Meal Prep Mayhem
“Good habits are as addictive as bad habits but much more rewarding.”
Key Takeaways
Your meal prep doesn’t need to be miserable - 15 neatly portioned containers of chicken and broccoli is not the only option.
Here’s a truth bomb that will blow up your previous misconceptions and redefine your approach to meal prep -
You can do it however you want.
The steps to meal prep success:
Buy foods you enjoy
Prepare them in a way you enjoy
After a few weeks or months, make the meals healthy
After another few weeks or months, tailor your meals to your goals
Mix it up + keep it exciting
Do it, even when you don’t feel like it
The only way to succeed at meal prep, and stick to it for the long term, is to experiment and find what works best for your schedule, budget, and goals.
To avoid falling victim to daily break room donuts, pizza breaks, and cookie sleeve starvation emergencies, put in the work to be prepared.
Full Story
I don’t know what everyone is complaining about. Meal prep is so easy. Just cook up some chicken breast and broccoli, divide it evenly into 15 containers, and BAM - you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner all ready to go for Monday through Friday. Repeat for the rest of your life. It literally could not be any simpler.
I understand, preparing your food beforehand can be overwhelming. Even just thinking of the phrase “meal prep” may evoke fear and discomfort for you. If you’ve ever thought…
What ingredients do I need?
What containers do I need?
How do I make it? I don’t know how to cook!
Do I have to eat the same thing every meal, every day, every week?
Will my food get soggy?
I don’t even like chicken and broccoli! Please don’t make me eat it, PLEASE!
You’re not alone. If the idea of meal prep drives you bananas, take a deep breath. Here’s a truth bomb that will blow up your previous misconceptions and redefine your approach to meal prep -
You can do it however you want.
Really, However You Want
You will never succeed at meal prep if you don’t enjoy it. If you “force” yourself to buy, prepare, and choke down foods that you don’t enjoy, you will not stick to it over the long run. At first, feel free to meal prep whatever you want. If you want to prepare a supersized spaghetti and syrup soup and take it to work for lunch the next day, go for it.
The “however you want” part is critically important (at first) because you want to create a habit that sticks. The last thing we want is for you to meal prep for a few weeks and fail, retreating back to Ronald McDonald or Colonel Sanders with your tail tucked between your legs.
The key to long term meal prep success is to make it sticky. Not sticky like syrup, sticky like a habit that you’ll do consistently over the long term.
The Steps To Sticky Meal Prep Success
Buy foods you enjoy
Including fruits, vegetables, and lean protein is never a bad idea, but if the idea of any food not fried or covered in cheese makes you nauseous - stick with what you like. That’s right, you read that correctly - your personal trainer is giving you free reign to consume a diet of chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. If you want to get in the habit of meal prepping, you need to stack the odds in your favor by actually looking forward to your meals.
Prepare meals in a way you enjoy
Make your meal prepped food as delicious as possible. Cook with butter/olive oil/coconut oil, season the heck out if it, and don’t be afraid to be liberal with your use of sauces (mustard, hot sauce, and sugar free BBQ sauce are all great options). Steer clear of plain, boiled vegetables and dry, tasteless meats. Your tupperware full of rubbery chicken breast won’t stand a chance against that Triple Whopper that’s just an Uber Eats away.
3. Make the meals healthier
Once you’ve gotten into the routine of preparing your food ahead of time and done it consistently for a few weeks, it’s time to raise the stakes. If you start out with healthy meals, great! You’ll be ahead of the game.
If you go the chicken nugget/mac and cheese route, you’ll still have gotten the tough part down but you have some work to do. Compared to starting and sticking to a new habit, adding a few vegetables is a cinch. Start slow by upping the protein, fiber, and fruit and vegetable content of your meals.
4. Tailor your meals to your goals
Once you’ve established the habit of meal prepping and have started to improve the quality of the foods you eat, you can now start to get more granular. If you have a specific goal, adjust the quantity and choices of food appropriately. For instance, if your goal is fat loss, go with plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and take it easy on the carbs and added fats. If your goal is muscle gain, continue to prioritize the produce and protein, but load up on the minimally-processed carbs and added fats.
5. Mix it up + keep it exciting
You may hit your stride and find a rotation of meals that works well for you. Then, one day, you’ll take a bite of your turkey chilli and think “man, this just isn’t doing it for me anymore.” Don’t freak out and definitely don’t try to push through and force yourself to keep eating meals that you hate. The key at the start, “enjoy”, is still the key now. Try a new recipe, protein source, sauce, carb, cooking oil - whatever it takes to keep your meals fun and delicious.
6. Do it, even when you don’t feel like it
You don’t need to meal prep every meal for the rest of your life. However, if you’re trying to make a new habit stick, it is tremendously important to get it done when you don’t feel like it. If you shop on Sunday mornings and cook your food that afternoon, do it week after week after week.
After getting in a routine, soon you’ll be on autopilot. You’ll finish chopping a carrot and wake up from a trance, unable to remember your trip to the store or that you even decided to make carrots. Action creates motivation which creates more action. After starting a habit, keep the momentum going.
My Meal Prep - Treat Yo Self
For over a year I enjoyed online classes and didn’t prepare a single meal in advance. Hour long breakfasts, 2 hour lunches - I was living the life.
Since starting my PT clinical rotation, I’ve been forced to get back into the meal prep game. I was rusty at first, taking a painstaking amount of time to figure out what, how, and when to eat. Now, I’m firing on all cylinders.
The key to meal prepping is to find what works for you. Here’s what works for me:
I make a ton of rice, medium-boiled eggs, ground turkey, brussel sprouts, and green beans on Sunday.
I pack my lunch of rice, eggs, and vegetables for the next two days at a time (to save room in the fridge).
For breakfast, I make a protein smoothie the night before.
My breakfast smoothie consists of: casein protein powder, PB Fit powder, fat free greek yogurt, cacao powder, cauliflower, frozen berries, almond butter, cinnamon, ginger, almond milk.
Dinners are on the fly - I need some excitement in my life - but usually contain some of the rice, vegetables, turkey, or eggs I’ve prepared earlier in the week. I’ll cook fish, add some avocado, or throw in some sweet potatoes for variety.
Simple, easy, and, most importantly, I enjoy every meal. Finding an enjoyable and sustainable meal prep allows me to come to work prepared with meals I look forward to, align with my goals, and keep me satisfied and energized throughout the day.
Unless you really love eggs and rice, your perfect meal prep will not look anything like mine.
Meal prep is an ever-evolving process. How I do it is perfect for me at this point in my life and I will continue to adjust as my schedule, resources, and life changes over time.
Wrap Up - Meal Prep Takes Time
There are a limited number of hours in the week and they go by quickly. This week you’ll think to yourself, “Man, I really need to start bringing some healthier options to work” and the next thing you know, you’ll have 20 years of cafeteria burgers and cakes under your XXL belt. To avoid falling victim to daily break room donuts, pizza breaks, and cookie sleeve starvation emergencies, put in the work to be prepared.
The only way to succeed at meal prep is to experiment and find what works best for your schedule, budget, and goals. Finding your best way to meal prep takes time, effort, and practice, but - trust me on this - it’s worth it.
If you’re stuck, in a rut, or just don’t know where to start, feel free to contact me below for tips on how to best meal prep for your personal schedule and goals ↘️
