I’m kind of a hot mess, I’ll be honest. I use way too much dry shampoo, sometimes forget to eat and then toss pizza rolls in the oven, put off assignments until an hour before they’re due. I am 19, I am a college student, and I am not alone in doing these things. The idea of meal prep is daunting and completely against anything that I normally do, but when I decided to do it, it turned out to be the best thing I ever did.

What is meal prep? It’s kind of a silly name, but I didn’t come up with it, so don’t shoot the messenger. Of course we meal prep, obviously, how else would we eat? It’s kind of a new thing, but also kind of a weird thing, because both soccer moms and hipsters do it, and people do it for all kinds of reasons- for health, for convenience, for weight loss, for organization. Essentially, you pick a day or two a week, and plan out and prepare meals for anywhere from 3-7 days. Yes, all of the meals, 3 a day, sometimes with snacks. It’s a lot of preparation, a lot of looking ahead and planning, but it makes a huge difference.

I decided to do it because I wanted to lose some weight. I didn’t want to do a crash diet, didn’t want to eat salads for every meal, didn’t want to stop eating carbs or ice cream or anything like that. I tried a couple of fad diets from the 90s that my mom promised really (!!) worked. I stocked up on lettuce and peppers and lean meats, and unsubscribed from Pizza Huts emails. Yet, none of it worked, because a few days in, I craved mashed potatoes uncontrollably, or binge ate ice cream on the bathroom floor so my roommate wouldn’t give me the scolding ‘but you’re on a diet’ speech. So I decided that I needed a lifestyle, not a diet, and I needed to stop denying myself things that I wanted to eat that weren’t even that bad for me. So I went to Walmart and spent $30 on Tupperware, pulled out a brightly colored pen, and started planning.

Meal prep isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle, and that’s what makes it so effective and life-changing. Gone are the days of me just pouring some food out and saying ‘eh, that looks pretty good’, gone are the days of eating things out of the bags and snacking whenever I feel like it. Gone are the days of ‘I’m too lazy to make anything so I’ll just run to * insert fast food joint *. Now, whenever I’m hungry I have a set meal planned out and in the refrigerator, ready for me to pull out and eat. It’s already measured out and ready, based on what I want my caloric count and macro nutrients to look like for the day. If I feel like snacking, I have one pre-made, and not only that, but it’s usually carrots or something, so I think longer about if I’m really hungry or just want to eat. Not only does it keep me on track and keep me full, it’s kind of fun. I know, it sounds crazy. Planning and cooking? Not always the most fun, but once I get all the measuring cups and Tupperware out and assemble whole meals into cute little boxes and stack them up, there’s a huge feeling of satisfaction. I never miss meals anymore, feel healthier, and generally better organized.

So, if you’re struggling with trying to lose the Freshman 15 (or freshman 20 or 30, I won't judge), or if you just know that you need to eat healthier. If you need a specific diet or just need to save money and stop eating out so often, try prepping in advance. It’s just one aspect of your life, but when it’s in control and planned out, you’ll feel so much better. Give it a shot, even if you start only prepping for two days, and even if the food you pick for those days isn’t the healthiest. It’ll make a real difference, in general but also for your health and well-being.