#36: Finding Simple Meals

Hey Friends,

It’s no secret that what we eat plays a big role in our fitness goals.

This week I will touch on the importance of finding a couple go-to meals that you can come back to multiple times.

Weekly Action Point

🚶 It’s been a while since we’ve had a step-related goal, so this week let’s try to shoot for 7,000 steps every day 🚶 

Doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but for people with a desk job (like myself), you still have to make a conscious effort to get 7,000 per day.

Finding Simple “Go-to” Meals

I believe that simplicity is key in any fitness journey. The more variables you add in to complicate things, the less likely you will be to stick to it long term.

Food is an awesome example of this. If you are trying to look for new recipes every week and you aren’t ever meal prepping, it’s easy to burn out preparing healthy food.

Eventually you’ll have a day where you don’t feel like putting the effort in, and you’ll go out to eat or reach for a highly processed food that’s fast and easy.

I think one of the best ways to stay consistent is to find 3-5 meals that are healthy, delicious, and easy to prepare, and then come back to those meals over and over.

I call these your “go-to” meals.

If you can have a couple recipes like these, it requires way less brain power to stay on track with your eating.

I take this to the extreme and eat pretty much the same exact thing every day. I never have to think about what I’m eating or make food choices based on emotion because I know that I’m just eating the same thing I ate the day before.

However, I don’t recommend this option to other people.

I would guess that the vast majority of you don’t want to eat the same thing every day, and so if I told you to do that, you just simply wouldn’t do it.

I found some foods that I love (and that are filled with great nutrients), so it’s just easier for me to take any thinking out of it and eat food sorta like I’m a robot. And that works for me.

But you don’t have to be a weirdo like I am. It’s entirely unnecessary to eat the same thing every day to see great results.

You can get a lot of the benefit by having 3-5 go-to meals.

Maybe you have 5 dinners that you rotate through regularly during the week and then make fun, interesting recipes on the weekend when you have more time.

Or perhaps you have 4 different things you could meal prep for lunches, and you rotate them each week so that you are eating that meal once per month.

There are a lot of different ways you could do it, but the point is: make an effort to simplify how you are eating, and you’ll be far more likely to stick to it in the long term.

The key is that these have to be delicious foods that you enjoy eating.

Don’t make plain chicken, rice, and broccoli one of your go-to meals, because that sucks and you won’t stick to it.

For example, the lunch that I have every day is: ground beef, sweet potato, black beans, and a Thai peanut sauce.

I absolutely love this meal and look forward to it every day.

For breakfast, I have a combination of eggs and egg whites and oatmeal with peanut butter and honey. Again, I love this meal.

Find a couple of meals that work for you and repeat them frequently to make your life easier.

If you aren’t sure what to make, check out the Ben’s Best section on any of my newsletters. I put a recipe video in essentially every week. If there’s a video that’s your vibe, add it to a regular rotation.

Losing fat and building muscle is extremely difficult to do, why not do everything you can to make your life easier by simplifying your food choices a bit?

Ben’s Best

If you want a recipe that takes a little bit more effort, but it completely delicious, try out this Asian-inspired chicken bowl:

joexfitness

537K followers

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If you want a healthier way to satisfy a sweet tooth, try out this chocolate lava cake. He kind of undercooks it to make it a “lava” cake. If that isn’t your vibe just… cook it longer.

theflexibledietinglifestyle

2 followers

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Have an amazing week everyone!

I don’t remind you enough, but if you have questions related to this newsletter or anything fitness related, feel free to shoot me a text. 763-592-9585.

I love talking about this stuff, and if there’s something you are struggling with, I’d be more than happy to talk through it. I can provide advice if that’s what you wanted, or I can just be someone you talk to about your fitness goals.

Whatever it is, just keep in mind that I am here to support you.

You won’t find many personal trainers online who just give away their phone numbers to ask questions for free, so do with that what you will :)

Best,

Ben