#MealPrep has over three million tagged pictures on Instagram. Seriously. Go look at it. There are also accounts dedicated to meal prepping, like @mealpreponfleek and @mealprepdaily, with hundreds of thousands of followers. The photos are captivating, inspiring, and . . . intimidating as hell!
People are OBSESSED with meal prep. And for good reason — there are countless benefits to planning and preparing your meals ahead of time, and it's a surefire way to help you eat healthier and lose weight. I myself have touted its ability to help save money and provide more nutritious food throughout the week. But while everyone is singing its praises, here's what they're not telling you: it's not that easy. This might get some people riled up (trigger warning), but I have to say it — meal prep kind of sucks, and we need to address it.
No matter how simple meal prep may look, there's a lot of legwork. Here's what you need to be aware of ahead of time so you don't get so frustrated you give up forever. Because in the end, it's absolutely worth it, but we need to talk about the parts that suck so we can come into it with a positive attitude and sustain this helpful, healthful practice each week. For those of you who have been struggling through these things, know you're not alone!
So now you know. If you've been meal prepping on your own, buried in a mountain of dirty dishes that never seems to shrink, wondering why everyone is so joyfully obsessed — it's because they got past these hurdles. But you're not the only one with these frustrations! Meal prep is just like exercise; it's hard work, sometimes you hate it, sometimes it makes you miserable, but in the end, you feel incredible, and you're doing something awesome for your body.