Guest Blogger: How to Organize Your Kitchen for Successful Weight Loss

Guest Blogger #467, Entry #1093, April 13, 2012

There seem to be people who are born with a gene that compels them to organize. Their couches, chairs, and rugs are aligned in perfect parallel to walls (and to each other) at all times; their movies, books, and other media are in alphabetical order (with nary a Harry Potter or Star Wars in the wrong place); and the tray of tiny supplies in their home office (paperclips, staples, etc.) looks like it has been vacuum sealed to perfection. And of course, you can’t walk into their kitchen without feeling a little pang of jealousy over their neatly stacked and labeled pantry.

Organize your kitchen to help with your healthy lifestyle

Image via: BHG

Adjust your lifestyle and your kitchen

Some of us just aren’t cut out for such perennial neatness. But when you finally decide that it’s time to get your nutrition in hand so you can lose a little weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle, you’ll necessarily have to adjust some of the bad habits that got you where you are today, poor organization amongst them. If you want to give yourself the best shot for success, here are a few tips for weight-loss-friendly kitchen organization.

Declutter the kitchen

The first part is not very fun for most people as it entails throwing out “perfectly good” food. This can be hard when you’re on a budget, or any time for some people. And while it may seem like a waste, there are ways to make the decluttering process a little easier. For one thing you can donate non-perishable items (that haven’t yet expired) to the food bank, allowing others to benefit from your pantry-razing experience. Of course, you could also remind yourself that every bit of sugar, fat, and preservatives that goes in the trash now helps reduce your risk of weight-related diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Considering what these disorders could cost you over time in medical bills, the food you’re throwing away is a pittance.

You might think that the next step is to hit the market and load up your cart with healthy options. No! Losing weight with your diet requires careful planning and you may have to change your behavior in order to make it happen. You see, most people wander around completely unaware of their eating habits. This fog surrounding your food intake is the reason you must now lose weight! So start your journey to awareness by making a list of what you think you need. Then figure out where these items will go in your kitchen. Do you have enough space for all of the items you want? How will you arrange them so that finding what you want is intuitive? Do you need storage bins or other receptacles for certain items? You may have to outfit your fridge and pantry for proper storage of you new foods, so it’s best that you take this step before you go to the market.

Equip your kitchen with the right tools

Image via: Food Formy Family

Equip your kitchen with the right tools

Finally, you need to include the tools you’ll need to succeed in reaching your weight-loss goals. For example, you may want a food scale, new measuring cups, healthy cookbooks, and plenty of small containers so that you can prep individual servings for easy pickings when you want a snack or you’d like to add some pre-chopped produce to your meal. If all you want to do is detoxify with a cleanse diet it’s easy enough to fill the fridge with your lemon-pepper tea drink. But creating a healthy and sustainable diet for weight loss means designing a space that is conducive to meeting your long-term goals. So organize your space accordingly and fill it with a variety of acceptable foods. This will only help you reach and maintain your targeted weight loss.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.