We had the good fortune of connecting with Abtin Naderi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abtin, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Starting Meal Prep Sunday was never about deciding that I wanted to become an entrepreneur and then looking for a business idea. It developed naturally from my background as an athlete, my education in kinesiology, nutrition and training, and years of working directly with clients.

I spent roughly 12 to 13 years playing basketball at a high level, including professionally. That experience gave me a firsthand understanding of what is required to perform at a high level and how important nutrition, training, recovery and consistency are to changing and maintaining the body.

I also studied kinesiology and earned multiple certifications related to nutrition and training. That education gave me a deeper understanding of the human body, including movement, biology, physiology and the different factors that affect physical performance and body composition.

Beyond education, I also worked as a coach and personal trainer. That allowed me to apply what I had learned with real people at different fitness levels, from beginners to more experienced individuals. I was able to see firsthand what people struggled with, what they understood and where the biggest gaps were.

Very quickly, I noticed that one of the biggest challenges was nutrition. Most people understood that nutrition was important, but understanding that and actually knowing how to execute it every day were two very different things. People struggled with where to start, how much they should eat, how much protein they needed, how to balance carbohydrates and fats, how large their portions should be and how their nutrition needed to change depending on their individual goal.

Even when someone understood those basics, there was another major challenge: staying consistent over time. For someone to stay consistent with nutrition, the food has to taste good, there needs to be enough variety, the ingredients need to stay fresh and the overall plan has to be enjoyable enough that the person can realistically continue following it.

Then there is the practical side. Planning meals, researching nutrition, grocery shopping, preparing ingredients, cooking, weighing portions, storing food and cleaning everything afterward requires a significant amount of time and effort.

Our lives today are already extremely demanding. People are balancing work, family, fitness, responsibilities and everything else happening during the week. For many people, consistently doing all of that food preparation correctly is simply not practical.

I started looking for meal preparation services that I could recommend to my clients because I wanted something that would solve those problems for them.

What I found was that many of the services available at the time were simply selling prepared food. I did not feel that they truly understood the person they were serving or what that person actually needed to stay consistent and achieve a specific goal.

There was a disconnect between preparing meals and understanding nutrition, training, portion control, variety, consistency and the day-to-day challenges of the customer.

I was already doing these things for myself, so I began doing them for my clients as well. As they became more consistent with their nutrition, I started seeing a difference in their results.

That was when Meal Prep Sunday began to take shape. Initially, it was a side project. I brought in a chef, we developed the meals and cooking methods, created a website and built the service around the nutrition structure I was already using for myself and my clients.

As more clients began using the service and achieving results, demand continued to grow. What started as a solution for my personal training clients eventually became Meal Prep Sunday.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Meal Prep Sunday is built to be much more than a company that prepares food.
The goal is to create a complete system around the things a person needs to reach their nutrition, fitness and overall goals.

We begin by understanding the individual and what they are trying to accomplish. From there, nutrition can be structured around the appropriate calories, macros, portions and meal frequency for that person.

But nutrition is only one part of the process. We also look at the other components that work together with nutrition, including weight training, cardiovascular training and nutrition tracking.

The goal is to create a more complete structure so clients are not left trying to figure out each part on their own.

Everything we do is built around continuously improving the process and improving the experience for our clients. That includes the meals themselves, the nutrition structure, the training component, the products we offer, the technology we use, our delivery system, customer service and the way each department operates.

Food quality is also extremely important to us. A lot of meal preparation companies provide food and label it healthy. We focus much more closely on the actual structure behind the food, including calories, macros, portions, ingredients, variety, convenience, freshness and consistency.

At Meal Prep Sunday, we have built what we call a Good to Great culture.
The idea is that every department should continuously improve its processes. That applies to food preparation, technology, supply chain, logistics, customer service, nutrition, training, product development and every other part of the business.

Those improvements may seem small individually, but when every department improves consistently, those gains compound across the entire company.
Ultimately, our mission is to change people’s lives through nutrition.

We believe nutrition can have a long-term impact on someone’s life. It can change how they look, how they feel, how they perform and how they function on a daily basis.

Our goal is to make that process easier, more structured and more sustainable so people are able to stay consistent and achieve better results.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend visiting San Diego, I would want them to experience a mix of the coast, downtown, great food, and some of the places that really show the character of the city.

I would definitely take them to Oceanside, especially because the area has developed so much over the last few years and has become a great place to spend time. I would also take them through Downtown San Diego and the Gaslamp Quarter, then over to Coronado to experience the island, the bridge, and the views of the city.

San Diego also has some incredible rooftop bars, especially downtown, and I think that is one of the best ways to enjoy the skyline and waterfront.

For food, one of my personal favorites is Campfire. I have been to many different restaurants throughout San Diego County, from Michelin-level dining to smaller local places, and I really enjoy the way Campfire combines an upscale experience with a more relaxed atmosphere.

I also enjoy Seaport Village. I have gone there many times just to walk, think, and enjoy the waterfront.

For me, the ideal visit would be a combination of Oceanside, Downtown, Coronado, a great rooftop, a memorable restaurant, and time along the water. That gives someone a good sense of what makes San Diego special.

Website: https://mealprepsundayservice.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mealprepsundaysandiego/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mealprepsundaysandiego

Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/zevK-lyRf-gIY7H17v6Trw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYyyty5PHqsD-0NlauQTviA/videos

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.