Meal prep feels like a waste of a summer Sunday evening – will it really make a difference to my gains?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: you can’t out-train a bad diet. Yes, meal prepping will save you money – and that’s a bonus. But the reason dietitians love it is because it takes the emotion out of eating. ‘When you’re short on time, like on your lunch break, you’re more likely to make poor choices based on your mood or what’s available,’ says nutritional therapist Sonal Shah.

‘Having a balanced, nutritious meal ready to go is always preferable to grabbing an unhealthy alternative.’ It also helps with maintenance. If time is of the essence because you’ve got better things to do than spend your evening cooking up mountains of chicken, Shah suggests using tins of protein, like beans, chickpeas and lentils, and making three or four dishes from one ingredient.

A bag of sweet potatoes could do you for some spiced wedges, hearty mash and a bowl of soup, for example. And if you really can’t face leaving your Sunday barbecue early to go home and meal prep, might we suggest making the most of the light mornings by getting up an hour earlier on Monday? We’ll pretend we didn’t see that eye-roll.