packed lunches

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redbristol
redbristol Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
as a non meat eater who only occasionally eats fish I struggle for variety of packed lunches for work and normally end up taking cheese sandwiches after a run of boring salads. Cheese and bread are my downfalls to losing weight so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Having woke up struggling to breathe the other night I MUST get this diet to work this time Thank you
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Replies

  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
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    Make something with
    tofu
    chick peas
    kidney beans
    white beans
    broccoli
    veggie patties
    soy sausages
    avocado
    nuts

    Like any of these? Definitely more variation than plain old bread n cheese! I'm the same as you, I only occasionally eat fish and no other meat.

    Also one of my staple foods is... bread and cheese. o:)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Have you got a microwave? If not invest in a wide necked meal thermos ...some you can pop in the microwave in the morning and it will be hot hours later

    Then I'd suggest stews and soups Eric


    Edit: oh heheheh.. Eric is my crapPad's autocorrect for etc
  • KeepingFit4Me
    KeepingFit4Me Posts: 13 Member
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    How about a chickpea salad - chickpeas with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, lettuce etc.. dressed in a tahini sauce, Humus and Falafel balls baked in the oven with 1cal spray oil? You would need to wrap the falafel separate to stop them going soggy but all this could be done the night before!

    I've only been doing this for 14 days so not sure about the caloric value but it must be better than a cheese sandwich!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    KeepingFit4Me wrote: »
    How about a chickpea salad - chickpeas with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, lettuce etc.. dressed in a tahini sauce, Humus and Falafel balls baked in the oven with 1cal spray oil? You would need to wrap the falafel separate to stop them going soggy but all this could be done the night before!

    I've only been doing this for 14 days so not sure about the caloric value but it must be better than a cheese sandwich!

    Nope, not necessarily

  • AMSmit88
    AMSmit88 Posts: 100 Member
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    Do you have a microwave at work? I'm an omnivore but love a veggie lunch every now and then. At the weekend I made my own cream of tomato soup and ratatouille which are seeing me through the beginning of the week. Then I'm looking at making a lentil dahl for the rest of the week. I like hot lunch :smile:
  • redbristol
    redbristol Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies so far seems to be a good community good luck to you all on your weight loss paths
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
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    I usually take what my kids call a "little bits" lunch. This is my basic list, then I take three or four things from the list making sure I have enough protein....

    -- hard boiled egg
    -- beans
    -- cheese -- I like to buy the light Baby Bel cheeses from Costco and then I can just toss one into my lunch box
    -- lunch meat (I know you said you don't eat meat, I'm just listing what I bring sometimes)
    -- salad
    -- cut up veggies
    -- hummus or guacamole to dip veggies in (I buy the individual servings of both at Costco)
    -- yogurt
    -- fruit -- fresh or canned, depending on what it is and what season it is
    -- crackers
    -- rice cakes
    -- dried fruit (figs and dates especially, neither of which are usually available fresh)
    -- leftovers
    -- something frozen that I can heat in the microwave -- for example, I recently bought some low-fat burritos from Costco. They're okay. I probably won't buy them again unless my kids ask for them but they make an okay lunch.
    -- soup
  • redbristol
    redbristol Posts: 9 Member
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    been on this site a few times but the lost the motivation the fact that I have now started talking to others on here seems to be a good driver how often do you all get on the scales to check your progress
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    redbristol wrote: »
    been on this site a few times but the lost the motivation the fact that I have now started talking to others on here seems to be a good driver how often do you all get on the scales to check your progress

    That's personal choice really and depends on your psyche

    I like to weigh daily, but then I have no issue with natural fluctuations and I map my weights in trendweight com so I get a trend line and extrapolation

    I'm in maintenance, have been since feb and still log every day
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    http://happyherbivore.com/

    That site has some good, simple recipes. I like the "Tuna" Salad - very simple to make. Hawaiian Chickpea Teriyaki is also very good (can use hot sauce in place of szechuan). The chickpeas alone from the Hawaiian recipe are good if you don't want to do the entire recipe. She does low fat with her recipes, but that's easily tweaked if you need more calories or need to up your fat intake.

    Scrambled tofu alone or as a burrito is easy. I add lots of veggie to mine. You can try adding black salt (it's actually pink and smells like sulfur) to make it a little egg-y tasting if you want.
  • Gidgitgoescrazy
    Gidgitgoescrazy Posts: 638 Member
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    Have you tried chopping your salads ? I have found that if you chop them really well, they seem to be more substantial, and much more flavorful. I make mine with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, onions, then I also add Hemp seed, sunflower seeds, almonds, and sometimes cheese. I have an Ulu I use, and it makes chopping the salads super easy and fast. I find I also need less dressing when I chop it to bits.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    KeepingFit4Me wrote: »
    How about a chickpea salad - chickpeas with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, lettuce etc.. dressed in a tahini sauce, Humus and Falafel balls baked in the oven with 1cal spray oil? You would need to wrap the falafel separate to stop them going soggy but all this could be done the night before!

    I've only been doing this for 14 days so not sure about the caloric value but it must be better than a cheese sandwich!

    If you have a recipe for tahini, hummus, and falafel that is much lower in calories than a cheese sandwich, please share.
  • threadmad
    threadmad Posts: 190 Member
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    redbristol wrote: »
    been on this site a few times but the lost the motivation the fact that I have now started talking to others on here seems to be a good driver how often do you all get on the scales to check your progress

    I weight every day, because weighing once a week sent me into a tizzy if I didn't lose. After 5 weeks of daily weighing, I seem to be on a 10-day cycle - fluctuate 2 or 3 lbs up or down, then a 3 or 4 lb drop for a day, sometimes 2. Then the fluctuation begins again. As long as the Trendweight range keeps going down, I'm happy, and no more tizzy fits.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    garden burgers? Pasta?
  • Kimegatron
    Kimegatron Posts: 772 Member
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    I have found that bringing the same exact lunch (repetition doesn't get boring when it's something I find delicious) to work helps. I make a falafel sandwich with 2 falafels, sometimes 1 depending on my calories for the day, 3 servings of hummus, chopped onion, and tabouleh in a whole wheat pita pocket. I LOVE FALAFEL. On Mondays, I will usually bring a leftover dinner dish from the weekend, as I hate to waste food.
  • UncaToddly
    UncaToddly Posts: 146 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I work 10 hour days driving forklift in a printing company and rarely take breaks or lunch (in the sense that I go sit in a breakroom.... I mean, I sit for a living). Since the bariatric center recommended a low carb/high protein diet since I am Insulin Resistant and was 368# at 6' too I started packing lunches I can keep on my lift and just eat while I am working. I am also supposed to eat every 2 or so (supposed to be the optimum for the way the body cycles).

    Within an hour of getting up I have breakfast that is typically either 2-3 ounces of lean ham or a 2/3 egg white omelette with varying stuff in it but always colby-jack cheese. Other times it is greek yogurt and piece of string cheese. I start work at 4am and my packed lunch/snacks look like the following:

    6am Break - 1 piece of String Cheese

    8am Break - 1 hard boiled egg (I make & peel them ahead of time so they're ready-to-eat - 2 per snack size bag)

    10am Lunch - Occasionally I will take a single portion of leftovers from dinner but more typically it is either Fruity Greek Yogurt, 1 Hard Boiled Egg and 1 piece of string cheese or I will swap one of the Pure Protein bars in rather than the yogurt.

    12pm Break - 1 piece of String Cheese.

    It isn't exciting, but it is working. The hardest part is getting used to the idea of eating simply to keep my body working optimally rather than "OMG, someone brought donuts!!! EAT 1 and don't let anyone see you horde 2 more when everyone leaves!"

    I have to admit though, that chickpea salad sounds good. :)

    And as for weighing? I weigh myself every weekday morning on the same scale at work. I would weigh myself on it during the weekends but they are being evil and not letting me get any overtime. <grrrrrrrr>
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    redbristol wrote: »
    as a non meat eater who only occasionally eats fish I struggle for variety of packed lunches for work and normally end up taking cheese sandwiches after a run of boring salads. Cheese and bread are my downfalls to losing weight so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Having woke up struggling to breathe the other night I MUST get this diet to work this time Thank you

    What do you have for kitchen facilities at work?

    Veggie burgers
    Leftovers
    Tuna fish sandwiches on your fish days.
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Chickpea and spinach stew, rice and lentils with vegetables, whole grain pasta with vegetables and homemade sauce, hard boiled eggs, steamed edamame and vegetables, tofu scramble with veggies and kale, black bean and vegetable burrito with salsa and avocado,quinoa pancakes are some of my lunches. I'm a vegetarian, btw.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Gidgitgoescrazy wrote: »
    Have you tried chopping your salads ? I have found that if you chop them really well, they seem to be more substantial, and much more flavorful. I make mine with lettuce, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, onions, then I also add Hemp seed, sunflower seeds, almonds, and sometimes cheese. I have an Ulu I use, and it makes chopping the salads super easy and fast. I find I also need less dressing when I chop it to bits.

    This is a great tip- I enjoy my salads so much more when they are chopped, it's almost like I'm not eating a big leafy salad.

    OP, where do you live? Do you have a Whole Bowl or a Cafe Yum? I go to Whole Bowl here in PDX for lunch sometimes, it's just brown rice, black and red beans, olives, salsa, sour cream, sprinkle of cheese, cilantro and a garlic sauce. The big bowl is 597 calories.
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
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    krithsai wrote: »
    Chickpea and spinach stew, rice and lentils with vegetables, whole grain pasta with vegetables and homemade sauce, hard boiled eggs, steamed edamame and vegetables, tofu scramble with veggies and kale, black bean and vegetable burrito with salsa and avocado,quinoa pancakes are some of my lunches. I'm a vegetarian, btw.

    Give me all of it! Sounds amazing...

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