Kick off’s coming and you’re in need of refreshment, so what are you going for?

A beer might be the customary accompaniment to watching the rugby, but if you’re watching your alcohol intake or simply don’t fancy a pint, here are some ideas for healthier alternatives.

Non-alcoholic beer

We understand if you’re hesitant about trying non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beer, but they’re honestly not as bad as they used to be. Loads of brands make low-alcohol varieties and you’re bound to find something that’ll satisfy your tastebuds without the hangover.

They can be lower in calories too, for example a 330ml bottle of Peroni clocks in at 136 calories and its non-alcoholic counterpart, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, has 72 calories. A 440ml can of Carlsberg is 136 calories, and their 0.0 version (which comes as a 330ml bottle) clocks in at 63 cals.

A can of fizz

Alright so we’re playing fast and loose with the term ‘healthier’ here, but sometimes only something fizzy will do. It goes without saying that diet or ‘zero’ versions of soda are probably the better choice as they’re sugar-free and very low in cals (a can of Pepsi Max, for example, has 1 calorie).

Water

You read that right. It’s boring but you need to drink more water, so get some in the fridge in advance and enjoy a crisp and refreshing glass of water. Add sugar-free squash if you must or go fancy with a slice of cucumber or lemon.

Coconut water

Coconut water had a bit of a moment a few years ago thanks to its health benefits – namely that it’s full of minerals and electrolytes and can help manage blood sugar levels. You can find it in chillers at the supermarket, and if it’s a hit it can be a nice alternative to water. 100ml of ready to drink coconut water is around 18 calories, with 4g of sugar.

A cuppa

There’s no occasion that isn’t improved with a nice cup of tea in our humble opinion, so stick the kettle on before kick-off and enjoy. Both tea and coffee count towards your hydration goals (which should be to drink around 8 glasses of fluid a day), just lay off the coffee when it’s close to bedtime.

Black tea and coffee have a grand total of around 2 calories per cup, it’s the milk and sugar you’ve got to look out for. 200ml semi skimmed milk is 100 cals, and a teaspoon of sugar is 16 cals.

Alcohol

If you’re watching the game at a pub and are really keen on having an alcoholic drink, but you’re looking to save calories, skip the beer and go for vodka and Diet Coke (a 25ml single shot of vodka is around 54 calories), or a gin and slimline tonic (a single measure of gin is around 52 calories and a 150ml serving of slimline tonic is around 3 calories).

The other thing to watch out for is how much you drink. If a Diet Coke and vodka is only 54 calories, that’s good news for your calorie count for the day…but that soon adds up if you have more than one.

The thought of cooking meals from scratch is daunting, especially when you’ve got to worry about them being healthy too. But it’s really not all you’ve built it up to be in your head: it can be as simple as you want.

But I don’t know what I’m doing!

Lower your expectations. Ok, so you’re not pulling off a full-on banquet or serving up a Michelin-starred meal, but you don’t need to. Find a simple recipe and take it one step at a time. You can read, you can follow instructions, there’s not much more to it than that.

But I might get it wrong!

There will be times when you forget to add a vital ingredient, or something doesn’t rise in the oven, or you burn the house down. Well, hopefully you won’t burn the house down, but mistakes are part and parcel of learning something new.

It’s all a learning curve, the trick is to actually learn from your mistakes. Use a timer, read the recipe thoroughly, and keep an eye on your food while it’s cooking, and you can’t go far wrong.

But I could give people food poisoning!

You could. But if you follow the recipe and practice good kitchen hygiene, it’s highly unlikely. Wash your hands regularly, clean surfaces, cook things thoroughly and you’ll be fine.

But I don’t have the time!

Bollocks you don’t. You really don’t need to spend hours slaving over a hot stove to make something nutritious, delicious, and satisfying. Sure, it might take a bit of planning and sacrifice to fit it into your day, but how long do you spend scrolling on social media? Mmmhmm.

• Make a meal plan. Writing down what you’re going to make and when helps you know what’s what, and you can plan around any busy days you’ve got in the week.

• Try doing some batch cooking. That sounds daunting, but it just means making more of what you’re making anyway, like making a bolognese for 6 when there’s only 3 of you eating – that’s 3 extra portions you can squirrel away in the freezer, ready to reheat when you need it.

• Use a slow cooker. You can pick them up cheaply, and they’re really easy to use. Just bung in a load of veg, stock, and a joint of meat in the morning and you’ll come home to a hearty stew ready for serving up. They’re also great for making sauces, soups, casserole, and even baked potatoes.
• Take shortcuts. There’s nothing wrong with taking the easy option. Buy your veg pre-chopped and frozen, use ‘lazy’ pureed garlic instead of fresh, bottled lemon juice instead of juicing fresh lemons, etc.

Tips for the novice cook

1. Invest in a couple of sharp knives. They’ll make chopping and slicing so much easier and safer.

1. Read the recipe and method thoroughly, from start to finish, before you begin. You don’t want to come across any surprises halfway through.

1. Taste it as you go (apart from raw meat and fish of course). It’s much easier to add more flavour than to remove it.

1. Clean as you go. This’ll help you avoid being swamped by pots, pans, and messy worktops when you’re finished.

1. Start simple. Think about healthy meals you enjoy and go from there. A basic tomato sauce is a good one to master: chopped onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes or passata, seasoned with black pepper and salt. Add basil for Italian dishes (Bolognese, lasagne, etc.) or paprika for Moroccan-style dishes.

1. Buy a spray oil to minimise the use of oil in your cooking. A tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories, so it soon adds up. Frylight is 1 cal per spray and widely available.

1. Get to know your flavours. Lots of cuisines have classic combinations of herbs and spices that can really elevate your dishes, so it’s worth buying a few to keep in:

• Italian: Onions, oregano, garlic

• Mexican: Cumin, chilli, coriander

• Indian: Turmeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom

• English: Bay leaf, sage, parsley

1. Get online: YouTube and food websites are your friend when you’re looking for healthy recipes and explainer videos to show you methods. BBC Good Food, for example, has this fantastic piece to show you 25 basic skills every cook should know

Weight loss feels a lot easier when you know you can cook whatever, whenever. Stick a few tunes on, relax, and get stuck in – you’ll soon find that it’s not as hard as you’re expecting, and you might even enjoy it.

A lot of people hate New Year’s resolutions, and for good reason. They conjure images of a gym packed with January newbies and people snapping up blenders and juicers that’ll soon make themselves at home nestled in the back of the kitchen cupboard, and over half of people who set resolutions don’t end up achieving them anyway. In fact, a recent study found that one-third of those who set resolutions have failed by the end of January. Yikes.

Fair-weather fitness fanatics and foodie fads aside, setting a goal can be helpful to refocus on your healthy habits. Setting a New Year’s resolution can be an easy way of doing this at the start of the year, but you’ve got to do it right. So how can you make a good resolution and avoid becoming part of the one-third?

Make a plan

Almost everyone wants to lose weight and get fit. If that’s your resolution, well duh. You’ve got to ask yourself how you’re going to do it. Ask yourself how until you can’t go any further, like this:

• My New Year’s resolution is to lose weight.

• How will I lose weight? By making better food choices.

• How will I make better food choices? I’ll stop ordering takeaway 3 times a week.

• How will I stop ordering takeaway 3 times a week? I’ll cook more.

• How will I cook more? I’ll do a weekly food shop and try new recipes.

• How will I do a weekly food shop and try new recipes? I’ll sit down on a Sunday evening and meal plan for the week by looking at recipes in The Dugout, then I’ll make a shopping list. I’ll make sure I make time to cook during the week.
• How will I make sure I make time to cook during the week? I’ll stop scrolling on social media when I get home from work, and I’ll prepare food instead. I’ll buy ready-chopped vegetables as a timesaver. I’ll batch cook at the weekends.

We could go on, but you get the idea. Somewhere in there, you’ll find your specific goal – the thing that’ll help you achieve your main goal of losing weight. For this example, your resolution would be to make time to meal plan and cook at home instead of ordering takeaway. That sounds much more achievable than the vague ‘I want to lose weight’ we started with.

Don’t expect perfection

You’re going to slip up at times, it’s inevitable. Think of making a New Year’s resolution as a springboard for your healthy habits, instead of an all or nothing command. If your resolution is to exercise 3 times a week, but you don’t manage it one week, don’t throw in the towel completely. Just try your best the next week. The mistake a lot of people make when it comes to resolutions is to see it as a short-term thing you do until you mess it up. See it more as a long-term thing, as something that’s flexible and fluid and will guide you throughout the year.

Don’t do it alone

Though it can feel a bit twee to be setting New Year’s resolutions, tell people about your goals. You don’t have to shout it out to everyone you meet, but letting your friends know you’re trying to go vegan/run a marathon/give up fizzy drinks can lead to a welcome show of support that’ll give you a boost when you most need it. If we keep our goals to ourselves, it’s much easier to dismiss them – it’s easy to justify things when it’s just our mind to answer to.

You could even try making goals as a group if you’ve got a solid bunch of supportive friends or MAN v FAT Rugby teammates. Updating each other on your progress and being a cheerleader when it’s needed will go a long way to keeping your motivation high.

Focus on one resolution

It might be tempting to come up with a long list of things you’d like to change about yourself when you’re setting a New Year’s resolution but keep it short and sweet. Pick one thing you want to work towards and make that your focus so you can give it the time and attention it needs. Too many goals will feel daunting, and juggling too many balls makes it more likely you’ll drop one.

By all means, break your resolution up into manageable chunks, just make sure you’re not taking on too much at once.

Christmas is a great time for foodies, as there’s so much delicious food and drink around and everyone’s up for dessert, nibbles, and drinks. But when January rolls around it can be hard to suddenly stop eating a tube of Pringles a night. Here are some ways you can start getting back on track after Christmas.

Relish the fresh start

New Year’s resolutions have a bad reputation, but there’s nothing wrong with setting them and taking advantage of that new year, new me feeling. You’ve just gotta be realistic about it. 2025 probably won’t be the year you hone an eight pack or become a professional athlete after all.

Set realistic, attainable goals and focus on the reasons you want to accomplish them for a fresh boost of motivation. The hope a new year brings is something to cherish.

Get back to normal as soon as you can

If you’ve over-indulged at Christmas, you’ll be dying to say goodbye to the festive food. What seemed appealing before Christmas can make us feel downright queasy when we’ve eaten our bodyweight in turkey and Quality Street, so if you’ve got anything unopened you don’t want, donate it to a food bank.

Make a meal plan for the first post-festive week where you slowly get back to normal. You may still be finishing off some Christmas food, and that’s fine, but returning to regular healthy favourites can go a long way to making us feel like we’re getting back on track. Just remember that the longer you leave it, the harder it’ll be to stop over-indulging.

Get some activity in

We tend to feel sluggish after Christmas, mostly down to overeating but also because we tend to be a lot less active than usual. It’s great to have a break and you shouldn’t feel guilty about doing so but starting to move your body more when Christmas is done and dusted will help you get back to healthy habits.

If you’re not ready for anything too strenuous, go for a few gentle walks to get back into the swing of things. Exercise releases happy hormones, so you’ll also benefit from that to get you back into the best mindset for weight loss.

Give your body a break

If you’ve had a lot of alcohol over Christmas, give your body a break for a few weeks by cutting the booze out, or if you can’t do that at least cut down so that you’re well within the NHS’ recommended max of 14 units a week, and make sure you have some alcohol-free days during the week.

Cutting out alcohol will give you a chance to rehydrate properly, which you can help along by increasing how much water you drink. The NHS recommends 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Don’t deprive yourself

One thing that makes overindulgence worse is trying to compensate for it by undereating. It might seem like it makes sense, but the thing with bingeing and restricting is that it just makes you more likely to eat more as you get too hungry and want to eat everything in sight. This can quickly become an unhealthy cycle that’s very difficult to break.

Instead, just draw a line under it and nourish your body with healthy, balanced meals that’ll satisfy your hunger. Sounds easy, right? Just try your best and don’t beat yourself up if it takes longer to get back to normal eating than you’d like, just don’t quit.

Christmas and alcohol often go hand-in-hand, which can be difficult when you’re watching your weight. 

When Christmas rolls around and you’re trying to lose weight, you’d be forgiven for keeping a close eye on your mince pie and pigs in blankets consumption, but don’t forget about the drinks.

Alcohol seems to be free flowing at Christmas, but it can really throw you off track as it’s easy to forget that alcohol is high in calories. But it is possible to have a merry Christmas that involves alcohol without piling on the pounds – here’s how.

• Stick to the NHS’s recommendation of 14 maximum units of alcohol a week and remember that 14 units is the max, not a target.
• Spread your drinking out over three or more days, and don’t binge drink.
• 14 units is roughly equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength (4%) beer.
• When drinking at home, make sure you measure out spirits, so you know how much you’re having. An eyeballed measure is always much, much more than you think it is. Especially when you’re a few drinks in.
• Try some lower-alcohol beers over regular strength ones. They’ll have less alcohol, but they tend to have fewer calories too.
• If you’re having a mixed drink, swap high calorie mixers for slimline alternatives. Have Diet Coke with your Jack Daniels instead of regular Coke and you’ll be saving potentially hundreds of calories.
• Stay hydrated by drinking enough water throughout the day, and don’t forget to continue this when you’re drinking. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a sugar-free soft drink to stay hydrated and cut down on calories from alcohol.
• If you’re a fan of cocktails, keep in mind that ones made with syrups, cream or milk will have more calories than juice-based ones.
• Savour your drink – sip it slowly to make it last and to make sure you’re really enjoying it.
• Remember that the calories in drinks soon add up. One pint may not seem like too many calories, but if you’re having several pints that’s hundreds of extra calories. Fine if you’re budgeting for it, but it can come as a shock if you’re not.
• What is it about a greasy kebab after you’ve been drinking that’s so appealing?! Bear in mind that the more you drink, the more you’re likely to pay a visit to your local kebab house. Kebabs can contain thousands of calories, so be wary.

Check out these drink examples:

• Gin and tonic: 120 kcals
• Gin and slimline tonic: 56 kcals
• Jack Daniels and Coke: 141 kcals
• Jack Daniels and Diet Coke: 78 kcals
• Heineken 5% (330ml): 138 kcals
• Heineken 0.0 (330ml): 69 kcals

You don’t have to go all out and drink loads at Christmas to make it a good one – just keep these tips in mind and you’ll still enjoy a great Christmas on your own terms.

Love Christmas? Us too, but it can be a tough time of year when you’re trying to lose weight. Here are our top 10 tips to enjoy Christmas without compromising your goals.

Break it down

The Christmas period will no doubt have more celebrations than your average month, which is part of what makes this time of year feel so difficult when it comes to losing weight. The trick? Don’t eat in excess too often.

Enjoy yourself when it’s an occasion to celebrate, but in between parties or gatherings do your best to maintain your usual healthy habits: eating well, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep.

Know your limits

You want to have a good time (and we want you to have a good time!) but be aware that the festive period can be an excuse to drink more than usual and to overindulge on rich food. Do this too much and you’ll end up feeling fatigued, heavy, and may suffer from indigestion or bloating. Try to take it slow, as you’ll feel so much better for it.

Be mindful

If you’ve got a party later, it’s worth adjusting your daily diet accordingly. We don’t mean skipping meals, as going into a celebration so hungry that you want to eat everything in sight just sets you up for disaster, but just be wary of what and how much you eat in the lead up. Eat meals that are high in protein to keep you feeling nicely satisfied and pay attention to your appetite.

Discreetly decline

It’s ok to say no. Yes, people do tend to take offence at this time of year (how many times do people say, ‘but it’s Christmas!’ as an excuse for justifying overindulgence?), but if you’ve been trying to lose weight and improve your health all year and you don’t want to start reversing your progress, just say no. No one can force you to eat anything you don’t want to.

Indulge in healthy luxuries

Luxuries don’t have to be unhealthy. Think about whether there are any healthier foods you enjoy but rarely eat during the year – clementines, a nice bit of fish, turkey? Make the most of them while they’re around.

Avoid grazing

You know the rule: don’t graze while cooking. It’s very tempting to try a bit of everything, but if you graze and then eat a portion size as normal, you’re just adding random extra calories to your daily intake. Just hold off and eat once it’s all served up.

Get organized

Some people find that ordering the food shop online is a better option that going in yourself, where you’re bound to be tempted by all sorts of things that you weren’t planning on buying (no, you don’t need another tub of Celebrations).

It might be too late to book a good festive delivery slot, so go in with a strict list and don’t buy Christmas goodies too early, because you know as well as we do that it’ll all get eaten and you’ll still go out and buy another lot.

Plan out what you’re going to eat, make a list, and stick to it.

Keep exercising

Keeping your body moving means you’ll feel less sluggish and groggy when you (inevitably) eat loads of festive goodies. Long walks are a great way to get your steps in, and can be done with the whole family so you can socialize in the fresh air at the same time.

Set a date

How soon after Christmas will your overindulging stop? Will it be in the lull between Christmas and New Year, or would you rather take the pressure off and start again when January rolls around?

Whatever you think is best, it can help to set a date. Make a plan and stick to it – it’ll be tough but those healthy habits will be worth starting again.

Enjoy it

Despite everything, we do really want you to enjoy your Christmas. It’s rare that we get the opportunity to take some time out, to celebrate and reflect on the year and to spend time with loved ones, so make the most of it. If that involves more food and indulgence than usual, then so be it, you can pick things up again whenever you like. Savour your Christmas and enjoy every mouthful.

You’ve probably heard the buzz around protein, but why is it so important?

Worrying about your protein intake used to be something reserved for the most dedicated of bodybuilders, who knew that eating enough protein is essential for building show-stopping muscles.

But keeping up with your protein needs has since moved into the mainstream as we’ve all realised that getting enough not only helps support muscle growth, but it also makes eating well feel like less of a chore.

What does protein do?

Protein is essential for every cell in the body. It helps to build and repair muscle, cells, and tissue, and it’s so effective that it’s commonly known as the ‘building blocks’ of the body.

But it does much more than that. Protein plays a part in strengthening your immune system, transporting oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, helping cells communicate, and it even helps give your hair, nails, and skin a protective barrier.

In short, protein helps to keep our bodies functioning. A lack of protein can lead to muscle loss, fatigue, and weakness, although it’s incredibly rare to become protein deficient in developed countries.

How does protein help with weight loss?

Increasing how much protein you eat is a fantastic way to encourage weight loss. It helps you to feel fuller for longer, because protein-rich foods are digested slower than carbohydrates. This can help you to eat less, as when you’re feeling satisfied, you’re much less likely to overeat or seek out unhealthy snacks.

Protein helps to preserve your muscle mass while you lose fat, which boosts your metabolism as your muscles continue to burn calories even when you’re at rest.

How much protein do I need?

How much protein you need varies from person to person and depends on how old you are, how tall you are, how much you weigh, and how active you are. In general, you should aim to get at least 0.75g of protein per kg of bodyweight, but if you’re trying to lose weight it’s a good idea to increase this to around 1.2g – 1.8g of protein per kg of bodyweight.

For example, if you weigh 110kg, you might aim to eat 132g of protein a day.

Sources of protein

Aim to include a source of protein in every meal. Good sources of protein include:

• Lean meats, like chicken and turkey
• Seafood, like tuna, salmon, and mackerel
• Eggs
• Dairy products, like Greek yoghurt, cheese
• Legumes, like edamame (soybeans), lentils, borlotti beans
• Tofu and tempeh
• Nuts and seeds, like hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and almonds

You can also buy protein-enriched foods, including (but not limited to!) shakes, bars, pancakes, brownies, and cookies. You don’t need to eat any of these to get enough protein in your diet, but if you feel like you need a boost (perhaps after a particularly tough workout), be sure to check the label as many of these packaged foods are surprisingly high in calories, fat, and salt.

A good way to ensure you’re getting enough protein is to make sure you’re eating a wide variety of food. Don’t just stick to your usual meals – challenge yourself to make a meal with a vegetarian source of protein, or snack on nuts and seeds.

Sometimes, the scales are not our friend. It’s all too easy to get hung up on what they say each week, and it can be distressing when things aren’t going the way you’d hoped. When that happens, try not to take it to heart – there’s a whole lot more to weight loss than just the reading you get at one specific time.

Weight loss isn’t linear, which can be a hard thing to wrap your head around. That’s why you should focus on your non-scale victories as well as keeping a log of your weight. Keep a list on your phone or in a notebook and make a note of them when you notice them, so you can go back for a hit of motivation when you need it.

What are non-scale victories?

Non-scale victories (NSVs) are anything positive you notice about your weight loss – but as the name suggests, we’re not talking the number on the scales. Here are some examples of NSVs:

Measurements

A soft tape measure is a handy bit of kit for checking your weight loss progress. Take regular measurements of the same parts of your body: hips, waist, chest, thighs. You’ll soon see the inches falling away as you lose weight.

Photos

Take regular, full-length photos. You’re probably not going to feel comfortable taking them or looking at them, but no one has to see them but you, and sometimes we only see how much we’ve changed when looking back at photos.

Clothing

Pick a non-stretchy, structured item of clothing like jeans or a shirt and try it on once a month. As your body shape changes, you’ll notice how it feels (and looks) different on you.

Mood and energy

Eating better often leads to an increase in energy, as you’re fuelling your body with what it needs to flourish. Losing weight can also help with your sleep quality too, especially if you snore or have sleep apnoea.

Your mood may improve too, thanks to the feel-good hormones released when you get active, plus the sense of accomplishment when you start hitting your weight loss goals.

Fitness

Your strength, flexibility and endurance will get better and better the more you move. Make a note of your workouts, and you’ll soon see how something you found difficult in week 1 is a breeze by week 12.

Ease of movement

Losing weight is good news for your joints, which will start to move more freely and won’t ache as much. This is often a big one for guys losing weight, so if you notice your knees aren’t aching at the end of a long day as much as they were before, that’s a huge deal!

Everyday tasks

As you lose weight and your fitness improves, you’ll find that doing things like housework, climbing the stairs, and carrying shopping all become easier.

Comfortable digestion

Gone are the days of seemingly never-ending bloating and gas. Good food moves through your body better, and you’ll feel much better because of it.

Improved medical markers

Losing even a small amount of weight can help improve many medical markers, like your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and glucose levels. Each step you take towards losing weight is a positive step towards lowering your risk of developing serious health conditions.

All these improvements to your health and wellbeing are something to celebrate but try not to fall into the trap of rewarding yourself with food. Instead, reward yourself with:

• Playing your favourite video game, or treating yourself to a new one you’ve had your eye on
• Binge-watching your favourite show
• Meeting up with a friend for a coffee
• Reading a good new book
• Meditating
• Listening to your favourite music
• Going to the cinema

Whatever you choose is up to you. Have fun but remember not to go too nuts – you’ve still got weight to lose, after all!

A new season of MAN v FAT Rugby is just around the corner, and whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newcomer, there are a few ways you can prepare for a shiny new season to hit the ground running.

Re-evaluate your goals

It’s a good idea to revisit your goals every now and then, and at the start of a new season is a great time to do this. Figure out a realistic weight loss goal for the season, considering where you are now, and what challenges you can foresee over the duration of the next season (for example, if you have any holidays booked).

Don’t just set goals for how much weight you want to lose – think about setting yourself a fitness challenge for something to work towards.

Think about nutrition

The best way of giving yourself a head start at the start of the season is to make sure your diet is as healthy and balanced as it can be.

Get into the habit of boosting your meals with plenty of vegetables and lean protein and focus on staying hydrated by drinking water steadily throughout the day. Doing this will help you optimize your performance on the pitch when the time comes.

Pre-season training

It’s not essential but getting into the rugby mindset before your games kick off can go a long way to boosting your performance on the field.

Start incorporating activities like running, swimming or cycling into your routine to boost your endurance and cardio fitness, and think about doing rugby-specific drills, focusing on boosting your speed, coordination, and upper body strength.

Rest and recovery

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night to allow your body to recover and repair. You’ll want to arrive at your club nights feeling well rested and ready to go, and it’ll be hard to enjoy it if you’re feeling sluggish and tired.

Injury prevention

It’s always important to warm up before working out, so don’t skip the warmup. You’ll be a lot less likely to injure yourself if your body is warmed up and ready for exercise, so have a read of 5 simple dynamic warm ups to swerve injury to prepare.

Above all, try and enjoy the start of a new season! It’s great to start with a blank slate, so make the most of it by showing up, giving it your best, and enjoying it.

You’ve probably heard of meal prepping and how beneficial it can be when you’re trying to lose weight. It doesn’t need to be complicated or Instagram-worthy, you’ve just got to find what works for you. Here’s how.

What is meal prepping?

It’s preparing your meals ahead of time. A common time to do this is on the weekend so you’re ready for the week ahead.

Your prep can be as simple as chopping veggies ready to add to meals or have as a snack throughout the week, or it could be grilling an entire pack of chicken breasts ready to add to meals. It could even be planning, preparing, and cooking your meals and snacks for the entire week.

Why should I do it?

By the time you get home from work at the end of the day and are feeling tired both mentally and physically, a takeaway just sounds so tempting. Does that sound familiar? No judgement if it does.

The aim of meal prepping is to make eating a healthy, balanced diet easy, so you’ve got an option ready to go that’ll help you stick to your weight loss goals.

How does it help me lose weight?

Takeaway dishes can be really high in calories thanks to cooking methods, processed ingredients, added sugar, and portion sizes. If you get into the habit of ordering a takeaway several times a week, that’s a lot of unnecessary extra calories added to your diet (and a lot of money to spend too!).

Taking the time to plan out your meals means you’re fully in control of what you eat, and you can make sure your menu for the week is tailored to your weight loss goals (calorie controlled, high in protein, etc.)

Do I have to meal prep everything?

No! Do what works for you. If you enjoy cooking to relax after work in the evening, carry on doing that. Think about what you’d like to streamline: if you know you’re short on time in the morning, focus on preparing your breakfasts in advance. But you certainly don’t have to do everything if you don’t need to.

How do I get started with meal prep?

First up, make a plan. What do you need to prepare, and for when? Are you going to go all out and try making all your meals for the week, or are you just going to focus on one thing, like prepping lunches, or making a batch of healthy snacks? Try to identify times when you feel like you need a little extra help to stay on track and start there. Figure out what’s going to work with your lifestyle, and pick foods you love to eat: this isn’t a punishment!

Isn’t it a pain in the arse?

It depends on how you look at it. It can seem like a lot of effort when in the middle of a meal prep session, surrounded by Tupperware boxes with the kitchen looking like a bomb has hit it. But that’ll soon be forgotten when you eat like a king for the rest of the week for minimal effort.

What do I need?

Time to do it.

Carve out some time to do it. Sundays are a popular time to meal prep so you can prepare for the work week ahead. If you’ve got a different working pattern, then choose a time that’ll suit you better.

A space to do it.

Before you start, make sure your kitchen is ready. It’s a lot easier to meal prep if the dishes are done and the kitchen counters are clear. The downside of meal prep is that you’re also going to be making a few days’ worth of mess when you make a few days’ worth of meals, so do your best to clean up after yourself as you go.

Something to put your meals in

People showing off their meal prep on TikTok might have fancy glass containers, but you don’t need them. Reusing old, mismatched food containers is fine – if you can find the lid, it’s good to go. Old takeaway containers are fine too but check that they’re ok to microwave.

If you’re buying new ones, things to look for are whether they’re microwave-safe, reusable, and if they’re plastic, BPA-free. Other things that can make life easier are whether they’re stackable, and if you’ve got one, suitable for the dishwasher.

An idea of what to make

The world’s your oyster when it comes to what you make for your meal prep. Think about what you enjoy eating as a starting point.

That said, there are some things that lend themselves to meal prep a little better than others. Salads that are full of leafy greens aren’t great for meal prep unless you’re eating them in the next day or two, for example.

Some things that work very well for meal prep include soups, stews, chili, oats, and curries.

Pinch of Nom, which is much-loved by MAN v FAT members, has a section for batch cooking recipes here. BBC Good Food, which is always a reliable source, has a meal prep section here, and we’re also a fan of recipe blog Beat the Budget, which has a collection of healthy, budget-friendly meal prep recipes here.