When I was about four or five, my mom called me a pear machine. Basically, I crushed pears. Bite after bite, slice after slice, pear after pear. The nickname was accurate—I was a friggin’ machine.
Sitting up to the white kitchen countertops of my childhood home, swiveling around on the bar stool, and earning my way to pear-monster status is one of my earliest memories of food loving.
Decades later, little has changed. I still love food, but sometimes the nicknames are different…
Food lover, Cheesecake Johnson, cereal killer (I seriously eat it by the box), foodie, chef—I’ve been called each of these. And more.
It’s simple, I just love delicious flavor.
For me, food is so much more than mere fuel. Yes, it is fuel. But it’s more too. It’s meant to be delicious. It’s meant to be enjoyed.
Because of how much I love food, I get a lot of questions about meal prep. Regardless the question, my answer is simple: I hate meal prep.
Food’s meant to be more than meal prep. And I’m about to show you why I don’t spend my Sundays prepping meals, why I never will, and what you can do instead so that you get to enjoy both good food and better fitness.
First, What Does “Meal Prep” Even Mean
Technically, I love preparing meals (aka cooking). But within the world of health and fitness, “meal prep” is a bit different.
So. Much. Tupperware.
Meal prep is the practice of cooking an entire week’s worth of healthy meals in one evening, perfectly portioning everything into single-meal containers, and playing Tetris to make it all fit in the fridge.
If you eat ~3–5 meals each day, meal prep means starting your week ~21–35 meals on hand. It means not having to worry about what to eat. Ever. It means not having to worry about counting calories. It means never needing to swing by the drive through on the way home. And it means that your nutrition is on point with minimal day-to-day effort.
That’s why meal prep is incredibly popular for everyone from casual dieters to pro-card-carrying bodybuilders.
Meal Prep Is a Good Thing
Listen, anything that helps people become more healthy and more fit is good by me. And literally thousands of people have used meal prep to be healthier and become more fit. That’s awesome.
Fitness—especially nutrition—can be hard. Meal prep simplifies it.
Simple is sustainable, sustainability means consistency, and with enough time, consistency always wins. The beauty of meal prep lies in its simplification of the nutrition process.
When it comes to the results you want, your nutrition makes all the difference.
Meal prep is a simple way to get your nutrition zeroed in on your goals. Plus, it’s easy to follow. You always have a perfect meal that fits your plan and is readily available—at home, on the go, in the office. Meal prep, it’s a good thing.
But… I Kinda Hate Meal Prep
Just because it’s sometimes a good thing for some people doesn’t mean it’s always a good thing for everyone all the time. We don’t live in a world of absolutes and that’s especially true in fitness.
Something that worked for your friend or that super fit Instagrammer won’t work the same for you. Heck, even something that used to work for you won’t necessarily get you the same results now.
Everybody is different. Every body is different. And we’re always changing. (Aging is real, guys. I even read about it on the internet and everything.)
The key to lasting fitness results is finding what’s going to work best for you. Right here and right now. For some that might be meal prep. Awesome. For me (and countless others), it’s not.
That’s why I don’t do it and never will. That’s also why I don’t make meal prep a requirement in my coaching programs (and never will).
That’s right, I kinda hate meal prep. *gasp* But hear me out. Here’s why:
1. Meal Prep Simply Isn’t Realistic for Normal Life
Real talk, meal prep is great in theory. But the execution is much more tricky in real life. Unless, of course, you’re living in a bubble, of course.
Life happens to even the most diligent of dieters. And that’s okay. Unavoidable, honestly. Work gets busy, friends visit town, people have birthdays, holidays happen, parties, even weekends—all of these can throw a wrench in your perfectly planned meal prep.
Best-laid plans of mice and men, right?
In short bursts of hyper-focused effort to a specific goal, meal prep can be great. But eventually, you’re done getting ready for beach season, or that cruise, or the wedding. Eventually, life will go back to normal. And when it does, you need something sustainable for normal life.
For me—for most—that’s not meal prep. And in the end, sustainable success matters more than anything else.
2. Meal Prep Is Boring
Boiled chicken. Steamed broccoli. Brown rice. Over and over. And over.
Maybe it’s because I’m literally eating an amazing mint chocolate chip Greek yogurt cup as I type this, but eating chicken, broccoli, and rice meal after meal sounds so boring.
(Seriously, this yogurt cup is downright amazing. It’s got fresh mint leaves and I’m in heaven.)
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy chicken, broccoli, and rice as much as the next guy. But I also like other things. If healthy eating means eating the same exact thing—even something I love—I’ll get sick of it. Fast. Then I’ll stop.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what meal prep is. Minimal variety. Maximal monotony.
A diet that leaves you dissatisfied and bored is impossible to follow forever. And even the best nutrition plan in the world is useless if you can’t follow it. Adherence is the biggest indicator of success, not a bunch of Tupperware full of meal prep.
You don’t need to eat chicken, broccoli, and rice to look great.
People are way too (b)romantic about specific “fit” foods. In reality, you can get amazing results eating anything and everything.
3. Meal Prep Leaves Little to No Wiggle Room
Oh and by the way, I mean it when I say anything and everything.
Willpower is great—until it runs out. A good diet will help you get you results. A great eating plan will leave you enough flexibility to enjoy your favorite foods along the way. Who wouldn’t want that?
The problem with meal prep and wiggle room is that there isn’t any. Your meals and snacks are planned and portioned in advance. And while that’s great for hitting your macros, it restricts you to eat only what you’ve got packed away in your Tupperware.
Meal prep is like a dietary straight jacket.
Sure, it’ll keep you eating “healthy” foods. But why be restrictive and exclusive when you could be inclusive instead? Include wiggle room in your plan and you’ll boost both adherence and overall results.
Sometimes it’s okay to grab a doughnut, order the dessert, or enjoy that drink.
4. Meal Prep Takes a Ton of Time
Traditionally, meal prep involves a massive food-fest during which you make all your food for the week. Yes, this saves you some time in the day-to-day. But the actual prep can take hours. It’ll kill an afternoon faster than a Netflix binge.
I don’t consider it a fair trade. Spending 15–20 minutes cooking myself a quick dinner is much less invasive than spending three hours making everything on a Sunday night.
No matter how simple you make your meal prep, it’ll still take time.
Chopping your veggies, roasting your chicken breast, grilling your ground turkey, peeling your potatoes—it all adds up. And that’s not even taking meticulous measurements and precise portioning into account. Collectively, it’s just a lot of time.
Worth it? Methinks not.
5. Meal Prep Takes the Fun Out of Food
I love to cook. Plain and simple. At the end of a long day, I enjoy stepping into the kitchen and creating delicious flavor. It’s how I unwind. It’s fun—therapeutic, even.
But as soon as I’m in a high-pressure cooking situations, like juggling a week’s worth of meals at once, all of that disappears.
Food is fuel, but it can also be fun. I prefer focusing on fun much more than fuel.
Meal prep, as effective as it may be, is all about food utility. It’s all about getting your calories, hitting your macros, and sacrificing flavor/variety for the sake of simplicity. That’s just not as fun as cooking (and then eating) great food.
I’ll take flavorful, fun food over pure function any day.
What to Do Instead of Meal Prep
It’s simple, really. Just make enough food to have leftovers.
Some of my favorites? Baking a whole chicken, grilling beef tenderloin, and roasting pork shoulder. Each has enough meat to last several meals, they go well with just about anything, and allow for huge variety with seasonings and spices—ya know, the fun stuff.
The best part? I’m not measuring. I’m not portioning. And I’m not stressing.
I’m just doing what I love, cooking great food and enjoying a real meal.
Here’s the thing: You can get amazing results by meticulously prepping your meals. But you can get equally great results—even better results—without meal prep.
Eating the right amounts of the right foods is what really matters. And I want to make sure you get great results no matter what approach you take with your nutrition.
That’s why I created The Macronutrient Cheat Sheet. It’s a done-for-you calculator that’ll give you a personalized nutrition plan in minutes.