Plan – Planning my meals has helped me so much, not only with meal prepping, but with wasting less food. Each week I try to write down the options I want to have for my main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). I also write down all the options I have for snacks during the day. This also helps me figure out what to buy at the store, so I’m not buying a ton of random food that I don’t actually make meals out of. It saves me time and money. I also always have a grocery list. I use the free“Anylist” App on my phone, because you can easily add, delete, and cross off items as you go through the store. My favorite feature is that you can hide items you’ve crossed off, so your list gets shorter and it’s easier to read. Plus you can make lists for anything else you might need, it doesn’t have to be groceries.
Meal Prep – I know you’ve heard it a million times…meal prep! It really does make such a difference though! I used to come home from work and stand in front of the fridge and think…”hmm what can I make tonight?” I’d end up eating pasta with sauce and that’s it. OK, that’s an exaggeration, I do like to cook, but I wouldn’t take the time to cook for a week or plan it out. Now I have my meals planned out and prepped (I usually prep twice a week because I don’t like week old chicken). It saves me time and money.
Have healthy options at home – The easiest way to cut the junk food, is to seriously get rid of it. Stock your snacks with healthier options. Once you no longer have chips and cookies sitting around, you’ll be forced to eat the carrot sticks and apple slices you do have.
Give in to cravings – Not all the time, but you should give in every now and then. This will help keep you sane, seriously. There’s nothing wrong with having a cookie every now and then, and honestly so many studies have shown that if you give in every now and then, you’re way less likely to binge because you’ve haven’t been depriving yourself.
Have a short memory – If you do go a little too crazy on the treats, just forget about it. Having a short memory and getting over it will help you move on and not worry about what you ate yesterday. That does absolutely nothing for you in the short-term or the long-term.
Have Vegetables with every meal – I know this is so hard. For me it’s so hard to eat vegetables with breakfast. It really does make a difference though. I’ve recently been having sugar snap peas as a snack and they are so delicious. The more you eat veggies the more micro nutrients you’re going to get, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
