Sunday afternoon. Two hours. That’s all it takes to set your self up for per week the place you don’t have to consider meals when your urge for food is performing bizarre, your power is low, otherwise you simply completed a dose enhance and the thought of cooking makes your abdomen flip.
Meal prep isn’t a brand new idea. However doing it whereas on a GLP-1 remedy modifications the mathematics. You’re not prepping for somebody who eats three huge meals a day with snacks in between. You’re prepping for somebody whose urge for food exhibits up randomly, whose portion sizes shift from day after day, and who must hit protein targets even when nothing sounds good.
That’s a distinct form of prep. And most meal prep guides ignore it fully.
This one doesn’t. Each meal right here is excessive protein, straightforward on the abdomen, and versatile sufficient to work whether or not you’re having an excellent urge for food day or a “I can barely take a look at meals” day. No difficult recipes. No components you’ve by no means heard of. Simply actual meals, prepped as soon as, eaten all week.
Why Meal Prep Issues Extra on GLP-1 Drugs
When your urge for food is suppressed, you’d assume consuming can be the simple half. Simply eat much less, proper? However the actual problem is consuming sufficient of the proper issues. Most individuals on semaglutide or tirzepatide naturally lower their consumption by 20 to 40 p.c. Which means fewer complete energy, fewer complete vitamins, and a a lot smaller window to get the protein your physique wants to carry onto muscle.
A 2025 research offered at ENDO, the Endocrine Society’s annual assembly, discovered that roughly 40% of complete weight misplaced on semaglutide comes from lean mass, together with muscle. Girls and older adults have been at even larger threat. The researchers famous that larger protein consumption appeared to assist defend towards this loss.
Meal prep solves the largest impediment to consuming effectively on these drugs: choice fatigue on low urge for food days. If you open the fridge and one thing is already made, portioned, and able to warmth, you eat it. When it’s important to begin from scratch, you attain for crackers or skip the meal solely.
The aim right here isn’t perfection. It’s having a security web in your fridge for all the week.
The Floor Guidelines
Earlier than we get into the precise meals, right here’s how this technique works.
Each meal hits at the very least 25 grams of protein. That’s the minimal. Most hit 30 or extra. When you eat three of those meals a day, you’re touchdown someplace between 80 and 120 grams of protein day by day, which is the vary most specialists advocate for GLP-1 sufferers attempting to protect muscle.
A low-cost kitchen meals scale takes the guesswork out of portioning your proteins throughout prep. Twelve bucks, and also you’ll really know whether or not that rooster breast is 4 ounces or 6.
Every part shops effectively for 4 to five days within the fridge. A couple of gadgets freeze effectively if you wish to prep two weeks without delay. I’ll flag these as we go.
Parts are constructed for GLP-1 appetites. Smaller than customary meal prep parts, however extra nutrient-dense. When you’re having a much bigger urge for food day, double up. When you can barely eat, have half and save the remaining.
The entire grocery price for this week runs between $60 and $80, relying on the place you store. That’s lower than most individuals spend consuming out for 3 days.
Your Sunday Prep Session: The Recreation Plan
Right here’s what you’re making in two hours. Learn this part first so you’ll be able to overlap cooking instances. The important thing to staying underneath two hours is working the oven, stovetop, and rice cooker on the identical time.
Batch Proteins (Begin These First)
These are the spine of your week. Prepare dinner them first as a result of they take the longest.
- 2.5 lbs boneless skinless rooster breast, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Bake at 400F for 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool, then slice or shred.
- 1 lb floor turkey (93% lean). Brown in a skillet with taco seasoning. This turns into your lunch base for 3 days.
- 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs. Boil for 10 minutes, ice tub, peel, retailer.
Whereas your proteins prepare dinner, begin your grains and greens.
Batch Grains
- 2 cups dry brown rice or quinoa. Prepare dinner in response to bundle instructions. This yields about 6 cups cooked, which covers a lot of the week.
- 1 packet of complete wheat tortillas (for wraps on days you need one thing totally different)
Batch Greens
Chop and roast a big sheet pan of blended greens whereas your proteins are within the oven. Change them in when the rooster comes out.
- 2 heads of broccoli, lower into florets
- 3 bell peppers (any colour), sliced
- 2 zucchini, lower into half-moons
- 1 candy potato, cubed small
Toss all the things with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes till edges are flippantly browned. Roasted greens hold effectively all week and really style higher chilly than steamed greens do, which issues on nausea days if you may eat them straight from the container.
Seize-and-Go Extras
Whereas the oven is working, prep these fast gadgets that spherical out your week.
- Wash and portion blended greens into 4 containers (for salad bases)
- Slice cucumbers and cherry tomatoes for fast toppings
- Portion out Greek yogurt into particular person containers with a small bag of berries on prime
- Make a batch of in a single day oats: 4 mason jars, every with 1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop Orgain protein powder, 1/2 cup milk, and a handful of berries. Shake and refrigerate.
That’s it. Two hours, and your total week is dealt with.
The Weekly Meal Plan
Combine and match from these choices all week. Nothing right here requires greater than 5 minutes of meeting at time for supper.
Breakfast Choices (Decide One Every Day)
In a single day protein oats. Seize a jar from the fridge. Eat chilly or microwave for 90 seconds. Round 30g protein and 350 energy per jar. That is in all probability the simplest GLP-1 breakfast that exists. Zero morning effort, excessive protein, mild on the abdomen.
Greek yogurt bowl. One portioned container of yogurt with berries and a tablespoon of chia seeds or granola. About 20g protein. Fast, chilly, and straightforward to eat on low urge for food mornings.
Two hard-boiled eggs with a slice of complete wheat toast. Traditional. About 18g protein. You’ll be able to eat this in underneath three minutes.
Protein shake when nothing else sounds attainable. One scoop of Orgain Natural Protein with almond milk and ice in a Magic Bullet blender. Thirty seconds begin to end, 21 grams of protein. That is your emergency breakfast for mornings when stable meals looks like an excessive amount of. No disgrace in utilizing it three days per week if that’s the place you’re.
Lunch Choices (Decide One Every Day)
Turkey taco bowl. Scoop seasoned floor turkey over a mattress of brown rice. Prime with salsa, a couple of slices of avocado, and no matter veggies you could have. Heats up in two minutes. Round 32g protein per serving. This one really tastes higher as leftovers as a result of the seasoning soaks into the rice.
Hen and roasted veggie plate. Sliced baked rooster over roasted greens with a drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon. Easy, clear, about 35g protein. You’ll be able to eat this heat or chilly relying on what your abdomen tolerates that day.
Hen salad wrap. Chop or shred a few of your baked rooster, combine with a spoonful of Greek yogurt (as an alternative of mayo), mustard, salt, and pepper. Wrap in a complete wheat tortilla with lettuce. Round 30g protein and transportable if you should take it to work.
Energy salad. Combined greens, sliced rooster, cucumbers, tomatoes, a hard-boiled egg, and a drizzle of balsamic French dressing. About 35g protein. Sounds primary as a result of it’s. Fundamental works if you’re consuming it 5 days per week.
Associated: The Full Semaglutide Meals Information: What to Eat and What to Skip
Dinner Choices (Decide One Every Day)
Hen stir-fry reheat. That is simply baked rooster plus roasted greens tossed along with a splash of low-sodium soy sauce or teriyaki over brown rice. Reheats in underneath three minutes. About 33g protein. The greens get somewhat caramelized within the microwave, which really improves the feel.
Turkey and candy potato plate. Seasoned floor turkey with cubed roasted candy potato and broccoli. Consolation meals with out the grease. Round 30g protein. Works effectively on evenings if you need one thing heat and filling however not heavy.
Egg scramble with veggies. Scramble 2 to three eggs with no matter roasted greens you could have left. Add a sprinkle of cheese in case your abdomen can deal with it. About 20 to 25g protein relying on egg depend. It is a good lighter dinner for days when your urge for food tanked by night.
Quinoa bowl. Quinoa base, baked rooster, roasted bell peppers, cucumbers, and a drizzle of tahini or lemon olive oil dressing. Round 34g protein. Filling with out being heavy.
Snacks (Preserve These On Hand)
Not everybody on GLP-1 drugs snacks. Some individuals barely eat their meals. However for the times if you want a small one thing between meals, hold these stocked.
- Exhausting-boiled eggs (already prepped)
- String cheese
- Apple slices with peanut butter (1 tablespoon)
- A small handful of almonds (about 15)
- Cottage cheese with cucumber slices
- Turkey roll-ups: deli turkey wrapped round a pickle or pepper strip
All protein-forward. All require zero cooking. That’s the purpose.
Making It Work on Nausea Days
Some days, particularly in weeks one by 4 or after a dose bump, opening your meal prep containers may sound horrible. That doesn’t imply the prep was wasted. It means you adapt.
Begin with the blandest choice in your fridge. Plain rice with somewhat salt. A tough-boiled egg, eaten slowly. In a single day oats at room temperature. These are all sitting there ready, and consuming half of 1 is best than consuming nothing.
Protein shakes turn out to be your finest good friend on today. Orgain blended with ice and water is about as impartial because it will get. Some individuals add half a banana to settle their abdomen. The purpose isn’t to hit an ideal macro goal. It’s to get one thing in.
Broth is one other lifeline. Preserve a carton of low-sodium rooster broth within the pantry. Warming up a mug takes 90 seconds and provides you hydration plus somewhat protein with out asking a lot out of your digestive system.
And keep on prime of electrolytes. LMNT in chilly water is without doubt one of the few issues that constantly goes down straightforward on tough days. The sodium helps with the lightheadedness that comes from consuming and ingesting much less, and it doesn’t have the sweetness that makes nausea worse.
See additionally: The GLP-1 Hydration Information: Why Water Issues Extra Than You Suppose
Grocery Record for the Full Week
Print this or screenshot it earlier than you head to the shop.
Proteins
- 2.5 lbs boneless skinless rooster breast
- 1 lb floor turkey (93% lean)
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 massive container Greek yogurt (plain, 32 oz)
- 1 block or bag of shredded cheese (non-obligatory)
- 1 bundle deli turkey (for snack roll-ups)
- 1 tub cottage cheese
- 1 container protein powder
Grains and Carbs
- Brown rice or quinoa (1 bag)
- Entire wheat tortillas
- Entire wheat bread
- Rolled oats
Produce
- 2 heads broccoli
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 zucchini
- 1 candy potato
- 1 bag blended greens
- 1 container cherry tomatoes
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 avocado
- 1 lemon
- Berries (contemporary or frozen, for oats and yogurt)
- Bananas (non-obligatory, for shakes)
- Apples (for snacks)
Pantry Staples
- Olive oil
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika
- Taco seasoning packet
- Salsa (jarred)
- Low-sodium soy sauce or teriyaki
- Mustard
- Balsamic French dressing
- Peanut butter
- Chia seeds
- Almonds
- Low-sodium rooster broth (1 carton)
- LMNT electrolyte packets (for nausea days and day by day hydration)
A lot of the pantry gadgets are one-time buys that final for a number of weeks of prep. After the primary week, your grocery run will get shorter and cheaper.
Full record: The GLP-1 Grocery Record: Every part You Want in One Journey
Scaling for Your Urge for food
One of many trickiest elements of consuming on a GLP-1 is that your urge for food isn’t constant. Monday you may eat 1,400 energy with out attempting. Wednesday you may wrestle to get previous 800. The prep stays the identical both means. You simply alter how a lot you pull out of the fridge.
On low urge for food days, eat half parts however eat extra continuously. A couple of bites of rooster and rice at midday, a hard-boiled egg at 2 PM, a small yogurt bowl at 5. Spreading it out feels extra manageable than sitting all the way down to a full plate. And hold your Magic Bullet on the counter, not in a cupboard. When mixing a shake is the one barrier between you and 20 grams of protein, that barrier must be as little as attainable.
On larger urge for food days, mix parts. A full rooster and veggie plate with rice and a facet of Greek yogurt. That may hit 500 to 600 energy and 45+ grams of protein in a single sitting, which is a stable meal by any customary.
Analysis printed within the Worldwide Journal of Weight problems advisable protein targets between 0.8 and 1.6 grams per kilogram of physique weight day by day for GLP-1 sufferers, with absolute intakes of 80 to 120 grams per day. Having prepped protein prepared always makes hitting these numbers sensible as an alternative of theoretical.
Storage Ideas That Truly Matter
Meal prep solely works if the meals nonetheless tastes respectable on day 4. A couple of issues that assist.
Retailer proteins and grains individually from greens. Greens launch moisture over time, and soggy rice or mushy rooster is the quickest solution to make your self skip a prepped meal. Mix them at reheat time.
Glass containers beat plastic. Meals stays brisker, reheats extra evenly, and doesn’t take up smells. When you’re shopping for containers for this, a 10-pack of glass containers with snap lids runs about $30 and pays for itself within the first week.
Exhausting-boiled eggs final 5 days peeled, 7 days unpeeled. Peel them if you prep in order for you zero friction through the week. Retailer in a coated container with a moist paper towel.
In a single day oats final 4 to five days within the fridge. Don’t add any crunchy toppings till you eat them or they’ll get soggy.
Baked rooster freezes effectively for as much as 3 months. When you’re feeling formidable, double your rooster batch and freeze half in labeled luggage. Future you’ll admire it on per week when cooking sounds not possible.
What About Dietary supplements?
Even with stable meal prep, you’re consuming much less complete meals than your physique is used to. Gaps occur. A day by day Amazon Fundamentals multivitamin is an affordable insurance coverage coverage whereas your consuming patterns stabilize. It covers the micronutrients which are hardest to get when general consumption drops: vitamin D, B12, iron, zinc, and magnesium.
It’s not an alternative choice to actual meals. Nevertheless it catches no matter your meals miss, particularly through the early months when urge for food is at its most unpredictable.
Extra on this: 9 Indicators Your GLP-1 Dose Wants Adjusting
The Prep Behavior That Sticks
Most individuals who succeed long run on GLP-1 drugs aren’t those with the fanciest recipes or the strictest diets. They’re those who discovered a easy system and repeated it.
Two hours on Sunday. Similar primary proteins, grains, and greens with small variations to maintain issues from getting stale. A fridge stuffed with prepared containers that don’t require selections through the week.
You don’t have to like cooking. You don’t even have to love meal prep. You simply have to just accept that having meals prepared if you want it’s the distinction between hitting your protein targets and shedding muscle you’ll be able to’t simply get again. The remedy handles your urge for food. The prep handles all the things else.
