About Prep & Lose

Practical meal prep for real people. No gimmicks, no perfection — just science-backed strategies that actually work.

Recipes, calculators, and prep systems — built from public nutrition data and tested in a home kitchen

What this site is

Prep & Lose is a practical resource for people who want to lose weight without turning food into a second job. Not the Instagram version of meal prep with twenty matching containers and arranged avocado roses — the real version: a tray of chicken on Sunday, a big pot of rice, vegetables chopped while a podcast plays.

We are not doctors and we are not a coaching practice. We build systems: recipes with real macros, grocery lists priced at real US retail, prep schedules that fit a Sunday afternoon, and free calculators that do the arithmetic for you.

Why we built it

Most meal prep advice online fails in the same two places. Either it is vague ("eat more protein") or it is a 20-ingredient recipe you will never make twice. The useful middle — what to buy, what it costs, how long it takes, how long it keeps — is oddly hard to find.

So we document it. Every recipe publishes calories and macros. Every plan publishes a grocery cost. Every storage time is given as a number, not a vibe.

Our Approach

Everything on this site is built on three principles:

1. Practical beats perfect. A "good enough" meal prep you actually do beats a perfect plan you never start. We teach the 80/20 approach: nail the basics most of the time, don't stress the rest.

2. Science-backed, not trend-chasing. Our recommendations are grounded in research from institutions like the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and peer-reviewed nutrition science — not TikTok trends.

3. Food should taste good. Research consistently shows that the best diet for weight loss is the one you can stick with (Johnston et al., 2014). If your meal prep tastes like punishment, you won't stick with it. We prioritize flavor alongside nutrition.

Where our numbers come from

Every figure on this site traces back to a source you can check yourself:

Nutrition data: calories and macros are calculated from the USDA FoodData Central database, per ingredient, then summed per serving.
Energy and protein guidance: aligned with the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Food storage times: based on USDA FSIS refrigeration and freezing guidance, stated conservatively.
Grocery costs: US retail prices, checked and updated periodically; we publish the price we used so you can adjust to your own store.
Recipes: cooked and portioned in a home kitchen with standard equipment — no restaurant kitchen, no food stylist.

Calculators on the site use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for resting energy expenditure and standard activity multipliers. They are estimates, not clinical measurements.

Why You Can Trust Us

In a world of "lose 10 pounds in 10 days" clickbait, we take accuracy seriously. Here's what that means in practice:

No medical claims. We publish recipes, costs, and planning systems — never medical advice, never a diagnosis, never a promise of a specific result. For personalized guidance, consult your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Honest affiliate relationships. Brands cannot pay for placement or positive coverage. Our full affiliate disclosure explains exactly how we earn money.
Transparent about limitations. We are researchers and home cooks, not clinicians. When a topic needs medical expertise, we say so and point you to qualified professionals.
Regular content reviews. We update articles as nutrition guidance evolves. Every page shows its last update date.

How We Make Money

Prep & Lose is free for everyone. We earn revenue in two ways:

Affiliate commissions: When you buy a product we recommend (containers, kitchen tools, protein powder) through our links, we may earn a small commission — at zero extra cost to you. These commissions help fund our content creation and site hosting.
Display advertising: Ads on the site help cover operational costs.

Our editorial decisions are never influenced by affiliate relationships or advertisers. We turn down products that don't meet our standards, even when the commission would be higher. Full disclosure here.

Medical Disclaimer

The content on Prep & Lose is for informational and educational purposes only. We share recipes, meal planning strategies, and practical tips — not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have underlying health conditions, are pregnant or nursing, or take medications affected by dietary changes.

Get in Touch

Have a question, suggestion, or meal prep success story? We read every message and typically respond within 24-48 hours. Contact us here or email hello@prepandlose.com.