Meal Planning

It's that time of year again, New Year, New Me! You know the drill, and the top resolutions are always exercising more and improving fitness (50% of participants), losing weight (48%), and improving diet (39%).

And...

The top 3 most failed New Year's resolutions are: Diet or eat healthier (54% failed) Exercise more (44% failed) Lose weight (41% failed).

So it seems like we start off with good intentions, but somewhere it all seems to fall apart. When you look at the numbers it becomes clear that many people want to make changes, but for some reason, they are not successful.

One of the biggest reasons for this, diets don't work, fad products don't work and healthy does not always look like what the media tells us it does (i.e. most healthy adult women should weigh more than 120 lbs).

Taking all of this in and knowing that you still want to set goals this year to improve your health and perhaps your finances, let's talk about one change that has research and backing to prove that it will work, meal planning.

First let's talk about what meal planning is:

It can be as simple as making a menu and committing to shop for and prepare that menu vs going out or going without a plan. It can also be more elaborate such as preparing meals in advance and then storing them in perfectly portioned containers to grab and reheat throughout the week. You need to decide which method will work best for you, but no matter which you choose, you will have greater control of your diet and finances simply by making a plan and sticking to it.

Why does meal planning work?

There have been studies on this very question. The results suggest that it is a combination of biology and psychology. Most of us get how biology works, if you put quality, portion-controlled meals into your body you will see health benefits and potentially weight loss.

The psychology part is where it gets interesting, here are a few psychological facts about meal planning.

1. If you are given larger portions, most people will automatically consume what they are served.

2. Cooking and planning meals in humans developed as we became smarter and learned eating raw food can be dangerous and it saves energy to pre-plan meals.

3. In studies where the ability to pre-plan meals was removed, people almost always over-consumed.

4. Looking at a meal plan mentally reminds us that we have eaten recently and will eat again soon.

5. After a consistent period of meal planning, it starts to become a natural way of eating and requires little thought.

There is so much more, you can read the full study that I linked above if you wish, but I think by this point you get the idea.

But wait there is more...

Meal planning can also save you money.

This is just kind of a natural by-product of the process and the reason many start it in the first place. By planning in advance you do not overspend at the grocery store, you have less waste and you eat out less.

Are you ready to give meal planning a try and see if it can help you meet your financial and health goals this year? I have created a few products that can help you get started!

My Meal Planning 101 course will take you through the basics and help you get started and my meal planners will help you stay organized and on track! Happy Planning!

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