Planning Meals

Planning meals is vital to keeping your food plan on track and building confidence in your weight management skills. It makes you less susceptible to inappropriate eating cues and can relieve the stress of having to make spontaneous, unplanned choices. Successful meal planning involves identifying meals you will eat out, those you will prepare from scratch, and the occasional use of packaged or prepared products such as frozen meals and the OPTIFAST^Ò products. The easiest way to approach planning is to do it meal by meal. Before you decide what you are going to eat, consider your dietary needs, your schedule, budget, and cooking equipment.  If you have enjoyed the convenience, ease of use, and taste of the OPTIFAST® products during the weight loss phase, you can continue to enjoy them in maintenance! Research has shown that daily use of two meal replacements can be a helpful long-term weight-management strategy.^1-2   Use the OPTIFAST^Ò products strategically to replace potentially high calorie meals or as convenient snacks.

To manage your weight and health, follow the healthy eating pattern recommended by the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/executive-summary).

• A variety of vegetables from all the colors and groups: dark green, red, orange, yellow, white
• Fruits, especially whole fruits
• Grains, at least half should be whole grains
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages
• A variety of protein foods including seafood, lean meats, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and soy products
• Oils

In addition, limit the intake of foods high in saturated fats and trans-fats, added sugar, and sodium.

Meal Planning Tips

• Aim for a greener plate. Cover ¾ of the plate with plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fill the remaining ¼ with a source of lean protein.
• Fill up on fruits and vegetables first. Beginning a meal with a large vegetable salad or bowl of vegetable soup can reduce total calorie intake.
• When it comes to fruits and vegetables, eat like a “rainbow.” The various pigments in fruits and vegetables provide important health benefits.
• Combine protein and carbohydrate at each meal or snack. The quantity you eat will depend on your calorie level for the day and the stage of transition or maintenance you have reached.
• Remember, fat is a concentrated source of calories. Choose small portions of heart-healthy fats such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, trans-fat free margarines, nuts, seeds, avocado, and nut butters.
• Eat less animal fat to significantly cut saturated fat and cholesterol intake and reduce your risk for heart disease. To reduce the animal fat in your diet:

• Choose lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish,  skim or 1% milk,  and low-fat cheese.

• Replace some of the red meat in your diet with fish, skinless poultry, and plant based protein such as soy and legumes. Aim for two servings of fish a week.

• Frequently choose meatless meals. Use plant-based foods to totally or partially replace the animal products in your diet. Use eggs and low fat cheese sensibly. For more information about increasing your intake of plant-based foods, consult the American Institute for Cancer Research’s website at www.aicr.org.
• Remember, change takes time. If you and your family are used to a meat-centered diet, allow yourselves time to gradually develop a taste for new ingredients, food combinations, and preparation methods. Try one new item a week until you have a set of recipes you and your family enjoy.

The Vegetarian Option

Properly planned meatless meals are lower in fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher in complex carbohydrate and fiber than the traditional American diet. The composition of meatless meals can help reduce your risk for heart disease. Creating a nutritionally balanced vegetarian diet requires special planning. If you are interested in adopting this type of eating plan, consult your OPTIFAST® program’s registered dietitian nutritionist or consult the Vegetarian Resource Group’s website at www.vrg.org.

BREAKFAST

According to the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), the majority of successful weight managers eat breakfast daily. With some advance planning, it’s easy to make breakfast a part of your  routine. Here are some strategies to get your day off to a fast and healthy start:

• Be prepared. The night before, decide what you want for breakfast, then do as much of the preparation as practical. For example, get out the cereal, bowls, and utensils. Set up the coffee. Cut up some fruit.
• Set your alarm to get up 10-15 minutes earlier so you will have time to eat.
• Keep it simple. A bowl of ready-to-eat whole grain cereal (one that is low in sugar and has at least five grams of fiber per serving) or a bowl of oatmeal served with skim milk and fruit is simple and nutritious.
• Be flexible. There is no rule that says you have to have traditional breakfast foods in the morning. Leftovers from last night’s dinner are just fine, too!
• Take it with you. Portable breakfast (and snack!) ideas include:

• An OPTIFAST^Ò Bar or OPTIFAST^Ò Ready to Drink Shake
• Fat-free or low-fat yogurt or a yogurt smoothie
• Single serving carton of low fat cottage cheese and a small banana
• Part-skim mozzarella cheese stick and a piece of fruit
• Whole wheat mini-bagel with peanut butter
• Baggie of ready-to-eat whole grain cereal, nuts, and raisins
• Individual serving of hot cereal
• Sandwich

LUNCH

A well-balanced lunch can keep you energized throughout the afternoon. Since lots of extra calories and sodium lurk in restaurant meals, bringing your own lunch as often as you can makes a lot of sense.

Better Brown Bagging

• Use prepackaged, low-calorie foods, including frozen meals for convenient, nutritious lunch entrees. Supplement these entrees with skim milk and vegetables, fruit, and salads depending on your meal plan and calorie level. Check the Nutrition Facts on frozen meals and aim for less than 500 mg of sodium per serving.
• Cook extra servings of dinner so you will have leftovers for lunches. Prepare lunches the night before as you are cleaning up from dinner.
• Buy single portion sized storage containers that can go from freezer to microwave.

Make it safe, using safe food handling practices.

• Keep foods cold. Remove food from the refrigerator as you leave home and refrigerate it as soon as you get to work. If a refrigerator is not available, use ice packs with an insulated bag or cooler.
• Keep food containers clean. Wash them every day.
• On those occasions when you must eat out for lunch, use the skills you learned in the OPTIFAST^Ò program to help you make great choices. 

DINNER

With the busy schedules of working parents and children’s sports, dinner doesn’t have to be time consuming and complicated.  Hearty soups, meal-sized salads, and quick one-dish meals fit the bill!

Quick and easy dinner strategies:

• Tour your local grocery store looking for healthy but quick choices. Choose a few health conscious frozen meals and select ready to eat salad blends, fruit platters, or vegetable soups to round out these meals.
• Search the produce section for ready to cook vegetables such as shucked corn, baby carrots, green beans, or broccoli and cauliflower florets.
• Look for quick side dishes like whole wheat couscous or quinoa which cook in 10-15 minutes.
• Have a few 15-minute meals in mind. A variety of healthy meals can be created with a roasted chicken from the deli. Pair it with a deli fruit tray and cole slaw for a meal in minutes. Use left over chicken to make sandwiches for the next day’s lunch.
• Make good use of prep time by involving family members. While one person sets the table, get others to toss a quick salad and slice some fresh fruit.
• Your slow cooker is not just for winter! They help keep your kitchen cool in the summer time!  Find recipe ideas in slow cooker cookbooks or on the internet.

REMEMBER: Planning meals is a sign you plan to succeed!

Personalized Meal Planning Tool

To learn more about the various foods that comprise a healthy diet and approximately how much food you need from each food group visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. You can enter your information and receive personalized calorie and portion recommendations as well as view many great nutrition resources.

1. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library http://www.andeal.org/topic.cfm?menu=5276&cat=2886
2. Ditschuneit HH, et al. Metabolic and weight-loss effects of a long-term dietary intervention in obese patients. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69:198-204.

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