Meal plans suck. Everyone hates them. And they rarely (if ever) last long.
That’s because they’re too restrictive.
Sure it seems great at first for someone else to just tell you what to eat 24/7, but what about when you want something else? Or if you don’t have the time or the ingredients and need to improvise? A meal plan makes that pretty much impossible.
Instead of a generic meal plan that will leave frustrated and you right back where you started, here are 4 nutrition tips you should focus on instead:
Take what you’re already eating and make it a little bit better. For example, an iced coffee with 4 sugars and whipped cream and a big chocolate muffin could become an iced coffee with almond milk and a greek yogurt parfait. Ta da! Delicious and much more energizing.
Prep your food. And this doesn’t mean chicken and rice in plastic containers! I just mean make a plan. Know what you’re having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Prep snacks by pre-chopping veggies and fruits. If you’re going out, know it and plan for it. If you’re going to work, know what food you’ll bring to make sure you stay on track. Preparation is 90% of the battle.
Enjoy your meals. Try not to scarf down your food as you rush to work or plop down with take out in front of the TV every night. Instead, take an extra 30 minutes to an hour to sit down and really savor your food. Enjoy each bite. That’ll keep you from overeating.
Focus on unprocessed foods. If you ate only fruits, vegetables, and meats you would see a huge difference in your body and mind! However, in today’s world eating only unprocessed foods is impossible. So instead, try to maintain 80% unprocessed foods and 20% everything else. Just this one shift will make a huge difference in your health and fitness!
Instead of meal plans that don't work and only cause more frustration and confusion, I give my clients weekly recipes that are healthy and easy to make as well as tasks to keep them on track like eating protein with every meal, learning that right proportions of food for their body, or even macro and calorie calculations for client's who prefer to be a bit more strict.
But all of my clients get access to my Recipes for Success Nutrition Guide for tips, tricks, and recipes that are guaranteed to help with nutrition success!