How many meal prep meals to order per week, based on your goal

A week has 21 main meals if you eat three times a day. Breakfast is usually quick to make (yogurt, eggs, oatmeal), but lunch and dinner are the meals that take time, decisions and cooking. That's where meal prep really changes your week.

• The whole week, lunch and dinner: 7 days × 2 meals = 14 meals.
• Monday to Friday, lunch and dinner: 5 days × 2 meals = 10 meals.

All meals arrive on Sunday, for the week. Refrigerate them as soon as they're delivered and follow the instructions that come with your order.

Weight loss rests on a calorie deficit kept over time — every day, not just Monday to Friday. Every meal on the weight loss plan lands around 550 kcal and 40 g of protein, so every ready meal is a meal where you stay on target.

Weekends are often what derails weight loss: the fridge is empty, you order in, you snack. With the 14-meal pack, your Saturday and Sunday are sorted ahead of time too. It's the simplest way to stay consistent 7 days a week.

When bulking, the challenge is eating enough, every day. Two meals from the bulking plan, about 930 kcal and 60 g of protein each, give you a base of roughly 1,860 kcal and 120 g of protein. Add a breakfast and simple snacks.

The 14-meal pack is the setup that works: the days without a ready meal are exactly when you risk missing your target and losing progress. If you train hard and you're still hungry, add snacks rather than cutting meals.

If your main goal is to stop skipping meals or ordering takeout, start by covering your weekdays completely: 10 meals, lunch and dinner Monday to Friday. That's the minimum for your week to really be sorted.

And if your weekends are as busy as your weekdays — kids' sports, work, going out — go to 14: you get the same price per meal and never have to think about food at all.

An eating routine works when it becomes automatic. With only a few ready meals, you still have to decide, shop and cook half the time — and that's exactly when old habits come back. With 14 meals, there's no decision left: opening the fridge is enough.

It's also easier to track: your calories and protein are the same from one day to the next, so after a few weeks you clearly see the effect on the scale and on your performance in the gym.

At Protéine Express, the price per meal drops as the pack gets bigger. The 10 and 14-meal packs have the best price: from $11.99 per meal on the weight loss plan and from $13.49 on the bulking plan. Small packs cost noticeably more per meal.

Delivery follows the same logic: it costs $5.99 ($4.99 from 5 meals). In other words, the bigger your order, the less you pay per meal and per delivery. Every pack's price is shown on the plan pages and at the order step.

A full week of meals takes up less space than you'd think. A few tips:

• Put the meals in the fridge as soon as Sunday's delivery arrives.
• Keep early-week meals at the front and weekend meals at the back.
• Keep one or two meals at the office or in your gym bag for long days.
• Pick different dishes from this week's menu to vary from Monday to Sunday.

You can order your 14 meals week by week, with no commitment, or subscribe so your order renews automatically every Sunday. The subscription is managed from your account, and subscribers get several free juices every week on 10- and 14-meal packs. Everything is delivered on Sunday from 9 a.m. in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil and Brossard, for any order placed by Friday noon.

A trip or an exam week can change what you need. Since the cutoff is Friday noon, you can adjust your order every week. Just keep at least 10 meals so you don't lose momentum — consistency is what gets results.