Salads every weekday for lunch???

Behxo
Behxo Posts: 1,190 Member
in Food and Nutrition
To lose weight I'd start with a cup of cereal (Fiber one or Special K) with Silk Milk light for breakfast (or sometimes 2 slices whole grain bread with some PB) have some fruit during the afternoon and then have a salad with some grilled chicken everyday for lunch. I lasted for about two weeks keeping on this strict meal plan but then started going a bit crazy just sticking with salads. I don't know if I should try keeping with it or try eating healthy wraps (turkey avocado, grilled chicken veggie wrap etc) or something for lunch, I just feel like if I veer away from salads for lunch that I will only gain weight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you :]

Replies

  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
    Well, you can eat whatever you want for lunch, as long as your breakfast, dinner, and snack calories combined with your lunch don't exceed your daily calorie goals. With that worthless piece of information said, I throw in a low calorie wrap or a Lean Cuisine once in a while to change things up; but I LOVE my salads...addicted to Wegman's Thousand Island Yogurt Dressing. It makes my salad a treat rather than a blah meal. My wife uses the Ranch version. Maybe change up your proteins in your salad; instead of chicken, try hard boiled egg and/or garbanzo beans (chick peas), or some tuna, or some grilled salmon, or whatever else you can think of.

    For me, lunch is a "whatever" meal, so I don't really care about what I eat, as long as I am satisfied until my next meal/snack.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I think I'd go crazy just eating salads for lunch every day. Don't get me wrong, I love a good salad, but variety is important to me. It's important to find something that works for you long term so that when you reach your goal weight you'll know how to eat better so that you can maintain it. Switch to wraps and see what happens, or really get crazy and try soups and sandwiches and all kinds of different things! As long as you meet your calories and macros your body won't care what form it's getting those nutrients in.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    I have a grilled chicken salad almost everyday for lunch. I think it helped me lose 40 lbs initially, as I used to have a heavy sandwich plus chips, or something fried.

    But, if it is driving you crazy, you are not going to stick to it. You have to allow yourself some flexibility.

    So, I try to have a salad at least 4 days a week, then I might have a wrap on Friday. Sometimes Bison tacos when the food truck comes by... just something to break the monotony! As long as it fits your macros and calorie goals, you'll be fine!
  • apothecarist
    apothecarist Posts: 193
    Do you enjoy eating salads for lunch? You gotta eat what you like and if it's salads or whatever else that fits within your caloric allowance, then eat it! I have been eating salads for dinner for the last 4-5 days in a row but that gets boring after awhile of the same thing, so will switch it up tonight with something different like a baked potato stuffed w/tuna and light cheese.
    Just because you're eating something non-salad doesn't mean you'll put on weight...just choose other healthy choices.
  • c_faulkenburg
    c_faulkenburg Posts: 158 Member
    If I know what I am going to have for dinner, I log it in the morning when I eat breakfast. Down to every last little morsel of food. Then I know what I have to play with as far as lunch calories. I often eat salad for lunch, because I enjoy it, however, it honestly just depends.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Eat what you like if it's in your calories, is sustainable for you, and keeps you satiated.

    I have no problem eating the same thing everyday, and I usually will have salads for dinner (I really need to go to the grocery store right now...). However, be careful of your thought process. If you are demonizing other food or afraid that you will gain if you eat something other than salad, those sound like disordered thoughts.

    Also, keep an eye on your calories. At one point, I was "eating healthy" which had me only consuming 1000 calories a day during the week. On the weekends, that would catch up to me, and I'd never feel full. I'd have huge binges, and I just couldn't lose weight doing that. Once I normalized my calories (first at 1500, and now losing at 1800), my binges have stopped. Sometimes our fear of "bad" foods or our idea of what is "healthy" can be pretty detrimental to our success.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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  • Behxo
    Behxo Posts: 1,190 Member
    Yea this week I had Salmon with roasted potatoes Mon, Tues was spinach stuffed chicken with rice, yesterday was grilled chicken with rice & veggies and today I wanted to get a turkey avocado wrap. I needed a break from salads which I'm going to make one tomorrow, was going to start the salad routine again next week & now I'll mix it up a bit with different things in the salad with maybe 1 day as a healthy wrap day. Thanks a lot everyone, you guys really helped me with my decision and to help keep me sane haha :P
  • Behxo
    Behxo Posts: 1,190 Member
    Eat what you like if it's in your calories, is sustainable for you, and keeps you satiated.

    I have no problem eating the same thing everyday, and I usually will have salads for dinner (I really need to go to the grocery store right now...). However, be careful of your thought process. If you are demonizing other food or afraid that you will gain if you eat something other than salad, those sound like disordered thoughts.

    Also, keep an eye on your calories. At one point, I was "eating healthy" which had me only consuming 1000 calories a day during the week. On the weekends, that would catch up to me, and I'd never feel full. I'd have huge binges, and I just couldn't lose weight doing that. Once I normalized my calories (first at 1500, and now losing at 1800), my binges have stopped. Sometimes our fear of "bad" foods or our idea of what is "healthy" can be pretty detrimental to our success.

    Yea I was afraid of the disorder thing, but I don't think I will ever really become that bad. I suppose I just needed others opinions and let me know that it's okay to eat other things. I just started today and I think the calorie counter will really come in handy, I ate other things than salad this week so I just need to find the right routine for me I think. :]
  • SunshineCharm
    SunshineCharm Posts: 15
    I switch mine up. Yesterday was a veggie filled salad with kale & spinach replacing lettuce and today I’m having a whole wheat tomato basil wrap with red pepper humus, turkey, kale, mild banana peppers, broccoli slaw and spicy mustard! YUMMY!!! Best of luck on your journey!
  • Behxo
    Behxo Posts: 1,190 Member
    I switch mine up. Yesterday was a veggie filled salad with kale & spinach replacing lettuce and today I’m having a whole wheat tomato basil wrap with red pepper humus, turkey, kale, mild banana peppers, broccoli slaw and spicy mustard! YUMMY!!! Best of luck on your journey!

    That sounds so delicious lol thank you and best of luck to you too! :]
  • chercee
    chercee Posts: 120 Member
    I eat salad almost every day for lunch, because I genuinely enjoy them. Yahhhh salad! Getting into a food rut is boring though, so maybe that's something to watch out for. I don't eat the exact same salad every day, and since I make my own salad dressing, I can switch up flavours. Adding a hardboiled egg, or some tuna, or some lentils, still allows me to get the protein. If it's not working for you, you won't stick with it - so maybe try something else! Good luck :)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    then have a salad with some grilled chicken everyday for lunch. I lasted for about two weeks keeping on this strict meal plan but then started going a bit crazy just sticking with salads.

    Sounds delicious. I'm in.

    I'm super easy with salads, take a head of romaine, shred, add a chicken breast, red bell peppers, maybe some feta or cottage cheese, some nuts, maybe some strawberries, some herbs if I have any, radishes, carrots, raddichio if available. Some cauliflower or broccoli, maybe some capers and some artichoke hearts... oh tomato for sure.

    Then I toss in a little girard's champagne salad dressing, that stuff is like crack. Done and done. Eat all the things!

    I don't do wraps, as I feel "healthy wraps" is hilarious to me. A wrap is just as bad if not worse than a sandwich for me, and I have no sense with sandwiches. When I make one it's like... a ton of meat, an avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, a couple thick slices of sourdough, some cheese, mayo, mustard.

    Well, I'm not on the 3k calorie a day diet, and bread doesn't agree with me, so I'd rather eat something more filling, like a salad. :)

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