Meal planning is one of the best ways to help you lose weight and keep it off, not to mention the fact that it can save you time and money. There are lots of direct and indirect benefits that come from meal planning, and here is a list of my top 5:
1. Having a meal plan ensures that you won't be looking for an easy and unhealthy solution when you realize you haven't figured out what you're going to eat for lunch or dinner. This will keep you from making quick trips through the drive through at the nearest fast food restaurant, and will hopefully keep you from ordering fatty, artery-clogging take-out when you're in a pinch.
2. Having each meal planned out will allow you to see exactly what you're eating each day, including calories, fat content, sugar, protein, etc. This way, you'll know if you're eating too much of the bad stuff, and not enough of the good stuff.
3. Meal planning not only saves you time and money, but it can reduce a lot of stress. Stress wreaks havoc on your body and can contribute to weight gain, so you want to do everything in your power to minimize it.
4. A good meal plan will include beverages. Many people forget that they're drinking calories when they sip on a soda or frappucinno. Incidentally, a Frappuccino at Starbucks can set you back up to a whopping 630 calories. Forgetting to count drinks in your daily caloric intake can be catastrophic to your
5. Creating a healthy, balanced meal plan will keep you satisfied all day without feeling the need to snack in between mealtimes. Even if you have a lot of willpower, it's tough to resist any kind of food when you feel like you're starving. Meal plans will keep that from happening so you can focus on your