If you are trying to lose weight, preparing your meals in advance can make the whole process much easier.
Food prep meals are simply meals that you prepare ahead of time so you do not need to cook every single day or make last-minute food decisions when you are hungry.
For beginners, I usually recommend preparing food for around 2–3 days at a time.
Why Food Prep Meals Can Help With Weight Loss
One of the biggest benefits of meal prep is that your food is already there when you need it.
From my own experience, if I have already prepared my meals, I am much more likely to eat them. I do not want to waste the food or start looking for something completely different.
This makes staying consistent much easier.
Meal prep can also save a huge amount of time.
Instead of cooking every day, ordering takeaway or trying to decide what to eat after a busy day, you simply take your prepared meal from the fridge, heat it up and eat.
You can also take your meals with you to work, which removes another excuse for going off track.
How Many Days Should You Prepare?
Personally, I prefer preparing meals for around two days ahead.
For example, I might prepare four portions covering lunch and dinner for the next two days. Then I cook again.
For me, food prepared for four or five days does not taste as good anymore.
However, this is personal preference.
Some people prepare meals from Monday to Friday because they know they will not have time to cook during the week. Others prepare even more food in advance.
The important thing is finding a system you can realistically maintain.
What Should a Meal Prep Include?
A good meal prep should not just be a dry piece of meat with some rice next to it.
Try to build your meals around:
- a source of protein
- a source of carbohydrates
- vegetables or another source of fibre
Protein could come from meat, fish or plant-based foods if you are vegetarian or vegan.
Vegetables are especially useful when you are trying to lose weight because they can add more volume and fibre to your meals.
Even something simple such as cucumber, tomatoes or a salad on the side can make the meal much more filling.
You Do Not Need Different Food Every Day
Meal prep does not mean you need to eat exactly the same thing for seven days.
But you also do not need to stand in the kitchen preparing five completely different meals.
Keeping the same lunch and dinner for two days can make meal prep much easier, and then you can change your meals the next time you cook.
Keep it simple.
The easier the system is to follow, the more likely you are to stay consistent with it.
Make Meal Prep Work Around Your Life
If you are busy and constantly feel like you do not have time to eat properly, preparing your meals ahead of time can be one of the most practical solutions.
You remove daily decisions, save time and already know what you are going to eat.
For meals prepared a couple of days ahead, refrigeration is usually the practical option. If you are preparing food much further in advance, freezing some portions may make more sense.
The goal is not to create a perfect meal-prep routine.
The goal is to create a system you can actually follow.
Need Help Setting Up Your Nutrition?
If you are struggling not only with preparing your meals but also with creating a nutrition system that actually works around your lifestyle and goals, book a free consultation with me and we can go through it