Office Workers - What do you eat?

2

Replies

  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I make breakfast at home.

    On the weekends, I usually cook something like slow cooker soup or chili that I can eat Everday for lunch. I also Pre cook steak chicken and/or pork chops, and then I can quickly throw them in the microwave and add veggies and done.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    I sit all day M -F
    usually breakfast is coffee & hard boiled eggs, or piece of a large egg omlette bake I make on sunday and divide into 5 breakfasts,
    lunch is salads, or soups, and /or protein like tuna, chicken , usually carrot and celery sticks as well. I make a large pot of soup on sunday as well and divide up, so at least most of meals are ready to go.... Also if there are leftovers from night before, I will take that. I cannot afford to eat out, I don't know how people eat out everyday for breakfast and lunch. I like to know what I am eating, and know its not crap fast food.
    afternoon snack of an apple of more veggies, whatever I have on hand in fridge to slice up.
    Go to snack always veggies or almonds.
    I just starting making all my meals on sunday and plannig ahhead, so much easier :happy:
  • pikachuFL
    pikachuFL Posts: 75 Member
    I live close to work so I go home for lunch. I need the break from the office to get through the day and I enjoy going home to see my kitties. I usually have a sandwich and/or salad while playing games on Facebook.

    I was going to be a smart-aleck and say whatever I can find in the refrigerator at work but I'm not one of those people who does that. I only eat stuff I bring in myself. The people in my section were just talking yesterday about someone who took people's food in the refrigerator at the last place one of my co-workers worked so finally someone brought in cat food on bread to make it look like tuna salad to thwart the thief. I don't know if it worked. One of the person stealing the lunches didn't like tuna? Besides, isn't that what canned cat food is anyway, old tuna??
  • Lconsla
    Lconsla Posts: 226 Member
    I completely ditched the fast food rut I was in and started packing my lunch. Lots of day I just bring in leftovers from the night before. Like last night I made tacos with extra lean meat, so I just brought some left over meat, a little fat free shredded cheese and some salad for a taco salad, and I love the 100 cal packs of nuts so I always have a stash of those somewhere.
  • millikin2007
    millikin2007 Posts: 6 Member
    I usualy fall into the rut of having the same things everyday, but it makes it easier for me to plan. I usually have soup or a sandwich, and I am on a goldfish kick. They are delicious! I've been eating the new Lean Pocket Pretzel Bread pockets for dinner, but they would make a perfect lunch also. They're fast and easy!

    7558036.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
    I have a tiny Igloo cooler that I bring with me. It's big enough to hold a couple protein bars, some fruit (cut up), cheese sticks, and a microwave meal or small piece of tupperware with leftovers.

    I also keep things like nuts, soup, and other non-perishables in my desk drawer just in case I need something extra. We have a microwave and fridge/freezer in our break room, so that helps a lot.

    Today, I have:

    Atkins protein bar (was my breakfast)
    String cheese
    Leftover chicken, veggies, and brown rice
    Greek yogurt
    baby carrots with a single-serving container of Marzetti's veggie dip

    It really is all about planning ahead. I find that if I don't plan or I forget to throw stuff in my cooler in the morning, I end up buying food in the cafe. It totally throws me off-track, so now I pack my cooler the night before and put it in the fridge (with the top open so everything stays cold).
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    soup
    baby carrots
    yogurt
    black coffee
    banana with peanut butter
    beef jerky
    frozen blueberries
  • aross001
    aross001 Posts: 237
    I make "stoup" in the crock pot, portion it into ziploc bags and freeze. When I reheat at work I add at least a cup of water to turn it into a big bowl of soup.

    GREAT idea!
  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 411 Member
    My breakfasts alternate between an english muffin with peanut butter and apple slices, a breakfast burrito or whole wheat pancakes. I prep the veggies for the burrito on the weekend and precook and freeze turkey sausage or bacon. I microwave the veggies and meat, stir in an egg and nuke it again and wrap it in a tortilla. I make the pancakes at home on the weekend and freeze them in individual servings and pop them in the toaster at work.

    Lunches are normally left overs from the night before or a grilled chicken breast mixed with a box of green giant frozen vegetables. Even the ones with the sauce can be fairly low in calories.

    For anyone that doesn't have access to a microwave, check out the desk-top Crock-pot. I have one and it is GREAT! It only reheats food - doesn't cook, but it is great for leftovers or soups. It has a screw on lid, so odors don't escape and bug your co-workers. I plug it in when I get to my desk and the food is hot at lunch time! The best $20 I've ever spent.
  • regirip10
    regirip10 Posts: 7
    I love morning star veggie sausage on whole wheat Trader Joes english muffins! They are yummy, filling and healthy for you!
  • tlacox1
    tlacox1 Posts: 373 Member
    I make "stoup" in the crock pot, portion it into ziploc bags and freeze. When I reheat at work I add at least a cup of water to turn it into a big bowl of soup.

    What is "stoup"? May be something I would like to try.
  • MariaLivingFit
    MariaLivingFit Posts: 224 Member
    It changes, but in general this is my work meal plan:

    Breakfast: Eggs, Turkey Sausage, Coffee (make at home, heat up in microwave at work) - sometimes I make oatmeal instead
    Snack: homemade protein bars
    Lunch: Salad with a protein (chicken, tuna, egg etc.) and possibly any leftovers from the night before
    Snack: Plain greek yogurt with berries, cut up raw vegetables
  • ItsVJ
    ItsVJ Posts: 107 Member
    I bring my lunch daily. We do have a microwave.

    I have 2 boiled eggs and about 50g of cheese for brekkie. I have a protein and a salad for lunch. Usually I bake chicken breasts on the weekends with some nice seasoning. I cut them in half and freeze them. I measure my salad dressing so I don't go over calories.

    I don't snack. If I want to snack I chew gum.

    It's really easy - the night before (if it's a gym morning) or in the morning, I grab the eggs, cut cheese and wrap it in saran wrap, pull half a chicken breast out of the freezer, grab a container, throw in a hand full of lettuce, cut up a tomato and maybe a cucumber, put on my salad dressing, throw that in my bag (I have a bright, fun Mexican oil cloth lunchbag), and off I go. Take 10 minutes to put together, tops.

    About three days a week I try to make enough dinner for leftovers. So today instead of my chicken breast, I had some low-carb, low cal Chicken Parmesan I made extra of. When I do that, when I put it in the fridge I do it in portions. If I have to measure, I won't take it. That way I don't get sick of chicken breasts. Last week I did the same with Thai Beef Salad.


    My NY resolution was to not buy lunch this year and take my lunch every single day except on the rare occasion I have a lunch meeting or a team lunch. That's maybe once a month. I was buying my lunch twice a week, just from the lazies.

    My brekkie is always the same though. I need the protein, I need the fat, and I tend to low-carb because carbs just make me hungry. That gets me through till lunch without getting hungry in the middle.


    Lot of awesome advice in this! Thanks!
  • gameofstyle
    gameofstyle Posts: 1
    I normally have yogurt, coffee and fruit for breakfast when I get to the office and at lunchtime have a salad or a wrap and some soup to keep warm! If you have a microwave in your office (we don't, sadly) you could make something at home and bring it in to heat up.
  • CourtLiv
    CourtLiv Posts: 68 Member
    I make oatmeal when I get into work in the morning, usually have a homemade soup for lunch (I make a pot on the weekend to last me lunch all week at work), and in the afternoon I will snack on an apple or some celery with '1-ingredient' peanut butter. I usually make a coffee in the afternoon as well.
  • irjeffb
    irjeffb Posts: 275 Member
    I have a small refrigerator in my office, so I have more options than some. I usually keep greek yogurt and various fruits and vegetables in there. Currently, there is some Black Cheery Chobani, baby carrots, almond milk, and a few bottles of water.

    I also keep a stash of Clif bars in my office, which is the kind of thing pretty much anybody could do.
  • junip1977
    junip1977 Posts: 111 Member
    I usually bring tuna salad for lunch, then I eat small snacks throughout the day like an apple, zucchini sticks, fresh berries, cottage cheese, etc.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I have either eggs and fruit or cereal and fruit for breakfast. At work, if I don't have leftovers from home I make HOT sandwiches in the toaster oven (turkey and swiss and ciabatta) or I purchase something (usually soup) from a nearby health food store with a deli. Dinner varies. Most often a lean protein with two or three veggies sides.
  • twinmom14ek
    twinmom14ek Posts: 174 Member
    OP--not sure if you're bringing food from home or purchasing meals. I generally buy breakfast and lunch, often with a snack/coffee in the day because I stink at prepping food at home in advance and/or get tired of eating the same food from home. I've found some decent non-salad fast food options (downside being the sodium content) with relatively low calorie counts. A co-worker lost 50 lbs eating at Chick-fil-a multiple times a week. You can eat out and still watch your calories; it just takes a little creativity.
  • breyn2004
    breyn2004 Posts: 162 Member
    +1 on the fridge and microwave. Also, make enough to do you 2 or 3 days and keep it in your fridge at home. It's more convenient than convenience food that so many people on here, including myself, used to rely on.

    ^^^^^

    I do meal prep on Sundays for the entire week....

    Freezer packs consisting of strawberries, kale, banana and blueberries for smoothies. All I have to do in the morning is add yogurt, almond milk and protein... blend GO!

    Snacks vary between Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins/Boiled egg whites, chicken and carrot sticks/apples and PB2... stuff like that.

    Lunch is normally chicken, a veggie and a sweet potato or sometimes I saute chicken with bell pepper, onions, cumin and chili powder and eat with black beans.

    Afternoon snacks are normally the same variation of the morning.
  • msrootitooti
    msrootitooti Posts: 253 Member
    Breakfast-usually oatmeal, hard boiled egg, egg and veggie quiche OR bagel thin with pb.
    Snack-either grapefruit, banana, almonds, or greek yogurt
    Lunch-I usually pack salad with some sort of protein, leftover soup, or a sandwich with a fruit and maybe a snacky food
    Afternoon snack- veggies and hummus, greek yogurt, Luna bar, or popcorn..
  • amandat_79
    amandat_79 Posts: 221 Member
    For breakfast it's usually hot cereal (oats) with flax or pb on toast and a banana though today I was up early and could eat at home so I went all out and cooked eggs with cheese on toast.

    For lunch it's typically tuna (flavored cuz I love it) with veggies and crackers OR a salad with chicken and balsamic vinegar for a dressing OR a sandwich and veggies. I also usually have an apple or a yogurt with it.
  • mokster
    mokster Posts: 17
    I'm in the greek yogurt for breakfast group.

    For lunch, I normally pack the previous night's leftovers in my mini crockpot lunch warmer (see below). Otherwise, like others, I make a large batch of soup, stew, or chili over the weekend, freeze a portion, and pack the rest for a few days of lunch in the crockpot. Basically, I love the mini crockpot lunch wamer. :)


    http://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCCPLC200-BL-20-Ounce-Lunch-Warmer/dp/B006H5V8RG/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1358349347&sr=1-3&keywords=mini+crock+pot
  • regirip10
    regirip10 Posts: 7
    I love morning star veggie sausages on Trader Joes english muffins with smear of Earth Balance olive oil spread. For lunch its usually leftovers from dinner. Dont let yourself get into a rut. Another tasty breakfast (if you want warm) is Amys tofutti "egg" scramble. Try it you'll like it. Hope you have a microwave at work if not get one!!!
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    I keep a jar of peanut butter in my desk drawer, and bring in a half package of rice cakes to eat for the week that I eat in the morning, then I have one of my premade meals I make for the week for lunch, which this week it is ground chicken, brown rice, corn, spinach, and a butt load of hot sauce, and I have a string cheese with that, then I go for an hour walk at lunch time, and usually get some sort of snack while I'm out which is usuall either a bag of beef jerkey, pop chips, or sometimes I just splurge! I'm a pretty big guy though, and I have a pretty good calorie range I can eat depending on how much I workout. The key though is to bring your own snacks, and make your lunch for the week!
  • daniellealys
    daniellealys Posts: 301 Member
    a normal day for me is:

    breakfast: paleo chili or chicken soup

    Lunch: leftovers from the night before (usually chicken or steak and vegies) and a salad with avocado and a fruit (apple or strawberries)

    My go to snacks are: carrot pudding/chicken sausage/larabar/apple and almond or sun butter/handful of nuts

    I eat the majority of my calories while I am at the office! And try to eat a light dinner
  • workout_junkee
    workout_junkee Posts: 473 Member
    Breakfast: oatmeal (or multigrain english muffin with peanut butter) and a hard boiled egg.

    Morning snack: greek yogury & almonds

    Lunch: leftovers from home and a veggie

    PM snack - cheese and fresh fruit.
  • cargilb
    cargilb Posts: 116
    I make oatmeal and drink lots of water and tea, but I mostly drink lots of water and tea.
    We have a food truck that sells ... umm, food that is not in your interest to eat if you want to stay healthy and slim down. I stay away from it for the most part, but they do sell some fruits and hard boiled eggs; sio, once in a while i get that.

    I've gotten used to going 4 to 8 hours with no food.
  • Jaulen
    Jaulen Posts: 468 Member
    Go ahead and take a look at my diary.

    I keep snaks in one of my cupboards at my desk, and I have a mini-fridge to keep some cold items. (I share it with some of my cube neighbors so we don't have to use the big icky fridge in the break room)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    My office day usually looks like this (all times are approx and may vary by and hour or so:

    7:30 a.m.: cup of soy or almond milk with chocolate protein powder (before I leave the house)
    10:00: if I'm hungry - snack (about 1/2 the time)
    1:00: Lunch - usually 300-350 calories of leftovers
    3/;00: if I'm hungry - snack (about 1/4 of the time)

    morning snack is almost always low sodium V8
    other common snacks are apple, dry roasted edamame, almonds, Kashi TLC peanut peanut butter bar, string cheese

    If I don't have leftovers to bring for lunch I usually bring one of the following:
    cottage cheese and tomatoes on a bed of spinach or arugula
    peanut butter with carrot and celery sticks
    hummus with apple slices
    wrap - generous handful of dark greens; hummus, canned tuna, or leftover chicken; chopped onion, tomato (maybe some other chopped/shredded veggies) on a high fiber wrap.

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