The great news is – meal planning can actually help you lose weight, and sustain that loss.. Whatever the motivation – an annual physical, a summer beach holiday, or a health condition – Time Magazine reported that, at any given moment, around half of Americans are actively trying to lose weight. Based on a survey carried out between 2013 and 2016, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found that 56.4% of women and 41.7% of men said that they had been actively trying to slim down in the last 12 months.

With so many people trying to lose weight, it is unsurprising that we look for answers in online articles and magazines.

While fad diets can make you lose weight quickly, they offer unsustainable results. Dropping 5lbs for a summer holiday or big event might give you the instant outcome you need, but you won’t be able to keep the weight off long-term. The best way to achieve that is by eating a balanced, healthy diet, and staying active. The great news is – meal planning can actually help you lose weight, and sustain that loss.

Taking the time to plan your meals for the week, then creating a detailed shopping list before going to the store is a fail-safe way to ensure that you aren’t tempted to buy random (often unhealthy or processed) items. Buying only the ingredients you need for the meals you intend to make is more economical, and it’s easier to resist temptation if you don’t have treats and snacks laying around. What’s more, avoiding processed, pre-prepared meals also helps heighten your awareness of exactly what you are fuelling your body with.

While processed foods can contain additives or hidden fats, making your own food from scratch basically eliminates those. Avoiding the artificial stuff used to preserve food, as well as cutting down on the amount of fat and salt you use, are easy ways to make a healthy impact.

Planning out your week’s meals can help you reach your goals faster. The CDC advises that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off; and they should achieve this goal by eating well and exercising regularly.

Eating well means not depriving yourself of crucial food groups, and allowing some degree of flexibility in their diet. Those who enjoy regular treats – such as the occasional takeaway, dessert, or their favorite snack – are more likely to lose weight and keep it off for good.

By planning your meals, you can take control of your diet and build in the kind of treats that keep us all going whilst losing that extra weight – pound by pound, inch by inch.