This may be news to some, but if you go to the Nutrition portion of our site you will see that Circuit Works offers customized meal plans! We had one of our clients Emma share her experience with the meal plan. So she will be our guest blogger today!! Enjoy!

The Benefits of Meal Planning

For years, meal planning has been one of the most effective methods of weight loss and control in the game. And it totally makes sense — strategically planning your meals takes out all the guesswork of healthy eating, and lessens your chances of reaching for an unhealthy snack on the go. Logging your food is an awesome, organized way to see exactly what you are putting into your body. Over the holidays, I definitely let myself indulge more than usual (egg-nog and chocolate cake, anyone? Yes please!). So to get back on the 2018 healthy wagon, I decided to try out Circuit Works’ personalized meal planning program along with my fitness plan, which promised to provide a map for balanced nutrition… with my favorite foods!

How It Works

This system included a personalized nutrition program with tools that would help me design my own customizable meal plan. By customizing everything from my fitness goals to my favorite foods, this meal planning program would act as my own private dietitian, helping me to create a balanced diet where I would eat more frequently and make sure to get all my necessary nutrients in throughout the day. First, I answered a series of informational questions in order to address my current needs, and the results alerted me to important information regarding what my body needed to reach my goals. I learned everything from how many calories a day I should be eating, to the amount of vital vitamins and minerals I should aim for consuming on any given day.

Knowledge Is Power

I was surprised to learn that my meal plan worked largely with an “interactive report card.” Basically, you track your progress on a letter grade system (like you’d get on a report card), based on how you are fulfilling your vitamin/mineral/caloric needs. These grades change throughout the day as you log more and more nutrients, tracking your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. To get my best scores, I began to measure my portions so I could get the most accurate nutrition values out of my food. I was amazed by the variety I could pull off in my diet, as I assumed a meal plan might be bland and restrictive. I was still able to eat my favorite snacks, ranging from fruits to nuts to air-popped popcorn. Except this time, I understood what the nutrients I was gaining from them and what I still needed for my body to function at top-notch health.

Routine Is Key

At first, the idea of logging everything you put into your mouth can seem a little bit jarring, but the “Favorites” feature makes it super easy to access the go-to meals and snacks you love day after day. At the beginning, I had trouble thinking of balanced meals and snacks that would make my report card all A’s, so I used the “get suggestions” feature frequently and prepped for those suggestions. I was also able to see other successful examples of meal plans to use as a guideline for mine, which made it easier to mix and match what would be best for me for each meal. After a week or so, I was mixing and matching my frequently used “Favorites” and “Suggestions,” based on what I was craving that day. I was able to keep a sense of balance and routine, without feeling super restricted. If I loved a meal plan on a certain day and it met my goals, I could replicate it on another day. The program made it super easy to figure out what I was lacking in my diet and how to fix it, on the go. Bottom Line Circuit Works’ meal plan absolutely changed the way I looked at what I was putting into my body every day. Instead of counting calories, I am now focused on best fueling my body for its’ needs. The plan feels personal, flexible, and extremely user-friendly. I’d recommend it to any of my friends who are looking to improve their diet.