A little over a week ago, I told you I was committing to a meal plan.
I was all for it. I sat down on Sunday and developed a detailed list. I knew what I was going to have for breakfast, lunch, and supper from Monday through Thursday. Everything was balanced. Everything was nutritious. I had such high hopes.
…no thank you.
I’m not a quitter. But I wholeheartedly admit defeat here. Meal planning is so not my thing.
I last until Tuesday night, maybe? Then I just felt like I was being forced to eat meals that I really didn’t want to. It’s not like the meals I had planned were atrocious and gross things like liver and onions or something (I’ve never actually tried them … the thought just is repulsive). It was filled with some of favorite items like smoothies, overnight oats, and wraps. None of them were taxing in the kitchen. I don’t think prep time for anything was more than 15 minutes.
I just don’t want someone (in this case, myself) forcing me to eat certain food. And no amount of airplanes noises helped either 
So I changed my approach.
I revamped my daily plan. I developed one big list. I sat down again and did more brainstorming, writing down the most delicious meals in my limited repertoire. I listed them all. Then I referred to that list for the rest of the week.
The result was fantastic! When I came home from work each day, I already had a list of ideas scribbled down, waiting for me to pick something to eat. I tend to get into ruts with food … this is a terrific way of avoiding that. And the least amount of thinking at the end of the work day is always a bonus
Have you ever really wanted to like something and just couldn’t make it happen?
Have a wonderful day! We’re one day closer to the end of a short work week!
glad to hear this new approach is working for you. during the week i can’t plan specific meals for each day – but i do tend to have ‘options’. i prefer to let my body and cravings drive my meals. tends to satisfy me better…
I completely understand what you mean. I don’t do meal plans, but tend to eat the same things all of the time, so my freezer is stocked with them. Very rarely do I remember to get something out before work… but that’s okay cos often I feel like something different when I get home. It just means I eat late cos I’m too lazy to defrost something in the microwave, but at least I get to have what I want (from a limited pre-organised selection!)
Deb
I like your style!
I know exactly what you mean! Anytime my finance and I try to really plan our meals out we feel forced to eat things we don’t always want that night and sometimes since we bought everything to make it we end up making it anyway.
Now we try to buy staples — brown rice, eggs, bread, ground turkey, lean ground beef, etc etc – so that we can decide what we want to make that night. We also started making better use of our freezer after buying things we don’t use that week.
Lucky, I wish I had Friday off! That’s OK though, it’s almost the weekend and I LOVE Easter weekend. It means SPRING IS HERE!
It sure is
I went without a jacket today and I felt like a whole new girl! Hahaha
that definitely sounds like a better way to meal plan. i agree, i’d feel forced into eating stuff i didnt want to with your original plan too. sometimes i switch up restaurant locations on my friends when we make plans to dine out a week in advance and then the day of the plan comes and i no longer want that kind of food. i’m a big pain
I’m the exact same way… I hate having something already set for me. I usually just have a week of dinners planned out and decide the day of which I’m feeling!
Yes! Works much better that way!
That is the same way I meal plan… so much more flexible. Love the blog… I came here from #fitblog on Twitter.
Thanks for stopping by Sarah, I”m glad #fitblog brought us together