Preparation is Everything.. The Key to Successful Weight Loss

The key to achieving your nutritional goals is preparation. Have a think about which aspects of your diet you wish to change (write them down if needed) and when you feel ready, set about preparing to action your goals; here are my top tips on how to get started!

“Failure to Prepare is Preparing to Fail”

• A weekly meal plan can be a very useful thing to do, especially if you have a busy lifestyle, as it provides a ‘go-to’ prompt as to what you had planned to eat on that particular day (no thinking required!). It may be useful to look at one or two recipe books for ideas. Once your meal plan is complete, put it where you can see it easily e.g. in your diary or display it on the kitchen on the front of your fridge or the inside of a cupboard.

• The next step is to write a shopping list. List all of the foods that you will need to allow you to keep to your weekly meal plan and then hit the shops – Just be sure to never go food shopping on an empty stomach as this will leave you open to temptations. Check out my healthy food shop essentials as well as my blog post on how to navigate the supermarket for more information!

• Oh, and a note on kitchen equipment.. make sure you have the tools and utensils that you may need for the week e.g. foil, baking parchment (paper), pans, baking tray, grill pan and oil (1 calorie spray oil if desired) as well as sandwich bags and tupperware containers (for chilling/freezing meals for other days or for taking meals out of the house). Check out my healthy kitchen gadgets blogs post for more information!

Having a healthy meal plan and healthy foods in the house are the first steps to helping you to achieve a healthier lifestyle. If you’re eating mainly healthily Monday to Friday then you can afford to have the odd treat at the weekend, especially if you are exercising as well. See my 80:20 blog for more information on achieving a healthy, sustainable balance.