Let's Talk Meal Prep
I started meal prepping when I started college. I had to do it or I didn’t get to eat for the day. I would leave before the sun came up, and wouldn’t get home until after the sun went down.
I started off just making sure that I had something to eat every two hours. At the time, my goal was to grow and get stronger… If that is not your goal, you do not have to eat as much or as often.
Things I would eat (before I started competing in shows):
-Oatmeal
-Protein shakes
-Chicken
-Brown rice
-Broccoli
-Trail mix
-Apples
-Peanut butter
-Protein bars
I had a pretty balanced diet. Protein, fats, and carbs. I ate good foods that I enjoyed. I also made sure to drink a gallon of water a day.
Keep in mind that all of this took practice. If you are just getting started I would say to start off being mindful and making healthier choices. And for water… Try to drink water with every meal. It doesn’t have to be a gallon.
Meal prepping made my life so much easier! I was always on the go… At school, at work, at the gym, with friends. No matter where I was at or what I was doing, I had food! When you prep your food, you have no excuses! You are able to stick to your plan and stay on the right path towards your goals.
Speaking of goals, they change as time goes on and as you improve. So how I meal prep and what I eat has changed as well. Now I prep six meals a day. And I space those meals out to last me all day. I will normally eat every three hours. And my meals are a lot more specific than they used to be.
Here is an average day of my eating:
Meal1: Hashbrowns, 1 whole egg, spinach, egg whites, sharp cheddar cheese, toast
Meal2(pre workout): Cream of wheat, protein powder, SF chocolate syrup, strawberries
Meal3(post workout): Potatoes, chicken, rice cakes
Meal4: Broccoli, chicken
Meal5: Spinach, ground turkey
Meal6: Protein pudding (casein and nut butter)
I weigh out all my food to meet my macros. But even though my meals are so precise, I still eat what I like. My food is not bland or boring… And I will mix it up from time to time.
HOW DO I PREP ALL THIS??? Well let me explain :)
1. You have to get the food. I grocery shop at Walmart for pretty much everything. I also like Winco. You do not have to buy organic or shop at super expensive stores.
2. Cook it. I will cook in bulk. I will throw a whole pack of chicken in the oven, and while that’s cooking I will be cooking things on the stove (3 packs of ground turkey, 1 pot of broccoli, 1 pot of white rice, and microwave potatoes). All this food would last an average person probably a week. All this food last Tony and I about half a week. LOL.
3. Portion out the food. I use a food scale, but you don’t have to unless you want to. I like to lay out all the tupperware. So if you are eating 3 times a day, and you are prepping for 5 days, then you will have 15 tupperware containers on the counter. Then you put a little bit of the food you just cooked in each tupperware. You want some protein, veggies, carbs and fats in each meal. I like to make sure that I have different meals within the day (look at my meals examples above). And there you go! You have meals for the week.
I have been meal prepping for about six years now. And I can honestly say that I will never go back to not meal prepping. I feel lost when I don’t have my food ready. I just makes the day run so smooth. Plus it is nice to always be prepared.
I would recommend any and all who are really trying to reach their health and fitness goals and/or change your lifestyle to meal prep!!! It will seem very time consuming at first, and a little overwhelming, but you will get the hang of it. Then it will just become a normal part of your routine.
I hope this helped a little. Please don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions about meal prep or nutrition. kaylie.trainer@gmail.com
