How to diet & meal prep with the family

How to meal plan & meal prep for you and the family whilst on a diet!

If you are trying to lose weight, but you are also cooking for the family this can create some unique challenges i.e. getting your meal right whilst also not upsetting the status quo of the family.

Remember… the biggest priority within any weight loss diet should be controlling calories – either directly or indirectly. Please don’t misconstrue these words, as this DOES NOT mean “super low-calorie diet” or “crash diet your way thin”. It means you need to control calories in a simple, sensible and effective way.

So… the rest of your family may not be this way inclined therefore how can you meal prep for the family whilst also keeping your meals calorie controlled?

Try out the 3 methods below and find out which meal prep strategy works best for you and the family!

1. One pot cooking – This is one of the quickest methods – weigh everyone going in as raw, and note down exactly whats gone in. Divide the portions up evenly and divide the total calories in the same way. This will help you save time and washing up but there is a greater opportunity for error in getting an accurate indication of your calorie intake.
2. Prepare your meal separately – This is the most time consuming but accurate methods – Having the same meal as your family but weighing/preparing yours in a separate dish will provide you with the most accurate method of calculating calories but it will also consume the most time.
3. Advanced ingredient prepping – This makes every meal fast but requires you to think ahead – If you are in the habit of cooking things in advance this could be the best one for you to try. The backbone of most meals includes basic ingredients such as poultry, red meats, fish, rice, potatoes, pasta etc – Having these ingredients cooked in advance will let you create any dish your family desires alongside leaving you more time to control your meal and calories as you require.