Meal Plan in the Making

When you begin a new routine, creating a meal plan and prepping your food sets you up for major success. 

No matter what food guide your following, meal planning and prepping will save you time and money in the long run. You'll only eat what you've cooked and taken with you. And you'll only buy what's on the plan; this way, you will avoid throwing out so much food by the end of the week. 

Where do you begin??

Well, I like to start with dinner. I like to make sure I have a serving of protein, veggie and carb left for dinner- followed by a serving if fruit if I want dessert. 

This also helps guide me when I go out to eat, because I know if I stick to those basic food groups, using portion control, I'll stay on track. 

Next, I'll look to see what food is already in the house that I can add in each day  before it goes bad. I like to spread out my carbs throughout the day and have a serving of fruit in the afternoon to satisfy my daily sweet tooth. 

Your cravings may be totally different than mine, so just go with whatever is going to help your succeed and stay on your plan. If you crave sweet first thing in the more, have your shakeology then. Or if you crave salth, then whip up some eggs and salsa. 

There are many ways to track your food. You've got your calories, tracking your macros, portions using the 21 Day Fix. The main thing to remember is to keep your diet as clean as possible. If you eat natural foods that your body knows how to break down, you'll see better results. 

And drink tons of water!!  At least half your body weight in ounces and more if you can. When your body knows you're going to hydrate it properly, it holds on to less water weight because it's confident. 

When you deprive yourself of water, the body holds tight to that water weight because it never knows when it will have more. 

Here's a meal plan that I made my 21 Day Fix challengers. It's color coded to fit the eating guide in the program. 

This is for the 1500-1700 calorie range. You can make adjustments if you are in a different range. 

So what do you think? Would you give meal planning and prepping a try??