Why you need to start planning/prepping your meals!
Failure to prepare = Preparing to fail!
No words were more true when it comes to you eating healthy. It is proven time and time again that the reason people ‘slip up’ on their diet is because they don’t have readily available food (healthy of course) or a plan of action to follow when something happens in their day that throws them off track. This can be sleeping in, your child is sent home from school ill, you are working away/at the office all day and many more things.
Over my 9 years of training clients I can say the most successful approach I have had with my own eating habits and clients habits is to ‘control the controllable’. For example, every morning you can choose to have a couple of slices of toast on the way out the door which unfortunately have very little if any nutritional benefit to your healthy diet in regards to a protein consumption. So a few options we have is to wait until a little later in the morning when we have time to eat something more substantial, prepare something the night before such as overnight protein oats, boiled egg and grilled bacon wrap to name a few. It doesn’t need to be anything ground breaking but simply something that will satisfy your hunger levels and stop you reaching for the office biscuits half way through the morning.
I have been at both ends of the spectrum, cooking a kilo of chicken breasts, 2 brocollis and 2 packets of plain white rice at 10pm to ensure I have my ‘gainzzzzz’ ready for the next day at work. Whilst this got me into the best shape of my life, it also contributed to me being severely depressed. I am not saying that the chicken breast and broccolli made me depressed but the lack of enjoyment from food and the over training certainly contributed toweards it. A personal low point of mine was going to KFC with a friend who loves it and when ordering I didn’t get anything as I had some steamed chicken in my bag. Yes, I was clearly lots of fun to be around……..
If you plan ahead you are able to indulge in the foods and drinks you enjoy, homemade curries, bolognaise, pasta sauce dishes can all be made using natural and healthy ingredients in your own kitchen and they can even taste great too. Surprise surprise you can actually stay within your calorie goal the whole time too.
I even make my own ‘lightly fried’ chicken now, it is no KFC but it is pretty close and it is a hell of a lot healthier for me. This doesn’t mean I don’t even step foot in KFC but it does mean I am able to enjoy some fried chicken without the guilt of feeling the oil drip down my face from the colonels special herbs and spices.
When prepping your meals for the day/days ahead the easiest thing I have found is to make extra of your evening meal. That is step one, step 2 is to portion it up when you serve yourself your evening meal, if you leave it in the pan you are more inclined to go back for seconds and maybe even thirds. BUT if it is in the tupper ware for lunch tomorrow at work you will not dip into it as it will leave you short for tomorrow. Meals like shepherds or cottage pie/bolognaise/curry/chilli/sunday dinners are great to have the day after, not to mention easy to cook double portions of.
By having something like this for your lunch at work as opposed to a celery stick it will mean you feel fuller for longer and will be less likely to snack on rubbish through the day. Having a good source and amount of protein in your meal through the day will leave you feeling fuller for longer and also help your body replensih and rebuild what it needs to from your workouts.
It is not obsessive to meal prep, it is smart, cost effective and a good achievement for you to be able to turn down the greasy takeaway for lunch that everyone else in the office is getting because they haven’t prepped any food. Which unfortunately is only going to push them further away from their goals and potentially make them more inclined to not follow their diet plan for the rest of the week because they will ‘just start again on monday’.
The bottom line is make sure you plan your meals out at least so you know what you are going to be eating and when, if you can prep your breakfast and lunch the night before then it is one thing less to worry about the next day. Today I have some teryiaki chicken and noodles I made last night whilst eating my dinner that I can look forward too, all within my calories and hugely contributing to my protein intake. Without it I would have ended up at the bakery for a sausage sandwich, cornish pasty and a flapjack. Much much higher in calories and much much lower in protein, therefore pushing me further away from my goals.
Stop with the excuses,
Control the controllable,
See how you get on :)