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Creating a low-carb weekly meal prep for the week ahead is critical to weight loss success.
I call it my “secret sauce” to accelerated weight loss success after bariatric surgery!
When it comes to will power, we only have so much per day, and then we run out. Yes, you can strengthen will power over time, but until you are able to do that, not having to make several food decisions every day is going to keep you on track!
When asked why he wears the exact same outfit every day, Steve Jobs said he only has to make so many important decisions every single day, that repeating the same outfit doesn’t take away from the brain power he needs throughout his day! If he doesn’t have to decide his outfit that day, just grab it and go, then he has all the more decision making left in him.
The same is true for will power. When you’re exhausted at the end of the day, are you going to make the best choices for yourself or will you find yourself at the drive thru ordering the very thing you know will sabotage your success? Or do you struggle with eating at night because all willpower is zapped?
If all of your meals are planned and prepared over the weekend, each meal is already decided for you, and then you have all the willpower you need to get you to bed without those late night snack attacks.
I have always hated meal planning. It always took up my entire day and I always tried to give my family way too much variety, so it cost a fortune, too!
The first few days of our menu plan would be great, then I would completely give up, buy fast food for the rest of the week, and let all of that expensive produce rot in the fridge. (Shudder!) Now that’s a very bad lifestyle habit I am so glad to be out of!
Friday: Planning
Every week on Friday, I sit down and do my meal plan for the following week.
I keep certain things the same as much as possible so that it takes me only a few minutes to do. I change out the dinner recipes, but I always account for leftovers, and I kept breakfast and lunch the same. It works out GREAT.
Oh, but that’s not the best part….
I then email it out to my free newsletter subscribers, so you can use the exact same low-carb, keto-friendly meals for yourself!
Expect a new menu to come in every Friday!
Saturday: Shopping
On Saturdays I do my food shopping for the week.
Frugal Tip: you can do this on Wednesdays, if you’re on a tight budget. Most grocery stores will give you the discounts for weekly specials for both the week prior and the week ahead. So if that’s what you want to do, simply adjust the dates on the schedule.
I always buy every week:
- 1 Rotisserie chicken – To serve for dinner with roasted veggies one night a week, then I pick the remaining meat off the bones to save for a dish later on in the week. If I don’t have a dish planned in which to use it, I use the meat in my lunch salads.
- 18 eggs (more for larger families) – I hard-boil 12 eggs to always have a quick protein fix on hand, and then I use any extras up at the end of the week either in an egg salad wrap, deviled eggs, or add them to my lunchtime salads.
- 1-2 lbs bacon – I use this in my weekly breakfast meal prep, use extras for other breakfasts, or salads.
- 1-2 bags salad greens – I like these because I can get a big variety of leafy greens without a ton of meal prep! This is for lunch salads
- Veggies for salad – What do you like on your salad? I always buy cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, sliced carrots… choose whatever you like! You may also want to add some olives, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and meat (sugar-free)
- Veggies for roasting – My favorite standby that I do nearly every week is 2 bell peppers, one large onion, 1 box sliced mushrooms, 1-2 zucchini or yellow squash. Delicious as a side or in an egg scramble for breakfast.
- Anything else? – Lastly I check each recipe to make sure I have everything I need for the salad dressing, breakfast casserole, dinners, etc. And there may be other things you personally enjoy such as coffee with a bit of heavy whipped cream. So keep note of those things, too!
Saturday Afternoon/Evening: Prepare for Sunday
Put away groceries.
Catch up on dishes.
Make a breakfast casserole for the week so you can start tomorrow with a great breakfast!
Sunday: Batch Cooking Day!
The order in which you work is going to depend on the meal plan for the week.
After eating breakfast, I usually start with hard-boiling the eggs, and making bacon.
While those are cooking, I make my jars of salad for the week, for my lunches. (Make an extra so you have it ready for lunch today!)
Lastly, I make dinner for the rest of the week, and then I portion it out and save it to just pull out of the fridge and reheat later!
You will be SO GLAD YOU DID.
Do you have some amazing tips to share? I would love to hear about all the things you do to make meal prep a breeze! Please let me a comment below!
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