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#159 - Organisation: Your Secret Weapon for Sustainable Fat Loss
609 Plays7 days ago
If you've ever felt like you just don't have enough time to eat well, move more, or stay consistent — this episode is for you. In this solo episode, I'm sharing why organisation isn't something you either have or don't have; it's a skill, and it's one of the most powerful tools you can build when it comes to sustainable fat loss.
The truth is, we're all busy. But the women who see results aren't the ones with more time — they're the ones who plan. I walk you through exactly how I recommend scheduling your health non-negotiables — steps, workouts, meal planning, grocery shopping, calorie tracking, and reflection — like appointments you simply don't cancel on yourself.
I also dive into meal planning in a way that actually works for real life: matching your dinner choices to your energy levels (think tray bakes, slow cooker meals, and batch-cooked proteins on the hectic days), using quieter days for new recipes or prep, and building a weekly rhythm that reduces decision fatigue and saves you money.
And if you're not pre-logging your calories the night before? This episode will convince you to start. I explain why planning your food ahead — with a bit of habit stacking and a well-placed alarm — is one of the simplest ways to hit your protein targets, reduce impulsive eating, and make food decisions from a calm, grounded place rather than a hungry, reactive one.
Organisation isn't glamorous, but it works. Let's get into it.
In this episode:
- 00:00 Organisation for Fat Loss
- 00:56 Why Life Feels Too Busy
- 01:48 Schedule Yourself In
- 03:13 Weekly Health Essentials
- 04:06 Protect Your Appointments
- 04:56 Meal Planning Basics
- 05:43 Busy Day Dinner Ideas
- 08:44 Weekly Planning Ritual
- 10:58 Shop Smart and Repeat
- 13:19 Zero Waste Grocery Wins
- 14:20 Pre-Log Your Calories Daily
- 16:16 Protein vs Calories — Solved
- 17:07 Why Planning Works
- 19:45 Wrap Up and Next Steps
Links & Resources:
- Learn more about KHH coaching here
- Subscribe to my weekly coaching newsletter here
- Access my FREE calorie calculator here
- Connect with me on Instagram here
- Connect with me on Facebook here
- Connect with me on TikTok here
- Connect with me on YouTube here
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit.
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Transcript
Introduction to Organizational Skills for Health
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast. So in today's episode we are going to chat about your secret weapon for health and for fat loss which is organisation.
00:00:16
Speaker
um Bear with me. This is something that you might think, oh, God, Kate, I'm not organised. I couldn't possibly or, you know, and being organised is not something that you are or you aren't. This is very much something that it's a skill that you can develop. Yes, it's easier for some people than others, but it is definitely.
00:00:33
Speaker
something that is vital for success successful sustainable fat loss so I just want you to keep that in mind also if you're a bit like no shit sure look Kate that's an obvious one bear with me and let me just kind of explain what kind of organization what kind of structure that I mean when I'm talking about this in relation to your health fitness fat loss journey So life is already packed before you even think of your goals.
Scheduling Health and Fitness as Priorities
00:01:02
Speaker
Work, school, after school activities, meetings, appointments, dinners, lunches, bath times, bedtimes, birthday parties, family catch ups, catching up with friends, life admin, commuting, sleep.
00:01:17
Speaker
Life is busy. before you even think about all the things that you need to add in to reach your goals. It just seems, it's quite daunting and sometimes can feel quite impossible.
00:01:29
Speaker
How in God's name are you supposed to reach your health, fitness and fat loss goals with all of this going on?
00:01:37
Speaker
And how is there ever going to be time for you if you always come last in all of this? And that's really, really important, which is what we're going to get into.
00:01:48
Speaker
So the trick here is to schedule. So that list I mentioned above of all the different things that need to be done in the week, you have to get your things in there too.
00:01:59
Speaker
So I really hate, I really hate the expression, make more time. Because you can't make more time. Time is finite. We only have a certain amount of time in our week and we can't make more of it. So if our week is already jam packed and we're trying to add in more things,
00:02:17
Speaker
then we're kind of setting ourselves up for failure because it's not going to be possible it's going to be stressful it's going to be exhausting so it involves scheduling in your week your things need to be scheduled in two now that might mean you having to let go of things that you are doing in your week every week or you might need help in other areas, a a little bit more delegation, which actually is we're gonna do a whole other episode on in relation to creating space for you, but you will need to create space in your schedule, and these things need to be scheduled in. So organization, as boring as it sounds,
00:02:57
Speaker
It doesn't make you
Meal Planning and Preparation Strategies
00:02:58
Speaker
boring. It actually sets you free. And i just want you to think about it that way, that the annoyance of having to just put together a little bit of a plan, a little bit of structure is worth it for in the moment, how much easier everything feels.
00:03:13
Speaker
So what needs to go into your schedule to develop a healthy, balanced lifestyle that is going to move you in the direction of your health and fitness goals? Steps, when will you get your steps in?
00:03:24
Speaker
Your workouts, when are you going to work out? Meals, what are you having for dinner this week? Groceries, when will you do the grocery shop to get the stuff you need for the meals for the week?
00:03:35
Speaker
Calories. When are you planning your calories and tracking them? Reflecting. When are you reflecting on your day and on your habits and on how things are going? And when will you have some time for yourself?
00:03:50
Speaker
And all of this might sound a little bit overwhelming and it's not about being perfect. It doesn't mean everything needs to fit into every day. And there'll be some days where it's not possible to get a walk in. It's not possible to get to the gym or to do a workout because there's too much going on. But we're not looking at doing everything every day. We're looking at your whole week and we're like, where in my week can I schedule these important things for me, for my health, for my wellness,
00:04:15
Speaker
and treat them like appointments you wouldn't cancel up an appointment with someone else so stop cancelling on yourself so when you get these scheduled in protect them like they're the most protect that time that you time like it's the most precious thing in your week because it is because when you actually start to respect your own time to do your workouts or to plan your meals and do your grocery shopping without it being a rush. Go for a walk with a friend or by yourself, whatever.
00:04:50
Speaker
You are investing in you, which then the people around you are actually going to benefit from also. When it comes to meal planning, I really do want you to start planning as many days in advance as you can what you're going to have for dinner. We need to cut out this business of rushing home from work oh shit what are we doing for dinner stopping really quickly to grab something quick to cook for dinner last minute you want to know what you're going to be having for dinner for the week like for in my case for you know i'm cooking for a family of five I like to know for the full week ahead I don't like to have to go to the grocery I like to get it all done in one go but some people might like to kind of just do be a day or two ahead of themselves that's fine but you need to be ahead of yourself So when it comes to planning what dinners you're going to have each day, like one size does not fit all days.
00:05:40
Speaker
Busy days and quieter days, like you need to approach them differently. So on your busy days, when you know that you're getting home late from work, you've got meetings, the kids have football or dancing or whatever it is and you have about an hour to throw something together and get it into everyone before you're out again. This is where you need to do simple and quick meals okay so like one tray meals like throwing everything into a tray and putting oil herbs and everything on and throw it in the oven getting it done nice and quick there's no chopping peeling anything like that it's just everything goes in super quick.
00:06:10
Speaker
batch cooked proteins from the weekend. So having already cooked chicken and having it in the fridge or already having meals cooked, that like you could you could have dinners actually cooked ahead of time so that you don't actually to cook at all in those days. and You could have a bolognese cooked and all you're doing is putting the pasta on and then we can just heat up the bolognese that you have made earlier in the week. Or things that are really quick like stir fries, 10 minute stir fries, chicken, vegetables, soy sauce,
00:06:38
Speaker
and noodles or omelets that if there's nothing wrong with doing doing an omelet like a good big omelet with loads of vegetables is another great way to do it and or one thing that I often do when I have a really really busy evening is I just cook some salmon baby potatoes and frozen vegetables The salmon goes into bakes in the oven. The baby potatoes get thrown in the pot and they might bring them to the boil and they're just left in the pot and frozen vegetables into the pot.
00:07:05
Speaker
Done. Super quick. I don't need to be chopping and wasting time. I can be doing other things while it's cooking. so Like I do that once a week on a Monday or a Wednesday tend to be my busy evenings. So I will usually on a Monday or Wednesday, that would be one of the dinners that I'd have and then maybe a stir fry another day as well. Pre-portioned snacks ready to grab.
00:07:25
Speaker
Slow cooker. The slow cooker could be your best friend here. Set it in the morning and it can be done by the time you get home. On your quieter days, try a new recipe. So on those busier days, stick to what's familiar. Like you don't need to change up all of your meals. Just make sure you're having enough protein in your meal. make sure you're having enough vegetables in your meals. and keep it simple. The quieter days are the times to to try new recipes, be more creative. You might want to batch cook for those busier days, explore different cuisines, prep snacks and lunches in advance, and experiment with new ingredients. So when it actually comes to meal planning, this is the recipe for success. This is what I do. And please do take this and use it if you find it useful for you. As I said, I plan my meals for the whole week ahead. You don't have to do that. You can do it a few days in advance, but I would urge you to try the week ahead method because it really is. It makes such a difference. And let me just say that I don't meal prep.
00:08:22
Speaker
I don't meal prep because I have to cook dinner every evening for five people anyway. So I cook every evening. So and I work from home so I can I don't need to bring lunches with me. So I find it easier to just cook every day. Sometimes I'll have an extra portion of dinner. that I can set aside for lunch the next day. But i don't meal prep. I'm talking about meal planning here. So what I get, these are the steps, right? Step one, pick your planning day.
00:08:48
Speaker
Sit down once a week on the same day every week. Make it a ritual. So I used to do this first thing on a Saturday morning, you know, and make a coffee and sit down and the house would be quiet. And I would do it then. I've actually moved it to a Thursday evening because I kind of find by the heading into the weekend, it's nice to have, you know, a fridge and press is full of food. but it depends on what works for your routine. It doesn't matter what day of the week it is, okay? Step two, review the week ahead. So take all activities into account. Busy days equals simple meals. Quiet days are the days to get creative. So if I sit down on a Thursday night,
00:09:24
Speaker
I'm planning for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. And I will look at the schedule. Am I traveling? and Do the kids have any activities on in the week ahead? What days are my husband in the office? what like What's going on? have we got Are we going anywhere for dinner any of the days? Are we having any
Shopping with Health Goals
00:09:44
Speaker
visitors? Anything like that. And I look at the whole week and I plan exactly what we're going to have for dinner each of those days. Now,
00:09:53
Speaker
When I decide that we're having, like that, let's just say I decide we're having curry on Monday, enchiladas Tuesday, bolognese Wednesday, lasagna Thursday or whatever. I don't have to rigidly stick to it. Oh, it has to be curry on Monday. If I feel like having bolognese on Monday instead of curry, I'll have had all the stuff in the house. So I can easily just chop and change what meals I have on what days, if anything changes. and But after you've planned those meals, write your shopping list straight away.
00:10:24
Speaker
And go do your grocery shopping. If you're someone who likes to go to the grocery store. I do not. So I will write my I'll do my meal plan and I go Tesco online and I shop my favorites because it's always the same stuff on repeat for me really anyway. And I get all of the ingredients that I need for all of the dinners ahead for the week. my my breakfasts and lunches and snacks end up kind of being the same the kids have the same stuff for really for lunches for schools all week so it's quite repetitive i get all my grocery my groceries based on those meals when you so step four shop with your goals in mind so when you are doing the shopping don't buy things that clash with your goals
00:11:09
Speaker
Think about it like what goes in your trolley goes in your body. So make sure that like if there's something that you just can't resist that's really going against your goals, don't get it. You know, if you have to buy bits and bobs for the kids or the husband or whatever, just like get things that for them that you don't really care of about. You know, that's what I usually do. And I get a few of my own nice things that I like to have um that will fit into my week in a healthy way.
00:11:37
Speaker
um Step five, embrace repetition. So keep meals as repetitive as you can bear. So this kills decision fatigue. So if you you're taking away that stress of, oh, what are we cooking for dinner? Oh, what like it's done. You've planned. Like your dinners might be all different every week. But even at that, like as we start to build a few dinners that work for us, and you don't have to cook separate for you. you're cooking If you're cooking for the whole family, cook for the whole family. Normal dinners, like I said, make sure you're just getting enough of a protein source in it and enough vegetables into it.
00:12:05
Speaker
and just track it and it'll be absolutely perfect we have bolognases lasagnas enchiladas curries fish and baby potatoes roast chicken dinners beef stew like whatever works for you but you'll find you have the same few dinners that you do on rotate anyway so like that will become easy over time when it comes to breakfast lunches and snacks as repetitive as you can keep it the best so once you find a breakfast that works for you stick with it until you get sick of it and then change it up Same with lunches. That's what I do. So and like I usually like for years, I've had my protein Weedabix for breakfast every single morning. I've changed it up a little bit lately. I'm having a protein overnight oats, but loving that at the minute and doing it every single morning. And I look forward to it every morning. Lunches, you know, you're going to some people are happy to have the same lunch on repeat.
00:12:54
Speaker
Others need to change it up a little bit. I am someone who usually needs to change it up a little bit. So I was like doing like a chicken salad. So I was doing a chicken and couscous salad for a good while and that was going down nicely. Then I changed it up. I'm having scrambled eggs and toast most days for lunch at the minute. You know, sometimes I've gone through phases where I've had like a chicken and cheese toastie or a wrap. It's whatever. Find what works for you and stick with it until you get
Calorie Tracking and Consistency
00:13:19
Speaker
sick of it.
00:13:19
Speaker
And step number six, which I just think is the biggest win of all, is there's zero waste. Aim for an empty fridge by the end of the week. So as we all know, wherever in the world you're listening to i presume to this, I presume it's the same everywhere. In Ireland, groceries are getting really expensive. So it's costing me about 300 euro a week to feed my family of five.
00:13:43
Speaker
It's just shocking. Like when you think about 300 a week, like there's like 1200 a month. That's a mortgage. I'm paying a second mortgage feeding my family every month. So I'd like as long as if that's how much I'm going to have to pay for shopping.
00:13:58
Speaker
then we damn sure want to make sure we're actually eating the food. So we are there's like we don't have any slimy bits of vegetables in the bottom of the fridge. There's not stuff being thrown in the bin. Everything's being eaten. So it's such a satisfying feeling that everything's been eaten. And when you do it this way, and especially if you shop online and you're buying things, to suit what you've planned, it it saves money as well. So even, though i can you imagine how much it would cost if i want if i hadn't planned and and wasn't organised, would be even more. So yeah, just something to keep in mind.
00:14:30
Speaker
Then there is my ultimate organisation tip and this should 100% be a non-negotiable if you are looking to lose body fat. Plan and track your calories or your meals. If you're not tracking calories, that's fine. You know, plan your meals and your, your,
00:14:46
Speaker
your portions of what you're going to have but let's talk in relation to tracking calories here plan and track your calories every night for the next day so make this a habit it really does make that much of a difference and the best way to do this is to tie it with something else So kind of habit stack it. So attach your calorie tracking to something you already do every day. So maybe after your shower or, you know, when you make your evening cup of tea or, you know, just after you brush your teeth in the evening or when you're sitting down watching TV. TV time is really great time for it because you're probably scrolling anyway. Use that five minutes to plan tomorrow's calories. There's zero effort required.
00:15:28
Speaker
I'll explain why you want to be tracking in advance now in a minute, but I just want to talk about the practicalities of it as well. and You won't remember to do this before this actually becomes a habit, so you need to set a daily alarm. So set a phone alarm for the same time every evening, whenever you would usually be sitting down, let's say 9 label it track tomorrow and within two to three weeks this will become automatic an automatic habit it's so it this makes such a difference and we i've seen it time and time again with my clients how much of a difference this makes to the next day being a success and when it comes to fat loss consistent staying within your calories is what's going to give you the results that you're looking for It's very hard to be consistent if you're not organized, if you're not ahead of yourself. So you always need to be a day ahead of yourself with calories. One of the most common questions that I get is, Kate, what's more important, hitting my protein target or staying within my calories? Because if I try and hit my protein target, I'm going to go over my calories. And then I'm like, the answer to that is both.
00:16:31
Speaker
you should be able to stay within your calories and hit your protein target as well. And how you do that is by planning ahead. what um So when you sit down at 9pm or whatever, what am I having for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks tomorrow?
00:16:45
Speaker
If you're keeping things repetitive like breakfasts, lunches and snacks, that's a copy and paste job in MyFitnessPal really quick. If you're having the same dinners on Rotate, save them as recipes as you go. And then they they're really easy to track as well. It literally becomes, it takes me five minutes when I'm tracking to to track ahead for the day ahead. And it just means you're heading into the day ahead of yourself. It takes away any of that stress of, what am I eating? This stuff is in the house. You've done the shopping. You know what's for dinner that night. You've done the meal planning.
00:17:14
Speaker
It takes away any impulsive decisions as well. Being oh, just like, you know, that you're eating biscuits mindlessly without thinking or you're suddenly starving because you didn't have but prepare the right lunch. Like you're heading into the day winning already because you know what you're having for breakfast. You know what you're having for lunch. You know what snacks you've planned for.
00:17:31
Speaker
And it doesn't matter if it doesn't go according to plan. You know, you can be flexible. It's not set in stone. You could like you go into the day with a plan and you adjust your calories as you go as things change. It also gives you the power to like make better decisions. So, you know, if any of you have ever been tracking your calories ah as you go and you go off out and, you know, that everything's great. And then you count up your calories. you're like, shit, I've got like 300 calories left for dinner. i'm just going to go to bed early. I'm starving.
00:17:59
Speaker
you know you want to avoid that you want to make sure you have enough calories left for dinner you want to make sure you're not going to bed hungry you want to make sure that you have enough calories for the things you enjoy like I love a little chocolate bar and a cup of tea in the evening like I don't want to not have enough calories to do that also if like you are if you encounter a situation like you know in the staff room and someone has brought in donuts and and you're like, oh my God, I'd love a donut.
00:18:24
Speaker
And before it would just be an impulse of have the donut and then feel guilty about the donut and i feel like you've ruined your whole week. You could just be like, okay, that donut, 400 calories or so. And then you could be like in your head, okay, I could have this donut now. i'll be able to pull a few calories from dinner and maybe I just wanted my evening snack or whatever. Or you might just consciously decide that you'd be a little bit over your calories, but you're in control. You've decided i I'm having that donut. Or you're making the decision to be like, it's not worth it. If I have this doughnut, I'll be over my calories or I won't be able to my chocolate later.
00:18:57
Speaker
And then you make you make the decision, but you can have the doughnut or not have the doughnut, but you're in control and it feels good. And it's it just makes such a huge difference to the progress that you will make and to how consistent you can actually stay within your calories, if that makes sense.
00:19:15
Speaker
Also, another point of pre-logging the night before, it means that you make food decisions when you're calm and full, not when you're hungry and reactive. So it's so easy to be just eating out of the press or eating out of the fridge while we're starving, while we're trying to plan what we're doing. or you know It's like you have the structure in place.
00:19:33
Speaker
You've made the decisions of what you're having for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. You just stick to it or you adjust it slightly. But it is... It's just a game changer and it really does transform your relationship with food 100%.
00:19:47
Speaker
So I just want to wrap this up a little bit now. Organization equals freedom. That's what i want the message I want you to take from this. Once you get these simple things in place, which takes a little bit of repetition, won't be easy at first, but once you get it in place, it will give you the freedom that you are looking for.
00:20:07
Speaker
Schedule your health into your week. Make them non-negotiables like appointments.
Summary and Call to Action
00:20:13
Speaker
Plan simple meals on busy days, creative meals on quiet days.
00:20:19
Speaker
Sit down once a week, plan all your dinners and then shop immediately. Keep meals repetitive to reduce decision fatigue.
00:20:30
Speaker
Pre-log your calories every evening for the next day. and set an alarm, habit stack it, and make it non-negotiable to get those calories tracked ahead of time.
00:20:41
Speaker
That is a little recap. I hope that you really have found this helpful and do implement these things. it will like You'll be amazed at the difference that it'll make in your life. And thank you so much for listening, as always. And if you enjoyed the episode, please do share it with your friends. Share it in your WhatsApp groups. Share it on your stories. Tag me at Kate Hamilton Health. if you have enjoyed this episode. And as I always say at the end of the episodes, the stuff that you're learning here in the podcast, this is the stuff that we work closely with our clients in the Nourish Her coaching service. So if you are interested in getting a little bit more support, a little bit more accountability, check the show notes. There's a link in the show notes to our coaching page where you'll be able to see the info of what's involved, when our next intake is.
00:21:29
Speaker
and I would love to work with you and thank you so much and will see you on the next episode.