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Achieving weight loss is just like achieving everything else in life: success requires planning. Most of the time, life gets busier than we expect it to, so it is important that we always have healthy snacks on hand. Most days, we get home from work and feel starving. Our first instinct is to grab whatever we can to fulfill our hunger and those things we grab for are usually the most calorie dense foods that do not support our weight loss efforts.

It is important to have healthy food ready when we need it. Chances are, that if you have spent time shopping, preparing, cooking, and cleaning up in order to prepare your meals in advanced, then you will be less likely to let these foods go to waste and more likely to pack your own lunches.

Here are my 5 fundamental tips for advanced food preparation and weight loss success:

1) Make shakes

Every day I leave my house with one scoop of protein powder in a “blender bottle” and a second serving of protein powder in a small Tupperware or zip-lock bag. When it’s time for a snack, all I have to do is add 1 cup of water and shake! Each shake can hold down my hunger for 1.5-2.5 hours.

I know I need to have 4+ servings of protein every day in order to maintain the physique I have worked so hard for in the gym. If my day ends up being longer than I expect it to, then I always have a back-up serving of protein powder. It’s easy to carry in my purse and gym bag…I even store a few servings in my car for those episodes of unexpected traffic.

To order your Blender Bottle, visit my online store.

2) Pre-chop your veggies for the week

Vegetables are full of important nutrients, fiber, and water. Many of these nutrients are powerful fuel sources for my frequent exercise bouts. Fiber slows digestion, leaves me feeling satiated for longer periods of time than other foods, and makes it hard for me to want to overeat. Water-rich veggies are also vital for detoxifying the body and hydrating muscles, leading more effectively to strength gains and muscular development.

I know that I need 5-10 servings of veggies per day to keep my body in optimal shape. That may seem like a lot of chopping, chewing, and cooking, but it doesn’t have to be! I try to select veggies that taste great raw or cooked. My favorites are bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, and cucumber. All I do is chose 2 days a week to chop up 32 cups (about 6 lbs of fresh veggies) and then I store them in the fridge in separate tupper-ware containers. When it comes time to eat, I just steam, saute, roast, or enjoy raw 6-8 oz (1-3 cups) of my favorite veggies with 4 oz of lean meat.

1 Serving of veggies=

• 1 cup OR 3-4 Oz raw/chopped nutrient-dense greens such as broccoli, Brussels, asparagus, green beans, zucchini, etc.
• 2 cups OR 3 Oz raw nutrient-dense leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or arugula (romaine and ice berg lettuces are not nutrient dense)
• In order to take in 8 servings of veggies/day, I enjoy 2-3 servings during 3 meals every day

3) Grill/bake/or crock-pot your meat for the work week

I doubt anyone enjoys cooking or cleaning up after every meal, so I have learned to be time-efficient by preparing 4 days of meat at a time. I usually have 2 servings of meat every day and each serving weighs about 4 oz. once cooked. On Sundays and Wednesdays I cook up 24 chicken breast tenders using my George Forman Grill or my crock-pot. 3 tenders usually ends up weighing about 4 oz (1 serving for females).

I pack a lunch for work with 4 oz of meat and 6-8 oz of veggies. I have something similar for dinner. It’s so easy and I never have to think about what I am going to eat!

I recommend experimenting with spices in order to turn normally bland-tasting foods into gourmet meals. My favorite spices right now for sautéing and baking veggies are Curry Powder with ground Cumin or garlic powder with black pepper. My favorite dressings are balsamic vinegar or Trader Joe’s low fat cilantro dressing (available in refrigerator section).

4) The Breakfast ritual

I know we have all heard this one forever, but breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day! If you are like me, then you just don’t feel hungry in the morning. The problem is that by the time we do feel hungry, we are often starving and end up “fixing” this by eating the wrong foods and way too much of them.

I have learned to force down my breakfast because I know that it is the jump-start that my metabolism needs for the day and it decreased the chances that I will grab for the quickest and easiest bite when hunger sets in during my work hours.

We all want to maximize our sleep and I have heard too many times the “I just don’t have time for breakfast” line. I once used this excuse too.

Now I eat breakfast every morning right before I leave my house for work. I make time for breakfast by selecting an easy meal and preparing it the night before. For example, I have been on a protein pancake kick for over 2 months now (see my blog for the recipe). The recipe makes 2 servings, so I prepare 2 days worth of breakfasts every other day. The recipe only requires 4 ingredients. It takes me less than 5 minutes to cook the pancakes and if I am running late, then it is easy to eat them while on my way to work.

When I run out of batter every other day, I simply prepare my next batter while my breakfast is cooking on the stove-top.

5) The Sunday & Wednesday Ritual

Weight loss requires planning. Unlike most, I begin my work-week on Sundays. With 6 days of solid work to look forward to, it is very important for me to minimize my stress by planning ahead. That includes having healthy food options readily available at all times, so that I can focus on dealing with everything else, instead of focusing on what I am going to eat for my next meal.

On Sundays and Wednesdays, I hit Trader Joe’s with my grocery list:

• 2 lbs of lean meat
• 6 lbs (96 oz) fresh veggies (enough veggies for 4 days)
• 4 servings of fresh fruit (1 serving per day: 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 orange, or 1 cup melon or berries)
• Every 2-3 weeks: 1 bag of unsalted raw or roasted nuts (I prefer walnuts because they are higher in Omega 3’s than other nuts and I don’t eat much fish)

Every Sunday afternoon, I prep my food for the following 4 days. On Wednesday nights, I hit the grocery store again and I repeat.

I measure out 7 individual servings unsalted raw or roasted nuts 1 oz (1/4 cup, if you don’t have a food scale) and separate them 7 snack-sized zip-lock bags. Each day, I pack one baggie as a snack.

I also measure out 14 separate scoops of whey protein powder into blender bottles and zip-lock bags. Each day, I pack two servings of whey protein powder for my work day; 1 for post weight-lifting and 1 as a “back-up” snack or potential pre-cardio supplement, if necessary.

Stay fit, stay happy, stay healthy, and get prepared to lose weight!

XOXO

Lauren