Why Should You Meal Prep?
Warning: Adult language
Please do not read any further if you are offended by adult language.
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This article was inspired by people just like you and I, trying to accomplish our goals to get healthy and lose weight. The problem is that in the beginning, we just don't know where to start! Everything is so overwhelming. It's enough to drive you bat-shit crazy. So today I'm going to do my very best to help you out!
In today's article, I'm going to talk about why meal prepping is so important. I'm hoping by the time you're done reading this, you'll be a believer and be ready to dive head first into some food fixin'. I know meal prepping can seem overwhelming, but after you do it once all that apprehension disappears. It's not as difficult as it seems and after you see how much easier it makes losing weight and staying on track, you'll never look back!
I remember what it was like in the beginning of my weight loss journey. I had no idea where to start or what to do. I figured fitness-wise I really just needed to move my ass and sweat, but I was completely and utterly lost on what to eat. Once I learned how to meal prep, everything changed. No more grabbing shit food because I had nothing ready, no more stressing out all the time because I didn’t know what to eat, no more coming home from the grocery store with nothing healthy, and no more always feeling frustrated and panicked because I was so disorganized. Taking a few weeks out of your life and learning how to meal prep will set you up for success for however long your journey will be.
My journey was two years and I can promise you that meal planning and prepping was the ONLY way I got through it successfully. And guess what I've done consistently for the last seven years to maintain my weight loss? Yup, I still meal plan and meal prep. It has never failed me!
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Do you need some guidance in meal prepping or need a healthy meal plan?
TRY MY
4 Week KETO Meal Plan & Meal Prepping Guide
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I know that when you're in the beginning of a weight loss journey, you're grasping at anything that will help you wrap your mind around what you need to do. I know this because I lived it. The overwhelmingness of starting a journey is enough to make you want to quit before you even begin. We want answers, we want assured, we want hope. And when we find somebody who has actually succeeded in what we are desperately dreaming of, we want to know exactly what they did to accomplish it.
I thought I share one of my meal plans, to show you what I eat for an entire week. Below you will find one of my exact meal plans.
Remember that we're all unique, our bodies respond to various foods differently, and there are many factors that impact losing weight other than food consumption. What works for me may not work for you, but the below meal plan is made up of wholesome and healthy foods and at the very least may give you a few ideas for some new meals.
You do NOT need to make and eat my exact meal plan to lose weight! I'm simply sharing one of my weekly meal plans because I think it will help you all get an understanding of the kind of foods you should be eating. This is just one week's worth of healthy meals that I normally make. There are literally thousands of healthy meals you can make. If you want to make this meal plan exactly as it is, that's great, but you certainly can tailor it to your taste preferences and make whatever healthy meals you'd like.
Now before you say, 'But Gabby, you already lost your weight, we need to know what you ate when you were losing weight, not what you're eating now.' Let me assure you, this IS what I ate to lose all of my weight! This is the single biggest reason that I have been able to maintain my weight! You see, you cannot go on a diet. You absolutely MUST learn to eat differently... forever.
You are adopting a new lifestyle. This is NOT temporary. So yes, these are exactly the foods I ate in the very beginning of my journey, during my journey, and since my journey. This also goes for all of the recipes on my blog. These are the foods I have relied on to get me healthy and to keep me healthy.
For honesty’s sake, I feel I need to tell you this, incase you don't already know it, which I’m guessing you do.
MEAL PREP SUCKS ASS.
It sucks dirty, smelly, wet ass.
Know this and accept this. But also know this…
MEAL PREPPING IS YOUR TICKET TO LOSING WEIGHT.
It sets you up for success. And believe me, it only sucks while you're doing it. The second you're done, you feel glorious! It's such an amazing feeling knowing that you don't have to think about what you're going to make or eat for the next seven days. Not even for a split second! It's all done, the fridge is filled, your mind is clear, and you instantly feel confident about the week ahead. So yeah... it's totally worth it.
Tip:
Meal prepping is the perfect time to get caught up on your favorite Netflix series. If you don't have one, this is the perfect time to start one! If you're anything like me, you don't normally let yourself sit around for hours on end to watch TV. But meal prepping is your perfect opportunity to! If you're not a TV-watching type of peep, then maybe you can listen to an audiobook. Or you can fall back on my favorite backup plan... you can crank up some jams and attend a bomb concert featuring you! You might even burn a few calories shaking that ass while you're whipping up your week's worth of eats.
Okay, so here's your official reasons to meal prep.
Why Should You Meal Prep?
1. YOU'LL LOSE WEIGHT FASTER
Meal prepping is the most effective tool in eating healthy! Nothing derails you faster than not having something healthy to eat when you find yourself hungry. Without good foods on hand and ready to go, you will inevitably grab whatever is in front of your face. One certainty you can always count on is this:
We eat the food available to us. If we only have healthy food available, then we’ll eat healthy food. If we only have junk food available to us, then we’ll eat junk food. Every time.
2. YOU'LL BE LESS STRESSED
Yes, it is a pain in the ass while you’re doing it. BUT IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT! When you’re done, you will feel so relieved and so good that your entire week ahead of you is already figured out. No more stressing over what to eat all day or what to make for dinner for your family. Being stressed all the time works against you, not only by negatively affecting your overall health but it makes losing weight more difficult. So start meal prepping to make things much easier on yourself and to save your sanity.
3. YOU'LL SAVE MONEY
When you plan all of your meals, you can make a concise grocery list and stick to it. It also gives you the opportunity to look through grocery sale flyers and coupons ahead of time because you already know exactly what you’ll be buying.
4. YOU WON'T WASTE FOOD
When you meal prep, you get the most out of your purchased food and have no waste. You don’t end up throwing out that chicken you meant to bake all week or that entire head of broccoli you meant to wash, dry, and cut up. You get everything done in one (or two) days and no stone is left unturned. Everything that you purchased gets eaten and you don’t have to feel sick to your stomach when you’re throwing out 30 dollars worth of food on garbage night.
5. YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY WILL GET HEALTHIER
When we have a fridge stocked full of healthy grab-n-go snacks, it’s not just us who benefit from it but our entire household. Your family will grab up junky chips and cookies if those are the only things available for them to quickly snatch up when hunger strikes. But if there are lots of healthy cut up fruits and veggies and other wholesome snacks staring them in the face when they open the fridge, that’s exactly what they’ll eat!
Just make sure you clearly mark what they're allowed to eat and not allowed to eat so you don't end up wanting to go postal on your family and end up on the 5 o'clock news. There is not much worse than spending the time making your food and then somebody eating it. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty possessive of my food.
This is how I choose to warn my loved ones.
6. YOU'LL DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL ROUTINE AND BECOME CONFIDENT
Once you meal prep for a few times, you'll start to see how doable losing weight is and you'll build confidence. Your willpower will get stronger because you'll only be surrounding yourself with healthy choices!
Here's one of my weekly meal plans:
BREAKFASTS:
Banana Nut Muffins (Use Blueberry Muffin recipe but omit blueberries, add one diced banana, and add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)
LUNCHES:
Grilled Chicken Salad w/ Hard Boiled Egg and Grapes (or preferred fruit)
Avocado & Grape Chicken Salad w/ Bell Pepper and Hint of Salt Triscuits
Turkey Meatballs w/ Side Salad and Grapes (or preferred fruit)
Egg Salad w/ Triscuits and one clementine (or preferred fruit)
DINNERS:
Pasta w/ Low Sugar Spaghetti Sauce and Turkey Meatballs (If you want a lower ‘carb response’, try Banza Pasta or DreamFields Pasta)
Veggie Beef Stew w/ Triscuits
Breakfast For Dinner: 2 Eggs, 2 Lean Turkey Sausage Patties, and Homemade Potato & Onion Home Fries
Chicken Stir-Fry w/ Lots of Veggies and 1/2 cup Brown Rice
Two Chicken & Bean Burgers Topped w/ Tomatoes and Mustard (or preferred toppings) and a Sweet Potato
SNACKS:
Veggies and Hummus
Fruit Salad (w/ preferred fruit)
One Chicken & Bean Burger w/ Bell Pepper
Two Hard Boiled Eggs and Baby Carrots
Plain Greek Yogurt w/ Blueberries and Stevia
I use these meal prep containers. They are perfect!
Meal planning and meal prepping are surefire ways to succeed in losing weight and getting healthy! It's the best gift you can give to yourself.
I want each and every one of you to reach your goals and live the vibrant life that you all deserve!
We respect your privacy.
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*The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content in this article is for general information purposes only. I am not a doctor, nor am I a dietitian. Talk to your physician before making any changes in your diet or exercise regimen. The information found in this article is from various sources which include, but are not limited to, the sites listed above. I encourage you to do your own research and talk with your physician before making any changes in diet or exercise. What has worked for me may not work for you. This information in this article or on this website should never replace or serve as medical advice.
NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR HAVE ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.
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