Meal Prepping 101
by:
Natalie Durham
Hi, my name is Natalie Durham and today I am going to be
sharing with you the basics, benefits and overall 101 of meal prepping for
beginners. But first, I want to share a little more about my fitness and health
journey within the past year.
After spending the last 15 years of my life active and
athletic, I spent a semester studying and traveling abroad. I found myself enjoying
mass quantities of beer, delicious food and not working out the way I use to
(AKA… I was packing on the pounds to say the least). After about three months
of being home, I looked in the mirror and realized I had gained weight. Shocked
and disappointed with myself, I decided enough was enough. I began to workout
religiously and cleaned up my diet. I started my journey on May 2013. A year
later, I am down 35 pounds and a little over 11% body fat. Today, I can look in
the mirror and smile right back at myself. However, most of that progress was
made during Nov 2013-May 2014, when I started properly meal prepping all of my meals.
Before getting started, I want to stress that not only is
everyone’s body different but also our LIFESTYLES! Everything that I will be sharing today is
from my own personal experiences. Taking the time to learn what has/has not
worked for my own body and lifestyle. I STRONGLY encourage you to do the
research, and even more importantly, listen to how your mind and body
feel/respond.
What exactly is meal prepping?
Meal prepping is cooking, making and storing a few days or a
full week worth of food. Having all your tasty meals and snacks ready to eat or
take on the go when needed!
Why should I meal prep?
Let’s be honest here. When we are hungry… WE ARE HUNGRY! We
want food right then and there, in front of our faces, in our mouths and are
willing to do almost anything to make that happen as quickly as possible. Not
ONLY does meal prepping make that happen for us but it stops us from resorting
to food that will have negative effects on our progress such as fast foods, the
vending machines in the office or not eating anything at all! Just remember…
How do I meal prep?
I like to store my food in reusable microwavable safe
Tupperware that can be found at a local grocery store, Wal-Mart and/or Target
or Ziploc plastic bags I can just toss after using. On Sundays, I plan out my
meals for the week (Sunday to Sunday), write my grocery list, go shopping, cook,
and then store all of my meals. I buy
most of my produce from Sprouts (fresh, organic and reasonable prices). My
proteins (meats) I buy from my local grocery store, which carries an all
natural selection brand.
I prepare every meal and snack for the day except for
breakfast. Personally, I like having fresh oatmeal, protein pancakes or egg
white omelets in the morning, so I am willing to wake up early enough to have
time to cook it before I run out the house.
I eat anywhere from 5-7 (depending on how hungry I might be)
“meals” a day every 2-3hrs. I say “meals” because 3-4 of those are actually a
small snack. Typically, each container will have 3-4 oz. of protein, 1-3 cups
of veggies and one serving of a healthy carb.
Tweaking your meal prep every few weeks is important when
getting started. Start your meal prep and within the next two weeks pay close
attention to how your body responds. You may need to add more protein, carbs,
and veggies or vice versa, take some out.
Sample meal prep layout
Meal 1
4 egg whites with 1
cup of veggies
½ cup of oats
(measured dry)
Meal 2
1 cup Greek yogurt w/
1 scoop protein
Meal 3
4 oz. protein
(chicken)
3 cups veggies
1 serving carb (sweet
potato)
Meal 4
Same as above or:
8-12almonds, or1
green apple, or a protein shake, or 1 of Ashley’s fresh juice recipes, etc.
Meal 5
4 oz. protein
(salmon)
1-3cups veggies
Grocery List
These are a list of foods that I rotate in and out of my
meals all the time. In order to keep myself successful with meal prepping, I
have to make sure I don’t get bored with my food. Keeping my taste buds guessing
by constantly switching up my meals helps me not to “cheat”.
Proteins:
·
Chicken breasts
·
97% lean ground turkey
·
Egg whites
·
Wild caught salmon
·
Tilapia
·
Tuna
·
Protein powder
·
Almonds
·
Greek Yogurt
(I
personally only eat red meats on very rare occasions)
Veggies:
·
Spinach
·
Broccoli
·
Asparagus
·
Brussels sprouts
·
Baby bell peppers
·
Green beans
·
Mushrooms
Carbs:
·
Sweet potatoes
·
Quinoa
·
Brown Rice
·
Oatmeal
Fruits:
·
Grapefruit
·
Berries
·
Green apples
My Secret Weapons
For every meal I prep, I can guarantee that I will be using one
or more of the following items that make prepping easier and/or tastier for
myself without adding the extra calories.
·
Cinnamon (I put it on EVERYTHING… well almost)
·
Mrs. Dash seasoning (No salt!)
·
Sweet Drops (Stevia)
·
Vanilla Extract
·
Walden Farms BBQ sauce and pancake syrup (No
sugar AND zero calories)
·
Trader Joes Olive and Coconut Oil Spray (Zero
calories)
Helpful Hands
Knowing where to start and staying on track can be tricky. Thank goodness there is so much out there to
help us. I suggest taking the time to consult with a professional or going to a
website that can help you work out exactly how many calories you should be
consuming a day for your body type. One of
my favorite apps and websites that can honestly do it all is: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. I use it
all the time to see how many calories a certain food contains, track my
progress, my food diary and keep myself motivated. Check it out!
Stay Motivated!
In my fitness and health journey, diet is HANDS DOWN the
hardest part for me. When craving starts
getting the best of me I chew gum, drink water or find a clean and yummy recipe
I can make instead. At the end of the
day, there are no excuses.
I love the quote, “ You can have results, or you can have
excuses. Not both.” When it gets hard,
remember why you started. I think back at how I felt when I looked at myself in
the mirror and tell myself I never want to feel like that ever again. 30 minutes of satisfaction from a piece of
dessert or junk food is not worth the set back from having the dream body you
have desired your whole life. These are
things I say to myself and it works. Do I cave sometimes? YES! But… life is all
about balance and happiness. Eat your prepped meals and every once in a while,
treat yourself to something you deserve.
Lastly, always be proud of your journey in life. Regardless of
what your goals are, do not let anyone steer you away from accomplishing them. Find
something you are passionate about and RUN with it! At the end of the day, most
people will still be talking about what they are going to do while you are out
there making it happen.
We all deserve happiness and well being!
You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @natalieedurhamm.
I hope to chat with you all again!
Xo,
Natalie
