Meal Planning for Weight Loss

Why is it so hard?

Okay, so you've decided to lose weight. You may have even chosen a particular diet plan - it all seems good at the start. But then you go on holiday... where do you eat?

The time zone changes - you can't be bothered cooking, you eat fast food, you're staying with friends - and it would be rude not to eat what's put in front of you.

So you say good-bye to that diet plan you started and it's back to square one...

Are these just excuses? Is it possible to sustain a healthy eating plan for a month, or even a lifetime?

Healthy Eating - Making the Right Choices

Never in history have those in the Western world had so much choice of food - and it is so readily available. Supermarkets are stocked ceiling-high with 40 kinds of coffee and 20 different brands of tea. The choice is good for the consumer, but sometimes not so good for the budget. Cheaper over-processed foods with little or no nutritional value clog our shopping trolleys - mainly because they are affordable. Those lovely, fresh, raw organic fair-trade vegetables would be great - but they are too expensive for most of us.

It's time for us to get educated about what we are eating - read the labels, study the fast food menu, and figure out what is a healthy food choice. Over the last few years things have been changing. McDonalds, Burger King (et al) now sell salads. The choices are there - we must learn to make them.

Choosing Better Foods

Even if you are on holiday, or running short of time - if you have enough knowledge of healthy foods, you can choose what is good for your body, without setting back that diet plan.

• Some foods readily convert to fat far more quickly than others:
• Avoid food high in saturated fats (crisps/chips, fried food, doughnuts, burgers)
• Avoid food high in processed sugar (soda/fizzy drinks, biscuits/cookies, lollies/candies/sweets)
• Instead of ordering ice cream, try looking for a low-fat frozen yogurt (who knows - you might find it tastes better).
• Instead of ordering a burger - order the salad (and watch the dressing!).
• Instead of using whole milk, use non-fat (or very low-fat) milk.

At first this seems to make finding what to eat so much harder, but once you've upskilled yourself - you'll begin to make better food choices.

Sometimes it can be worth subscribing to an on-line diet plan. See our Top 5 picks. The meals are all planned for you. Even if you only keep up your subscription for 3-6 months, this can be enough to learn your own good eating habits.

See also

Healthy Food Guide - A guide to the best US brands and foods - the one's that make healthy and nutritious options.

But what if I can't choose what I'm eating?

Lets say you're at friends for dinner. They serve up an array of mouthwatering food - but you know that it is high in saturated fats and sugars.

Eat less!

You can control how much you eat (your portion size). If you are in a situation when the food in front of you is unhealthy - then reduce the portion you are eating. But remember - do not make a habit of starving yourself - this is not the way to achieve sensible sustainable weight loss. All you will do is slow your metabolism, and teach your body to store as much as possible from the foods you eat.

I have trouble controlling my portion size

Some of us don't know when to stop. Food is more of a means of comfort or distraction that it is a source of energy.

Try a portion-controlled diet plan. You get prepackaged meals for the day (or week). You don't have to cook, you don't have to judge whether the size is right - you just heat and eat.

NutriSystem is one such option. See our review of NutriSystem here. Many people find this an effective way to lose weight.

Am I on a diet?

If you are making the right food choices - then call it a "healthy eating plan". There are so many connotations with the word diet (either you're "on a diet" or "off a diet"), that you can set yourself up for failure. You can also put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Relax, eat good foods and enjoy it.