Simple Meal Prepping Tips
Simple Meal Prepping Tips
You're ready to clean up your diet and get that body looking lean. You're tired of the way you feel and look, and you know your food choices lately haven't been very wise. You know the only way you're going to get rid of those extra pounds is to eat healthier. However, you're super busy, and you have no idea how to even go about starting a healthy lifestyle.
I have to say, even I who have been in fitness for many years, find that the diet part is much harder than the fitness part of living a healthy life. For most, they hit the gym religiously, but cannot find their way when it comes to the nutrition part of the equation. I tell my clients all of the time; you cannot out-train a bad diet, no matter what workout you're doing.
Learning how to eat is one thing, but getting all the food you need is another. Meal prepping is vital to sticking with your plan and reaching your goals. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can grab food on the go and still see that body transform because when you're hungry, the mind is weak and will allow you to pick something that is not so healthy. We think with our stomachs, not with our minds.
I know the thought of meal prepping can be dreadful. It can be very time consuming, and that's after the fact that you have to spend time buying all the food. However, I'll show you easy and quick ways to prep your food, for the entire week, so you'll soon see the weight coming off.
But there's one more thing I want you to keep in mind when it comes to meal prepping and dieting. Don't forget to get some "fun" foods that you crave and love to eat! Yes, if you love chocolate, allow yourself a small portion of chocolate every day. It will give you something to look forward to and keep you from feeling completely deprived of all the usual things you love to eat. Don't be so rigid. Of course, you want to succeed at weight loss, but if you go at it with making it difficult and isolating, you'll never keep the weight off.
GROCERY SHOPPING LIST
You can read in my previous blog about how to grocery shop on a diet because there are many pitfalls when it comes to grocery shopping. Your choices are endless, and all of your favorite cravings are right in your face, waving at you. From cookies to doughnuts to ice cream, you must have control at the store, and if you don't come prepared, you could quickly fail your weight loss goals.
Planning your grocery shopping trip is vital to stick with your plan. Going to the store, hungry could be disastrous. When you're hungry, you want to grab everything in sight. You lose control and forget the urgency to lose weight. You cave, buy anything you want, but you will be filled with guilt after you consume the terrible food choices. It's a vicious cycle some of us tend to find ourselves on.
We blame ourselves for being weak. We think we are failures every time we fall off of a diet. None of that is true. We simply need to know how to grocery shop so that we can walk away from the store, confident we are sticking with our diet.
Be sure to sit down ahead of time and layout your food list. Put them in order, so you're not blundering around in the store for longer than needed. The more you roam the store, the more you increase your chances of buying things you don't need. I like to write a list, take a picture of it on my phone, because I know I will most definitely forget my list. Going into the store without your list is a terrible idea.
Eat a snack on the way, ensuring you're not hungry and shopping with your stomach instead of your head. When your stomach is satisfied, your mind is focused on what you need to get, not ending the grumbling in your stomach.
Start shopping the outer rim of the store. Here you'll find all the fresh protein sources, veggies, fruits, and dairy products. You always want to get the most significant portion of your diet from these sections in the grocery store.
Once you've filled your cart with your proteins, veggies, and fruits, move into the isles, finishing up your list. I tell all of my clients to grab small treats to have on hand. Being super restrictive with your diet will leave you feeling miserable and deprived. It's ok to reward yourself daily, yes daily, with small treats you crave, as long as the majority of your diet consists of clean, healthy foods.
Take your time in the store to look at food labels and be willing to try new things to keep yourself on track. If you hate eating the same things, over and over again, get creative with your diet. By looking around at all the different options, you can begin to put together different meals that fit your diet perfectly and prepare meals that the entire family enjoys.
SUNDAYS PREP DAYS
Mondays are generally the start of the week for most people. The alarm goes off, bright and early, and you're off to the races. You are getting yourself ready, getting kids up and fed, out the door on time and off to work, of course, after delivering the kids where they need to be.
If you don't have your food ready and handy, you can start your week off on the wrong foot, especially if you're trying to stick with a diet. I like to block off an hour of my Sunday evening to clean, prep, and bake my food for the week. I preheat the oven while I wash my veggies and fruits.
I clean all my proteins, top them with different seasonings, and pop a big pan in the oven. While it's baking, I layout all the containers I want to pack my food in. I freshen up my refrigerator so I can put everything away quickly and move on with my night.
Monday mornings are always so much smoother when I open my fridge up and see my lunches and dinners sitting there, ready for me to warm them up and eat. No more standing by the stove in the evenings or running around during lunchtime rush hour trying to find something to eat that doesn't blow my diet.
A BIG PAN OF PROTEIN
Protein is king to weight loss success. If you're doing a healthy program, you'll be eating several grams of protein at every single meal, throughout the day. Protein is vital to losing weight, feeling fuller longer, and keep your muscles healing and healthy.
Protein sources are endless. Eggs, lean meats, greek yogurt, fish, and poultry are just a few ways to get your protein in. Protein powders are great for on the go meals, that can be made with water, no matter where you're at or what you're doing. If your protein powder comes in a big tub, simply scoop out a scoop or two into a baggie and put it directly in your shaker cup. Be sure to only rely on protein shakes for one or two meals a day. You want to get your nutrients mainly from lean protein sources.
To have your protein prepped and ready for your busy week is super easy. I like to eat chicken as my primary source of protein. So I grab a big pan, spray it with Pam Spray and fill it with lean, organic chicken breast. I sprinkle my favorite seasonings all over it, pop it in the oven, and in twenty-five minutes, I have an entire week of protein.
You can grill a week's worth of steaks, chicken or shrimp, whatever you like. Do it all at once so you can store it in the refrigerator, take it with you and simply warm it up whenever you're ready to eat. Dinner is made when you get home. Lunch is there for you to grab. No more time spent every day, figuring what to eat, going to the store to get something to prepare and then rushing home to fix it.
Once you finish baking, cooking, or grilling your protein, let it cool down and place it in to-go containers and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, grab a container, throw it in your lunch bag, and go. Your chances of faulting on your diet plan will be minimal now. Same for dinner. When you come home from a long day of working and running, you're starving and tired. Having that food prepped in your fridge will be a game-changer for your weight loss goals.
YOUR SIDE DISHES
When you're trying to stick with a diet, simplicity is critical. I save more flavorful or creative foods for a Saturday night with loved ones, but for the majority of the week, I keep my meals very simple.
When I bake a pan of protein, I also bake a pan of sweet potatoes. I wash the potatoes, wrap them individually in aluminum foil, and bake for an hour. I put them in with my chicken, leaving them in there for another half an hour after I take the chicken out.
Once they're finished baking, I scoop a cup into a Tupperware bowl. You can add different toppings. I like to add Splenda and a few slices of banana. I throw these in my lunch bag with my protein, and there I have a nice lunch of protein and carbs.
The same goes for veggies and fruits. I'm not much of a cook, so I buy cans of green beans, warm them up on the stovetop and put them in Tupperware bowls. I cut up my fruits, put them in containers, and place them in the fridge.
Everything is ready to grab to take with me. I can throw a meal together quickly. Or when I'm starving and tempted to grab a bag of chips instead of sticking with my diet, I have no excuse not to grab a healthy snack. I can open my fridge, and everything I'm supposed to eat is waiting for me.
I know sticking with a diet is hard, but getting in the habit of prepping your food is the key to your success. Going on the fly is too risky. We are weak-minded when we're hungry and tired. Even the strongest minded person falls prey to grabbing bad things when they are super hungry.
When a diet becomes too much of a burden on your busy lifestyle, you'll quickly fade out and return to your bad habits. By planning ahead of time, you keep yourself laser-focused on your goals instead of the struggle of losing weight. You want to see results, and by being prepared, your body will reward you.
Get on Pinterest and find easy recipes that can be prepped ahead of time, so you can throw it in the oven, Instant Pot, or a Crock-Pot when you get home from a busy day. No more guesswork or falling off track because you're too tired to come up with a meal.
Pin this to your Pinterest board so you always have tips and tricks to stay on track with your weight loss goals!
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to stick with a diet for more than a few weeks. It can be time consuming and frustrating trying to prepare your food and reach your goals. Here are some super simple ways to prep your food for the entire week, without spending hours in the kitchen.
You'll be surprised by how much better you feel when you're eating more regularly and a more balanced diet because your food is prepped. You'll lose weight and increase your energy by cleaning up your diet. If you've been making bad food choices and you switch over to eating foods from home, the health benefits are endless, so keep that in mind when you're taking time out of your week to meal prep. It will be worth it!
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
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Aimee Schwinabart is the founder of The Purely Fit—online workouts, nutrition, and fitness coaching that actually work! She specializes in short (super effective) daily workouts combined with customized nutrition plans to help real people shed excess fat to reveal toned, lean muscles. The Purely Fit approach to looking and feeling great prioritizes small, steady, super efficient workouts and nutrition upgrades to help you stay with it once and for all!
