In a cooking rut? How to meal plan for weight loss
- 1 Minute Read
Brenda Braslow, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)
If you're in a cooking rut, it's time to do some simple meal planning to improve your weight loss game plan. This system will help you try new recipes and make faster and healthier meals while keeping tempting fast food and takeout away.
How to meal plan for weight loss using a weekly menu
We all tend to default to our favorite foods and recipes, which leads to boredom. One way to get out of a cooking rut is to create a weekly menu.
Advantages of making a weekly menu
- Make meals faster because you have all of the ingredients on hand.
- Eat healthier by planning ahead and reducing the need for fast-food meals.
- Increase the variety of foods you eat.
- Up your intake of fruits and vegetables and increase fiber to keep you full longer.
- It helps both your budget and your waistline.
Use a chalkboard or dry-erase board
Pick up a chalkboard or weekly calendar board. Write your meal plan on the board to keep yourself accountable. It also gives everyone in your household meals to look forward to and to help plan.
Consider your activities for each day of the week
Think about what type of cooking makes sense based on the household's activities and when you'll be home. Plan a slow cooker meal, sheet pan dinner, or leftovers for hectic days.
Two ways to meal plan with menus for weight loss
1. Plan around your protein source
Once you've decided on your protein source, fill in with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy or a dairy substitute. Use The Healthy Plate Method to build your meals. Start with a few strategies such as filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.
| Day of Week | Protein | MyNetDiary Premium Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Beef | Flank Steak with Herb Rub |
| Monday | Meatless (Vegetarian) | Simple Ratatouille |
| Tuesday | Chicken | Saucy Chicken |
| Wednesday | Soup | Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup |
| Thursday | Leftovers | |
| Friday | Fish | Garlic Lemon Salmon |
| Saturday | Pork | Grilled Pork Chops with Dry Rub |
2. Plan around a cultural theme
| Day of Week | Theme | MyNetDiary Premium Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Asian | Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice |
| Monday | Mexican | Taco Skillet |
| Tuesday | Italian | Satisfying Turkey Spaghetti Sauce |
| Wednesday | Indian | Curry Chicken Thighs |
| Thursday | Leftovers | |
| Friday | American | Tasty Turkey Burgers |
| Saturday | Mediterranean | Mediterranean Skillet Shrimp |
Create your shopping list on your phone
Based on your weekly menu, make your shopping list on your phone and save it by week. This way, you will not lose it, and you can reuse your ideas for future weeks. In fact, MyNetDiary has an easy-to-use shopping list feature. You can add foods from your MyNetDiary food log to the shopping list while you meal plan for weight loss. You can also easily import ingredients into the shopping list from web recipes or Premium Recipes.
Knowing how to meal plan for weight loss using a weekly menu and a shopping list, you have already tackled half the battle! Your pantry and fridge are stocked, your menus are posted, and you are ready to go!
Related Content
MyNetDiary's Premium Menus and Meal Planner features help you build healthy, filling meals for weight loss
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How to make healthy food at home easier with these 6 techniques
Original contributions by Martha Henze, MPH, MS, RDN
Still new to MyNetDiary? Learn more today by downloading the app for FREE. Meal Planning & Diets->Dinner Meal Planning & Diets->"Plan, Shop, Prep, and Cook"
Oct 14, 2022
