7 Ways To Lose Weight In 7 Days

There’s a lot more to losing weight than simply eating better and working out. If you want to dramatically increase your chances for long-term success, you’ll also want to modify the behavior that surrounds your meals and physical activity.

Try following these simple tips for one week—one for each day—to learn how to approach food and exercise differently.

Sunday: Plan your meals for the week

Eating can become just as disorganized and chaotic as any other activity that isn’t thought out ahead of time. Planning establishes structure, which can help you stay within a calorie budget, reduce daily decision-making, and prevent overeating. Carve out some time today to think through a plan for the week. Start with a few basic foods to eat each day and add others to diversify your meals. Make a grocery list as you go.

Also consider your schedule. Before the start of a busy week, prepare more than one serving of food so you can enjoy the leftovers across the week. The following recipes are all designed to be made on Sunday, with quick recipes for the leftovers for the rest of the week:

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Roast Chicken

There's weekend you, and then there's weekday you. Weekend you buys fresh produce at the farmer's market, searches for a new recipe featuring your seasonal haul, and cooks up a well-balanced family meal. Then Monday hits, and you do a nutritional Jeckyll and Hyde. You grab breakfast on your way out the door (if you eat breakfast at all), scarf down lunch in one hand while answering emails with the other at your desk, and are so exhausted by dinnertime that even dialing for delivery seems like a chore.

But if you think ahead a little bit, you can set yourself up for easy, wholesome meals all week long. Roast chicken—a weekend ritual for families everywhere—is the perfect place to learn the ropes of cooking once to eat all week. It's almost as easy to throw two birds in your oven to roast as it is one, and the plentiful extra meat will provide the foundation for protein-packed meals through Friday. Remember: Stash the bones and wings in a zip-top bag in your freezer. They will be waiting for the weekend when you have time to make a batch of chicken stock, which is another lifesaver for creating flavorful, wholesome meals on the fly 

Cook Once, Eat All Week: White Beans

One big pot of flavorful white beans will carry you through the week with these easy recipes for fast, healthy meals

Canned beans are a pantry staple, and it’s easy to see why: They’re full of protein and fiber, and all you need is a can opener. But if you’ve never taken the time to cook dried beans until they’re tender, creamy, and infused with garlic and olive oil, then you've been missing out. Eaten plain, with only their flavorful broth, a few rosemary needles, and a swirl of green olive oil, you’ll taste pure earthy flavor unlike what you get in a can. And the best part: You can cook up a pot of beans on Sunday, and then use the leftovers for a week's worth of healthy meals. Get ready to cook once and eat all week!

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Chickpeas

Week of the Chickpea

Garbanzo beans. Ceci. Chickpeas. This mighty legume with many names is a staple ingredient in many of the globe’s healthiest (and tastiest) cuisines. It's the main player in beloved dishes like hummus, falafel, and socca, the famous French flatbread. These protein-packed beans can be ground into burgers, stirred into soups, and folded into sandwiches.

Canned chickpeas are handy, but cooked from their dried state, these homemade legumes are a revelation. Much more flavorful than their canned counterparts, home-cooked chickpeas have a nutty flavor and creamy texture. Simmer a big pot on Sunday afternoon for a week’s worth of satisfying suppers.

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Pork Loin

Protein all week

Many of the most popular cuts of pork are surprisingly lean and versatile. Chief among these is pork loin, a substantial roast that is both flavorful and easy to cook. Like its cousin, the tenderloin, it’s low on intramuscular fat and very tender. But its hefty size—big roasts can weigh up to 10 pounds—makes it ideal for a weekend supper that can stock your fridge with useful leftovers. If you can’t find a 10-pound roast, substitute two five-pound center-cut pork loins.

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Quinoa

It’s long been hailed as the wonder-grain, but quinoa is actually a nutrient-rich seed. The pasta replacer is usually lumped in with whole grains, however, because it has many of the same healthy qualities (low in fat, high in fiber) and works well pretty much anywhere you might otherwise serve rice. Quinoa has a slightly nutty flavor and a good dose of protein; even without any meaty accompaniments, it can make a solid foundation for a meal. Just pair your bowl of quinoa with steamed veggies or a robust green salad.

 

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Black Beans

A pot of earthy, nutrient-dense legumes makes a week of hearty meals

Cool Beans

One of the ultimate nutrition powerhouses, black beans bring protein, fiber, and antioxidants to the table without an excess of calories or fat. Luckily, beans couldn't be easier to cook up in a flash. Available in cans and increasingly in BPA-free cartons, beans are a staple food your pantry should never be without. One big weekend batch of well-seasoned black beans will keep you on track all week long.

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Brisket

Melt-in-your mouth Sunday brisket sets the stage for a week’s worth of quick, easy meals

Brisket, a supersized cut of beef that becomes meltingly tender when it’s slow roasted or braised all day, is a dish most people associate with holidays or big family feasts. And for good reason—this supersized cut can feed a whole family, and the rich flavor is a welcome deviation from weeknight go-tos like chicken or fish.

It’s just the kind of thing that makes for a special meal on Sunday and can go on to provide slow-food flavor all through your fast-paced week. And though beef is rich, it’s also nutrient dense: rich in energizing vitamins B12 and B6, one 4-ounce serving packs 20 grams protein. Combining it with lower-calorie vegetables and grains is a smart way to create delicious, satisfying dinners that happen to be good for you too.