Episode 249: Overwhelmed by Meal Prep? Avoid These Mistakes!
Ah meal prep. The secret weapon for staying on track with your nutrition whether your goal is to lose weight, balance hormones, improve your gut health, or simply build more consistent healthy eating habits.
But what if it feels like more of a burden than a help? Like it’s just one more thing on the never-ending to-do list. (And likely one more thing to procrastinate.)
If that’s the case, we are missing the point entirely. Meal prep should be something that takes stress off your plate, not something that adds to it.
But a lot of us fall into common traps and buy into common myths when it comes to meal prepping, making the process way more stressful than it needs to be.
We experience immediate overwhelm thinking about spending hours in the kitchen on Sunday.
The thought of eating the same meals week after week leaves us bored, uninspired, and reaching for snacks - anything to add a little excitement - by Wednesday.
We may still try. And we may even have a fridge successfully packed full of pre-portioned meals from time-to-time. But still we struggle.
What are we doing wrong? Let’s dive into the six mistakes I’ve seen many a client make and how to avoid them.
But before we do, I’m going to tell you right now there is an entire meal prep lesson in week 2 of the fall challenge inside my online membership, The Club, that covers 4 different approaches to meal prep that you can choose from depending on how much time, energy, and motivation you have to cook.
I also share ingredient swaps so you can make your meals healthier without having to completely redo your entire menu.
Plus there’s an entire module that includes countless quick-and-easy (but always delicious) recipes that I’ve found over the years. In fact, I’m always adding to that list.
And there’s a whole cooking class series I recorded where I teach you how to make 5 of my favorite meals while demonstrating my favorite cooking hacks that will significantly decrease the time you’ll need to spend in the kitchen.
So if this is a skill you’ve consistently had a hard time with but you know it would make such a big difference if you could get into the swing of it, click here to sign up.
1. Overprepping
This is a classic trap. You may want to be an overachiever and prep enough food for the entire week. But by mid-week, you will very likely be tired of eating the same thing (unless you’re a weirdo like me who has no problem eating the same dish 5 or 6 days in a row).
Not only does overprepping lead to food boredom, but it also increases the likelihood of waste if meals spoil before you get to them.
Solution: Start small. Prep just 2-3 days’ worth of meals at a time, and leave room for flexibility. If you have a busy day, you’ll be glad you have a prepped meal. But if you feel like making something fresh, you won’t feel locked into what you prepared.
2. Ignoring Variety
I’ve known a lot of ‘gym bros’ who love a classic meal prep situation. And it always looks the same: chicken, broccoli, and rice, chicken, broccoli, and rice, chicken, broccoli, and rice.
That may sound really effective in theory because who’s getting fat eating chicken, rice, and veggies? But meal prep doesn’t have to be this rigid. In fact it shouldn’t be this rigid.
Lack of variety not only leaves your taste buds bored and you wanting to eat an entire pint of icecream to compensate, but eating the same things again and again can severely limit your nutrient intake.
Solution: Batch prep different components instead of entire meals so you can mix and match. Build an arsenal of different seasoning blends. And/or pick one new, interesting recipe to try out each week.
3. Going for Too Much Variety
On the flip side, some people swing too far the other way, feeling like they need to prep completely different meals for every day of the week. It only takes one day of spending five hours making multiple dishes to leave you stressed, exhausted, and ready to give up on meal prepping.
Solution: Maintain a few go-to elements (for example I always have my shake ingredients prepped and ready to go) as your foundation. And then sprinkle variety in with a new seasoning blend, or maybe a veggie you wouldn’t normally reach for, or (like I mentioned above) try one new recipe.
4. Using Plastic Containers (And Reheating in Them)
It’s tempting to use those old takeout plastic containers for meal prep, but there’s growing evidence that storing and heating food in plastic can release harmful chemicals, which can disrupt your hormones and impact your health. So those containers you don’t want to toss are likely contributing to the very health issues you’re trying to resolve!
Solution: Invest in glass containers or stainless steel. These options are safer for reheating and storing food long-term. Not only are they better for your health, but they’re more eco-friendly too!
5. Assuming Meal Prep is Time Intensive
I used to always assume I had to set aside half my Sunday for meal prep, which felt overwhelming and made me dread the process. I worked hard all week. I didn’t want to spend half my Sunday toiling away in the kitchen. And I like to cook!
Luckily I eventually came to realize meal prep doesn’t have to take up your whole day, and it does not need to feel like a chore. In fact, it can fit seamlessly into your current cooking routine (yes, even if you don’t cook).
Solution: Break it up! You don’t need to plan out every meal and do all your prep in one go. Spend 20 minutes chopping veggies the night before a busy day. Or double a dinner recipe you were already making so you have leftovers the next day.
6. Being Rigid About What ‘Meal Prep’ Is
Some people think meal prep has to look a certain way. The image that immediately springs to mind when hearing the words ‘meal’ and ‘prep’ is usually identical containers stacked in the fridge with pre-planned, pre-portioned meals. But meal prep can be whatever works for you!
Solution: Redefine what meal prep means for your lifestyle and personality. Maybe it’s having a handful of grab-and-go ingredients on hand at all times. Maybe it’s just having your most challenging meal of the day prepped. Maybe it’s investing in already prepared food like pre-chopped veggies. Flexibility is key here, especially if you’re someone who likes to cook spontaneously or eat intuitively.
The Takeaway: Make Meal Prep Work for You
Have you fallen into any of these meal prep traps and felt like giving up?
Hopefully now you realize you can make some small tweaks and find a rhythm and a strategy that works for you. A strategy that allows you to spend less time in the kitchen, eat a greater variety of foods, and feel more energized and in control of your health.
Remember, meal prep is about making your life easier, not harder. It’s a tool to support your goals, and - like we constantly preach here at Follow Your Gut - there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
But I know with that beautiful flexibility can also come its own kind of overwhelm.
You may freeze in the face of too many choices and not know where to start.
Or you may not feel overwhelmed, you may love these ideas, but you may just know in the back of your head you’re still not going to actually implement them.
In either case, I want to invite you to join The Club—my online membership designed to help women like you reach their health goals with less stress.
Once inside you’ll get:
- A library of easy, nutritious recipes to keep things fresh and exciting.
- Simple ingredient swaps to make your favorite meals healthier without messing with the flavor.
- Personalized support from me via our community message board and group zoom sessions to guide you through the process. (Just last week I helped a woman figure out breakfast - something she usually skipped because of rushed mornings.)
- Programs and masterclasses to help you build sustainable habits around food, without feeling like you have to dedicate your entire life and personality to your diet.
- Exclusive access to any new programs, workshops, recipes, or live challenges I release.
You don’t have to do this alone anymore. Join The Club today and get the support you need to simplify your health journey, feel more confident in the kitchen, and experience less anxiety about your food choices.
Click here to sign up for just $29/month.
Already in The Club?? Don’t sleep on the fall challenge. I’m leaving it up until mid-November so you still have time to absorb all the information and download all the pdf’s before it closes for the year.
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