What kind of cooler...?

AlexMorganMc

Hey y'all. I tried searching MFP for this and didn't find anything. I hope I'm posting this in the right place. Anyway, I've come to the point in my weight loss journey where I have fully embraced the fact that I need to meal plan and bring things with me. I've been doing it religiously for a few weeks, and it's been working really well for me. However, I've noticed that the bag I'm using is not working to keep my foods cold, and just generally doesn't work. Not only is the bag super bulky and unattractive, but half of my food spoils before 2 o'clock. Because I often work late hours, I need to bring most of my post-breakfast foods with me (lunch, dinner, and snacks). I don't have a refrigerator where I work, so I need something that is insulated to boot.

So, my question for people in similar situations is this: What cooler/tote do you use? I've looked on Amazon, but I don't really know what I'm looking for and would love some specific suggestions.

Thanks in advance! :-)

athenasurrenders

What kind of food are you transporting? You can get wide mouth thermos containers that will keep things cold for hours and hours. Something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermos-FUNtainer-Food-Flask-Blue/dp/B004DGJLWU/ref=pd_cp_201_1

Also, I'm sorry this is obvious, but are you putting cold packs in with your lunch in the cooler? It'll work much better if you put an ice pack in with your food or freeze your drink and stick that in.

RodaRose

Perhaps you need two cute bags that you like and that will fit enough food for your whole day.
I pack my lunch the night before so that it starts off cold.
I use TWO ice packs per bag.
This bag is similar to one of the ones I use.
http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Fresh-Downtown-Insulated-Exterior/dp/B004S93DBC/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1433077891&sr=1-9&keywords=insulated+lunch+bag

AlexMorganMc

The foods that mostly don't stay good are the salads and Greek yogurt. The yogurt ends up tasting really off (for lack of a better word), and my salads seem to get an almost slimy feel to them. I put a couple ice packs in, but a general bag had the ice pack sliding around (and it thawed by noon). I wasn't sure if it was a problem with the bag or ice, but in general, I think I was just looking for one semi-large cooler that I could bring along. I work in education, so I'm only looking to carry around one bag/cooler along with the backpack I use. Two bags might be a bit too much to trek across a university campus all day. Thanks for the suggestions, though; I'll look into them. :-)

PeachyPlum

I really like the Igloo PolarMax coolers. The hard sided ones will keep stuff cold for days, no exaggeration. The soft side ones are probably better for dragging around campus all day, and they do a respectable job of keeping things chilled in my opinion.

softblondechick

Believe it or not, you need a bigger one than you think. I pack my breakfast, lunch, snack, and drinks. And ice pack. I had a nine can size, and that one is barely big enough. I also prefer one with a shoulder strap. My most recent buy is a polar bear soft side for summer.

exoticpumpkin

I use a Camille Tote from 6 Pack Fitness, I'm a grad student and I got tired of lugging my backpack, purse and cooler all over so the tote replaces the cooler and the purse. It can fit 4 meals, the ice packs that come with them are great and keep food cold all day and are still frozen when I put them in the freezer at night. There are a bunch of inside pockets for shaker bottles, wallet, protein bars, even gym clothes and a laptop. Love it, should have gotten it sooner!