We’ve all been there, tried a new “diet” and it didn’t or maybe it did work…. for a little while but you stopped following that diet because you hated it. It was inconvenient and expensive and deprived you of everything! Well, that is exactly why I do not teach diets, I teach lifestyles. Healthy, realistic, and manageable lifestyles that if consistently followed can create some major health benefits. But this doesn’t mean you have to completely remove your favorite foods if you're serious about your fitness goals. Here are 10 easy-to-follow steps to learn how to meal prep. Meal prep is the single most effective contributing factor to your success. Visit maternityfitness.com to find out more helpful fitness tips.

Learning how to meal prep will absolutely change your life! It saves several hours every day by having your meals ready and available to you when you need them instead of having to wait to eat until your food is done cooking. This gives you the same convenience as fast food but with an abundance of nutrient-rich foods that will promote your fitness goals instead of an abundance of empty calories meaning thousands of calories with little nutritional value and an unhealthy amount of excess fats, salt, and sugar. When you're busy with life's unexpected, you can rest assured knowing your healthy meals are already cooked, weighed, and measured waiting for you to grab and go. You can pack your day’s meals in a meal prep bag (ie. 6 Pack bags etc. ) or just have them in the fridge ready to warm up and put on a dish to eat at home. Whatever your schedule is like, I can guarantee you will benefit greatly from learning to meal prep. You can also choose to meal prep food for the family, in this case, keep food in containers and wait to weigh and serve appropriate amounts of protein, veggies, and starchy carbs according to each person’s fitness program until ready to eat.

Learn how to meal prep in 10 easy steps.

Items needed: The main source of protein (chicken, fish, steak, turkey, etc.), fruits, veggies, and starchy carbs of choice (sweet potato, whole grains), nuts, protein powder (Optimum nutrition Lean), recommended percentages from your MF Fitness profile and meal prep containers. Link to purchase Meal prep bag and meal prep containers below

1. Season and prepare 6-7 servings of protein of choice and cook to perfection.

2. Chose whole grain or starchy carb of choice, prepare 6-7 servings and cook to perfection.

3. While that is cooking prepare 6-7 servings of veggies and cook to perfection.

4. Weigh protein into 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, or 12oz selections depending on your % from your fitness program.

5. Measure out 1-2 cups of veggies for lunch and 2-3 cups of veggies for dinner according to your fitness program.

6. Measure out .5 cups-2 cups of starchy carbs depending on your fitness program.

7. Add all your weighed and measured ingredients to the appropriate lunch and dinner food containers and stack them separately and label or color-code them to be able to tell the difference.

8. If you want to meal prep salads for the week put the dressing in a mason jar first and then greens, grains, fruit/veggies, and protein on top. Shake to mix when ready to eat.

9. Make sure to prepare snacks too. A handful of Nuts paired with a handful of berries are a fan favorite. My personal favorite is my post-workout shake. Pre package 2 scoops of protein powder in an empty shaker cup, immediately following a workout, add water and shake. If time/ resources permit, add ice, almond milk, fruit/nut of choice, and blend.

10. Enjoy. Refer back to your fitness program often to make sure you are staying on track to reach your goals. Use my fitness pal to track nutritional information and contact Nicky@MaternityFitness.com for help with your fitness program.

The main reason why people fail to stick to their nutritional programs isn’t that they don't want to get healthy. It's not because they want to continue hurting their bodies, it is because it is entirely more convenient to eat foods that are unhealthy. Our only hope is to take control and resist the temptations of conveniently located fast food joints at every corner by having our healthy choices available to us when we need them most. By prepping your meals for the week you can keep yourself on track to reach your goals by eating exactly what your body needs every few hours and leaving no room for overindulgence. We are in this world but not of this world. This world is full of plenty of things that are not good for us. Stay focused and keep pushing through and you will come out of this healthier, stronger, and looking and feeling the way you were meant to.

#MFmom

Read my blog named Getting started…The essentials to find links to everything you need to get started meal prepping like a pro. You will even find my recommended supplements and some of my nutritional tricks. Make sure to like this blog and share it on IG and Facebook.