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Meal and Food Planning for the Average Person
So, you finally got a workout program that you like and you are doing it. Great! How can you take it to the next level? The great news, you have a lot of choices when it comes to this. One of the choices, is reorganizing your diet and planning meals so you do not give in to the munchies from the corner market. We all get that feeling, but how do you cut down on the temptation to get something that is less than healthy? I am hoping some of these ideas can be of use. I struggle with this as much as the next person. These are some of the things that work for me, and hopefully this can help you on the right path.
Have a system
We all look at Instagram, or some other social media, and we see these slick reels with great sounds, colors, and camera angles that make food prep sooooo easy!! It is that way for everyone, right? Wrong! Those reels are designed to bring in viewers and maybe sell some products, or whatever else the goal is. Don't get me wrong, they have great ideas, but how do the great ideas get translated into application into a practical use in your own kitchen? I am hoping that this small article can push you in the right direction towards application.
Have a system in place. There are tons of systems out there. What you have to do, is find the one that works for you. The one that catches my attention is the person that cooks up a batch of whatever for a week, uses all these nicely color coded pyrex dishware, and infuses all these sounds of opening and closing them, along with the colors of some great dish, or dishes neatly divided into 7 days of the week. It looks absolutely amazing, and I want to do it! There is also another one, these come from celebrities or top athletes who have these giant refrigerators with tons of space, and they buy whatever products it is they buy, and the inside of the ice box looks like a grocery story with bright colors and rows of nicely lined products and containers that just speak of healthiness. Fabulous! Right? Only if that is your system. The reality is, most people are not celebrities or single 20 or 30 somethings that can just organize food for themselves for the week. We have families, kids, schedules, tasks, and demands that make life in a kitchen nearly impossible, and definitely not enjoyable, at least a portion of the time.
How do I know this? I know because I was raised in a family that revolves around the kitchen and I enjoy kitchen work a lot of the time, but my work schedule can get to me, and I have a family I cook for and account for. So I know how unrealistic some of these ideas are. They look great on video, but how do you make them work in the real world? I am hoping I can give you, the reader, a few ideas of how to proceed and get healthier choices in your diet.
First, let's identify the obstacles. Working people work long hours and often come home tired. The first response is to eat something quick and processed. The second thought may be to order out, expensive, but you can probably find something moderately healthy if you are willing to spend enough money, but that is not a long term solution, or even a viable short term solution.
When developing a system, first be sure to talk with the family and see what will work for them. Take them into account, and then be in agreement on how the system will help everyone, because everyone needs to eat. I am the one that really does most of the shopping and the cooking in my house, so it all starts with me, but if you are not the primary person who does kitchen work in the house, I suggest you become at least an active partner in it.
1. Shopping
Figure out how the shopping will be done, and buy things that are healthy and practical. You may want to meal plan a week at a time, but I leave that to each person. I tend to shop for common items we use each week, and make food from the common items. Make a list, it helps keep costs down. Make a budget as well. It will save you money and keep you in line when things start looking very tempting. Also, don't food shop on an empty stomach. Everything looks perfect to buy when you are hungry!
2. When to cook
How often can you cook? In my house, we can cook about 4 days a week. That is an average. That means we need leftovers for the remainder of the week. Sunday is often the biggest and best day for cooking and I tend to make food for 1/2 the week on Sundays. I try to cook balanced and I try to make sure everyone has something they like. If you plan things out, this can be done. But you have to be honest with yourself how often you can cook, and clean the kitchen. I have a couple of quirks that potentially slow down my progress in the kitchen. I can't cook when I am too hungry, and I can't cook if there are too many dishes, I have to wash them, but if I do too many dishes I may lose my motivation to cook. Just understand how often you can cook and stick to it.
3. Plan your storage solutions
Storage of left over food is important. Know how you are going to manage it and make it practical. This is key to make the system work. The whole point of a system is to save you some time. For the food to be usable and helpful, know how your storage solutions are best going to work for you.
Make it realistic
So, realism is going to be most important, because if you can't pull it off, it does you no good. It will just waste your money if you can commit and follow through. Part of this goes back to the system, that we just talked about. Part of it is your level of commitment, and how well you can account for things to go off plan, and just be willing to fix those problems and make it work.
Here are some tips for making things work.
1. Know your resources
This means know what you have to work with and what are the options in food that you have to make for yourself and your family. Everyone is different, but know what will work to make it all doable.
2. Know your goals
Have the goals outlined and have some preferred choices of food that can help you meet your fitness goals, whatever those may be.
3. Know your preferences
Be sure to understand what you like and what will help you stay on track with your new way of approaching food.
4. Be ready to be disciplined and make it a habit
Be ready to make this a lifestyle. It is about habit for the long term. Be disciplined. Don't give in to old habits. The motivation is there for you to have made it this far. It is time to make it a habit, and the more people in the family that are on board with this new way of doing things, the easier it will be.
Plan ahead
Planning is the best way to help you be successful. Create a vision and plan for it. Motivation is great, but a plan helps you with discipline, and that is where the true success lies. If you make it a way of life, then it will be almost impossible to fail. It becomes your new baseline for operating each day. Positive habits help create successful people. Create the vision. Research the path to success. Lay the foundation for the path. Follow it through. Have faith that it will lead you to the goal that you have set before yourself.
Working with your family
As I said before, the more your family buys into the new way of doing things, the easier it will be for you. People who work together towards a common goal (in this case, a goal of eating better and healthier) will most likely be more successful. For us, it was me understanding more of what my family liked on the healthy end of the food spectrum, and taking time to make sure I could make what they liked while I created things that were better for myself. A lot of the time, our preferences will intersect. Sometimes, maybe not. However, since I was the one in charge of the cooking, it was easy for me to make the menus.
If you are not cooking for yourself or your family, I might encourage you to start doing so. This gives you the most control over what you are eating. I believe in having the ability to be self-empowered is always a wise move. You do not want to hand over the reins of your success to someone else, unless it is only absolutely necessary, and even then it should be temporary. Besides, I am sure your family will be most grateful for the effort of trying to make food for them!
My example
I understand the challenges based on my own experience. What we have done is a version of everything I have recommended. Is it always 100% successful? No, absolutely not. It is a learning curve, and we always have to adjust for life. But what we do have is a pretty solid basis of successful habits that help us stay moderately on track in even the most challenging of times. Keep everything in perspective, and always remember your goals. Maintain your discipline and you will find at least a measure of success. I try to remember it is a journey and a process. Try to develop an appreciation for the healthy side of food and what it is capable of. I will try to go into some of the details of what works for us and what we do to keep our meals interesting, as well as when we do when we just are too tired to cook also. There are always solutions, if you can just try to follow your goals.
