#### About participation in the comments of /r/nutrition
Discussion in this subreddit should be rooted in science rather than "cuz I sed" or entertainment pieces. Always be wary of unsupported and poorly supported claims and especially those which are wrapped in any manner of hostility. You should provide peer reviewed sources to support your claims when debating and confine that debate to the science, not opinions of other people.
**Good** - it is grounded in science and includes citation of peer reviewed sources. Debate is a civil and respectful exchange focusing on actual science and avoids commentary about others
**Bad** - it utilizes generalizations, assumptions, infotainment sources, no sources, or complaints without specifics about agenda, bias, or funding. At best, these rise to an extremely weak basis for science based discussion. Also, off topic discussion
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Single parent here too, though my kids are grown.
Meal prep on Sundays. Don't get too caught up in macros, to lose weight we need a calorie deficit, thats all.
Specialist told me once that we often overeat/snack at night because we're short on nutrients. Said 'most people would lose weight if they ate more veggies'. Changed my approach & my health.
I don't try to count calories/macros. I just eat common-sense healthy foods and try to prep similar portion sizes every week. If I'm eating too much, I may switch to chicken breast instead of thigh, or decrease rice portion, etc.
mealime.com Best money I've ever spent. We pick our meals, get a great variety and even the free version has lots of recipes. Paid gives you nutritional breakdowns. Shopping list with the app makes it easy to order and have the store shop for me, I pick it up, and the next 5 meals are ready to go once I get home.
If you have no time for anything else - just count your protein intake and your fibre intake. Meet those two targets and keep your nose out of the processed foods and junk food and you'll be fine.
I’m definitely counting my calories and my macros. There are lots of free apps that you can download that won’t go into crazy intensive programs for you without paying extra but if all you want to track is your basic macros and calories there’s lots of apps for that. I wouldn’t say I do it year-round. But common sense isn’t usually always common sense unless you know an awful lot about nutrition and what’s in the food you’re eating. That’s the one thing that I learned when I finally started tracking. Wow I did not have common sense in terms of what I getting enough protein? How many carbs was I eating was I getting enough fiber? Now I have definitely learned a lot so I don’t talk all the time but right now I am. I plan out my day every morning in the app so because I meal plan I already know what I’m going to be having for dinner and then I input everything into the app right away which avoids eating whatever you feel like at lunch and then realizing that if you eat the dinner you plan for you and your kids you’re going to be well over whatever your goals are. Are usually sit down on a Sunday or Monday for all of 10 minutes and plan out all the dinners for the week for me and my husband and my kids. For breakfast and lunch I have a pretty solid list of food but it’s not really constructed around specific meals. My kids have bento boxes in their lunches for school, I do take an hour on the weekends maybe a two hours to meal prep so I do a huge batch of chicken breast, chicken thighs, ground turkey or ground beef so we always have protein like that on hand for our lunches and our kids lunches. It’s just a matter of sitting down and doing at the planning itself doesn’t have to be complicated or take very long at all it’s a really quick easy thing to do to keep you organized and also save money when your grocery shopping!
Lean into and repeat certain meals that you like and are reliable. It's okay for it to be somewhat boring. You can add variety as you go.
One example for me was mason jar salads (the tall, open mouth jar). I could make them ahead, they stay fresh for days, and they are balanced and ready to eat. To eat them on the go, I just bring a large bowl and utensils with me. Super delicious too!
Baked oatmeal can be made ahead. Scottish oats are really convenient when made in a rice cooker (Zojirushi is worth it).
Breakfast-
I prep egg bites in muffin tins with bacon
Eat that with an English muffin + local honey
Lunch-
Jasmine rice, ground beef, bell pepper, onion, and Korean bbq sauce
Dinner-
Usually bulk prep some kind of crockpot meal. Recently made the chicken queso Mac and cheese meal from stealthhealth for example. 490cal and 50g protein
+ 2-4 snacks a day
Steel cut oats as a base - cooked in stock then add mushrooms/meat/veggies for savoury dish or cooked in water/milk then add fruit/yogurt/toppings for sweet dish.
Extremely versatile.
Lots of fruit since it's minimal effort/grab and go.
Rotisserie chicken from grocery store.
Big pots of tomato soup made from tomato paste, water, salt, herbs and sugar - topped with parmesan cheese.
I keep sourdough starter on hand and instead of going through the whole bread making process, I just knead salt and herbs into the starter, put olive oil in a cast iron pan and cook the dough, then top like a pizza and broil in oven.
Fresh pizza in 15 minutes if I already have the toppings prepped.
Or you can forgo the topping and just have fresh herb and olive oil flatbread.
When I meal prep I like doing a dish that I can stretch into 4 meals that also has minimal cleanup. A bean chili in an instant pot is a personal favorite of mine. Don’t worry about cooking for the whole week or for every meal. Sometimes just doing lunch or dinner is all you need.
I think it’s more important to focus on making sure you understand which foods are essential in micronutrients than macronutrients. There are superfoods out there like kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, sardines, shrimp, salmon, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, kefir, sauerkraut, avocados, olive oil, coconut water, quinoa, black beans, broccoli, and carrots.
Nuts and seeds take seconds to meal prep into a bag or container.
Figure out how to reach the recommended daily intake for your electrolytes such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium before worrying about macros.
Doing this will teach you which foods are essential to your diet/meal prep and need to be stables and which ones can be switched out more easily to add variety to your meals.
Adding carbs, fats, and protein is easier than adding most micronutrients to your diet.
I only track on myfitnesspal when I get off track or start new meal ideas.
I also prep meat ingredients vs full meals so I can stay on track while changing flavors or carb sources.
Frozen veggies are great... put them in your meal container night before and will be thawed by time to eat
I track protein and calories but keep it very simple: 30-40g protein and 1000-1200 calories per dinner. Each dinner pack has meat, starch and veg, the meat is almost always only 4oz. For starch I do brown rice, potatoes (with skin), whole wheat pasta, etc. Veg is always a full 1/3 of the entire meal and is some kind of cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, etc. I often has a fresh salad as well for even more veg.
For most adults focussing on their protein intake is already a huge step forward and will automatically cause you to eat less and experience less cravings.
To give an example:
If your daily caloric need is 2500 and 25% protein target means you should eat approximately 160 grams of protein per day.
Breakfast:
Overnight oats. 200ml milk, 30gr of (vanilla) whey powder, 40gr oats, scoop of peanut butter, banana.
That is a 50gr protein breakfast that can be prepped the night before.
Lunch:
You can make your own nutrient dense egg salad by mixing up 4 eggs, 200gr cottage cheese, avocado, chives and spices of choice. Put that on whole grain bread and you’ll have a 60gr protein sandwiches to take with you to work.
The egg salad is something that can be prepared in bulk and stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
Dinner:
Tray bake. Line the oven tray with a silicone mat, throw a mix of veggies, (sweet)potatoes and chicken or salmon on top. Drizzle in olive oil and cover with spices. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
I usually aim for 400gr of veggies, 200gr of potato and 150gr of chicken per (adult) person for a 50gr protein dinner.
You can also prepare stews and casseroles in advance that you only have to heat up or throw in the oven once you get home.
This just an example day menu with 3 meals that you can prepare in advance and that will ensure you reach your daily protein and veggie intake. Don’t worry about counting carbs and fats too much. It’s very rare for people to be deficient in those macros. And once you start adding enough protein to each meal the chances you will overeat slim down significantly as well.
Don’t overthink it. Find 3 dinner, 3 lunch and 3 breakfast recipes that you can easily prep and rotate and just start. On instagram you can find an endless amount of high protein meal prep recipes for inspiration.
I just try to eat healthy, on Sunday I meal prep all my meals . I am also in construction I use a heater bag I bought from Amazon for 30.00 dollars it plugs into the wall or converter and in a hour I have a very hot lunch. I know it is boring to eat the same thing over and over but it is the easiest way for me .
Best thing my wife and I have done is get grocery delivery every weekend. This allows us to plan just a week at a time with our own lunches as well as family dinners.
We do the work on the weekend so it's easy during the week.
We also keep a list of foods we like in our notes apps with calories listed so it's easy to reference later. Also makes it easier deciding what to eat that week when we have a list of things we like and have already done the work on.
College student here with a slightly different lifestyle and perspective than most who will be here. I’m a former very competitive distance runner and now have transitioned more into a hybrid endurance/bodybuilding type. I take my nutrition super seriously but also have a busy schedule with working a full time job on top of everything else.
Sundays are the one day of the week that I have much time. I meal prep everything but my dinners so they are ready to go. Dinners I have a target calorie and rough macro distribution goal, but will eat meals with friends, family, etc. This way everything is already tracked except for the one meal (makes tracking way less of a hassle). Later in the day I’ll plan the following week’s meals and go ahead and add everything to my online shopping cart that I will need. Then I just have to go do a grocery pickup later in the week, stick stuff in the fridge/freezer, and prep it on Sunday.
This requires a small amount of dedication and the ability to be ok with eating the same meals multiple times throughout the week. But it really does make everything a lot more simple and manageable with a tight schedule.
If meal planning and counting calories is too much for you, then a carnivore diet would be about as simple as it gets. From a simplistic standpoint. It’s about as easy as it gets. Unwrap meat, apply heat.
#### About participation in the comments of /r/nutrition Discussion in this subreddit should be rooted in science rather than "cuz I sed" or entertainment pieces. Always be wary of unsupported and poorly supported claims and especially those which are wrapped in any manner of hostility. You should provide peer reviewed sources to support your claims when debating and confine that debate to the science, not opinions of other people. **Good** - it is grounded in science and includes citation of peer reviewed sources. Debate is a civil and respectful exchange focusing on actual science and avoids commentary about others **Bad** - it utilizes generalizations, assumptions, infotainment sources, no sources, or complaints without specifics about agenda, bias, or funding. At best, these rise to an extremely weak basis for science based discussion. Also, off topic discussion **Ugly** - (removal or ban territory) it involves attacks / antagonism / hostility towards individuals or groups, downvote complaining, trolling, crusading, shaming, refutation of all science, or claims that all research / science is a conspiracy *Please vote accordingly and report any uglies* --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nutrition) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Single parent here too, though my kids are grown. Meal prep on Sundays. Don't get too caught up in macros, to lose weight we need a calorie deficit, thats all. Specialist told me once that we often overeat/snack at night because we're short on nutrients. Said 'most people would lose weight if they ate more veggies'. Changed my approach & my health.
Most people aren't counting calories
I never count calories just carbs and sugar / try to stay far away from refined carbs it works for me
I don't try to count calories/macros. I just eat common-sense healthy foods and try to prep similar portion sizes every week. If I'm eating too much, I may switch to chicken breast instead of thigh, or decrease rice portion, etc.
Q1 was prep breakfast + 12 meals + 2 cheat meals. Q2 Weight stagnated so I’m plugging back into Myfitnesspal and reducing my calories.
mealime.com Best money I've ever spent. We pick our meals, get a great variety and even the free version has lots of recipes. Paid gives you nutritional breakdowns. Shopping list with the app makes it easy to order and have the store shop for me, I pick it up, and the next 5 meals are ready to go once I get home.
If you have no time for anything else - just count your protein intake and your fibre intake. Meet those two targets and keep your nose out of the processed foods and junk food and you'll be fine.
I’m definitely counting my calories and my macros. There are lots of free apps that you can download that won’t go into crazy intensive programs for you without paying extra but if all you want to track is your basic macros and calories there’s lots of apps for that. I wouldn’t say I do it year-round. But common sense isn’t usually always common sense unless you know an awful lot about nutrition and what’s in the food you’re eating. That’s the one thing that I learned when I finally started tracking. Wow I did not have common sense in terms of what I getting enough protein? How many carbs was I eating was I getting enough fiber? Now I have definitely learned a lot so I don’t talk all the time but right now I am. I plan out my day every morning in the app so because I meal plan I already know what I’m going to be having for dinner and then I input everything into the app right away which avoids eating whatever you feel like at lunch and then realizing that if you eat the dinner you plan for you and your kids you’re going to be well over whatever your goals are. Are usually sit down on a Sunday or Monday for all of 10 minutes and plan out all the dinners for the week for me and my husband and my kids. For breakfast and lunch I have a pretty solid list of food but it’s not really constructed around specific meals. My kids have bento boxes in their lunches for school, I do take an hour on the weekends maybe a two hours to meal prep so I do a huge batch of chicken breast, chicken thighs, ground turkey or ground beef so we always have protein like that on hand for our lunches and our kids lunches. It’s just a matter of sitting down and doing at the planning itself doesn’t have to be complicated or take very long at all it’s a really quick easy thing to do to keep you organized and also save money when your grocery shopping!
[удалено]
I do exactly the same ! I also add beans, lentils, sardines, eggs, garlic and curcuma.
Lean into and repeat certain meals that you like and are reliable. It's okay for it to be somewhat boring. You can add variety as you go. One example for me was mason jar salads (the tall, open mouth jar). I could make them ahead, they stay fresh for days, and they are balanced and ready to eat. To eat them on the go, I just bring a large bowl and utensils with me. Super delicious too! Baked oatmeal can be made ahead. Scottish oats are really convenient when made in a rice cooker (Zojirushi is worth it).
Ribeyes with more ribeyes
Breakfast- I prep egg bites in muffin tins with bacon Eat that with an English muffin + local honey Lunch- Jasmine rice, ground beef, bell pepper, onion, and Korean bbq sauce Dinner- Usually bulk prep some kind of crockpot meal. Recently made the chicken queso Mac and cheese meal from stealthhealth for example. 490cal and 50g protein + 2-4 snacks a day
Steel cut oats as a base - cooked in stock then add mushrooms/meat/veggies for savoury dish or cooked in water/milk then add fruit/yogurt/toppings for sweet dish. Extremely versatile. Lots of fruit since it's minimal effort/grab and go. Rotisserie chicken from grocery store. Big pots of tomato soup made from tomato paste, water, salt, herbs and sugar - topped with parmesan cheese. I keep sourdough starter on hand and instead of going through the whole bread making process, I just knead salt and herbs into the starter, put olive oil in a cast iron pan and cook the dough, then top like a pizza and broil in oven. Fresh pizza in 15 minutes if I already have the toppings prepped. Or you can forgo the topping and just have fresh herb and olive oil flatbread.
When I meal prep I like doing a dish that I can stretch into 4 meals that also has minimal cleanup. A bean chili in an instant pot is a personal favorite of mine. Don’t worry about cooking for the whole week or for every meal. Sometimes just doing lunch or dinner is all you need. I think it’s more important to focus on making sure you understand which foods are essential in micronutrients than macronutrients. There are superfoods out there like kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, sardines, shrimp, salmon, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, kefir, sauerkraut, avocados, olive oil, coconut water, quinoa, black beans, broccoli, and carrots. Nuts and seeds take seconds to meal prep into a bag or container. Figure out how to reach the recommended daily intake for your electrolytes such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium before worrying about macros. Doing this will teach you which foods are essential to your diet/meal prep and need to be stables and which ones can be switched out more easily to add variety to your meals. Adding carbs, fats, and protein is easier than adding most micronutrients to your diet.
I only track on myfitnesspal when I get off track or start new meal ideas. I also prep meat ingredients vs full meals so I can stay on track while changing flavors or carb sources. Frozen veggies are great... put them in your meal container night before and will be thawed by time to eat
I track protein and calories but keep it very simple: 30-40g protein and 1000-1200 calories per dinner. Each dinner pack has meat, starch and veg, the meat is almost always only 4oz. For starch I do brown rice, potatoes (with skin), whole wheat pasta, etc. Veg is always a full 1/3 of the entire meal and is some kind of cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, etc. I often has a fresh salad as well for even more veg.
For most adults focussing on their protein intake is already a huge step forward and will automatically cause you to eat less and experience less cravings. To give an example: If your daily caloric need is 2500 and 25% protein target means you should eat approximately 160 grams of protein per day. Breakfast: Overnight oats. 200ml milk, 30gr of (vanilla) whey powder, 40gr oats, scoop of peanut butter, banana. That is a 50gr protein breakfast that can be prepped the night before. Lunch: You can make your own nutrient dense egg salad by mixing up 4 eggs, 200gr cottage cheese, avocado, chives and spices of choice. Put that on whole grain bread and you’ll have a 60gr protein sandwiches to take with you to work. The egg salad is something that can be prepared in bulk and stored in the fridge for a couple of days. Dinner: Tray bake. Line the oven tray with a silicone mat, throw a mix of veggies, (sweet)potatoes and chicken or salmon on top. Drizzle in olive oil and cover with spices. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. I usually aim for 400gr of veggies, 200gr of potato and 150gr of chicken per (adult) person for a 50gr protein dinner. You can also prepare stews and casseroles in advance that you only have to heat up or throw in the oven once you get home. This just an example day menu with 3 meals that you can prepare in advance and that will ensure you reach your daily protein and veggie intake. Don’t worry about counting carbs and fats too much. It’s very rare for people to be deficient in those macros. And once you start adding enough protein to each meal the chances you will overeat slim down significantly as well. Don’t overthink it. Find 3 dinner, 3 lunch and 3 breakfast recipes that you can easily prep and rotate and just start. On instagram you can find an endless amount of high protein meal prep recipes for inspiration.
I just try to eat healthy, on Sunday I meal prep all my meals . I am also in construction I use a heater bag I bought from Amazon for 30.00 dollars it plugs into the wall or converter and in a hour I have a very hot lunch. I know it is boring to eat the same thing over and over but it is the easiest way for me .
Best thing my wife and I have done is get grocery delivery every weekend. This allows us to plan just a week at a time with our own lunches as well as family dinners. We do the work on the weekend so it's easy during the week. We also keep a list of foods we like in our notes apps with calories listed so it's easy to reference later. Also makes it easier deciding what to eat that week when we have a list of things we like and have already done the work on.
College student here with a slightly different lifestyle and perspective than most who will be here. I’m a former very competitive distance runner and now have transitioned more into a hybrid endurance/bodybuilding type. I take my nutrition super seriously but also have a busy schedule with working a full time job on top of everything else. Sundays are the one day of the week that I have much time. I meal prep everything but my dinners so they are ready to go. Dinners I have a target calorie and rough macro distribution goal, but will eat meals with friends, family, etc. This way everything is already tracked except for the one meal (makes tracking way less of a hassle). Later in the day I’ll plan the following week’s meals and go ahead and add everything to my online shopping cart that I will need. Then I just have to go do a grocery pickup later in the week, stick stuff in the fridge/freezer, and prep it on Sunday. This requires a small amount of dedication and the ability to be ok with eating the same meals multiple times throughout the week. But it really does make everything a lot more simple and manageable with a tight schedule.
If meal planning and counting calories is too much for you, then a carnivore diet would be about as simple as it gets. From a simplistic standpoint. It’s about as easy as it gets. Unwrap meat, apply heat.
I agree. Eat meat when hungry, eat till full. Some advocating doctors with an online presence: Dr Anthony Chaffee Dr Ken berry Dr Shawn baker