The Beginner's Guide to Meal Prepping

Meal prepping is easy, convenient, and one of the best ways to maintain a healthy diet — even during a busy week!

Americans seem to be busier than ever, and with such busy schedules, it’s easy to give into the temptation of a quick meal in the form of fast food or takeout. According to the Bureau of Labor, the average household spent $3,008 eating outside the home in 2015. In 2017, that amount rose to $3,365.

The issue with all these on-the-go snacks and meals is that calories can really pile up; not only are meal sizes growing, but the amount of calories per meal meal is growing, too. If you’re looking to get serious about weight loss but don’t have the time to spend hours at the gym every day, consider meal prepping. It’ll help you keep portion sizes and calorie counts in check, and might just make your schedule a little lighter!

How to Start Meal Prepping

Write down healthy foods/recipes you enjoy. Do you love chicken stir fry? Could you eat apples every day? Making a list of all the healthy recipes you really like, and all the individual healthy foods you enjoy, is a great way to decide what you want to be eating this week.

Aim to meal prep two to three meals this week. Instead of trying to prep every meal for five or seven days, start small. Decide on two to three meals you’re going to prep in advance, and see how it goes. You can always add more meals as you get more comfortable.

Make a grocery list. The trick to a successful meal prep is organization. Start the ball rolling with a detailed grocery list of what foods you’ll need for the week, as well as the amounts. Include as many low-fat, low-calorie options and substitutions as you can.

Stock up on storage. Make sure you have quality storage containers to keep meals or individual ingredients as fresh as possible in the fridge or freezer, and have a good sense of how long certain things can last once prepared.

Pick a day to prep. Whether you have time to devote a whole Sunday to meal prepping or need to buckle down on a Monday after work, pick a day where you’ll have a few free hours to prepare ingredients, cook your meals, let things cool, and store it all in containers.

Use meal prepping to help you maintain a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, and use alli (the only FDA-approved over-the-counter weight-loss aid) in conjunction with that low-fat, reduced-calorie diet¹ to jump-start your weight loss. A little support, and a little planning, will go a long way toward your new healthy self!

¹alli® (orlistat 60 mg capsules) is for weight loss in overweight adults, 18 years and older, when used along with a reduced-calorie and low-fat diet. Follow label directions.