7 Day Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for Weight Loss

Coming up with a weekly meal prep plan can be challenging if you haven’t done it before. However, there are thousands of quick and easy recipes available. Batch cooking recipes for weight loss is currently very popular, and this structure and focus can help with you get in the zone. This is the lowdown on 7-day healthy meal prep ideas for weight loss.

Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for Weight Loss

There’s no end to the meal prep for weight loss meal menus you can come up with. However, sometimes it’s good to go with something tried and tested. For example, you can easily make a sticky ginger soy baked chicken with veggies. All you need is chicken thighs, garlic noodles, frozen broccoli, soy, and chili flakes. Marinate your chicken before oven cooking, and either oven bake or boil the broccoli. Make up your noodles and add chili, sesame seeds, or whatever you fancy. Once everything’s cooked, separate into small batches, and you have one weight loss meal good to go! When you get home to reheat, you can always add some spinach or kale. Sometimes it’s best to quickly pop these in the micro so they’re completely fresh. It literally takes a minute or two. This healthy eating meal can be used for lunch and dinner, so it’s really versatile. It can also be used on a weight loss diet plan for women or for men.

Meal Planning for One

If your diet plan involves meal planning for one, you can check out the amazing one pot Salsa Chicken. It’s one of many great meal prep recipes for weight loss. All you require is 4 large boneless chicken breasts, one cup or one ½ cup of salsa (depending on your tastes), and some salt and pepper to season. Throw it all in a crock pot and, once it’s cooked, shred the chicken. Eat over a green salad or with some roasted sweet potato. This is an excellent healthy meal prep idea for weight loss. Using four chicken breasts will also mean you have enough for another couple of meals through the week. This makes an easy weekly meal prep idea.

Meal Prep Snack for Weight Loss

When it comes to meal prep snacks for weight loss, there’s a lot of variety. Many people swear by celery sticks with a peanut butter dip, or frozen red grapes for that natural sugar fix. If your main meal prep recipes contain butternut squash, try removing the seeds and toasting them. They keep well as a healthy snack. Alternatively, while you’re doing food prep for weight loss, bung some kale in the oven on a separate tray along with anything else you’re prepping. Making crispy kale chips is a great healthy eating substitute for potato chips. Plain old fruit and veg is also a quick, easy and essential part of healthy meal prep ideas for weight loss.

Also read – Yoga vs. Stretching – Which Is Better for Weight Loss?

5 Foods to Avoid to Lose Weight

As well as looking at what you can include in your weight loss meal prep recipes, you should also be aware of what to avoid. The main culprits that will almost certainly derail your weight loss efforts are:

• French Fries/Potato Chips
• Alcohol
• Candy Bars/Cookies
• Full Fat Sugary Sodas
• White Bread

If your meal prep for weight loss grocery list contains any of these items, you might need to rethink your strategy. These foods should be eliminated from any diet plan as eating or drinking them will stop your weight loss in its tracks. You should be aiming for lots of fresh fruit and veg, high protein, low fat, and sugar free foods. These will all help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and lose weight (remember to check your calorie intake and measure portion sizes). A healthy diet can help to regulate your body (no sugar spikes) and even help you sleep better.

Meal prep for weight loss on a budget

You don’t necessarily have to be shopping at Whole Foods and spending a lot on meal prep. You just need to choose your shopping location carefully and not pay over the odds for items you can get elsewhere for less. Check out prices at your local stores with your grocery list in your hand. This will give you a chance to take advantage of any special offers (for items you may be able to freeze) and compare prices between stores. To be honest, quite a few meal prep recipes for weight loss include items like brown rice, black beans, sweet potato, Greek yogurt, and overnight oats. These are all relatively inexpensive to purchase and may form the backbone of your plan.

What should I meal prep to lose weight?

This depends on what you like to eat, if you have any health conditions, and how much weight you want to lose. Your weight loss meal plan will also depend on if you have any dietary requirements, or are vegan, vegetarian or intolerant of anything. When you prepare your meal prep for weight loss menu, you need to ensure you have a variation of items. Although your diet will be calorie controlled and free of processed foods, it must also be high fiber, high protein, and taste good! A combination of fresh fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates (like brown rice), and protein is recommended. Your diet should be limited in trans fats and sugar.

Also read – 3 Day Military Diet – Does it Really Work?

Is meal prepping good for weight loss?

Meal prep recipes can be great for weight loss – as long as they’re calorie controlled. Pulling together, for example, a 7-day weight loss meal plan will focus your mind on what you need to buy. Your grocery list will detail everything you need for the week and stop you from going off course at the store. Pulling together your meals for a week in advance can stop you hitting up the pizza store on the way home from work. It means you have food already prepared at home and just need to reheat when you get there. Having a plan like this in place can really keep you on track and stop you from cheating. Meal prepping might take some time over the weekend, but the results are worth it.

Can cooked chicken last a week in the fridge?

No! Cooked chicken in an airtight container will last around 3-4 days in your fridge. If it’s been there any longer, don’t eat it. If you want to prolong the life of your cooked chicken, then freeze it. Then you can defrost it as you need it. Cooked chicken can last from 2-6 months in the freezer. It’s not recommended to eat any leftovers that have been in your fridge for more than a few days.  If you’re unsure of the shelf life of any items, do a quick internet search, and you’ll soon find out whether it’s headed for the garbage.  

How do you reheat chicken without drying it out?

The best way to reheat chicken without drying it out is to brush it with a little olive oil. Alternatively, cover it with a wet paper towel before popping it in the microwave. Often, just placing a little water in the bottom of the container and using a covered container will suffice. The water will help the chicken retain its moisture and stop it losing any. If you’re using an oven, place a wet paper towel over the chicken, cover in foil and go for it. Many meal prep recipes for weight loss include chicken, so you might need to perfect your technique.

Conclusion

Healthy meal prep ideas for weight loss are currently all the rage. You can pick up free meal prep recipes across the internet and in many books and magazines. The structure of batch cooking for weight loss can help give you a focus for the week ahead. Having a meal plan can save you money as you know exactly what you need to buy. This can save you picking up unnecessary items at the grocery store. Having a meal prep plan in place can also save you cooking time during the week when you’re at your busiest.  On the whole, meal prep and batch cooking recipes for weight loss can be a great way to kick start a healthy eating lifestyle and lose weight.