Meal prepping helps save you money, time, and puts you in control. After all, weight loss starts in the kitchen. Read here on how meal prep can help you

This year, about 45 million Americans will go on a diet. But most of them won’t reach their weight loss goals. Contrary to popular belief, weight loss is not a matter of willpower. It’s about developing and sustaining healthy habits that work with your lifestyle.

Meal planning and prepping is a healthy behaviour that is proven to help people lose weight. Meal prepping means choosing the foods that you plan to eat and preparing them ahead of time. It includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even beverages.

But how does meal prepping help you lose weight? And why is it more effective than dieting alone?

Keep reading to find out!

What is Meal Prepping?

If you’re new to the healthy eating community, meal prepping is a great way to start eating better right away. There are plenty of different variations of meal prepping, but the most common is a weekly meal prepping plan.

Pick one day of the week when you typically have the freest time. Purchase all the food and drinks you plan to consume for the week. If you need ideas for healthy meal prep recipes, check these out. Once you have all your ingredients, you’re ready to start prepping.

For example, you could cut up fruit into 7 evenly sized portions and make 7 hard-boiled eggs – now you have breakfast for the entire week! You can apply the same principle to lunches, dinners, and snacks. Do as much prep ahead of time (chopping, cooking, seasoning, etc.) as you can because it will save you time and energy later on in the week

Why Does Meal Prepping Work?

Let me guess – you’ve tried every strategy for losing weight and you’re beginning to wonder if you’ll ever reach your goal weight? You’re not alone! Many people feel discouraged when they can’t lose weight or when their weight loss solutions don’t work.

Meal prepping might be the thing you need to break the yo-yo dieting cycle. When you plan meals ahead of time you are more likely to make healthier decisions. But when you don’t plan, junk food and treats have more power over you.

Fewer Decisions

As human beings, we make thousands of decisions every day – and hundreds of those are about food! But making all these decisions can lead to decision fatigue which means that we become tired of making decisions. And when we’re tired of making decisions, we usually don’t make the healthiest ones.

But there’s good news! When you meal prep you can remove some of the day-to-day food decisions contributing to your fatigue. That means you can save your brainpower for other decisions in your life while maintaining your plan to eat healthily and lose weight.

It’s Okay to Be Lazy

Lazy, really? Yep!

While you can’t be lazy about your gym routine, you can be lazy when it comes to meal prep for weight loss. If you concentrate your energy on preparing all your healthy meals once a week, it means that the rest of the week is easy.

Imagine coming home from a long day of work and a gym session. You’re tired and hungry and sore. All you have to do is walk to the fridge, pull out your delicious prepared meal and throw it in the microwave for a minute or two. Fill up a big glass of water and you’re done!

Preparing weekly meals might take a few hours, which seems like a pain. But later in the week, you will be so thankful that you did it!

Purpose and Intention

Having a meal plan and prepping ahead of time makes it easier to stick with your intention to eat better and lose weight. So, when a friend offers you a bite of their fudge brownie, you’ll be more likely to decline because it was not part of your meal plan for the day.

By simply setting an intention, we are more likely to follow through. But when we don’t have a plan, it’s harder to resist temptation. Our prepared meals also serve as a reminder each day of our goals to live a healthier life. You will constantly be reminded that healthy eating has a purpose for you and you want to stay devoted to your journey.

Meal Prep Tips

By now you know why meal prepping is effective for weight loss. But there are a few additional meal prep tips that can help you succeed.

First, try to pre-portion whenever possible. If you make a big batch of vegetable soup, put it into separate containers for each meal. This will prevent you from overeating and running out of food later in the week.

Next, make room for treats. Just because you are meal prepping doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a piece of chocolate. Add your treats in appropriate portions to your meal plan.

Mix up the recipes. Meal prepping is not the same as eating boring food. You can use spices, sauces, and tasty root vegetables to make your food fun. If you want to continue meal prepping to lose weight or maintain your weight, you’ll want a variety so that you don’t get bored and give up.

Make use of resources. Joining a wellness community is a great way to access new resources and get professional advice on nutrition and exercise. Don’t go through this alone – you can find support for when things get tough.

Lose Weight, Feel Better, Live Happier

If you’ve been wondering how to lose weight without fad diets or hours on a treadmill it’s time to consider meal prepping. Build a grocery list, prepare your meals, and get ready to lose weight and feel better.

Don’t be afraid to change up your meal plan if you’re not getting the results you want. It takes time to work out the right portions and recipes that work for you.

And if you’re looking for helpful resources, expert advice, and lasting results, consider joining our online community. Contact us with any questions you may have – we look forward to hearing from you!