One of the biggest predictors of your success in losing weight or improving nutrition habits is based on how well you plan and prep your meals for the upcoming week! Spending less time meal prepping is associated with eating fast foods that lack nutritional value such as frozen dinners and packaged, processed foods. People who plan their meals and grocery lists and then spend a few hours prepping meals for the upcoming week are linked with having better dietary habits, such as eating more fruits and veggies! Everyone is crunched for time these days, so below I’ve provided some tips that will help you plan and prep your meals in a timely fashion!
Tip 1: Ideally, it’s good to eat every 3-4 hours, which breaks down into three meals and two snacks. When meal prepping, try your best to include a protein, healthy fat and some veggies! Be careful with the types of carbs you choose and don’t go overboard depending on whether it’s a high carb or low carb day and add the carbs when needed when you’re meal prepping. With every meal eat a fist size of protein and palm full of veggies!
Carbs: There are two different types of carbs, fibrous and starchy carbs. It’s important to eat both of them to maintain a balanced, fat-burning diet.
Some great options for starchy carbs are foods like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole-grain bread & raw fruit. Options for fibrous carbs are spinach, broccoli, mushrooms & asparagus!
Protein: Quick foods rich in protein that will give you your daily requirement of proteins are foods like eggs, nuts, almond butter, and protein shakes. For dinner options things like fish, chicken, and lentils can cook in minutes and are packed with essential proteins. Think lean meat options here.
Snacks: Meal prepping is also needed when it comes to your daily snacking! Snacks should be about ½ the size of a meal & should be about 100-200 calories for women and 200-300 calories for men.
The perfect on the go snack: Pear and/or apples with almond butter.. can you say YUM? That way you get some protein and a healthy carb with some fiber.
Tip 2: Pack a lunch box or your own to-go box when you’re out for the day. When making a grocery list think about some things you could pre make to pack in a lunch box such as salads, turkey, cut up veggies & fruit.
Tip 3: Have quick and easy snacks around the house that you can just grab and go! Some quick, healthy snacks would be apples, bananas, almonds, carrots or anything you can grab when you’re running out the door!
Tip 4: Better yet, keep a stash of healthy snacks in your car if you’re needing a pick me up. Almonds are a great snack to have in the car!
Tip 5: Having ingredients ready to go to make a protein shake after a workout or a healthy smoothie for breakfast in the morning is a great way to get all your nutritional value in for a speedy meal!
Tip 6: After planning your meals for the week create a grocery list, & stick to it! If you’ve planned what you’re getting at the grocery stpre you’re less inclined to splurge and get unhealthy snacks or junk food that you don’t need.
Tip 7: Buy fresh fruit and veggies & cut them up ahead of time, placing them in containers in the refrigerator, that way cooking and packing lunches takes far less time!
So, the take home message is if you want to succeed in weight loss always meal prep your meals and snacks for the upcoming week so you don’t have to worry about slipping up on your diet. It’s a smart and safe way to be in control of your nutritional habits & will help you avoid unhealthy fast-food options!
If you have questions on what kinds of foods you should be eating when meal prepping or would like to come workout with us email at info@bonzabodies.com
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