According to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, 66 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. When dieting, preparing meals in advance is one of the most important ways to aid compliance. Knowing where your next meal is coming from will help prevent you from cheating or straying from your diet. Also, setting aside two times per week to make all of the food you need ends up saving time because there is no need to cook each time you want to eat.
Step 1
Determine your daily calorie intake for weight loss. To do this, keep a food journal for one week. Use an online calorie database to determine how many calories you consume on an average day. For weight loss, the American Academy of Family Physicians suggests you decrease your daily consumption by 250 calories per day while burning 250 calories per day through exercise.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove enough chicken breast to last two to three days from tge refrigerator or freezer and trim any extra fat from the meat. Add any calorie-free and monosodium glutamate-, or MSG, free seasoning to the chicken breast. Experiment with different seasonings on each breast to vary flavor. After the oven is preheated, place the chicken on the baking rack and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or 25 to 35 minutes if thawed. When on a calorie-restricted diet, the protein from the chicken breast will preserve muscle mass.
Step 3
Place the skillet on the stove top and coat it with olive oil cooking spray. Turn the burner to medium heat and add enough fresh or frozen vegetables to last two to three days. Cook until tender, adding any calorie-free seasonings you like.
Step 4
Place the chicken breasts in one large Tupperware container and the cooked vegetables in the other container. Place a chicken breast and one cup or more of the cooked vegetables in each small container and place them in the refrigerator. Each of these small containers is the main portion of your meals each day and will guarantee adequate protein and vegetable intake. The large containers will hold any extra chicken and vegetables.
Step 5
To supplement your main meals, include healthy fats by adding one to three servings of nuts, olive oil or natural peanut butter a day. Fatty foods are calorie dense, so monitor intake.
Step 6
Repeat steps 1 through 5 twice a week to have healthy food available to you at all times. Cheating on a diet is often caused by a lack of readily available food. Fast food is convenient but not the answer.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid sauces and dressings that add considerable calories to your meals. Minimize processed foods and added sugars. You can replace chicken breast with other lean meats to add variety. Some other options include pork tenderloin and fish. Remember to increase physical activity in addition to decreasing calories. This will speed up your metabolism and improve your fitness.
- Use caution when using the oven and stove top. When removing the baking rack from the oven, use oven mitts to avoid burning yourself. Raw chicken can contain salmonella and cause food-borne illness, so always wash your hands after handling.
Things You'll Need
- Computer (with Internet access)
- Refrigerator
- Freezer
- Oven
- Baking rack
- Fresh or frozen chicken breast
- Wok or skillet
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Fresh or frozen vegetables
- 3 to 5 small and 2 large Tupperware containers
- Mixed nuts
- Olive oil
- Peanut butter
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