Taking the time to pull together a nutrient-dense meal is certainly no easy feat. Who has time to plan, shop and chop every night, anyway? Between work demands, crazy schedules and training sessions, it can seem like an uphill battle. Think meal plans could be your saving grace? Maybe. Maybe not.
 
For most of us, meal plans actually don’t work. While customized versions can be a good tool for athletes to use for competition prep, if you’re one of the millions just trying to figure out how to eat right, meal plan templates could actually end up being a complete disaster.
 
What gives?
 
Before we dive into the pros and cons of meal plans, let’s make sure we’re on the same page here. Meal plans are very different from meal delivery services, which are also very different from taking time to meal prep.
 
Meal Delivery
 
Although cooking shows are more popular than ever, less than 25 percent of us are making dinners at home anymore. That is exactly why meal delivery services are so popular now. Eliminating the need to come up with recipes, think through ingredients and mess around with clean up, meal delivery services can be handy. But, when it comes to sourcing quality ingredients and portion sizes, you’re at the mercy of the delivery company.
 
The convenience factor is huge, but dinner-in-a-box can also get boring. So, as companies try to keep people interested with more variety, they tend to get pretty pricey. If you're willing to shell out a few extra bucks per meal, it may be a helpful option.
 
Meal Prep
 
Meal prep is all about planning out your meals and snacks ahead of time and determining what to eat based on your own schedule, health needs and training goals. It involves making a detailed list, taking time to go grocery shopping and preparing the ingredients to batch cook and then portion out meals for the next few days.
 
Meal prep is a very, very important habit to get into, especially if you’re constantly on the go. Research shows that those who plan their meals have healthier diets overall, eat more fruits and vegetables, and are less likely to become obese. Much more cost-effective than meal delivery, meal prep also allows you to have tight control over your ingredients and portions.
 
It may take some time, but it will save you from letting nutrition fall to the wayside in the days ahead.
 
Meal Plans
 
For the purpose of this article, we’re going to address both meal plan templates and customized meal plans, as they are also very different from each other.
 
Meal plan templates are often packaged as a prescription on exactly what foods to eat and how much to eat. You can find them lurking in books, apps and all over Instagram. A lot of lifters looking to improve their performance through nutrition think meal plans are the only way to go. You might be thinking, “I’m sick of trying to figure this stuff out; I just want someone to tell me what to eat and give me a meal plan.”
 
The only problem is that meal plans typically don’t last.
 
Designed to “simplify” your life, templates can actually make things more complicated. Unfortunately, when people try to follow strict prescriptions like this without taking specifics into consideration a lot can and will go wrong.
 
Customized meal plans, on the other hand, factor in all of the athlete’s individual needs such as training volume, timing, sleep habits, hormones, age, recovery needs, etc. This information is then used to design the right nutrition plan specific to that athlete’s goal.
 
Let’s look at some benefits and draw backs to help you decide if meal plans are right for you.
 
Meal Plans Pros
 
Competition Prep
 
For competitive athletes with laser-like focus and fierce commitment, nutrition is just as much of a vital component to their success as programming. In this case, customized meal plans must be uniquely designed as a temporary fueling strategy to support performance and recovery goals. Note: templates are not the answer here.
 
Specific
 
In the case of a competitive weightlifter, a customized meal prescription, with an explicit breakdown of macro and micronutrients, is going to be their best friend, at least in the short term. At this level, it’s about ensuring that your nutrient needs are met to maximize training, recovery and prepare for competition.
 
But here’s the thing. For the average Joe, a breakdown like this doesn’t leave much room for intuition in the long run, which brings us to the cons of meal plans.
 
Cons of Meal Plans
 
Too Rigid
 
For most, meal plan templates are way too rigid. “Eat this much of this exact food at this exact time.” Like your weightlifting warm-up and programming, what works for "them" may not work for you. Each of us has our own specific nutrition needs, too.
 
Most of the time, we eat meals that match our social interests and cultural backgrounds, and a lot of the time, we eat when we’re with other people. But being too strict for too long can start to get a little weird and might be the last ingredient in the recipe of health consequences (mentally, metabolically and hormonally).
 
See, as a seemingly “quick fix,” meal plans don’t help us make any emotional connections. They don’t address the reasons when and why we eat certain things or how we respond to obstacles. But one thing is for certain: life will always get in the way. Kids get sick, we get busy, the competition ends, and there’s always an event to attend.
 
Meal plans are just not designed to work long-term because they don’t factor in real life. Plus, the “all or nothing” approach” actually gives us little control. With a typical meal plan, you’re often trapped within a set of parameters. And, if you stop following those guidelines, (take-out anyone?) you end up feeling like a failure and stressed about what to do next.
 
And, we all know what stress brings to the table.
 
Burnout
 
Eat the same thing over and over and you’re bound to get in a rut and burn out. With limited options, templates are just not sustainable. So, what happens? Many of us get turned off, regress and conclude that all healthy foods suck. This boring rotation of egg whites, spinach, chicken and brown rice ends up feeling more like a punishment than anything else.
 
Oh, heyyy sweet potatoes, it’s lovely to see you again. And, what’s up chicken, it’s been a hot minute since I … oh, nope - had you for dinner last night, too.
 
The struggle is real.
 
If you’ve ever followed a “rinse and repeat” template like this and then turn your nose up and quit, my guess is that you rebelled with a completely opposite food choice. Usually sugary desserts or fried foods top the “cheat” meal of choice list. Of course, this is often followed by self-sabotage, intense gastrointestinal discomfort and guilt.
 
Yup, this rollercoaster happens more often that we’d like to admit….and when it does, we often get so turned off that it just becomes easier to quit worrying about food and just lift. Which is not the right answer.
 
So, what the heck should you do?
 
Make a Mental Meal Plan Transformation
 
Instead of turning to yet another stale template or Instagram food trend, determine what works for you. Whether you’re a competitive athlete or just starting out with the sport, here are some simple ways to transform the way you eat for your goals. For real this time.
 
Listen Up
 
As weightlifters, we monitor training progress by tracking our output. It’s time to do the same for our nutrition. Eating too much or too little of one macronutrient can lead to deficiencies and really screw with your day. That’s where individualized macronutrient balance comes into play. You know your body best. The more you listen to it, the better you can optimize your meals and snacks directly for your goals. It’s a process though. Pay close attention to what foods give you the most energy for your training sessions. Keep stock of these foods. Determine which foods make you bloated or cause gut discomfort and mess up your sleep. Stay away from those foods. Make notes and adjustments as you learn more about your body.
 
But, just like your programming, if you’re still not sure what to do, don’t hesitate to seek out guidance from a nutrition coach who can guide you in the right direction. The way we fuel our bodies between and during workouts dictates how well we recover and perform. It's as simple as that.
 
Go Au Naturel
 
Even if you’re eating enough food, you may not be eating enough of the right foods. Keep meals and snacks as natural and nutrient-dense as possible. Stock up on the carbohydrates, proteins and fats that fuel your body best and eliminate the processed junk in your kitchen so you’re not tempted to pick mindlessly when you’re hangry. Ditch the added sugars, artificial sugars, industrial vegetable oils and refined grains.
 
The greater performance you demand from your body, the more in-tune your food choices must be. A good rule to keep in mind: Choose real foods that don’t need an ingredient list (because it is the only ingredient) or foods that only contain ingredients you can actually pronounce.
 
Meal Prep Like A Pro
 
No matter what you’re eating, meal prep doesn’t have to be difficult. To make this new habit sustainable, start small. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Keep your kitchen stocked with the good stuff and lean on a few essential kitchen gadgets, like slow cookers, Instant Pots, blenders, and insulated meal bags.
 
Also, experiment with different spices and herbs to keep your meals interesting. Try this trick: line a baking tray with aluminum foil and then roll up some foil to create a couple middle walls that divide it into sections so you can season your batch of food separately.
 
Finally, identify which day this event is going to happen and put it in your calendar to make your life easier. In our house, we meal prep Sundays and Wednesdays- for the whole family. This includes preparing enough protein, carbs, and tons of chopped veggies to feed two weightlifters (myself and my husband) and our 8-year old twins who seem to eat just as much as we do.
 
Okay, so that’s a lot to digest. The key takeaway here? Planning out and preparing meals is a game changer. Not only does it help you stay focused on your goals, it will also help you tackle whatever chaos life throws at you each week. Adopt a system that’s tailored to your goals and your specific nutrition needs. Then, toss those short-term-solution meal plan templates in the trash... along with the high-sugar breakfast cereals. Believe me, you don’t want to know what’s really in there.