If you think all it takes to lose weight is eating healthy and exercising regularly, you would be wrong. A main key point to achieving success on Ideal Protein Phase 1 weight loss is proper preparation.
Whether you are trying to lose pounds or keep them off, preparation is absolutely essential to achieve your goals. It is extremely difficult to succeed at losing weight unless you have the right mindset and create a solid structure to help you through your journey.
Remember how many times you were derailed from a diet just because you did not have any meals prepped or because you felt like you had “blown it” after eating something off plan, and then reverted back to your old dietary habits because of the slip up?
The good news is that, with a little bit of preparation, you can deal with all the issues that may prevent you from achieving your weight loss goals. Here is what you need to do:
Set Up Your Kitchen
Healthy cooking is not all about making foods with healthy ingredients. It also involves having the appropriate kitchen tools and other essentials. Having some kitchen essentials in your home will make cooking and eating healthy a lot easier. These items will save you a lot of time while cooking and help you stay on track with on-plan meals.
1. Top-Quality Cooking Pans
Pans are one of the everyday cooking essentials. We use pans to fry, warm food, or prepare something tasty with them. Therefore, it is crucial to buy a top-quality pan for cooking our meals. We often recommend going for a non-stick carbon steel pan made with 99% iron and 1% carbon. This type of pan becomes naturally non-stick even after seasoning without using any synthetic coating or chemicals.
2. Knives
Knives are another important item to have in your kitchen. We use knives for chopping, cutting, slicing, dicing, peeling, mincing, separating, and other tasks needed to prepare meals. They come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and types. So, it’s important to buy knives that are perfect for everyday use. We recommend going for knives made with stainless steel.
3. Food Processors & Blenders
Blenders are used to puree. You can use a blender to create a smooth sauce, soup or dip. If you think you’ll be using a blender every day, you may want to buy a Vitamix – it’s not your average blender. Apart from using it to make smoothies, this appliance also has other uses.
A food processor, on the other hand, can be used for pureeing and also for chopping and grinding veggies, making salsas or fresh protocol friendly pesto very quickly. It makes chopping or slicing food easier and effortless. If you are looking for a high-quality food processor that can serve many purposes, we recommend KitchenAid.
4. Pressure Cooker
A pressure cooker is simply a pot with a tight-fitting lid and safety valves. When the pot is sealed and heated, pressure builds up inside it, allowing food to cook faster. Pressure cookers come in different sizes and types. With a manual pressure cooker, you will have to wait for it to heat up before adding the food and sealing it. You will then leave it to cook at a certain pressure level for a particular amount of time. If you are okay with a manual pressure cooker, you may want to consider Fissler.
5. Multi-cooker
Multi-cooker and electric pressure cookers are also types of pressure cookers. Instant pot is a popular example. This programmable pressure cooker lets you set your cook time and method. You only need to put ingredients inside it and enjoy hot, tasty meals within a short time.
6. Steamers
A food steamer is another useful appliance to have in your kitchen. It is basically a pot designed to cook food with hot water vapor. Food steamers are easy to use, but you need to be patient, as cooking may take a few hours. One recommended food steamer you can consider is Concord. It is a light 3 Tier Steamer Pot made with stainless steel.
7. Mandoline & Spiralizer
Mandoline and spiralizer allow you to enjoy your cucumbers, radishes, zucchini, and turnips in varied ways. You can slice more easily and quickly with a mandoline than with a knife, easily creating the perfect veggie chip for roasting or air frying. A spiralizer is a tool that you can use to turn veggies into ribbons or strips that can be used in place of spaghetti or noodles.
8. Food Scale
Another important kitchen tool is a food scale. They allow you to weigh the correct amount of ingredients for your recipe and help you portion your food more accurately. Ideal Protein has their own vegetable digital scale, which easily converts vegetable weight into cups.
9. Glass Containers
Glass containers are must-have tools for anyone who wants to embark on a healthy eating journey. They are great for storing leftover food and ingredients such as fresh chopped veggies.
These containers are available in various sizes and can be used to store different types of food. They don’t absorb smells or stains, which makes them ideal for storing acidic foods.
10. Dutch Oven
A dutch oven is a large, shallow cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. It has multiple uses. You can use it for cooking one-pot, slow-cooked meals, such as soups, stews, and pot roasts. You can place it inside the oven or on the stovetop, and it’s typically made with cast irons. However, dutch ovens can be costly and weighty.
Grocery Shopping
As a dieter, it’s extremely important to have healthy foods available at home. Stock your fridge and pantry with staple foods, so that you always have what you need on hand.
Fill your refrigerator and freezer with vegetables and lean meats. It is ideal to keep your refrigerator between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, placing foods with short shelf life at the front, so you can easily see them. Having a variety of frozen veggies and proteins is always great to have on hand as well to keep you on track when running low on fresh versions. Also, buying pre-cut veggies will help cut down on preparation time.
When at the store, stay primarily on the outside perimeter. This is where you are going to find fresh produce and lean protein sources. If you need more help, read up our guide on healthy grocery shopping.
Create a List
When doing your weekly shopping it is important to go with a list in hand. After taking inventory of what you have at home and therefore what on-plan foods you will need for the week, write them down and stick to the list while at the store.
Budget-Friendly Tips
If you are shopping on a limited budget, you may want to choose vegetables that are in their season to save costs. These veggies are usually more affordable because they are available in larger quantities and don’t need to be transported long-distance. You may choose to purchase them in bulk and store extras in your freezer before they get spoiled.
Packed with plenty of vitamins, Cabbage is one vegetable you will want to add to your grocery shopping list. It’s a versatile green you can use to make salads, coleslaw, and stir-fry dishes.
Eggs are an inexpensive and versatile protein that you can eat at any meal.
Purchasing your protein in bulk will also save you some money. Bulk protein sources typically costs less per ounce and can be stored in the freezer, so you will not have to include it on your weekly shopping list.
To make your budget go further, look for recipes that use canned fish like sardines, tuna, or salmon. These items are cheap sources of protein and can be stored for a longer time without them getting spoiled.
Here is a link to approved store-bought items and alternatives for Phase 1 Ideal Protein
Meal Prep
Meal prepping is when you make all the meals or dishes you are going to eat ahead of time so you don’t have to cook every day.
It is a common practice amongst people with a hectic schedule, as it saves a lot of time and money. Meal prepping can be especially beneficial for people on a diet, like Ideal Protein, helping to prevent boredom and stay on track with their goals.
When you have your meals prepared in advance, it can ensure that you take the correct portion sizes, helping you to achieve your daily goals. Meal prepping will also stop you from making unhealthy food choices, like eating take-outs when you are stressed or lacking the energy to cook.
Since meal prepping requires choosing your food ahead of time, it can also help you eat more exciting and nutritious meals in the long run.
There are several ways to meal prep, and many of them don’t even require spending your Sunday afternoon preparing meals for the coming week. Check out the methods below and choose the ones that are perfect for you.
You don’t have to use a large part of your weekend cooking meals for the week to come. There are different meal prep methods, so it’s up to you to find the right one for you.
Here are some common meal prep methods to consider:
- Batch cooking: This involves cooking large quantities of a certain recipe and dividing the food into small portions. You will then store them in a freezer to be eaten over the next few weeks. You can use these for lunch or dinner.
- Make-ahead meals: These are complete meals made in advance, which you can keep in the fridge and heat again when you are ready to eat them. They can be an excellent option for dinner.
- Separately-portioned meals: Preparing fresh meals and dividing them into smaller separate portions to be stored in the fridge and consumed over the next few days. This method can be good for quick lunches and helps you adhere to your daily portion requirements.
- Ready-to-cook ingredients: Shopping for all the essential ingredients for certain meals ahead of time, cleaning, cutting, and storing them to cut down the amount of time you will spend in the kitchen.
Those are some of the meal prep methods you can consider. The right one to choose will depend on your daily routine and nutrition goals. You can get more ideas and tips here.
Mindset
When it comes to losing weight, your mindset is really, really important. How successful you will be at focusing on your healthy eating goals will depend on how you think about your nutrition and health. Experts believe that mindset plays a crucial role in losing weight and following healthy eating habits. Your mindset can either aid or prevent you from achieving your health goals.
As a dieter, the first mindset tool you need is to figure out your WHY. In other words, determine your motivation for wanting to lose or maintain weight.
Knowing your motivations is key to making effective and permanent habit changes toward achieving your diet goals. When you know the reasons for embarking on a healthy eating journey, it will give you an edge against possible slips and challenges you may face.
So, ask yourself:
- How will changing my diet or losing weight benefit me?
- What are the good things that can happen if I lose weight? Create a list if possible.
- What risks am I taking by sticking to my current diet?
- What other consequences could I face if I don’t shed weight?
While concerns about your looks may appear like a great motivation to lose weight, studies have shown that it may not last for a long time. Besides, going on a quick weight loss program can lead to negative outcomes, such as low self-esteem, poor body image perception, etc., and make you return to old unhealthy habits, causing you to regain lost weight.
Health-based motivations, however, make you more aware of your eating habits and have been linked with positive, long-lasting results, like improved weight loss, lower chances of weight regain, and better body image.
Therefore, we advise that you consider some health-based motivations to shed weight. It can be more mobility, reverse metabolic syndrome, gain more energy, promote cardiovascular health, improve sleep quality, relieve joint pain, and stop using certain prescription drugs.
Your motivation may change along the line as your priorities change. So, re-examine your motivations to keep them updated and flying high.
Take Away
Dieter should begin with and maintain a lot of dedication, perseverance and preparation to attain their goals. Ideal Protein Phase 1 offers robust support and guidance for your success and helps you become healthier, happier in life.
Set up a FREE consultation with our experienced coaches to learn how you too can succeed with the Ideal Protein program.
