Recently I decided to make a change in my life – to get healthy and get in shape. I’m 25 and realize I don’t take very good care of myself. I don’t eat right and don’t exercise. That needs to change. I decided to join Beachbody and start meal prepping.
A few weeks ago a friend of mine who’s a coach for the company Beachbody reached out to me. I’d recently quit my job (no more paid gym time) and just gotten engaged. Frankly, she got me at a vulnerable time. In the past, when she would ask, I would say I didn’t have the time or energy to commit. Now it’s a different story.
Beachbody promotes an all-inclusive plan:
- Shakeology (protein shake)
- Daily Exercise
- Meal Prepping
Their big thing they promote is Shakeology, but I’m most excited about meal prepping. The reason why I’ve gotten to this point in my life is that I’m extremely lazy when it comes to food. I would buy breakfast from 7-11, lunch from anywhere that would deliver and then fast food on my way home for dinner. Not to mention at least 20oz. of soda a day. All because I hate to plan my meals and cook them! (This didn’t happen every day but it was rapidly becoming a habit.) I’m also a vegetarian/pescatarian – which limits my options.
Initially, I thought someone was going to tell me exactly what to eat and how to eat. That is not exactly the case. So something I actively dislike doing, I now have to do. Why? Because I paid to be a part of this program – for the Shakeology and workout DVDs. Now I’m committed.
Some programs do come with meal prepping containers but mine didn’t. Without the actual containers, I’m using the color coding system based on the calorie bracket specifically for me.
Meal Planning and Prepping:
Next thing to do is create the meal plan itself. This is probably easy for someone who likes to cook. I am not that person. So I tried to make everything as simple as possible while meeting the portion requirements.
At first, I thought I’d make everything the same every day. I thought that’s what meal prepping was: make a big meal and then portion it out for the whole week. But meal prepping is for everything – breakfast, lunch, snack #1, dinner, and snack #2. You want to try to mix it up a little so you don’t get sick of certain foods.
Below is my first attempt at a meal prep plan. By the end of the week, things will adjust to what works and what doesn’t.
Grocery Shopping:
Make a list and stick to it! Basic right? Maybe if you find some deals go ahead and stock up. Those steals may help next week’s shopping list shrink.
Related: 2 Beach Body Snacks to Add to Your Menu
Helpful suggestions for cooking and meal prepping:
- Get a lot of containers – plastic sandwich bags help too (check out the dollar store!).
- Portion the same foods all at the same time; don’t go by day – as in bag all your carrots at once.
- Foods like fish or eggs that are scheduled for later in the week – cook later in the week.
- Label everything – even if you eat an English muffin every day with peanut butter make sure you label the days where the amount is different. Maybe even make a “menu” with what exactly you need for the day.
- If you’re doing Shakeology try to get a serving of fruit and veggies in early. I often add spinach (you can’t even taste it) and mixed fruits. Bananas are particularly flavorful. Also, I would not recommend using raspberries or blackberries. You’ll be picking seeds out of your teeth for hours.
And if you’re feeling overwhelmed some stuff can wait until Monday. Did I mention I’m doing all of this on Sunday?
I’m not an expert; I’m just trying something new. There are probably other ways to do all this but I am just trying to do everything as simple as I know how.
And if you’re seriously interested in joining Beachbody I suggest getting a coach. Coaches really help you stay motivated and hold you accountable. My wonderful coach Jessica can be reached by email, just comment below and let me know if you’re interested!
If anyone has suggestions too, please comment below and let me know what you think!
Related: My Struggle with Beach Body & Exercising
*Disclaimer – I don’t own or claim to own any of the above meal prep color coding or calorie bracket information. That’s all Beachbody!
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Christina is a twenty-something living with her beagle, Mash, and husband, Nate in their van. She loves traveling, shopping, art, and photography. She’s also a vegetarian, pop-culture enthusiast, book-lover, and Dave Matthews Band fanatic. Catch her somewhere around the country in a converted camper van or at home in Florida for a visit.
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