Meal planning is a Pareto habit — a small action that delivers outsized results.
By deciding what to eat in advance, you can make better food choices, manage portion sizes, improve nutrient intake, regulate appetite, and reduce cravings.
It’s a 20% input that creates an 80% output.
Here’s how to create a weekly weight loss meal plan in three steps:
- Step 1: On your computer or on a piece of paper, create a 4 × 7 table (or use this template). Label the rows breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, and the columns Monday through Sunday to create a weekly overview of your meal plan.
- Step 2: Fill in each box with a meal of your choice. Aim for 1–2 palm-sized servings of protein, 1–2 fist-sized servings of vegetables, 1 thumb-sized serving of fats, and 1 cupped handful of carbohydrates at each meal.
- Step 3: Create a grocery list directly from your meal plan and go shopping for the ingredients. This removes daily decision-making, reduces impulse choices, and makes sticking to your plan almost automatic.
Keep it simple, and remember: you don’t have to cook every meal.
Bonus tip: At the end of each week, review two things: how well the meal plan worked and how closely you were able to stick to it. If you followed the plan but didn’t see results, consider reducing portion sizes. If you struggled to stick to it, simplify the plan so it’s easier to follow next week.
Congratulations — you’ve just created your own personalised meal plan.