Meal Prepping Made Easy

Meeting Nutrition Goals Can Be Tough

No matter what the goal is, changing our body weight and body composition is ultimately about calories in (nutrition) vs. calories out (exercise). On average, most people will have four to five times more meals than workouts in a given week, meaning we have five times as many opportunities to sabotage our exercise efforts if we don’t have a solid strategy for controlling our day-to-day experiences.

Most people understand how useful meal prepping can be for reaching their goals, but they aren't always sure of the best ways to get started. Whether it's about affordability, macros, or recipes, we're all coming from different directions. Remember, if you're taking the bull by the horns and decide you need extra help, Midtown's Health Coaching is always ready to support Charlotte Fire and Police!

Where To Start

1) Crunch the Numbers - healthyeater.com/calculators

• Calories - How much should you eat compared to how active you are?

• Macros - What proportions of Carbs, Fats, and Protein are best for you?

2) Take the Deep Dive

• Frequency - How many meals and snacks do you need to plan ahead for?

• Time of day - How will time of day affect your choices and discipline?

• Convenience - Will you have everything needed to prepare, eat, and enjoy?

• Affordability - Will your weekly approach make sense long term?

3) Do the R&D - macromatch.net 

• Recipes - Websites like macromatch.net and eatthismuch.com can help generate ideas for everyone.

• Containers - Reusable containers means "wash them if you can, better luck next time if you can't"

• Utensils - Disposable silverware avoids last second scavenger hunts and urges to jump ship.

• Appliances - If microwaves come and go then explore recipes that make sense when hot or cold.

Tips Over Time

Plan for change

Slowing down and pacing ourselves goes a long way when we're figuring out a realistic meal plan. Try prepping 2-3 meals at a time instead of going gung-ho for an entire week. It'll save money and keep the process interesting!

Food should be fun

Adults are no different than kids when it comes to sticking to foods they like and avoiding what's on their "NO list". Don't be afraid to stick to what you know! Success isn't based on how hard it is to spell the name of what you're eating.

Casseroles are your friend

When we're trying to keep symmetry with portions it can help to cook dishes with an "all-in-one" format. They can allow for less measuring, easier cooking, and simpler preparation.

Practice makes perfect!

This tip isn't about the best way to cut an avocado. It's about maintaining vision and discipline to achieve your goals. Write them on your bathroom mirror, make them the wallpaper on your smartphone, put them on the dry erase board in your garage gym.

For most Fire and Police, the last day of the training academy probably looked quite different from the first. The requirement to show up each day and put in the work for a career explains why so many clients reminisce about the "best shape they'd ever been in". Create that accountability for yourself. If you're not sure how to do that; let the Health Coach guide you!