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Dr. Barbara Katz, Health, Nutrition
Why Meal Planning Is Important
Permanent Weight Loss: Dr. Barbara L Katz
Why is meal planning important?
When you plan what you’ll eat ahead of time and follow your plan, you’re more likely to be successful in losing or maintaining your weight. When you plan ahead of time, you use the rational part of your brain that can think about your future and your long-term goals. And when you eat in response to urges or cravings, you use the primitive part of your brain that does what is easiest.
Create Plan:
To successfully create a plan you enjoy following, decide what to eat based on your future goals. Include foods you love. If you don’t look forward to eating the foods on your plan, you’re less likely to follow that plan. A successful food plan should include “healthy” foods you enjoy. And foods that give you pleasure because they taste good or bring back fond memories.
“It is possible to include foods from all food groups and categories, enjoy your food, lose weight, and keep it off.”
However, by planning, you can include foods in a manner that help you to lose or maintain your weight. That might mean planning to eat ice cream or cookies only once or twice a week rather than every day. That might mean eating less so you’re hungry for dessert – or sometimes, even eating “dessert” instead of a full meal to fully enjoy dessert while not overeating.
Your plan may include one or two glasses of wine, beer, or an appetizer with dinner at a restaurant. When you plan, you can decide to eat amounts that won’t harm your weight loss. It is possible to include foods from all food groups and categories, enjoy your food, lose weight, and keep it off.
Make Small Changes To Your Meal Plan:
When you make your daily food plan, include meals and snacks with the understanding that you’ll eat those foods only if you’re hungry. Start with a plan similar to how you currently eat, then make small changes weekly if necessary. When you assess your plan daily – did you follow your food plan, and if not, why not – you’ll be able to see where to make changes. Start with a plan that’s easy to follow and fits your lifestyle. Then, gradually modify that plan until you’re losing weight.
It takes experimentation to learn how much food you can eat while continuing to lose weight. You’re the scientist of your body and may need to experiment to figure out what works for you. When you include the foods you love and enjoy eating, you’re more likely to follow your plan and eat all foods in amounts that will allow you to lose weight permanently.
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About the Author:
Dr. Barbara L Katz is a physician, an Advanced Certified Weight Loss Coach and a Life Coach for women over 50. She is CEO of Dr Barbara L Katz, Coaching and specializes in helping women over 50 to lose their excess weight for the last time without dieting or excessive exercise. She, herself, lost over 40 pounds in her 60s with the help of coaching. In her free time, she participates in dog obedience, agility, and therapy dog visits to the local children’s hospital with her 2 pugs.
As a coach, she helps women visualize themselves as their future selves, comfortable and controlled around all foods. You can sign up for her weekly posts on her website, https://drbarbaralkatzcoaching.com. Every week in your inbox, you will receive information about how to lose weight successfully and permanently without dieting.
