My prepared food always goes to waste

That's why I don't meal prep. If I eat something tasty that I actually want to eat, I'll be much less likely to binge on cookies later. And 3 day old chicken typically doesn't cut it.

The only thing I make big batches of is soup, lasagna, shepherd's pie etc... and you can always cut them in individual servings and freeze them.

I have this problem sometimes, usually because I'm just not hungry. If you miss a preplanned meal, stick it in the freezer for next week. If stopping and buying other foods is the issue, don't carry cash and give your credit/debit cards to a family member or leave them at home....if you don't have money, you have to eat what you've preplanned.

What kind of stuff are you prepping ahead of time? I'm not big on prepping large batches of stuff and would say maybe it's just not something you need to do. Maybe having a few options available at all times rather than specifically prepared meals would be better.

I normally only prep my meats and just wake up early and do my veggies/ sides. i cant meal prep because I get too bored of it. my taste changes daily and im not going to force myself to eat something I dont care for.

Im the same way. I will prep a meal whether I freeze it or refrigerate it and I end up not eating it because I dont really like stuff made 2 days before or more. For some reason l guess I think it wont taste the same. I guess its more of a mental thing for me. Same goes if I open a bag of chips I havent touched in a few days I kind of get freaked out n think there are germs and stuff growing on it. Idk im wired weird when it comes to meal prepping.

I find that it helps for me to do meal prep twice a week (or more depending on time). I make sure all my veggies and fruit are washed and cut up (depending on what they are) and I will make meals for 3-4 days. Then change it up and make something different on food prep day #2. I find this helps keep things diverse and there are not as much leftovers to get sick of/waste.

i basically use my freezer as a great big version of that closet where you stash stuff you just don't feel like dealing with right now.

it works out. a week or two later i've forgotten all about how i wasn't into whatever it was, and/or i'm hungry enough i don't care what i eat, so i fish something out and discover that it's actually great. so further down the road, yes it does save me from eating something that's less-great for me.

I'd suggest not worrying so much about the macros and instead cooking what you like (within reason, of course).

My strategy when cooking is to plan for the leftovers to be breakfast at work within the next day or two. I'll supplement that with different items as appropriate. (Tonight's pork chop is going in with some frozen veggies; I'll toss'em in the microwave and I'm good to go until lunch.)

I don't meal prep.

I don't know what I want to eat until shortly before I eat so the meal prep idea doesn't work for me at all.

I also don't cook.


The closest I ever come to "meal prep" and "cooking" is when I'm in the mood to put together a slow cooker meal. I'll make enough for 2 dinners for my husband and me. But that only happens a small handful of times a year.

kommodevaran wrote: »

Plans must be flexible enough to adapt to situations beyond your control.

Write down somewhere what you have made and when you are going to eat it, that's part of the planning. Prepare yourself mentally for eating it; to do this consistently, you have to make meals you actually want to eat. Don't overthink - have simple "templates" for every meal (for instance, most of my dinners are just "protein+starch+veg").

I totally agree with this. I am single so meal prep is a bit of a challenge, sometimes, when prepping for only one person. However, I have nailed it after a while.

I eat the same thing every day, every meal, for a week. It doesn't bother me at all to do so. I also make sure whatever I have is mobile. So a lot of my snacks can come with me where ever I go. I also invested in a great lunch bag - it's from ISO Fitness if you're curious - and it has its own ice packs and such so everywhere I go I can ensure my food stays cold if I need it to.

I make sure I prepare foods that travel well - in case I am on the go - and ones that are quick to eat, and easy to digest if I'm in a crunch.

It's not easy, because so many people are amazed at how prepared I am and how little I actually eat out. But if you really want to do it then you can. If you know you are busy one week - so say you know on Wednesday you're definitely going to be eating out - then only prep for the other days of the week. Plans change all the time, but if you want to stick to it then the best thing you can do is prepare things that can flex with you.

For example some of the things that are a staple in my meal prep
Carrots & Hummus (carrots are amazing because as a veggie they stay good for a decent amount of time)
Apple and PB (or any nut butter of your choosing)
Banana Oat Muffins - Recipe from Pinterest (I make this in batches of 12, and usually 4 - 6 batches at a time then freeze them and pull one or two out the night before)
Home Made Protein Oatmeal - quick rolled oats, chia seeds, chocolate chips, protein powder (vanilla, usually) PB and some water. Super easy to batch make too and freezes very well.
Crackers & Hummus - I prefer Luke's Organic Multigrain & Seed ones from Costco. Also for hummus I buy the pre-packaged individual ones from Costco. There's 16 portions in a box for like $5 . . . it's a pretty good deal.
Cheese String & Apple
Cheese & Crackers
Yogurt & Berries - I prefer greek yogurt but whatever you like, really.

As for bigger meals, as others have said make things that you can freeze so that if you don't end up eating it you have it for next week. Good luck, and feel free to reach out of you'd like

ETA because I forgot: Maybe meal prep isn't right for you, and that's really ok. It isn't for everyone and it sounds like you're pretty picky. If it isn't for you then it isn't. Spend your time on something that is for you. However if you really feel like meal prepping is the route you want to go, you just need to focus on it and have the discipline to say to yourself that you spent X amount of hours (or dollars, if money is tight) doing all this work, you aren't going to eat out and you'll bring the food with you. You already have lunch, dinner, snacks, etc at home so you don't need to buy anything else, or you brought your snack with you and you don't need to get that doughnut (or whatever). It takes discipline if it's something you really want to do.