Benefits of habit “Plan your meals ahead of time”
✓ Developing healthier eating habits
✓ Financial savings
✓ Save time
✓ Aids in reaching weight loss and fitness goals
✓ Reduces food waste
First step:
Plan one day’s meals this week
Progress:
1. Start by planning one day’s meal this week. Either plan and cook ahead of time, or research and choose where you will be eating out. Choose dishes online ahead of time.
2. Next week, plan two days ahead.
3. Keep increasing the planning rate, until you know what you will eat every day.
Helpful tips to make it a habit:
✓ Same time is key. Make sure to do your planning at the same time. Use a notebook every evening to write down what you will be eating the following day.
✓ Trigger your mind. To plan and prepare is a habit that needs to happen automatically. Put a recipe book or a note in a visible place so you couldn’t miss it in the evenings.
✓ Let the app help. Set the reminder on this app to help you schedule the planning and cooking session.
✓ Reward yourself. Once you went through a month of good planning, get spontaneous. Go to a restaurant you always wanted or just find one you haven’t been to before. Now that you saved up some money from planning every meal, you can treat yourself!
✓ Celebrate small victories. Every time you perform this habit, congratulate yourself! Say “I’m awesome” or “I’m so cool” out loud and with a smile on your face.
Tips for beginners:
✓ Research. If you’re cooking at home, make sure to learn some recipes that you would like to eat and learn about the ingredients in them. Knowledge is power and cooking takes some knowledge and wielding it over the stove.
✓ Research some more. If you don’t have time to cook or don’t have enough skill to do so, research venues and their menus. Check around your workplace and home, find out about your options and choose some restaurants that have healthier options or just options you like.
✓ Learn to cook. Eating out is fine, but cheaper and often healthier option is to learn it and cook at home. Watch some basic cooking instructions online or buy a cookbook. Dedicate some time and the rewards will be immense and long-term.
