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What are some common mistakes people make when trying to meal plan, and how can they avoid them?

Kingston Renforth

Hey there!

When it comes to meal planning, there are definitely some common mistakes that people tend to make. Here are a few of them, along with some tips on how to avoid them:

1. Not having a plan in place: This is probably the biggest mistake people make when it comes to meal planning. They start the week with good intentions, but don't actually take the time to figure out what they're going to eat. This leads to a lot of last-minute scrambling and often means resorting to unhealthy takeout or convenience foods.

To avoid this, it's important to take the time to actually plan out your meals. This doesn't have to be anything fancy - even just a basic list of what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner can help ensure you stay on track.

2. Not considering your schedule: Another mistake people make is not taking into account their schedule when planning meals. For example, if you know you have a busy night of meetings, you probably don't want to plan a complicated dinner that will take a lot of time to prepare.

To avoid this, try to think through your schedule for the week ahead of time and plan meals accordingly. If you know you have a busy night, plan for something easy to make, or even consider making a meal ahead of time that you can simply reheat.

3. Not balancing macros: This is more of a mistake that people who are focused on fitness and nutrition tend to make, but it's still worth mentioning. If you're not paying attention to the macronutrient breakdown of your meals (i.e. how much protein, carbs, and fats you're getting), you could end up with a diet that's unbalanced or doesn't support your goals.

To avoid this, try to pay attention to the macronutrient breakdown of your meals, especially if you're someone who's trying to build muscle, lose fat, or achieve some other specific fitness goal. You can use online calculators or apps to help you track your macros and ensure you're getting the right amount of each nutrient.

4. Being too rigid: Finally, another mistake people make with meal planning is being too rigid. They plan out every meal and snack for the entire week, but then feel guilty or stressed out if they deviate from the plan.

To avoid this, try to be a bit more flexible with your meal planning. It's okay to have some snacks on hand or to make last-minute substitutions if something doesn't sound good. Remember, the goal of meal planning is to make your life easier and more manageable, so don't stress out if things don't always go according to plan.

So those are some common mistakes people make with meal planning and how to avoid them. Hopefully this helps you get started with your own meal planning journey!

Take care,
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