Meal planning is usually the least of your concerns when you're busy and under stress at home or at work. But in order to lose weight, you will need to make changes in the way you eat. Not only will these changes help you control the calories you are eating, but they will also create a new way of living – one that is healthy and guaranteed to help you maintain the weight you have lost.

Plan Ahead

Until you are accustomed to the new way you are eating, you will want to plan out your meals a week ahead of time. This will allow you to buy your groceries without having to succumb to the temptations of rich or fatty foods. If what you want to buy isn't on the list you've created, you simply shouldn't purchase it. Here are some tips to help you plan ahead:

• Create a list of the meals you will be eating or cooking for others

• Next, create a list of the ingredients you will need

• Stock up with low fat and low calorie condiments and seasonings – i.e. balsamic vinegar, seasoning salts, herbs, etc.

• List the snacks you want to have in your flat or house

• Cook ahead of time – If you can, you should choose one day a week when you will focus on cooking for the week that follows. This will allow you to complete the heavy work of cooking and then you can simply freeze the meals until you are ready to eat them. Not only is this convenient, but you will also be able to scoop out small portions so that you don't have to worry about portion control.


• Find out what's in season – Since you want to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet to make it healthier, you'll want to plan your menus around the fruits and vegetables that are in season. This will make your meals more flavourful and appealing to eat.

Planning does take time, but it can also save you time when you're hungry and just want to put something in your mouth. Having a plan in place will help you avoid temptation as well as poor food choices.

Baking, Broiling, Boiling and Steaming…

The way you cook can often help make any recipe healthier. Instead of frying or sautéing your dishes, try to find ways to cook the foods thoroughly, but without the unnecessary fats and oils. Three great ways to still cook, but in a healthier way include:

• Baking – Putting a dish into a baking pan and putting it into the oven can help you eliminate the need for fatty cooking ingredients. Simply make sure that you have enough water in the dish so that the cooking process isn't going to dry out the meal, or cover the pan with an oven-safe lid or aluminium foil to seal in the moisture. You can bake nearly anything in the oven, though it might take a longer time for things to be ready.

• Broiling – If you haven't even looked at your broiler, you might be surprised to find that it's the best way to cook many drier dishes like meats and vegetables. You place the food directly into the broiler without any need for excess oils or fats and then cook until heated thoroughly.

• Boiling – While this isn't the most exciting way to cook a meal, boiling your foods can work just as well as any other cooking style, but without any added fat. Simply place the foods into a boilable bag or place the foods into a pan of boiling water. Things like vegetables can be put into a pan of water until it boils and then taken off the heat source and covered with a lid. Just wait a few minutes and the vegetables will be steamed to perfection – no butter needed.

• Steaming – Whether you purchase a vegetable or rice steamer or not, placing ingredients into a steam tray and letting the hot steam rise to cook the foods will not only keep the flavours in tact, but will also help seal in the nutrients.

You can still cook with oils and fats, but you should try to use as little as possible in order to keep your dishes as low in calories as you can.

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