Before I get started, I’d like to confess something: I’ve been slacking on my meal prep lately. That’s just not cool, considering I started off the year laser focused and set an ambitious but achievable goal of following the Warrior 20 meal plan for 5 month.
It's now 3 month in, with April and May right around the corner. The necessity of meal planning and preparation is key especially with us expecting a new addition to the family in May. Needless to say, schedules are about to get turned upside down, sleep patterns are about to be disrupted and life is literally about to happen. So meal preparation is needed now more than ever.
Billy Reuter (co-owner of TFW Hicksville) is always talking about "Kaizen". Kaizen means continuous improvement. It is a long-term approach to work that systematically seeks to achieve small, incremental changes in processes in order to improve efficiency and quality. This is exactly what meal preparation will contribute to your workout regimen. This small changes yield large returns in the gym as well as in your life when it comes to managing your time.
If you have never taken part in a meal prep schedule, there are a few things you will need and will need to know before you begin. Actually there are 6 things to be exact!
1. Prep Day: Set a Prep Day - I like to use Monday as my meal prep day. So "Meal Prep Monday" is the day I get all my meal prep done and it's a family affair. We all jump in the kitchen and get it done together as a team. Some Monday's my beautiful wife takes it upon herself to get a jumpstart to the prep and everything is done or almost done by the time I get home. She's amazing and I can't thank her enough for all she do.
2. Never Shop On "E": Eat a good breakfast or lunch (never grocery shop on an empty stomach. You will purchase more then you need and most of it will go to waste), sit down and write a shopping list and hit the supermarket. A good rule of thumb for shopping in the supermarket is stick to the outskirts of the supermarket. This is where you will find all the live foods you will need to make the most out of your meal prep and your gains in and out of the gym. Only go in the aisles if you need something specific from the aisles like Brown Rice, Beans or Olive Oil. Pay close attention to stay away from highly processed foods, especially those packed with high fructose corn syrup.
3. Crockpot/ Slow Cooker: Our crockpot has single handedly saved us hours in the kitchen. Especially during winter months when stews and soups are in season. I eat a lot of brown rice and lentil soup so it's a no brainer. Also you can throw sweet potatoes in this puppy and let the magic happen. This is a good tool to have at your disposal when you're trolling the Internet for the perfect "one pot meal". Just make sure it's "tailored" to your macros so that one pot doesn't wreck your gains. You can throw in things like chuck roasts and whole chickens, lean cuts of chicken and beef or even a bunch of beans and veggies. No matter if you're making stews, soups, chilis or just cooking 10 pounds of chicken breast or a big pot of brown rice the crockpot will get the job done. For those of you that like to plan everything down to your cheat day. You can even make delicious desserts in the crockpot like cheesecake, brownies and apple pie. If you don't have this tool in your kitchen I suggest you get on ASAP!
4. Food Storage Containers and Refrigerator Space: Its one thing to have the ability to cook several pounds of food but it's a whole other animal storing it. You not only have to have the storage containers, but you have to have the refrigerator space as well. This is where planning ahead is critical. This is where Ziplock Freezer Bags, Tupperware and Mason Jars come in handy. There is nothing more frustrating than celebrating the completion of your meal prep only to realize that you don't have enough storage for it all. I recommend getting a set with varying sizes. My smoothie fruits go into gallon-sized Ziplock Freezer Bags. My individual meals goes into large 4 cup containers and my snacks go into 1 cup containers. My refrigerator is rearranged prior to prep, which serves 2 purposes, 1. To ensure any old foods are discarded which frees up much needed space and 2. To ensure all free space is used effectively.
5. Food Scale, Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons: If you are like me and are following a meal plan, you know the importance of developing an awareness of how much you’re eating rather than simply eyeballing your portions and praying to the gym gods for gains. A good food scale and set of measuring cups and spoons will allow you to quickly get a handle on how much you're eating at one sitting. It's important for each of your meals to hit you macros and this is a fail proof way to loose unwanted fat and gain much needed and desired muscle. This is also a fail proof way to get shredded for beach season. Staying on top of your macros ensures you have more consistent portions, more consistent food intake, and more consistent results!
6. Meal Cooler/ Lunch Bag: we all have demanding schedules and most people are on the go more than ever!!! Having a dependable meal cooler is a great way to carry your meals to work so you don't get caught up during the 1 o'clock hour with stomach rumbling and find yourself raiding the vending machine in the break room at work. It's hard enough to stick to a meal plan so do yourself and your gains a favor and have your meals packed and ready to reheat at a moments notice. This will ensure you make healthy choices and stay far away from the fast foods that will sabotage all of your progress.
Meal prepping not only saves you time during the week but it also saves you money and adds to your gains, which accelerate your progress towards your goals. For more advice comment below or ask Coach Mat DeSanno more specific nutrition questions at Mat@learnapplysurvive.com
P.S. Please note that real food will always get you to your goals and supplements are exactly what they are called "supplements". They are supplemental to healthy diet and exercise. Also please note you can not out train a bad diet.
Coach Jamel
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