Meal and Snack Prep and Planning for Weight Loss Success
Are you busy or on the go all of the time? Sometimes it can feel as though there is no time for weight loss because when hunger strikes, there are no good options. But with some meal and snack helpers from the BariatricPal Store, everyone can plan ahead to lose weight!
Why Plan Ahead?
Without healthy food within reach and ready to eat, a meal or snack may end up coming from a fast food restaurant, convenience store, or vending machine machine. What does that mean in reality? Likely you may end up with one or more of the following or similar items.
- Burger and fries
- Pizza
- Burrito
- Fried chicken sandwich
- Candy bar
- Potato chips
- Cheetos
Do you get the picture? Last-minute choices are likely to be high in fat, calories, sugar, and starch, and they may not provide the protein you need.
Instead, preparing meals and snacks ahead of time and making sure they are portable if need be can help ensure they are always available when you need them.
Cooking in Bigger Batches
Cooking several servings at a time takes little more effort than cooking a single serving, and the benefits can last for days. Cooking up several servings of Protein Soup can give you hot meals instantly. If using Protein ONE Complete Meal Replacement, you can add ingredients such as chicken, vegetables, and Protein Pasta to Chicken Soup, or try the Southwest Chili flavor plus your choice of cooked beans, ground turkey, or canned tomatoes.
Sugar-Free Barbecue Sauce can be another inspiration for cooking in bigger batches, if you make a large batch of barbecue chicken or tofu. Casseroles are also helpful, such as using Protein Omelets for breakfast casseroles or Protein Pasta for lunch and dinner casseroles.
Meals-in-a-Mason-Jar and Other Portable Meals
Grab-and-go meals can be ideal if you are going to be on the road or outside the home when it is time to eat. Mason jars are trendy now, and they can be healthy for bariatric patients. Here are some ideas.
- Make Protein Pancakes in a mason jar, and (optionally) top with your choice of blueberries, strawberries, Sugar-Free Chocolate in pieces, or Sugar-Free Syrup.
- Parfaits with Keto or Protein Granola, plain yogurt, and berries.
- Salad in a jar, with Calorie-Free Dressing on the side.
- Spaghetti in a jar with Protein Pasta, Calorie-Free Pasta Sauce, parmesan cheese, and cooked chicken.
Sandwiches are the classic grab-and-go choice, and you can keep them low-carb by choosing Zero Carb bread.
Portable Protein Snacks
Something that is ready to eat is something that you are more likely to choose when you are hungry. That is why it helps to wash and cut fresh fruits and vegetables, boil eggs, and cook chicken ahead of time, and why healthy snacks such as yogurt and string cheese should be in the fridge.
Protein Snacks such as Protein Chips, Protein Puffs, Protein Pretzels, Cheese Crisps, and Bean Snacks are low in carbohydrates and can be eaten straight from the bag. Plus, they do not even need refrigeration.
There are a lot of tricks to losing weight, and one of them is planning ahead to make sure you can always have a healthy choice when you are hungry. It does not take much time to get together healthy meals and snacks, especially when you use bariatric-friendly products from The BariatricPal Store. We know you can lose weight no matter how busy you are!
