MEAL PREPPING I felt like for the longest time I was skinny-fat. I would go to the gym, drink protein shakes after, and would try to eat “a lot” of calories. But every time I looked into the mirror I wouldn’t like the way I looked. My friends and I would tell each other that we all just have body dysmorphia and that actually we’re looking great. But deep down I knew it wasn’t true… So one day I decided to take it seriously. I found the most successful personal trainer in my city of Milwaukee and hired him to prep me for a physique show. This was one of THE BEST decisions I’ve ever made. I would ask him as many questions as I could, and just absorbed all the tips and knowledge that I could. 9 months later, I competed in my first competition, and loved every minute of it. It occurred to me shortly after the competition that I want to do this for others. But it was also deeper than that. I’m a devout Catholic, and I never liked the idea of someone not practicing what they’re preaching. If I think virtuous living is the best path in life, it’s hypocritical to want people to be disciplined and temperate in the lifestyle, when I am not. What’s more, it’s not very inspiring to others when you don’t live a disciplined lifestyle, and failing to inspire others is a thought that kept me up at night. So, I became a personal trainer, took fitness seriously, and began guiding similar Catholic and Christian men like myself towards a life of health and fitness! Meal Prepping You’ve probably heard sayings like “it’s mostly diet,” or “abs are made in the kitchen.” Well, it’s true. Dialing in your nutrition is the single most impactful change you can make on your health. Also, whether you want to gain or lose weight, eating more than 3 meals a day can help achieve your nutrition requirements much easier. Meal Prepping—preparing food prior to when you will consume it—is a must-have if you want to see serious results. However, it can be intimidating for people that haven’t done before. So, this E-book will go over the basics of meal prepping AND the tips that I have found most helpful when prepping for over half a year. Let’s GO! Basics of Meal Prepping Some food tastes the same when it’s a couple days old in the fridge. Some food doesn’t. Some food can last in the fridge forever. Some food can’t. The goal of meal prepping is to work within the constraints of the cooked food to optimize the amount of preparation you can do. In general, here are some guidelines to follow: Protein An average-sized man wanting to build muscle and lose fat will (generally) be eating around 200g of protein. This is hard to consume in three meals, so each of your 4+ meals will include protein. 200g of protein is roughly 2 pounds of protein (i.e., meat) every single day. My guess is that you don’t want to cook two pounds of meat a day! So, most meal preppers meal prep their protein. Meats with high-quality protein that are popular include chicken breast, lean beef, and certain fish (e.g., tilapia). All three of these can last at least a few days before the flavor starts to change. Keep this in mind as you prepare your meat days ahead of time. Carbs Rice is king when it comes to carbohydrates. But cooked rice can definitely change flavor as it sits in the fridge over time. Potatoes are another great carb that tends to be a staple in meal prepping. A lot of meal preppers will bake an entire batch of potatoes in the oven. Since potatoes can last for around 4-5 days in the fridge. Vegetables tend to be more of a starchy carb, and are a necessity in your meal prep routine. Similar to rice, they can become bland and chewy after several days in the fridge, so it’s best to try and eat these as fresh as possible. Fats Most fats that are eaten—butter, oil, etc.—don’t need to be meal prepped. However, if you are eating a diet with moderate to high amounts of fat, you may need to meal prep some healthier fats, such as avocados or salmon. Meal Prep Tips As you can see, the timing for all of these foods don’t line up! It becomes a combination of what works for your schedule, what you have in the fridge, the shelf life of the prepped food, and your nutrition requirements. Given that this can be a lot to consider, I’ve outlined 5 Meal Prep Tips that helped me tremendously! 1 Prepare the food in advance but place the food in the containers the night before. This works great for me, because I can see how much food I have left in the fridge/freezer at any time, which can help me plan when the next day I batch food. Also, this process does not take very long (e.g., 15 minutes) once you get the hang of it. An example of the process could go like this: In the morning, thaw 3-4 packages of meat At night, set out your containers Start your rice in the rice cooker Microwave your vegetables Place meat, rice, and veggies in the containers. Place containers in fridge. Repeat the next day. 2 On cooking days, cook all your meats, place the meat in 6-8oz. in freezer bags, freeze all the bags. This way you always have approx. 50g protein bags of cooked meat ready to go. Even though it may seem time consuming to weigh 6-8oz for each meat, it really only takes about 10-15 minutes. Besides, it saves so much time on preparing the containers, so you make the time back up! This is especially helpful if you’re going to be on the road. You can grab a handful of your “protein bags” with you to ensure you get your protein in, and then deal with the carbs/fats when you are at restaurants. 3 Every day, cook your rice the day before. A rice cooker is SO quick, so just start it up every night. You’ll have fresh rice for the next day after 15 minutes. 4 Buy bags of frozen vegetables that have 2-3 cups of green vegetables in them. Microwave the bag and fill the containers with the veggies. Costco is great for this. They sell large bags of broccoli with small bags that each have 2-3 cups of broccoli in them, perfect for a day of veggies. If you don’t have a Costco membership, Wal-Mart has something similar! 5 Use a cooler bag! There are cooler backpacks that you can carry with you to keep your meals cold. Take it with you everywhere you go! This is the bag I use: I take it everywhere I go, so I always have my meals with me. In the morning, just place a cooler pack in the bag, fill it up with your meals, and you’re off! What to Take Away Meal Prepping can skyrocket your progress, and once you get the hang of it, it actually doesn’t take that much time. Get in the habit, learn the tips and tricks, stay consistent, and you’ll see results before you know it. Hope this helps!
