Healthy Meals? Help?

DayyDream3r

I have had a horrible time loosing weight, over the summer I lost about 20 pounds, since then, I've gained 15 of it back. When school started back up I just had a horrible time eating healthy and getting over to the gym. Anyways, I need really easy, low calorie meals. I try to eat 5 small meals a day. I just don't know what to eat that is low calorie, easy on the go, and healthy! What should I eat for breakfast and lunch that is fast? What should I bring to school for a quick snack?
I was also wondering what kind of exercises to do that really target belly fat!! Please help!! I need to loose about 40 pounds before summer! Thank you!

shmulyeng

I eat breakfast and lunch in the office. Here are some examples of food that I keep around.

Greek Yogurt (I sprinkle on some granola, which I also keep around)
Cottage Cheese
Cans of Tuna Fillet
Cans of Salmon Fillet
Whole Wheat crackers (I usually keep at least two types not get bored of it)
Melba Toast
Granola Bars
Some 100 calorie packs of snacks (pop chips, freeze dried fruit, pretzels, etc.)

NessaR2011

I recently fell in love with nature valley Greek yogurt protein bars. They're hearty and tasty all in one!

Josalinn

First off nothing "targets belly fat." Fat comes off from everywhere all at once. It is sad. If I could I would have it melt off my legs but I can't. High intesity cardio is how to burn fat. Resistance training builds muscle so you are burning more calories when you are doing nothing, so really you need to do both.

Snacks: if you have access to a microwave then soup. If not PB sandwhich with some fruit, or yogurt. I've been known to bring 2 cups of chopped veggies and "ranch" (plain greek yogurt with ranch flavoring). That really fills me up!

Cliff bars maybe? I use those after workouts though...

imbrittanymarie

egg white omelet/ add spinach or turkey bacon

baked fish and steamed veggies

baked chicken- remove skin and no heavy seasoning/ use a salt alternative
with brown rice and veggies

ground flaxseed added to drinks or food

kale and spinach fruit salad with shaved almonds

beans

oatmeal with organic honey added

these are just a few suggestions for you.

HappyRunner34

There are some good suggestions on here. Easily the two biggest things for me were this:

1) Stop eating processed foods...your body isn't built to digest this stuff and its just horrible for you

2) Read the labels of everything and if there is an ingredient you cant pronounce..don't eat it

And the post above me..bang on! She has it going on!

For many, just making those changes alone will make a significant difference! Good luck and stay strong!

Mhgretsch

I've been starting most mornings by making a fruit smoothie and drinking it on the way to work. A cup of fruit, a handful of fresh spinach, half cup of nonfat vanilla or plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, and half cup or so of water to thin it out a little. Use an immersion blender to mix it all up in a tall cup that you have a lid and straw for...immersion blender is pretty low priced and really easy to clean. I was wary of putting in the spinach at first, but it mixes in well and you hardly taste it...gets you a serving of veggies early in the day:)

Fast & easy snacks:
A medium size banana and handful of raw almonds (about 20)
A medium size apple (cut up) with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter (I like Adams no-stir)
A serving of Mary's Gone Crackers snack crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese or cream cheese spread
A cup of veggies (carrots, cucumber & red pepper) with a tablespoon or two of hummus

My standard lunch is a salad with some kind of protein added. I haven't tried this idea yet, but I read about salad in a jar...easy way to make all of your week's lunches in one shot...do an internet search on Salad in a Jar and it should be pretty easy to find.

jr235

Nobody has mentioned couscous. Most varieties are whole grains, and it cooks up very fast. It can be savory (vegetables and chicken) or sweet (cinnamon, raisins, honey, butter) depending on your mood.

Beans. I prefer to cook them myself rather than canned, but when I was a student I nearly always had the canned. Add some veggies, oil, vinegar, and eat them like a salad, mix with rice/pasta/some other grain, add to soups, etc. If you're into middle eastern food or want to try some check out fuul medammas. For canned my favorite brand is California something, either the peeled or the egyptian style.

If you want the nutritional value of beans without the cooking time lentils are an awesome choice. There are lots of yummy lentil recipes out there.

I don't like store bought hummus, but love home made. Sometimes I just dip my vegges in, and sometimes I cook it on a piece of pita bread with veggies and feta. My husband calls it 'hummus pizza', even though it bears almost no resemblance to actual pizza.

Eggs! Eggs and lots of them! Take leftovers of any sort and add them to an omelet, or just chop up some veggies and throw them in there. Frittatas are a nice make ahead egg meal.

Speaking of pizza you can always make some pizza very quickly from a piece of flat bread. This works for me because I prefer thin crust anyways.

Roasted veggies are a great meal if you want something that prepares fast. You have to let them cook for a bit, so you need to be home. Roasting pieces of meat is very easy too. I love to roast chicken or cuts of beef, and then I have them sandwiches/salads/pastas for a few days.

Good luck!

titanrage

For snacks i like to do apple sauce you can get motts in a 6 pack of cups so there easy to take to work or school and are only 90-100 cals each.

For a quick breckfest i will have a bagel with strawberry spread. Its fast easy and filling and only about 300 cals for a filling meal.

If you have access to a microwave popcorn is not a bad snack either. That sounds crazy but my dr tipped me to that one a while back.

Nacho12

I have a smoothy every morning with 1 cup of a combination of berries--strawberries, raspberries & blueberries, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 cup of almond milk (unsweetened 30 calories), 1 Tbsp. chia seeds, 1 Tbs. flax seed. 1/2 banana. Add a glass full of
ice cubes and mix together.
Sometimes I have a pumpkin smoothy, add 1 cup of pumpkin from a can, some pumpkin pie seasonings, 1/2 banana, 2 Tbs. coconut sugar and 1 scoop of protein powder and 1 cup of almond milk (unsw. 30 calories).
This is a very filling breakfast.

My husband eats oatmeal every morning. We cook it in a rice cooker with steel cut oats and quinoa and then refrigerate. He takes out a serving and warms in the microwave in the morning and adds blueberries, almonds and almond milk, raisins.

For lunch I make a salad with lettuce, 1/4 of an avocado, 2 or 3 ozs of salmon or tuna, a boiled egg and a couple of other vegetables, tomatoes, celery, broccoli or cauliflower and salad dressing. I cook a small yam or sweet potato an have it along with the salad (I eat without butter or any other topping).If you are at work or school you could make this the night before and take it with you.

For dinner I have 1 serving of protein and a small salad and a vegetable.

I try to make a large stew or soup with lots of vegetables and meat and we will have that for dinner at least two nights of the week. I make it in the crock pot and it makes a nice easy dinner.

For a snack have some almonds or trail mix and I usually have a Fudge sickle (that is about 100 calorie each).

I hope this gives you some ideas of some of the things that you can do to eat healthy.