How to Meal Prep Like a Fitness Model

Today I have a guest post on meal prep techniques from my BFF (best fit friend) Cia Oh who is a fitness model and NPC Figure Competitor. Like me, and likely most of you too, food is her biggest obstacle to achieving her goals. But she’s going to share with you how she stays on track by meal prepping.

I personally love working out. The hardest part of getting in shape, for me, is eating right and staying on track with my diet. I have noticed that I do much better when I prep my food in advance.

Have you ever gotten home from work and thought “I am tired. I will just get up early and cook my food in the morning.”? I can’t go to sleep without having my food ready for the next day. I use to think that I would get up early and get my food ready, but when I tried to do that it made me feel rushed and I would either not cook my food and buy lunch or I would be late and miss my morning workouts.

Set aside time one to two times a week to get your food prep done. I like to get all my prep done on Sunday as Monday is trash day in my neighborhood and I like to clean out my refrigerator, get all my food prep done and then take out the trash. If you don’t like to freeze your food you can cook on two different days like Sunday and Wednesday to keep you food a little fresher.

Preparation Day

Clean out your refrigerator which will help you see what you already have and what you will need to purchase. Make a grocery list and hit the store with a purpose. Don’t go to the store hungry and try not to deviate from your shopping list.

The Plan

Have enough Tupperware (preferably BPA free) or glassware containers. I like to have enough for a week (7 days). You will also need measuring cups and a food scale.

I have a general Plan that I stick to. Please keep in mind that everyone is different and the diet that I am on my not work for you.

General Diet:

One gallon of water a day (this is the water bottle I use). Water helps flush toxins out of our system and reduces inflammation.

Cia Oh – NPC figure competitor and fitness model

Meal 1

Carb – Steel cut oats
Protein – Egg whites and one whole egg
Fruit – Green apple

Meal 2

Protein – Chicken
Green Vegetable – Broccoli

Meal 3

Protein – Swai
Carb – Yams
Green Vegetable – Asparagus

Meal 4

Protein – Chicken Breast or Turkey Breast
Green Vegetable – Spinach
Carb – Sweet Potato or Yams (on heavy lifting days only)

Meal 5

Protein Shake
Almond Butter (one serving, don’t go crazy)

Meal 6

Protein – Grass fed Beef or Bison
Green Vegetable – Green Beans

*I sometimes switch meal 5 and 6 depending on when my workout was. I have the protein shake after I workout.

Once I get home from the store I unload everything onto the kitchen counter, put stuff in the refrigerator that I am not going to use right away, and reheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, I peel the sweet potatoes and yams, cut them up and put them in the oven. Then I sprinkle the chicken and fish with Mrs. Dash, cover in aluminum foil and put them in the oven. Finally, when those items are close to being done, I steam the veggies.

Once everything is done cooking, I lay out all my meal containers on the counter and begin filling them up with portions of protein, carbs, and vegetables. Once all the containers are prepared I place some in the fridge for the next few days, and the rest in the freezer so they stay fresh till the end of the week.

Do you have any tips for staying on track with nutrition? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo by Steve Johnson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

About
Latest Posts

Follow me

Cia Oh

Cia is an NPC figure competitor and fitness model. She began her journey in 2011 and has has hit some bumps along the way but knows as long as she works hard and stays consistent she will do well in the long run.