5 Easy Things You Can Do to Lose Weight During the Week

Sundays and I, we have a bittersweet relationship. I adore them because it's one more day of the weekend, but I dread them because I know what's looming come Monday morning. With that said, though, they are hands down SUPER instrumental in my week. Why is that? Because they keep me on track. On the fit track, that is.

Yup, planning things out for the week on Sundays helps me stay in shape. All it takes is just an hour or two every weekend, and I'm able to get my head on straight and help keep off pesky pounds. Wanna find out how? Check out 5 easy things you can do to lose weight during the week

1. Sit down with a planner (or at least a piece of paper): Of course the weekends are for relaxing, but the best thing you can do on a Sunday is take a moment to sit down and organize yourself for the week ahead. How many days can you bring lunch with you? What do you want to eat for dinner? Do some recipe Googling, and plan ahead to make healthy, satisfying meals instead of something out of a Lean Cuisine box.

2. Head to the grocery store: Once you've planned your meals for the week (or most of them, anyway) — put together a shopping list and head to the grocery story. This way you won't be buying things you don't need. Make sure to build in snack items on your list, such as sliced vegetables or yogurt with slivered almonds, to stave off hunger between meals.

lose weight all week

3. Gauge your workout schedule: No matter how busy you are between meetings or shuttling your kids between summer camp and baseball practice, there's ALWAYS time to work out. The catch? Sometimes you have to get creative. Take a look at your week schedule, and figure out what days are the best days for a long relaxing hot yoga class vs. a 30-minute sprint workout at the gym.

4. Clean up: There's nothing more important to a successful week than organizing before the craziness ensues. A clean house makes things easier to find, whether it be that sports bra for your Tuesday workout or the pans you'll need for Wednesday night's spaghetti squash stir-fry.

5. Get in the kitchen: The thing about snacking is that generally the ones that are the worst for you are the easiest to grab. Do yourself a favor and make healthier snacks easy, too. Slice up some vegetables and put them in individual sandwich bags. Pre-packed salad fix-in's make lunch a breeze. Grill up some chicken so you can use it in different dishes throughout the week. Trust me, it's worth the 30 minutes.

How do you prepare for the week ahead? Do you do any of these things?