Trying to stick to a healthy diet is a real struggle. Meal planning and prep is a big trend at the moment and people are using it as a way to stick to their diet properly. When you see people posting online about it, they make it look so easy. But when you try it for yourself, you’ll probably realise that it isn’t as easy as it seems. A lot of people stick to it for a couple of weeks before falling into bad habits again. But you shouldn’t give up on the idea of meal planning completely because it is a good way to lose weight, you just need to follow these tips to make it work.

Use New Recipes Each Week

When people start meal planning, they’ll look at a load of new recipes and start writing a shopping list. But after a couple of weeks, they find that they’re still eating the same recipes that they started with. Getting bored with what you’re eating is the most common reason that people fail at meal planning. That’s why you always need to be using new recipes to keep things varied and interesting. Spend a bit of time looking for new recipes each week, you don’t have to cook a brand new dish for every meal but at least add a few new things to your plan on a weekly basis. It’ll stop you from getting bored so you’re far more likely to stick to the plan.

Track It Properly

Meal planning only works if you’re strict with yourself and you stick to it properly. Half measures simply won’t work. That’s why it’s so important that you’re tracking your meal plans properly. There are some great online services like IDineAtHome.com that help you keep on top of it. You can find some great recipes on there, get a list of all of the ingredients that you need and even see how much money you’re saving. That’s a big incentive to carry on with your meal planning routine.

Plan Snacks

Another big mistake that people make with meal planning is just planning 3 meals a day and forgetting about snacks. You’re always going to get snack cravings and if you haven’t planned for them, you’ll end up eating unhealthy stuff. But if you incorporate snacks into your meal plan, you’ll always be eating healthy stuff, even between meals.

Check The Weather

This sounds a bit weird but it’s important. You’re not going to be in the mood for heavy food when the weather is hot, and when it’s cold and rainy, you’ll want some nice homely food. If you’re not checking the weather before you start planning for the week, you’ll end up preparing food that you’re not really in the mood for. That means you’re going to be disappointed with your food and that’s always going to make you far less likely to stick to your meal plan.

Meal planning is a great way to get healthy and if you follow these tips, you should be able to stick to it properly.