Why Meal Plans Work

Meal plans involve setting a plan for how you will eat over the course of your week. It is often used by people who are trying to lose weight. However, getting into the meal planning habit can be beneficial to all of us. Here are 8 reasons why you might want to consider taking up the meal planning habit.

It Saves Money
When you plan out your meals, you know exactly what ingredients you need to buy in order to prepare those meals. As a result, you are able to go to the supermarket with purpose and buy exactly what you need. Contrast this to the person who has no idea what they’re going to be making for dinner over the next seven days. You can bet your bottom dollar that person will be making two or three trips to the supermarket over the next week and spending a lot more money than the meal planner, often with a lot of ingredients and food wasted as it is bought without a meal or purpose in mind.

It Saves Time
When you plan your meals, you can avoid all of the stress that surrounds dinner time. You won’t have to worry about trying to figure out what you are making or getting someone to rush off to the store to pick up a missing ingredient or completely ditch what you wanted to make because you haven’t got something that you need. 

You Will Eat Healthier Food
When you have the luxury of choosing your meals at the start of the week, you will be far more likely to make healthier meal choices. In contrast, when you have to make a rushed decision under stress, there is a high likelihood that you’ll reach for a more unhealthy option or ditch the idea of cooking altogether and opt for take-out!

You Will Waste Less Food
When you plan your meals at the start of the week, you will then be able to only buy enough food that you need to prepare your set meals. Any leftovers can be used for lunch the next day.

Your Meals Will Be Better
When you take the effort to plan out your meals for each day, you will inevitably end up creating better meals for your family. That is because you are putting more thought into the process. You will extend your repertoire of healthy recipes. As a result, your loved ones will be very happy that you have adopted the meal plan habit. 

You Could Lose Weight
If you are trying to lose weight, meal planning may just become your best friend. The bottom line on weight loss is calorie balance. If you consume fewer calories than you expend each day, you will lose weight. When you go blind and cook your meals on the spur of the moment, you will have no idea or control over how many calories you are taking in each day. More than likely, you’ll end the day in a caloric surplus, so that you are actually gaining rather than losing weight.

When you plan your meals, however, you are able to pinpoint exactly how many calories you are consuming at each and every meal. That puts you in control of the weight-loss equation. And that is the only way to win the weight loss battle!