Mall food is killing me.

shellyburger
shellyburger Posts: 90 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I work two retail jobs in the same mall. This means I am working about 12 hours every single day. I eat most of my meals in the mall.... any suggestions on healthy choices?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Get the meat and veggie combos at the Chinese place. No rice or noodles.

    Do they have a Subway?

    Bring your own food.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    I usually eat two meals a day at the mall, at least on workdays. Usually have no issues making my macros, with a&w, arby's, thai, pizza, edo, taco time ...
  • Smileydietgirl
    Smileydietgirl Posts: 5
    There's probably a salad option at one of the mall restaurants. A salad with protein (such as chicken or fish) is best. Chick-fil-a has good salads. Or if there's a Starbucks, they have these bistro boxes that are balanced meals made with mostly whole foods. Subway is also a kind of good option, depending what you get. Or, like the person above said, you could always bring your own food.
  • Unknown
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  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
    Pack your own lunch, or you are doomed. Take it from an obese 44yr old who wishes her 20yr old self would have stopped trying to choose healthy options from restaurants and get over it and pack a friggin healthy lunch. Restaurant food is party food, it is not real life food. A turkey roll up, yogurt, banana, cheese stick and bottled water may seem boring but it will give you money in your wallet, years on your life, a great figure, great energy , great sex life and goes a long way toward preventing depression. Good luck
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,217 Member
    What are your goals?
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
    Pack your own lunch, it's healthier and more cost effective.
  • HeidiSmith419
    HeidiSmith419 Posts: 71 Member
    Pack your own lunch, or you are doomed. Take it from an obese 44yr old who wishes her 20yr old self would have stopped trying to choose healthy options from restaurants and get over it and pack a friggin healthy lunch. Restaurant food is party food, it is not real life food. A turkey roll up, yogurt, banana, cheese stick and bottled water may seem boring but it will give you money in your wallet, years on your life, a great figure, great energy , great sex life and goes a long way toward preventing depression. Good luck

    Because this needs to be repeated!! Buy yourself a cute cooler lunch sack and pack your own food. I also gained a bunch of my weight while working two jobs at the mall in my early 20's. make eating out a treat not a necessity. even the "healthy" options are still pretty awful choices if you are eating them more than a couple times a week.
  • Diet_Soda
    Diet_Soda Posts: 124 Member
    Pack a lunch for at least one of those meals.

    Does your food court have a Freshii? They have awesome choices for meals.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Pack at least one of the meals. But I worked at a mall for a while too, so I understand your question. One thing I used to do was kind of split the lunchbox. I would pack some soup, then buy a small side salad or get a subway sandwich (usually I split a 6" so I could get an extra meal out of it). Or bring a sandwich and get a thing of the steamed vegetables from one of the Chinese places. If you have a Chic Fil A, I think their Tortilla Soup is going to be coming back soon, if it hasn't already, and while it is a little high in sodium, the medium cup of it is only 260 calories and it is SO FREAKING GOOD.
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
    Pack.a.lunch
    That.is.all
  • elsyoommen
    elsyoommen Posts: 155 Member
    pack your meals, or as much of them as possible and pre-log what you pack. I noticed that you have not logged anything for several days in your diary. This can't be helping either. Once you get used to it you will not want to go back to buying your meals so often. Yesterday I forgot to put my packed lunch in my bag as Ieft for work so I had to buy my lunch. That messed up my day.
  • kamyers1289
    kamyers1289 Posts: 129 Member
    I know how you feel! I work full time at an convenience store. Ick.

    I second packing your own lunch. I usually make a big salad or sandwich, like turkey, and eat that for my lunch. I'll then usually have some yogurt, a banana, or a protein bar as a snack. Even most of the "healthy" options at fast food places are loaded with sodium and are not high quality products. Stick with making your own. :)
  • SkinnyFatAlbert
    SkinnyFatAlbert Posts: 482 Member
    Take your meals to work with you.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Pack your lunch. When that's not possible, look up the nutritional info of the restaurants in the mall. Most of them will have websites.

    Panera, Applebees, Subway, etc. all have calorie counts on their sites.
  • demonsoul
    demonsoul Posts: 16 Member
    I worked in a mall for a long time. I just had to start packing my lunch. Best thought i can give you.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    Don't pack a lunch - pack a bento box! It's fun and cute, and it can help you think of more variety for your lunches.
  • ShannonTodd
    ShannonTodd Posts: 105 Member
    I went through the same thing when I was in college. It put a hurting on my waistline - and budget. I started packing a lunch on the days that I worked, and it was so much easier to make good food choices! (Of course it didn't help when Cinnabon was right across from where I worked, and they brought us free rolls!!)
  • mapenguinkeeper
    mapenguinkeeper Posts: 191
    pack your own
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Packing your own lunch will get you the most benefit.

    But, you can find decent choices at the mall. If there are decent selections to be had at the fast food joints - and I usually eat at one every workday lunch, then there will be at the mall as well. Can't help with specifics since I don't know what's available to you.
  • CharChary
    CharChary Posts: 220 Member
    Don't you have a break room? I work long hours at a store as well and can be there for 12+ hours a day so to ensure I am eating healthy meals I simply pack my own. Planning can not only save your wallet but your body as well.
  • laursoar
    laursoar Posts: 131 Member
    Google whatever fast food restaurants are there and "best healthy options" to get some ideas. You can find some great options at a lot of places. If you could pack one meal and then eat your other meal there, that'd definitely be an easier option though!
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    bring your own lunch. you will save money and eat better. I work at a pizza place but bring my own lunch. I make myself a sandwich or wrap with turkey, bring fruit, and always have my water with me.
  • MayaSPapaya
    MayaSPapaya Posts: 735 Member
    I work in a mall too. I bring my meals and it's such a great thing. It saves you so much money in addition to calories. McDonalds has a southwest salad with grilled chicken that I love and get often, and sometimes I get a wrap from Au Bon Pain, or a 6 inch veggie pattie sandwich from Subway.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    The problem with a lot of "healthy" fast food and restaurant options, is that if you read the fine print, the stated calorie count usually doesn't include some of the ingredients (dressing, croutons, etc) I was once given a calorie count for a Burger King salad with grilled chicken (the cashier looked on a big poster they had of nutritional info) ...upon further inspection, that count didn't even include the chicken!!!

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