Eating while working HELP!

SueInAz

I am grateful for all the lunch ideas! What it seems to come down to is my sodium, once i get to my daily intake of 2500mg i pretty much stop eating but my calorie intake ends up being 300 or so under my limit.

For instance This morning i had a Jimmy Dean Delights turkey sausage muffin, for lunch i have the above sandwich, which i have everyday, i also have 2 snacks which are usually 100ish calorie snacks ( applesauce 1 serving cup and a granola bar). I am left with 600 calories left for the day. Even if i have a banquet dinner i barely get anything over 320 calories from it but most times 260 calories. What it really comes down to is i got to change EVERYTHING i eat so i take in less sodium but i don't have a 300-500 dollars to go out and buy everything i need to eat healthy.

You'll notice a lot of my ideas don't have much sodium because I know that's your biggest issue, but they do take some planning and preparation. The problem is, most processed, store and restaurant ready made food is loaded with sodium. Restaurants even manage to take a chicken breast and turn it into a 1000+ mg monster when the chicken breast your cook yourself at home with some garlic and onion powder has only 100-200 mg.

The only way to really get around the sodium issue is to make the food yourself or buy whole foods like fruits and veggies. Another option is to up your potassium content to counteract the sodium.

tamamommy

Try Sabra hummus. It comes in several flavors and is good with carrots or an occassional Triscuit. It feels like cheating because it is delicious. Lunches are all about planning. Raw veggies with lettuce and so many topping choices and an apple with string cheese. I like to keep protein bars, Sunsweet Ones and pistachios in my drawer at work for a quick snack. Try and stay away from processed foods. Instead of the Jimmy Dean sandwich in the morning, make oatmeal with blueberries and crushed walnuts. Best of luck!:happy:

lsjreadingpa

To everyone who suggested that i swap my dinner meal with my lunch meal thank you! I can not believe i did not think of that. Also i feel i have to defend myself a little about the processed foods i eat, I do eat chicken and veggies for dinner when i am actually home, i frequently have chicken with brown rice and steamed green beans. If i worked first shift i feel like i wouldn't be having as much as an issue, i didn't before i started working 3 weeks ago. I would love to eat fresh unprocessed foods but i am absolutely horrible at cooking, i think i even burned water once, so the microwave has been my life long friend. As for the Foreman Grill idea, yea i will not be able to do that at work, my boss and the big wigs would flip, but doing something like that at home might be something to look into. Anyone know if meat from the deli is as bad as the packaged meats?

jodi_bannister

To everyone who suggested that i swap my dinner meal with my lunch meal thank you! I can not believe i did not think of that. Also i feel i have to defend myself a little about the processed foods i eat, I do eat chicken and veggies for dinner when i am actually home, i frequently have chicken with brown rice and steamed green beans. If i worked first shift i feel like i wouldn't be having as much as an issue, i didn't before i started working 3 weeks ago. I would love to eat fresh unprocessed foods but i am absolutely horrible at cooking, i think i even burned water once, so the microwave has been my life long friend. As for the Foreman Grill idea, yea i will not be able to do that at work, my boss and the big wigs would flip, but doing something like that at home might be something to look into. Anyone know if meat from the deli is as bad as the packaged meats?

I get chicken breast and turkey breast steaks on sale and cook it at home. Then I use it for sandwiches, in wraps and in pittas. You can also use eggs, tuna or salad. Much healthier than the processed meats from the store. Not sure about the deli meats, but I would imagine they would be quite similar.

jodi_bannister

Oooo....just thought of another easy and healthy idea with very little (or no) cooking required. Make a cous cous salad with some vegetables, beans, cooked chicken, nuts, etc. and take it to work and eat either hot or cold. Just add boiling water or stock to the cous cous and cover until it is absorbed. Couldn't be easier.

SueInAz

To everyone who suggested that i swap my dinner meal with my lunch meal thank you! I can not believe i did not think of that. Also i feel i have to defend myself a little about the processed foods i eat, I do eat chicken and veggies for dinner when i am actually home, i frequently have chicken with brown rice and steamed green beans. If i worked first shift i feel like i wouldn't be having as much as an issue, i didn't before i started working 3 weeks ago. I would love to eat fresh unprocessed foods but i am absolutely horrible at cooking, i think i even burned water once, so the microwave has been my life long friend. As for the Foreman Grill idea, yea i will not be able to do that at work, my boss and the big wigs would flip, but doing something like that at home might be something to look into. Anyone know if meat from the deli is as bad as the packaged meats?

I don't think anyone is judging you because we're all in the place we're in (or at least when we started) because of bad food choices. :laugh: The trick is figuring out how to break out of the cycle.

Deli meat is deli meat, whether you buy it from Oscar Meyer or over the deli counter. You might have more luck finding lower sodium versions at a deli counter, however. Boar's Head brand has lots of lower sodium options but even those still average 350-450 mg of sodium per 2 ounce serving.

TeaBea

Hilshire Farms (the plastic tubs) has SOME reduced sodium varieties. The package is at home, so I'm not sure how much they reduced the sodium by.

Re: sodium in canned veggies. Drain and rinse to reduce the sodium by half (what I read somewhere, anyway).

Frozen veggies are always low sodium. I pack frozen veggies for work in a "Corning" ceramic container with a lid (Target). That way, I just add water & nuke for a couple minutes. Drain, and yum!