#Meal planning ideas for weight loss how to

It gives you more control over not only your calories, but also added nutrients that your body needs for good health. Planning balanced meals that include all the food groups and not eliminating any of them and eating at home (where you include mostly whole, minimally processed foods) is an important part of weight loss and weight maintenance, says Larson. Getting rid of as many highly processed foods, packaged foods, junk foods, sugary treats and sweets will go a long way toward nixing excessive amounts of sugar, fat and calories that lead to weight gain and keep the pounds on, says Larson. Most of these processed foods are full of sugar, which can be addictive, making dropping them cold turkey a struggle, so go slow. Take a hard look at where these foods are popping up in your life-or when they are falling into your shopping cart-and eliminate them gradually. “Are there foods that are obviously adding empty calories to your life that you can give up? Things like sugary sodas, drinks, cakes, cookies, candy?” “The first step is to evaluate your current eating patterns,” says Kim Larson, R.D.N., and health and wellness coach at Total Health in Seattle, WA.

#Meal planning ideas for weight loss how to

Though what foods you buy and put into your body are the key to dropping pounds, it can be tough to sort out how to actually go about it in real life.

And it doesn’t matter if you need to lose 10 pounds, or a more daunting amount like 50 pounds, solely pounding out reps in the gym or attacking the treadmill isn’t going to get you to your goal-you must focus your efforts on the calories you are taking in to create a leaner body. Most of us would love to whittle away the stubborn belly fat that circles our waists, either for health reasons or to just feel better about our bodies, but few people understand what it takes to drop excess weight.