Saving Time & Money While Shrinking

I've been pretty successful since starting my weight loss plan almost 9 weeks ago, with no gains since Week 1 and fairly normal losses each week given my age, height and starting weight. One of the things that I directly attribute my success to is planning my meals for the week. It saves me time, money and helps me keep losing. I know I've touched on this several times before, but I wanted to be a little bit more specific as to how I actually go about it...

1. Look at your budget. How much can you afford to spend on groceries each week? I give myself anywhere between $30 and $50 a week to spend on groceries depending on what "main supplies" I have in the pantry and fridge. If you need to, take out cash before you go grocery shopping so you don't overbuy.

2. Sit down and plan out your meals and snacks. I actually use an Excel spreadsheet to help me plan everything out, including my point values. I typically plan my meals for the following week on weekends or Mondays since that's when I go grocery shopping. I take some of my "old standby" meals, personal favorites, and new recipes I'd like to try into consideration before getting started, as well as what food I have that I need to use. It's important to keep variety in your diet, but also choose meals that are quick, easy and tasty. Try to pick meals that you can cook once and use for left overs during the week.

3. Once I know what I plan on eating, I look at what I have in the fridge and pantry and then make my grocery list. I only write down what I need to buy to make my meals for that week. When you make a list, STICK TO IT. This way your cart doesn't fill up with bad choices and your wallet can breathe easy. Lots of grocery stores offer some type of savings card to help you save money, but remember that these "bonus buys" and coupons can be a trap- they get you to buy things you don't need because it seems like a great deal. What's cheaper than buying one mustard and getting one free? Not buying the mustard in the first place.

4. When you get home from the grocery store, prep your food. Wash and chop your fruit and vegetables and put them into portions. Take your meat and portion it out, placing some in the freezer if necessary. This keeps you from overeating and saves on prep time throughout the week. I pay more for some timesaver foods like diced onion. My knife skills aren't great, so buying a bag of pre-diced onion is well worth it for me and I can always freeze what I don't use.

5. Get to cooking. Being single, I'll make a recipe that serves 4 but immediately portion it out when I'm done cooking. I've already made my dinner, but now I have three other meals that just need to be nuked. Plus, I can't go back for seconds. That's stretching a buck and your time- who doesn't love that?

We all love convenience and having a little extra cash left over and this is a great way to accomplish both while cooking healthy meals that help you reach your goals. Weight loss is about re-training yourself in terms of your thinking and your habits. Once you start cooking and shopping this way, it quickly becomes a way of life. So do yourself a favor and save time, money and shrink your waistline. Now you'll have more cash to save and more time to get in the gym!