This week’s blog is all about food prep, and how I believe it can be the key to getting great results!

There is no one set rule on food prep really; basically it’s just whatever works for you. You want to prepare meals to fit in and work around your lifestyle. The sole reason of food preparation is so you are prepared! Prepared for your daily activities and what unexpected things may arise. Having meals ready to go in a Tupperware container can not only save you time through the week overall, but it will also more than likely keep you on track, and deter you from getting take-away or other unplanned foods that may damage your results.

My personal situation is probably a lot of different from majority of my clients because I can be home for most of my meals during the day. I understand that not everyone has that luxury, however food prep doesn’t necessarily have to be making the whole meal ready to eat, it could be even smaller preparation that helps in the long run.

When I buy meat I buy enough skinless chicken breast and diced beef to last me the week, which is usually 2-3kg combined. I cut up, weigh and bag all my meat in portions that exactly fit my requirements of protein for each meal. So I’m not just eating half a chicken because I can, I’m only eating what I require. I then freeze all my meat in the individual bags, and take them out each morning to defrost and cook later that day. Again, I understand not everyone is going to be able to do that, but my point is doing all that in one go, which might take 45mins – 1hour, saves me a lot of time overall, as opposed to doing that every single day. To take it a step further you could pre-cook the meat and refrigerate them until meal time. Having a fridge and microwave at work will come in handy in that case. I used to purchase a cooked chicken from Woolworths, take out the entire breast with no skin and separate that for the week. However I found come Thursday and Friday the Chicken tasted terrible and dry, so this is when two prep days might come in handy.

A big tip for meal prep would be to select a day or two days through the week that you know you are going to do the preparation on. Sunday is probably the best day for majority of people I would assume. Doing shopping and meal prep on a Sunday will get you ready for the week, and then you won’t have to worry each day about what to have, and fall to temptation. Alternatively you could break it up and prepare half on a Sunday then the other half on say a Wednesday, just to ensure you’re having fresh food and it doesn’t taste like dirt! Again, it really doesn’t matter what specific day you do it on, as long as you can make the time for it regularly.

I know for myself personally, coming home after work, cooking isn’t at the top of my list of things I want to do, especially for some reason making a salad! This is why I find it really important to get out some Tupperware and whip it all up in one go. Key note that I learned the hard way; don’t add dressing to the salad if you aren’t eating it right away, it will just go soggy and gross, epic fail haha. So I come home, re-heat my meats that I have cooked previously, crack open my salad, and dinner is ready to eat within a minute.

Now one thing that I know a lot of people struggle with, especially office staff (I’ve been there) is snacking during the day. With no prepared healthy alternatives in your bag or on your desk, you are highly likely to opt for the chocolate bar, or muffin or piece of cake or… you get the picture. Taking a small can of tuna, a container of yoghurt and fruit or having a handful of almonds and a protein shake is going to be your saviour, and again, these small things may be what ultimately help with achieving your result.

Remember how I said meal prepare is basically just being prepared, will this applies to different situations. When eating out at a restaurant or café etc. Look up the menu (if possible) before hand to make sure there is an option suitable to your requirements. Doing this simple step will guarantee that you can still enjoy a meal out with loved ones, without the guilt of ruining your plan. Majority of places will have at the very least a health-IER option, so research prior and be ready for it. If a main comes with chips, ask for vegetables or salad instead. Don’t miss out on events in your life because you want to be healthy, just be prepared, and make smart decisions!

So to wrap it up, these are my step-by-step tips to meal prep that will get you shredding the fat in no time!

1. Choose a day or two you are going to be shopping and prepping.

2. Work out what your daily requirements are e.g. how many serves or protein/carbs/fat/vegetables you need every day for one whole week. (This will not only potentially save you money from buying things you don’t need, you won’t overeat either).

3. Write down a shopping list. ONLY purchase what’s on your list.

4. After shopping, separate everything into serves / portions for each day.

5. Decide whether you are going to pre-cook all meat / vegetables and whether you are going to make up all salads then and there, or prepare it all so it’s easily done when you need to cook.

6. If you don’t have a fridge at work, take an eski-bag (you can buy ones with shelves and containers that are pretty awesome, I have one myself I used to use every day when I worked at Vision).

7. If you don’t have Tupperware and zip lock bags, get some!

8. Ensure you have adequate snacks with you at work so you don’t graze on junk!

9. Research menu’s when eating out prior and pick the best option.

10. Mix it up! I am a creature of habit so routine suits me when trying to achieve a result, however if you don’t like having the same thing every day, don’t, but make sure you are preparing different meals every day to give you that variety, whilst staying on track!

If you weren’t already, I hope you will at least try and incorporate some meal prep into your weekly schedule!

Remember, failing to prepare is like preparing to fail!