{"id":12394,"date":"2024-10-02T15:28:07","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T15:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simpleonlinepharmacy.co.uk\/health-advice\/?p=12394"},"modified":"2025-07-09T13:52:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T13:52:24","slug":"meal-prep-for-weight-loss-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.simpleonlinepharmacy.co.uk\/health-advice\/weight-loss\/meal-prep-for-weight-loss-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Meal Prep For Weight Loss: A Beginner\u2019s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meal prepping is a gamechanger for losing weight. By prepping nutritious, tasty meals in advance, you’ll have food ready to go throughout the week. So you\u2019ll be less likely to reach for something unhealthy after a long day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re using using weight loss mediation, like Mounjaro<\/a> or Wegovy<\/a>, meal prepping your favourite, healthy foods and snacks can help you reach your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus: it can save you time and money – and a lot of mid-week washing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure where to start? If you want to give it a try, this article tells you how to meal prep. And we give you tips and ideas on what to cook.<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Meal Prep: 6 Steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meal prepping is essentially cooking in large batches to build a stock of quick and easy meals to have at any time in the coming week (or even month).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To successfully cook in batches, we recommend you follow these six steps: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Plan your meals in advance. This will help you create a shopping list and decide on the quantities you need.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Shop for the ingredients. It\u2019s important you stick to your list and avoid impulse purchases.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Prep your ingredients. Wash, chop, and portion out your ingredients in advance to save time when you’re ready to cook.  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Make large batches of your meals. Use your slow cooker or oven to cook several meals at once. You can then use Tupperware containers to store your prepared meals, or components of your meals. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Store your meals. Once your meals are cooked, let them cool down before storing them in the fridge or freezer. Label and date your containers so you know when they were made. If you freeze your meals, bear in mind that you may not be able to defrost elements separately, so when in doubt, freeze separately.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. When you’re ready to eat, simply reheat your pre-made meals in the microwave or oven. This will save you time and make it easier to stick to your healthy eating plan. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

               <\/p>\n

              Let\u2019s use the example of a Mexican-themed night. You can make up a spiced mince and vegetable mix and salsa to be frozen. So when you next want tacos, fajitas or burritos you have the filling (the most time-consuming part to cook) ready in minutes.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Identify which parts of the meal will still taste good when reheated and which should be made fresh. If you like having cereal in the morning for instance, then don\u2019t add the milk the night before. You\u2019ll end up with soggy, mushy cereal and lose its texture (an important part of taste). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              It can also be a good idea to add a bit of variety when cooking one ingredient. For example, if you want to have chicken and vegetables for lunch, you can roast and steam a selection of different vegetables. Or you could spice each portion of the chicken differently.<\/p>\n\t\t

              \n\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t

              Prescription weight loss treatments available today<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
              \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart assessment<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Essential Equipment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              To help make meal prep easier, we recommend buying or sourcing the following equipment if you don\u2019t already have them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n