When you think of meal prep, you may think of those Instagram-famous images of perfectly portioned Tupperware meals. But what if you want to prep for weight loss? Or better health? What if you want to prep so that you’re less likely to give in to cravings and eat unhealthy snacks when hunger strikes? Fortunately, there are many ways to meal prep that can help with all of those things. Prepping your own meals at home can have numerous benefits, including helping with weight management, improved nutrition, and reduced costs. Preparing your own meals also helps you avoid the temptation of eating unhealthy foods because they aren’t readily available in your house.
Make Your Own Food
The first step towards successful meal prep for weight loss and better health is making your own food. This means cooking your meals from scratch using whole ingredients, no processed foods or takeout allowed! Cooking for yourself allows you to ensure that your food is as healthy as it can be, so you can feel good about what you’re eating.
When you make your own food, you can control the portions and ingredients, which makes it easier to stay on track with your diet. Plus, you can avoid unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and sodium that are often found in processed foods
Track Your Calories
If you want to meal prep for weight loss, you should track your calories. This is helpful for many reasons; many people report that they lose weight when they track their calories. You can use an online tool like MyFitnessPal to calculate your daily caloric needs and then create a meal plan accordingly. When you know exactly how many calories you’re consuming, you can also easily see how many calories you need to cut out to lose weight. You can then use meal prepping as a way to easily control your calories. Simply divide your calories equally into several meals that you eat throughout the day.
Make Healthy Foods Easily Accessible
For successful meal prep for weight loss and better health, make healthy foods easily accessible. This means having healthy snacks and meals at the ready so that when you’re hungry, you have options that won’t derail your progress. For example, if you want to prepare meals that are high in protein, keep edamame, Greek yogurt, and beans and legumes stocked in your fridge and pantry. These are high in protein and easy to add to meals, like salads, stir-fries, and casseroles. Another thing you can do is keep healthy snacks in your house, like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and granola for when you get hungry. Eating healthy snacks can help prevent you from eating unhealthy foods like chips or ice cream when you’re hungry.
Bottom line
Meal prepping can help you lose weight and improve your health by making sure you eat balanced and healthy meals. The best part is that it’s super easy to do. All you have to do is make a few pots of grains or stews at the beginning of the week, portion them out, and store them in the fridge or freezer. Then, all you have to do is heat up a serving for each meal. You’ll be eating healthier, feeling more energized, and losing weight before you even realize it. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!