5 Reasons Why Meal Prepping Should Be Apart of Your Routine & 3 Tips to Make It Effortless
I’ve been doing this whole adulthood thing for like two years now and tbh its hard. One of the biggest learning curves I have experienced is how to cram all of the things I need to get done in just 24 little hours (yes I know how millennial of me). Between running Measure Me Whole, working full time in a clinical setting and being a full time Marine wifey my days feel SO hectic!
So what’s gotta give? It can’t be going to the gym. I mean I need some sort of outlet to relieve my stress. I’m already in bed by 9 which is something I never thought I would make a habit. And I am pretty spot on when it comes to eating healthy even when it’s a hassle to continuously make healthy decisions if I have to run out and grab something quick. So the question still remains: how do I stay on top of my daily tasks, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy diet? The answer to my conundrum (whoa big word) came when I discovered the benefits of meal prepping.
Meal prepping isn't something that should be scary, exclusively for body builders, or rocket science. All you need to know is that it is a great way for you to prepare yourself to stay on track with your healthy eating as well as free up some extra time in your crazy schedule. So what’s so great about this “meal prep” trend? Well here are five reasons why you should incorporate meal prep into your regular routine:
I’ll just go ahead and state the obvious, meal prepping saves time and is mentally freeing. Usually when meal prepping I plan enough food for four days. Thats four whole days that I don’t have to think about making a single meal. Literally all I have to do is grab whatever I prepared and go. So simple. The reason I only prepare enough food for four days is due to to the fact that in our home we eating clean, natural foods. Since these foods are free from nasty preservatives they fo tend to go bad more quickly. So take one day out of your week (usually a day that isn’t super busy) and make enough food for the next couple of days. See easy!
Another reason to meal prep is so that you can stay on track and away from temptation. There is nothing worse than showing up to the office and someone bringing in fresh baked goods from their favorite bakery to sabotage your healthy eating goals. If you have your food with you prepped and ready to go then there is NO EXCUSE to eat those hot donuts that Karen from cubical twelve brought in this morning.
Meal prepping also helps you regulate portion control. So many times when we eat out we really don’t know how much food we are actually eating. Yes you can look up a meal in the My Fitness Pal app and hope that its accurate but in reality you won’t really know. I mean some days you go out to eat and the guy at Chipotle is really feeling generous and gives you the greatest dollop of guac you've ever seen but seriously you won’t know how much might be too much for your caloric intake that day. So with that being said, if you prepare your meals ahead of time you can make sure you are eating exactly what you should. No worries. No fuss.
Meal prepping can not only help you with portion control but it also aids in making sure you are eating enough. Yup I said it, you might be hitting a slump in your weight loss progress because you aren’t eating enough. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve tried the “eat like a bird” diet to lose weight and yeah it worked temporarily but as soon as I introduced a normal, healthy amount of calories back into my diet I gained all my weight back. Only when discovering what my own personal food intake needed to be, I realized that I was waaaaaay under eating. Once I found my body’s “sweet spot” I started to see real results. Once you know the right amounts of food your body needs (which I could totally help you with ) then you can begin to portion out your meals properly in order for you to achieve optimal results. FUN FACT…your body loves it when you eat five to six smaller meals a day rather than three large meals. By eating more frequently through the day you are less likely to mindlessly snack on foods. Eating throughout your day will help rev up your metabolism by keeping your blood glucose levels in a more steady state thus aiding in fat loss. This will then help you to begin to see the results you have been looking for.
Although there are a bunch of reasons to why you should meal prep the last one I’m going to list is one of my favorites. Meal prepping can help you save money. We all would love to have a little extra cash laying around so why wouldn't you do this if it can save you some change. Meal prepping allows you to buy only what you will need and it can keep you from spending money on meals at a restaurant. If it’s already made you wont want to throw more money out to buy food somewhere else. One of the biggest excuses I hear from clients is that “eating healthy is expensive”. Although I agree at times it can be, but seriously? Last time I checked it’s more expensive pay a high deductible through your insurance than it is to buy enough salad fixings for an entire week (just sayin’). Your body is a temple for the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19). It’s our duty to take time to invest in our health so we can be able bodies to serve others
Now that we’ve covered all the reason why you should start meal prepping let’s talk about how you can make the transition into this whole thing super easy. Okay? Okay. Below are my three tips on how to make meal prep the easiest part of your week.
Plan your meals ahead of time. Once a week I sit down with my husband and together we decide on our meals for the week. I write out several different meal options for us to choose from and we then pick two different lunch options and two different dinner options for the week (and by week I mean Monday-Thursday). We also decide on ideas for our breakfasts and snacks. My husband and I both eat very differently. I mean he eats healthy and doesn’t mind all the greens I cook but if it was left to him he would survive on cereal and little Debbies (insert hard eye roll). Even though we essentially eat the same meals I do try to incorporate some foods that make this whole clean eating thing easier on him. For example, the other week I prepped ingredients for greek salads for our dinners for the week. My portion was significantly less than his and I had more greens on my plate where as for him I made added some roasted red skinned potatoes for the extra carbs cause he’s a big boy. I hope that made sense but basically what I’m getting at is that men and women eat differently so think ahead. Plan your meals and think of ways to make others in your home feel included. This will help satisfy everyone around your table. Oh and side note: you don’t have to meal prep every. single. meal you eat in a day. It’s okay to have your breakfast, lunch and snacks prepped and then cook dinner each night. Meal prep is supposed to make your life easier and to help you stay on track so make it work for you and your schedule.
Make your grocery list & shop. Now that you have your meals planned for the week it’s time to make a grocery store list. Add all the ingredients/items for the week to your list and then head to your local grocery. Quickly going back to the planning your meals point, one thing that will help you save money and give you some ideas for meals is seeing what is on sale at your local grocery store. I know we will often plan our meals based on the meats that are on sale that week. When making your list try to visualize the store. You can list the items that you need in categories on your shopping list. For example, write all the produce that you need down on your list, then do your meats, then your dry goods, etc. This will help you knock out your shopping trip quick.
Cook & Portion. You are home from the store and all of your groceries are loaded in your kitchen. All that is left to do is cook. I usually like cook all of my food first and once everything is cooked I then portion the food out for the week. I even go so far as to portion my omelet ingredients out for a quick breakfast before running out the door. Like I said meal prepping is suppose to help take stress away from your week and keep you on track to reaching your goals. This shouldn't overwhelm you. So take it one step at a time. If prepping all your meals at once freaks you out just try getting your lunches and snacks ready the night before. Baby steps. In no time you will be a meal prep master and things will become second nature. Just be patient with yourself.
Meal pepping has been a game changer for me and my progress. I now have time in my busy schedule to get more things done as well as being able to relieve some stress since I don't have to think about what meal I am going to prepare next. If meal prepping is something that you have considered but don’t know where to begin feel free to contact me via email at kaili@measuremewhole.com. I hope that these simple tips will help you feel comfortable in the kitchen and make reaching your physique goals a breeze.