals ahead of time and have a list of everything I need to complete the recipes I plan to make that week. I’ve also found online grocery shopping very helpful for me. I can have my grocery list written out, go to our grocery store’s website, type in everything on that list and schedule a time to pick it all up – thus avoiding all the “afterthought” impulse buys and keeping my groceries full of stuff I need for the food I have planned and accounted for, and keeping me under budget for food. This has made a huge difference in how I eat. I’m not depriving myself of particular foods (we still get what some might consider “junk” from those pesky inner-aisles), but it helps me to stick to planning and keeping to my meals for the week. If you have the option to do this, I’d give it a shot and see if it makes it easier for you!

Typically, I'll go to the grocery store to do some research. I'll look at the things that I'd like to eat, their calories per serving, and the number of servings per container. I'll build my meal plan around that, and then I'll know the exact number that I have to buy for the week. I go back to the store, buy that and only that. And boom, I have my whole week set. I'm creeping up on week 2 of this method and so far so good. Plan on doing it again for my 3rd week.

Hello,

Maybe Pick out a few recipes for the week...

Example "On Thursday I am going to make chicken stir fry and then Friday or Saturday I can do leftovers"

"On Sunday I will do Lasagna"

Just examples of course, sticking to the CICO (calories in calories out) pick the recipe meals that you enjoy most and you'll find weight loss to be a walk in the park!

Meal planning is key!! I make my lunches for the week on Sundays (lettuce mix, 4 oz protein, seeds or nuts & fruit). Dinners are steak/fish/pork/shrimp/chicken with green veggie broccoli/green beans/asaparagus and a small side of brown rice/beans/pasta. And snacks of greek yogurt/fruit/hummus. I try to vary the recipies, but the basics and the shopping list are the same week after week.