How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss? Notice Real Results!

A proper diet is a crucial part of any weight loss journey. By learning how to meal prep for weight loss, you can ensure you stay on top of your diet game. Not only will meal-prepping save you time and money, but it also helps you avoid the temptation of unhealthy meals.

When you plan and prepare your meals ahead of time, you won’t need to eat out as much. Even better, you’ll have food on hand when you’re hungry and too tired to cook. 

It’s also not as difficult as it may seem. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to stick to a strict low-calorie diet plan. Although such diets result in rapid weight loss, studies indicate that you’ll likely regain lost weight after you stop dieting. That’s why you need the right weight loss formula.

All in all, knowing how to do meal prep for weight loss will help you maintain a healthy diet. In this article, we’ve provided a comprehensive guide on how to meal prep for weight loss. We include healthy meals to prioritize and tips on creating nutritious and satisfying foods.

How to Meal Prep for the Week for Weight Loss

Are you wondering how to meal prep for the week for weight loss? The first step is to not put too much pressure on yourself. Prepare just a few meals a week. Afterward, you can gradually increase the number of meals as meal-prepping becomes a habit. Here are the steps to follow when learning how to meal prep for weight loss:

• Begin by preparing the meals you typically struggle with in terms of making healthy choices. Let’s say you tend to opt for fast-food lunches due to limited options near your workplace. The first course of action is to prepare lunch at home.
• Next, choose a day when you have sufficient time. You can set aside an hour or two depending on the number of meals you want to make.
• Look for meal-prep-friendly recipes online. Take screenshots or print these recipes along with the ingredient lists.  Then you can create your grocery list based on these recipes. 
• Go grocery shopping a day or two before your meal prep day. This will ensure that you have all the necessary ingredients for the week ahead. You can also stock up on useful foods.
  
• Continuously practice how to meal prep for weight loss. Sure, it may be overwhelming at first. However, you’ll eventually become more skilled and discover recipes and strategies that work best for you.

Tips on How To Start Meal Prepping for Weight Loss

Time to learn how to start meal prepping for weight loss. With the right strategy, meal prepping doesn’t have to be stressful and mind-boggling. Below are some tips to guide you when preparing healthy meals. 

• Embrace Frozen Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are highly nutritious and tasty. Since they are well preserved, frozen veggies maintain their freshness and nutritional value. They also require minimal preparation. As such, you can easily add them to stir-fries and soups. They’re also a great addition to grains like quinoa or brown rice. They’ll enhance the volume of your meal, making you feel fuller. 
• Incorporate Whole Grains: Whole grains, such as brown rice, are excellent for weight loss. You can cook a large batch of grains and divide them into servings. For a filling and healthy meal, top each serving with various vegetables, green beans, or proteins like meat. If you’re on a vegan diet, you can combine beans and brown rice to obtain all essential amino acids. 
• Upgrade Your Snacks: You don’t have to give up snacking entirely. Instead, choose healthier options and practice mindful eating. For a start, homemade popcorn is a great option. It’s low in calories, high in fiber, and it’s a portable snack. 
• Avoid High Carbs: Avoiding high-carb meals and ingredients is part of knowing how to meal prep for weight loss. Examples of such foods are french fries, potato hash and pancakes. While you might enjoy these meals once in a while, it’s important to watch the amount you eat. 

How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss: Simple Meal Ideas

Learning how to do meal prep for weight loss requires understanding the different foods you can make. A healthy diet doesn’t mean eating bland and unpalatable meals. Here are some meals for weight loss that are easy to make: 

How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss? Try Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup

The weight-loss cabbage soup is an excellent meal to try if you’re learning how to meal prep for weight loss. It contains a lot of healthy ingredients that make this soup both satisfying and delicious.

Here are the ingredients for the weight-loss cabbage soup recipe:

• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 8 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon of ground pepper
• 1 medium head of green cabbage, halved and sliced
• 2 teaspoons of white-wine vinegar
• 1 large tomato, chopped

How to prepare:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
• Add the onions, carrots and celery. 
• Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir continuously.
• Add bell pepper, garlic, salt, ground pepper and Italian seasoning
• Cook for 2 minutes while stirring
• Add the vegetable broth, cabbage and tomato
• Increase the heat to medium-high until it begins to boil. 
• Reduce the heat just enough to sustain a simmer.
• Cover the pot partially and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes 
• Turn off the stove and stir in vinegar

How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss: Turkey Taco Bowl

This is an incredible meal to make when you’re looking for how to meal prep for weight loss. What’s more, it’s a quick recipe. In just 30 minutes, you can make a turkey taco bowl. 

This recipe requires combining ground turkey with vegetables, cheese and salsa. You also have the freedom to choose the kind of topping to use.

How to prepare:

Step 1: Cook the turkey

• Heat olive oil over medium heat. 
• Add diced onions, minced garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant.
• Place the ground turkey in the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a spatula.
• Drain any excess fat from the skillet and return it to the heat.
• Add spices, including chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Stir well to coat the turkey evenly with the spices. 
• Cook for another 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and let the turkey cool slightly.

Step 2: Arrange your taco bowl

• Start with a base of shredded lettuce in a bowl or on a plate.
• Add a sufficient scoop of the cooked turkey on top of the lettuce.
• Sprinkle diced tomatoes, diced bell peppers, black olives, and fresh cilantro over the turkey.
• Finally, top with shredded cheese and any additional toppings you desire, such as sliced avocado, sour cream, or salsa.

Don’t Know How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss? Try These Brussels Sprouts Salad With Crunchy Chickpeas

This meal-prep-friendly salad is ideal when learning how to meal prep for weight loss. It combines shredded Brussels sprouts and chopped kale. You can also add tahini sauce, roasted chickpeas, and avocado for a satisfying and fiber-rich lunch.

How to prepare:

• Mix 1 package of Brussels sprouts and 4 cups of chopped kale. Separate into several containers, seal and refrigerate.
• Mix ½ cup of tahini sauce with lemon and garlic. Divide into small containers and refrigerate.
• Before serving, add a portion of the tahini sauce to a portion of the salad. Toss well. 
• Top that portion with ¼ cup of roasted chickpeas and ¼ avocado.

How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss: Chili-Lime Chicken Bowls

Instead of ordering takeout, you can drum up the chili-lime chicken bowl at home. Making this meal involves combining cooked quinoa, brown rice, and chili-lime.

You’ll also need a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces. Other ingredients include jicama, corn, pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, and hot sauce. These will help you make meals that align with the basics of how to meal prep for weight loss.

How to prepare:

Step 1: Cook the quinoa

• Add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water or broth. 
• Cook in a saucepan until it begins to boil.
• Reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
• When the quinoa pops open and reveals the kernel, it’s cooked.  
• Remove from heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. 
• Use a fork to fluff and separate the grains.

Step 2: Cook 1 cup of brown rice in 2½ cups of water.

Step 3: Combine the quinoa and rice.

Step 4: Make the chili-lime chicken

• Mix 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon of chili powder. 
• Stir in 1 teaspoon of lime zest and 1½ tablespoons of lime juice. 
• Add 2 grated cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and salt. 
• Add the boneless chicken and toss to coat. 
• Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Step 5: Slice the jicama into thin, matchstick-sized pieces.

Step 6: Top the quinoa and rice with the chicken and sliced jicama. You can add corn, pico de gallo and cilantro.

Step 7: Serve with lime wedges, diced avocado and hot sauce.

How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss:  Shrimp Avocado Mango Bowl

This bowl takes inspiration from the Mexican shrimp ceviche. Tasty and nutritious, the shrimp avocado mango bowl aligns with the principles of how to meal prep for weight loss. All you need for this recipe is some shrimp, mango and cucumbers.

How to prepare:
Step 1: Cook the shrimp

• Mix the shrimp, olive oil, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. 
• Toss until the spices evenly coat the shrimp.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the seasoned shrimp. 
• Cook each side for 2-3 minutes until pink and cooked through.

Step 2: Make the salsa

• In a separate bowl, combine the diced mango, avocado, red bell pepper, red onion and lime juice. 
• Toss gently to mix.

Step 3: Assemble the bowl

• Start with a base of the shrimp in a bowl or on a plate.
• Spoon the mango-avocado salsa over the shrimp and garnish with fresh cilantro.

How to Meal Prep Chicken for Weight Loss

Chicken is a great source of protein when you’re on a weight loss journey. As lean meat, it doesn’t have too many calories and won’t put you at risk of high cholesterol. Even better, chicken is easy to make and freezes well.

This begs the question of how to meal prep chicken for weight loss. Before we answer this, it’s important to note that there are different types available in stores. There’s the bone-in skin-on, bone-in skin-off and boneless skinless chicken. When learning how to meal prep for weight loss, we recommend using the boneless, skinless kind. Chicken breast is also healthier than the thighs.

To meal prep chicken, the most important thing is marinating it. Take out time to properly season your chicken. It’ll make it a lot more tender and flavorful.

Another tip for how to meal prep chicken is knowing how to cook it. You don’t want your chicken dry and chewy. Here’s how to ensure your chicken cooks properly.

Don’t dice or shred the chicken before cooking it. Instead, cook it whole. This would ensure that most of the juices remain inside the chicken. Cooking it whole will also prevent the chicken from overcooking.

After cooking it, you can dice your chicken into bite-sized cubes. That way, it’s quicker and easier to reheat. You can use the prepped chicken to make low-sodium chicken broth, chicken salads, etc.

A great strategy for how to meal prep for weight loss, if we do say so ourselves!

How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss: Bottom Line

Learning how to do meal prep for weight loss is essential. However, it doesn’t take away the need for exercise. So why not incorporate a 10-minute workout into your daily routine?  These will help you reach your fitness goals much faster.