Busy people, training and the right meals

I take one day a week to plan my menus for the coming week. I then pre-log, which allows me to make adjustments if I'm falling below what I want for fat/protein that day (those are the two macros that I track and I'm mainly aiming for a certain range).

I do a lot of batch cooking -- that is, I'll make a big dinner and then store the leftovers for breakfast and lunch on subsequent days. With this method, I find that I generally just have to prepare one meal a day. I've heard that other busy people have success with doing batch cooking one day a week -- that is taking a day off and preparing all the meals for the week. That may be something to check out.

Do you know what your general calorie goal is? If not, that could be a good place to start.

Mealboxes and mealkits May not be appropriate for your activity level (but they may be). They will most certainly be very expensive.

I do batch cooking/meal prep as well. I also have a basic structure to my meals that helps me get enough volume and fiber I need to feel satiated, and the protein and carbs I need for my activity. Within that, I try loads of various recipes and adjust portion sizes based on my mileage.

SurfyFoFurfy wrote: »

There seems to be a lot of meal kits and boxes available now. I feel they're expensive and unnecessary; cashing in on something you can do yourself (weekly meal prep), one morning every week.

I feel like most people are consistently evaluating the relative value of their time when it comes to deciding whether or not to pay for various services/products. What is too expensive or unnecessary for you may be a good value for someone else based on the money they have on hand and the other things they prefer to do with their time.

@DP82mfp I meal prep for myself. My daughter uses a box/meal prep service. Here's what I've learned: She likes the service because as a young single person with limited time, the service provides everything she needs. Also - something I never considered - she saves on special ingredients. She doesn't have to spend $6 on a bottle of some spice that she's only use once. I don't mind buying spices because I cook much more than my daughter and will use the ingredient.
So the take away would be that you need to evaluate how much you like cooking as well as the time you have for shopping and meal prep. The box services provide really nice meals. How expensive you feel they are needs to be weighed against time spent shopping and time searching for recipes. As far as the nutritional aspect of training for a 1/2 I'd say fuel with carbs, eat enough protein to protect your muscles and don't worry about it too much.
If you eat at a deficit you'll lose weight but your performance may suffer. If you're not looking for a PR that may not matter to you.

DP82mfp wrote: »

Thank you for all the replies. These are so helpful, but also shows how much we need to figure out. So I will be aiming for 1400 cals for days I don’t train and 1600 cals for the days I do (i think). My wife will probably take around 150 cals off those numbers.

How did you guys find out the portion size, the percentage each macro you need from each meal? Was it based on trial and error and on what keeps you satiated? How do you measure these ratios? I think we would be shooting in the dark for a while, especially with the right balance of each meals we would use as fuel for the next run or training and how to scale it down when on rest days.

Thank you

Are you male? If so, 1,500 would be the absolute lowest you should go. If you're training for a half, 1,600 is likely too low for your training days. How did you get those goals?

It's up to you how you want to structure each meal. There is no one right way to do it. I personally like a big dinner, so I tend to eat lighter for the other two meals to make that work. Other people like a big breakfast or even skip breakfast. It's okay to use trial and error to figure this out, as well as look at how you're structuring your meals now to see if that gives you insight into your preferences.

DP82mfp wrote: »

Thank you for all the replies. These are so helpful, but also shows how much we need to figure out. So I will be aiming for 1400 cals for days I don’t train and 1600 cals for the days I do (i think). My wife will probably take around 150 cals off those numbers.

How did you guys find out the portion size, the percentage each macro you need from each meal? Was it based on trial and error and on what keeps you satiated? How do you measure these ratios? I think we would be shooting in the dark for a while, especially with the right balance of each meals we would use as fuel for the next run or training and how to scale it down when on rest days.

Thank you

That's not enough calories. First of all, as a male your base calories shouldn't be less than 1500 calories. With less than 10 pounds to lose, set your weekly weight loss goal to a half pound a week and eat the calories you're given, plus your exercise calories.

Unlike other sites which use TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1

DP82mfp wrote: »

Thank you for all the replies. These are so helpful, but also shows how much we need to figure out. So I will be aiming for 1400 cals for days I don’t train and 1600 cals for the days I do (i think). My wife will probably take around 150 cals off those numbers.

How did you guys find out the portion size, the percentage each macro you need from each meal? Was it based on trial and error and on what keeps you satiated? How do you measure these ratios? I think we would be shooting in the dark for a while, especially with the right balance of each meals we would use as fuel for the next run or training and how to scale it down when on rest days.

Thank you

Wow. Those calories totals are pretty low. That’s going to impact your training (eg-it’s going to be very difficult to run significant mileage on so little fuel-particularly when you don’t have a lot to lose).

Something you might consider-when I am training for a race, Friday’s are a rest day and Saturday is long run day. I do better on my long run if I eat a little more on Friday. So it may not be a simple matter of training day vs not.

The rest is trial and error. Many people are satiated by protein and fat. I am not. So I eat protein and carbs for performance, but my satiety comes from volume and fiber. That was discovered via trial and error. And over time, I’ve learned that my performance suffers if my carbs are too low. That might not be the case for you. There’s no one right answer for everyone for macro mix.

I finished my first half marathon last year and was training for a marathon before getting sidelined by an injury a couple weeks ago. I needed a lot more food than I expected. What helps me get everything done in time is sitting down with all my recipes once a week and I create a grocery list of everything I will need, that way I don’t have to be running to the grocery store every night. I create a seasonal meal plan, it saves money because we buy what’s in season, and the recipes are geared towards those seasons which also makes things tastier, and we buy bulk since the menu only changes every few months. For example, my winter menu has a lot of warm soups, chili, and healthy comfort foods. Since it’s just two of us many meals can also be frozen and reheated, we generally only end up cooking every two weeks. I also love using my crock pot, not everything you make in there has to be a soup or watery dish, it actually makes delicious crispy skinned chicken thighs! I log all of my foods in MFP at the beginning of each week following our meal plan, but I do usually allow some flexibility with snacks and I’ll log those later. You really don’t need a meal service if you plan ahead.