Staying on Track Over Weekends & Mastering Meal Prep

This week FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast I share invaluable insights on overcoming common struggles with meal preparation and staying on track during weekends. I talk about the importance of structure and planning ahead in achieving health and fitness goals. I recently talked with several FitMitTuro Members and share their struggles and provide tips for tracking weekend food consumption, embracing the 80/20 rule for weight loss, and incorporating structured workouts for optimal results. Learn how to balance enjoyment with progress, master meal prep strategies for busy days, and unlock the secrets to maintaining a healthy diet with protein-rich foods. Tune in for practical advice and actionable steps to elevate your health and fitness journey.

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-Turo

Transcript

0:56

In Progress Hey and welcome to this fit meter fitness Podcast. Today I'm talking about meal preparation and how to stay on track on weekends. So But before getting into the topic, I just want to set up a couple personal things as I had today. To be honest, I don't feel like recording this podcast episode. It's Tuesday

morning, very early 7: 1:27

30am And I didn't feel like recording this so but this is something like there's so much going on have been very, very busy week in cyberspace, the women's national team in America didn't have basically any day off for the past three weeks, so So there are a lot of things going on and it's like you like I don't complain, and I feel very, very grateful to be able to do these all these things and they're really enjoying everything what I'm doing so not complaining at all. Instead, I'm really really grateful. But it says that sometimes, like you you have a lot of things to do. And you don't always feel like doing things what you know you should be doing or what promises you have made to yourself. So this is something for myself that I made a promise that I have to keep publishing one podcast episode every single week. Sometimes it's shorter, this won't be too long, either but that but it's kind of like showing up not any for perfection. And here I am talking to you now actually feeling very, very excited to share about the strategies as these are some topics water water in my membership coaching, or we have been running that eight week challenge and I have been I love to talk all of the people like having back and forth emails, having some phone calls. Talking in our Facebook community and these are topics will always come and I thought that this could be probably a helpful episode to talk about like a weakened struggles and and me preparation as I find that those are very, very common struggles. So one member Roisin or joined in my sentence like she was really like as he has been struggling and and for the past years and now she wanted to finally to get some kind of structure. But her question was that seed days on Saturday say see always want to feel like that sees the Saturday is her day. To go off, go out with the friends having some drinks and then getting back on it and now see what you'd like we had a long back and forth conversation over email and she said that this is something like what most people and she's not alone. This is this is very, very common struggle. And as you think as you go for a weekend it's like you think you are on spot on from mine Monday to Thursday, maybe even Friday until lunchtime, and then it's late at work. Now I'm on it's kind of weekend. So I give little bit more freedom. And this is something what you what most people are struggling like them when you when you hit that kind of weekend mode that you are you are not allowing yourself to eat foods that you actually enjoy eating from Monday to Thursday or Friday even and then when it comes to Saturday then you I liked it now I deserve I need to have that kind of little bit more freedom. I don't want to be dieting, but here is exactly the problem. So when you call this is kind of like all in or nothing mindset and what I always recommend or it has worked it's not for every version but if you didn't get latest that didn't get I think what you are what you are telling to yourself and you are telling that you can't have you are eating basically chicken and broccoli and rice from Monday to Thursday and you are telling yourself that I can't have if you want to have ice cream if you want to have some drinks or you want to have some sweets or chocolate or whatever, whatever your thing is what you actually naturally enjoy eating and then you are telling yourself that I can't and then when it comes to that Friday or Saturday, and then you are late at now I finally can eat you you call it like maybe even a cheat day and a cheat day. It's just a term that I personally don't enjoy using at all but you are not seating. Seating is not something that you eat foods what you actually enjoy because what is the point you are not seeing anyone but that you are cheating. Cheating is something if you are married and you go to serve some other partner that is called seating, but with the food you can't really see like because it's I call it ball like that you are enjoying it a bit more so but how to how it actually helps you like retracing we had a long conversation and then I try to think like in like a weekly budget like those, it's still like you don't need to necessarily to track your calories. But what I always recommend at least in some point of your life to track even your weekend so you are you are seeing what you're doing. I know that you don't feel like doing it because if you are seeing it what it means that your cheat day on Saturday you had like a couple bins of beer you have some cakes, you have some chips, whatever you are eating or and then when you are putting it into App you see how many calories is there in and what is actually doing so but if you do it once, in even it's only one week and one Saturday or one your cheat day that you are trying to even you don't know exactly you don't need to use full scale or something but just get at get the best estimate what you are eating and when you see it while it actually how your cheat day actually looks like then it's more likely next time when you are doing it like that at least you give a little bit thought you are more aware what you are actually doing on your cheat days. And then maybe you are able to make a little bit smarter decisions or do it in a little bit different way. So Rosen's example was or or one there was a dis I remember that was in last year. We had a long what changed her life. So what was the strategy like that we started to include these foods what you naturally enjoy eating for every single day that it was kind of musting so you had your kind of weekly sheet parts is what I love to use it it's called like 8020 rule so it means that 80% of foods to be like if you try to reach your goals, it should be kind of a Whole Foods, nutritious homemade foods or, or whatever you call healthy foods. So if you and then 20% it could be whatever you enjoy eating so you have that kind of also enjoyment, but also you are still eating mostly healthy, and it doesn't mean that nobody's perfect like what I say that like many people are trying to be perfect on from Monday to Friday. And then when it comes to the weekend, you are in that mode that now it doesn't matter and then often what happens is that that when you think that you you go way overboard on Saturday, and then it's Sunday like that, what is the point? I'm going to get back on track I start over on Monday and then Sunday is also like you are you are going over your calories and or maybe you didn't eat it now what is the point I gained all weight? I go back I start next week or next Monday I will get back on track and this is this is that behavior, what is actually causing that you will have a huge time huge struggle to get any kind of results because you will never be consistent enough. But Saturday is what we tried we did this and what was what worked really well with this was like let's say that you take your calorie deficit number. So if your calorie goal is let's say it's a 2000 Maybe it's about 1500 whatever number you have it but let's use now in this example 2000 So that would be your calorie deficit number because it's kind of easier to do the maths. So 8020 rule within this 2000 calories it would mean 400 calories would be coming from Fortune naturally in soy every single day. So let's say that 2000 calories per day your weekly calorie parts it is 14,007 times 2000 it's 14,014 112 or 14,000. And when you are dividing that it gives that 400 calories per day so you can you can multiply that with seven. So you get to read my when my math is right. I used to study maths in university so I trust it, it's still working. So it's 2800 calories. per week is your kind of seat parts it or or foods I don't call it seat but I call it enjoyment. That's it so what you naturally enjoy eating so when you are eating and that is what I highly recommend is to include those foods also during the week. So how we did it with this was was that she started to eat she had with 400 calories or her number was a little bit different but I use it in this example that 400 So every single day so it was worth 400 calories if you eat healthy, nutritious foods, the rest like 1600 calories dented 400 calories was kind of what you would see had to eat in the especially in the beginning to get to be from that mindset all or nothing mindset thinking so she had to eat that 400 calories of chocolate of maybe it was something else maybe it was some pork or or whatever zips burgers. You name it ice cream. So that was kind of relieving. Like okay 400 calories. That's, I must eat it. And then when she started to eat that that she never had that kind of hurts that reading that now it's finally Friday now I'm allowed to eat it. So it was see obviously see didn't later on she didn't do it everyday. She was some days. She was kind of like Okay, today I don't feel like eating any sweets and I rather have that my whole thing for tomorrow. So she saved that those 400 calories for next day. So since then she had already 800 calories so if it was one day really perfectly so but it says that just the principle what do you what you might be thinking like that? Why do Why do you call it a cheat day and why not to include it also during the week. So because usually more often you are able to if you more like at least for me it works always that if I tell myself that I can have something more I actually want to have these things and then it comes it's kind of Arrow what you are a bow and arrow what you are loading and I can take it one more day, one more day, one more day until you are loading it as full as you can and then at some point you are telling that now fuck it, I can't take it anymore. So and then it's that's the moment when you overeat when you beans when you tell it that now I can't take it anymore. So that is that is why this kind of strategy like think calories in your credit redeposit work it around. It doesn't matter how how you divide your calories. So let's say that if your calorie deficit, calories are 2000 per day at 14,000 per week, you can divide it like if you for example some people if you have harder workouts on those days you would be eating a bit more days when you are resting. You don't. You are not active you can you could be eating a bit less. But in the end of the week you get your calorie deficit number or pretty close to it. So this is the best way what you can what you can do like thinking about calories like kind of weekly parts it and that was for origin also advice what we talked like that. If you if you don't count calories, you go way overboard and then you have like three, four or five cocktails on Saturday's food choices are not the smartest ones. So if you think that it's very easy, like her calorie deficit calories were around 1500 And if you think like that, are you able to ruin your progress within one day? I don't say that you ruin your progress, but because it doesn't matter. Whatever you do, it's more about like the ability how fast you are able to get back on track. But if you if you think it like how easy it is. If you're let's say that your calorie deficit or your calorie goal is 1500 It's 10,500 calories, you hit 1500 let's say five days a week, and then two days or even one day, you go over, like if your deficit calories are maybe 400 500 per day. So we'll deficit number per week. It should be around 3000 3500 But then on one day on Saturday, you go for you have for cocktails a little bit more enjoyment foods, and it's very easy to go over your calorie goal like to 3000 calories in one day. And then you don't need to wonder if your whole week calorie deficit numbers would be 3000 3500 You go over 2000 3000 calories in one day. So even you are still in a deficit that deficit number is very very small. And you don't have to wonder if you get you get frustrated that you are not making as quick progress as you think so. So even you have those enjoyment days have it kind of in moderation planted the hit what you are able to do what you are allowing yourself and work those things into your calorie deficit. So it doesn't mean that you can't do it, but it says more about planning things to hit like if you meet lately, I think people who are wondering it like if you have let's say your calorie deficit number or your calorie goal is 2000 and then you know that you are going out it's you're going to have like maybe you need seven 800 calories for that evening. So we're getting work done like it's possible, but it says needs some kind of planning a little bit ahead and not telling that I can have whatever you want. Because it's it's often that that urge of having some kind of cheat day or something it's not about like that would make it better. It doesn't mean that if you you're for your brain, it doesn't make any difference. If you have a little bit let's say ice cream or you eat a whole thing in the what is like what studies are telling like that you get that kind of dopamine and that feeling that you had already something just when you add then a little bit and you don't need to eat that whole thing. It's just often why it happens that we ended up eating the whole thing is that our mindset when we tell that we can't have and then when you are kind of breaking the rules and having it then you are like it then I can't have it tomorrow again. So why I have to finish and that's the often point what I say that when people who are struggling with overeating are are struggling that they can stop eating it once they give themselves permission. But like I said that there's the trick to go to chase this behavior is to start actually allowing yourself to have these things also during the week and on the other day so there is nothing wrong if you have these things but just learning then that means kind of that moderation. So other thing is what recently my my members loved it like we do weekly challenges every time like it's every time it's something different. Sometimes it's simply simple things like drinking water, drinking or holding abroad then doing some exercise like or having some step goals. So it says the basic things which helps you need to focus just on one thing every single week. And once you do this in a long term, it's basically everything what makes the difference. So if you try to you know, like most of the people, they know what they should be doing. But if you try to do kind of everything at the same time like most of the people they don't they end up doing nothing because there are so many things but if there's just one thing every single week, so that is helping in a long long term to reach those goals. So sometimes it's asleep like like this week we had a sleep challenge and and people have been loving these mini tenancies like obviously we have every month like bigger challenges it's sometimes it's a tip step sometimes are like some exercises like push ups and what what other thing is like what I got messages from Aries is one of the best example likes he says the road that's kind of that structure like Guzzi never had before and Susan, Susan mentioned the same thing. Last week when we talked and that Nancy said that there is the data structure when you have the structure behind so you know that there is what what kind of workouts you have to be doing. Like it seemed that that it's it's for me. If I if I don't have any workout plan, I I'd change it. It's now I think three years when I started to work out with the plan earlier it was kind of I was relying on motivation. I did very occasionally something some kind of strength training. I was always active but I've never really I felt okay, but I never knew how it actually feels when you work out with the plan. Because those are things like that you do things would you naturally don't enjoy doing like, especially with the strength training. So that is something that I personally don't enjoy. And but when I do it consistently with a plan that have made me feel the better, the best I have ever felt in my life. So So and this is something what changed is what have changed so many members from my membership coaching that plan that they know what they are doing. So you have a plan so you know that it's not always like something if you are someone who naturally enjoys dancing or walking or whatever sport you enjoy, but if you don't do things with you do strength training or or mobility exercises, what are what are those? I think those are the most beneficial things. And those are like I think it's always that you have to have some kind of bare minimum of strength training and it's something what you need to enjoy but when you have a structure you know exactly how many reps with exercises you are doing how many workouts in a week you have. When you have your workout days, obviously you can move them around. But but when you have that structure and you have a program that's why betaines programs every four or five weeks was sorry, that makes that keeps things kind of interesting. And plus it keeps you like if you are doing the same things over and over again. Our bodies they are getting used to things what we are doing so longer you do the same things more likely you're you are you are going to add up with all things we are doing. So for example, strength training, if you start something you have never done it before. You might be very, you will see results in the beginning because it's something new, but longer you do it more you have to be attention on these details, changing your programs. Sometimes it means that sometimes you need to use heavier weights during lower amount of repetitions. Sometimes it means that you have to you have to use a higher amount of repetitions using lower weights. So kind of mixing all these things and this is what that program and that structure is giving you that you don't do only naturally things you enjoy. Like for example for me, I naturally enjoy doing like if I do strength training. What I hate the least I would say is around 10 repetitions that is kind of my sweet spot what I enjoy most doing. If it's then more like 20 repetitions 15 That is unlikely to pass. I don't enjoy it or then it's like a heavier, heavier weights like doing five repetitions or something that is like the part that is so heavy, I don't enjoy doing it. But when you incorporate all these references, having that structure that makes the whole difference and in the long period of time if you think your progress, focusing on one thing at a time and doing it 3456 months, you will see you will have all benefits you will see all results what you always want it all you see lot more results than doing doing trying to do kind of everything at the same time. So that's why kind of a little bit periodization it helps so much that you are always I was surprised with results. When I got my clients I hear to say miss it all all the time that they couldn't believe that how good they are feeling and then especially for older people like like I recently published brand new mobility guide so that is something like when you if you struggle with some kind of joint pain like knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain. Those are always like kind of find like this was this people are that they failed in couple tests. I failed myself personally. My other other hip and my wrists. I got I was always having a lack of restraint. But now when I know exercise is what I have been incorporating during the past few months. And I already see like that. I tend to avoid myself going like on a full pushup position but now when I have incorporating them like isolated, why I do same things are now able to do pain free. I don't feel any discomfort anymore. So it has improved so much plus older all kinds of excess like shoulder presses everything they used to I used to hurt my wrist but now I'm able to do it. So these are just this simple things would make actually the whole difference if you know first of all to becoming aware where you are struggling, lack of mobility and then when you are starting to incorporate those exercises simply part of your warmup part of your cooldown and then it it doesn't take anything you don't need to do any more hours or minutes of workout it says adding a couple minutes into your warm up cooldown and you are more than enough it's more than enough. So if you're interested in working with me joining our membership, I will put links to show notes and I would love to see you inside. So but last thing before we wrap up this episode was that that kind of meal preparation so pay strategies for meal preparation. So this is something what I what I like to call like that always like at cost. There will be you will always have days that you don't feel like that. Today. I won't do you spend hours know that it's going to it's going to happen that you are like it now I'm home I need to eat and what you know what I'm what I'm going to do, I don't want to spend more than not more than five minutes to my meal preparation. So this is something what I always recommend, I recommend you to have, let's say two to five options meals under five minutes. So what it could be that you you can just go there you get it out you have those foods like for example for me. My examples what I don't eat don't need to be these examples, but these are just what I enjoy eating in times when I don't have a lot of time and it says the protein shake with I add it into my Greek yogurt or even in some regular yogurt. So little bit protein powder on plane. If it's if I have flavored protein powder, I can use it in a plain Greek yogurt so I have even more protein. Mix it with some berries or fruits. That's my favorite to go or even some Greek yogurt with berries. You don't need to mix any protein powder but just having that kind of snack then I love having God it says God it says is just that just something what I naturally enjoy eating so I usually have the i bought it i eat it or eat it plant or added some cinnamon. So cinnamon it keeps kind of I'll inside that taste is just just a good soul test some spices there then other thing what I what I liked some wraps like a bat you know we have it here in Italy. So it's it's some source of carbs. I put there like some chicken cheese, some like low fat cheese and this is it gives or sometimes some tuna. So it gives some kind of like I always tried to think where to get my protein. So how to get is there some protein if I don't if I have some meal? What is the protein source on it? And good way to do it is what my my clients love doing is that they take one day in a week some time to prepare their protein source is not whole meals but says protein sources. So let's say that chicken is your protein source. So you cook it already on Sunday. And then you store it in your fridge so then you can exist you can add different flavors, mix it, mix up different things. Sometimes you can eat it with the chicken you can put it into your wrap. You can put it into your pod in some days. You can make some rice with it. So it says there are so many options but when you have that at least that your protein source already pre prepared, it's likely that you are you are grabbing it because if you if you are not prepared in those days, when you come home after like kids are hungry you have maybe if you have kids, you come home they are screaming you need to get some food fast and if you are not prepared then you might end up taking something what goes fast and usually faster. You have to make decisions without any preparation those decisions are not going to be probably the smartest ones. So these are just having thinking you have some kind of do two five meals under five minutes that you can do with less willpower without thinking just the if you whatever you feel like eating but having dosha do two to five five minute boards and then if if you have more time available just planning your pre planning your or pre prepping your protein sources so those are the best meal preps. So thank you for listening and talk to you next week soon.