If weight loss was as simple as eating less and exercising more, then everyone would be able to do it. Most women who are successful with weight loss have a variety of tools to use that help with weight loss. One of those tools is meal preparation.
Healthier meals
When you take time to prepare meals ahead of time they are more likely to be healthy. Isn’t it better to eat a healthy meal made at home, than eat out or take a frozen dinner (store bought) out of the freezer? Because you have prepared it yourself, you have more likely used healthy ingredients than restaurants or food manufacturers that are focused on profit, not on health.
Breakfast is a great example of meal preparation making for healthier meals. You could start steel cut oats in a slow cooker or electric pressure cooker the night before and have a healthy breakfast waiting when you get up. Or you could make a batch of egg muffins that are ready to warm up and eat. Alternatively, you could reach for a box of processed breakfast cereal or stop for a muffin or pastry filled with sugar and processed carbohydrates on your way to work.
Meal preparation can mean you choose healthier options like vegetables that are pre cut or even roasted ahead of time.
You can use portion control
You can prepare your meals, then portion it out and refrigerate or freeze the meal. This way you won’t be tempted to overeat. Portion control is a big help with weight loss. Just make sure you are using a realistic portion size.
You can make separate meals for yourself
If you are eating differently from the rest of your family, which is often the case when you are trying to lose weight, you can have some meals prepared so you are not cooking two meals at once.
More time
Many women claim they don’t meal prep because they don’t have time, but meal prep can actually save you time. You can batch things like making several healthy meals at one time. By having several meals ready you won’t be spending time stopping to pick up a few groceries every day.
You can also use simple meal prep ideas like tossing everything into a slow cooker to have dinner ready when you get home. (And probably having enough to reheat for a second meal that week, or freeze for later).
How does more time help with weight loss? You will have more time to focus on other areas like exercise if your meals are prepared in advance.
Less stress
When you have had a busy day having a meal ready for you when you get home is a great way to reduce your stress levels. You also avoid the stress of having a meal from a restaurant or supermarket that contains foods that you are allergic or intolerant to.
Reducing stress can help with weight loss in several ways. Check out this blog post to find out how.
Saves money
You may be worried that eating healthier will be more expensive, but with careful planning you can actually save money. You will have less wasted food. You will eat out less often. Preparing your own is almost always cheaper than buying prepared supermarket meals. So you can put the money you have saved towards some new exercise clothes!
Conclusion
Meal preparation may seem like it is too time consuming, but by spending a little bit of time you will find that you eat better and save time overall. Get started with meal planning and preparation with Meal Planning Plus.
