Preparing Your Kitchen For Dieting Success

How well your kitchen is prepared for your new food plan is a good indicator for how well you are going to do on your diet.  You need to give yourself at least two days of advance planning and preparation before embarking on your new weight loss journey.  

Below I've compiled a checklist of things to do to ensure your diet is off to a great start.

1.  Gather Needed Kitchen Tools

Make sure you have these essential pieces in your kitchen to make food preparation easier.  

• Non-stick Skillet--I use my well-seasoned iron skillet
• Steamer--They come in all sizes and types such as a stainless steel steamer basket, microwave-safe or electric
• Food Scale--Need to be able to read in ounces and grams
• Egg Slicer--Makes nice slices for adding on top of salads
• Blender--Depending on what you are making, various sizes will work (Magic Bullet up to a full size blender)
• Food Processor--Good for chopping and slicing vegetables
• Slow Cooker--Useful when preparing large amounts of foods such as chicken breasts or a family size meal

2.  Clean Out Your Refrigerator, Freezer and Pantry

Ensure you have room for prepared foods/meals by removing all expired items and either throwing them away or donating them to friends or family members who don't live with you. If you must keep some things that are not on your food plan, try and place them out of eyesight.  

Restock with plenty of allowed foods and condiments such as pre-made salad, cleaned and cut up vegetables and fresh fruit.

3.  Declutter Your Spice Cabinet

Spices are a great way to add flavor to your meals without adding extra calories.  Make sure yours are fresh by throwing out the expired ones.  A good tip to make this easier in the future is to write the date you purchased them on the top of the bottle with a sharpie.  That way you can avoid having to rely on noticing faded spices or sniffing them to check for potency.

4.  Make a Menu

I do best when I have a menu or at least some idea of what we are going to eat for the coming week.  Make a plan and post it on your refrigerator. 

5.  Make a Grocery List and Go Shopping

Lastly, make a grocery list from your menu and stock your newly prepared kitchen.

-You Must Begin Today What You Would Like to Accomplish Tomorrow

--Diet Center Program by:  Sybil Ferguson