How to Meal Prep When You’re in Pain or Exhausted
A Real Life Guide from Someone Who Gets It
Let’s be honest — when your body hurts, your brain is foggy, and your energy is hanging on by a thread… the last thing you want to do is stand in a kitchen. But living with fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases means that if I don’t plan at least a little ahead, I end up skipping meals or eating whatever is closest — and that just makes the pain and fatigue worse.
So I had to find a middle ground: gentle, fibromyalgia-friendly meal prepping that doesn’t push me over the edge.
This isn’t the kind of meal prep you see online where someone chops veggies for hours or fills twenty containers with perfectly portioned meals. No. This is survival-mode meal prep — realistic, flexible, and built around how my body feels.
I don’t wait for a perfect day, because let’s be real — I don’t get those often. But if I wake up and feel okay-ish — not too dizzy, my joints aren’t screaming, and I’ve had a decent night’s sleep — I take that as my cue. I move slowly and pace myself.
Even if I only get one thing done — like washing fruit or boiling eggs — it still helps future me.
Certain foods trigger my flares — like heavy red meat, too much dairy, and ultra-processed junk. So I keep a gentle list of basics that don’t set my body off:
Protein: Canned tuna, boiled eggs, grilled chicken strips, chickpeas
Veggies: Pre-chopped or frozen (broccoli, spinach, butternut, carrots)
Carbs: Brown rice, sweet potatoes, oats, rice cakes
Fats: Avocados, nut butter, olive oil
Soothing Extras: Herbal teas, bananas, ginger, plain yogurt (if tolerated)
If I can build 2–3 easy meals or snacks from these, I’m winning.
When I’m in pain, I don’t have the energy to “get creative.” So I eat similar meals multiple times in a week. Oats and berries for breakfast. Chicken and sweet potato for lunch. A smoothie for dinner if I’m too tired.
There’s nothing wrong with repetition. Consistency is comfort when your body already feels unpredictable.
When I do manage to make something more effortful — like a soup, stew, or veggie-packed sauce — I portion and freeze it. That way, on days when I can’t lift a pot, I still have something nourishing just a microwave away.
Sometimes even cutting a bag of frozen veggies open feels like a victory. That’s okay.
Some days, “meal prep” just means keeping a banana near my bed, or making sure I have a bottle of water within reach. It’s not always about cooking — it’s about preparing for pain days with compassion, not pressure.
If you’re in pain or exhausted and reading this, please know that you’re doing your best. You’re not lazy or failing. You’re moving through something most people couldn’t even begin to understand. And if all you did today was microwave soup or drink a smoothie in bed — I’m proud of you.
Because in this body, the little things are actually the big things.
Meal prepping with fibromyalgia isn’t about being perfect. It’s about giving your future self a small bit of ease, a little less overwhelm, and a little more control over something in a life that often feels uncontrollable.
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