3 Meals a day??

Prepare your meals the day before and nuke away. That's how I do it. That way, I have no excuses.

I try to eat 5 meals a day - the last is usually just a protein shake though.
I wouldn't say it's for everyone, especially if you're busy but it works for me as I tend to get hungry often throughout the day. A friend of mine is trying to lose weight at the moment, usually only having 1 or 2 meals a day and is doing just fine, not ideal but you've got to make the most of the time you have I suppose.

If you find you would benefit from more frequent meals, have you tried preparing your own meals the night before, things can be stored in the fridge/freezer until you need them and then ready to go, no preparing :-)

When you eat has VERY little to do with how your body processes calories. I skipped breakfast this morning. . .wasn't hungry. The studies have shown over and over that all the crap about not eating late or eating throughout the day is really just that; crap. The french traditionally eat very late each night, and it's usually carb heavy, but they are much less overweight as a nation than we are. MUCH less.

Stay failry close to the right deficit, stay active, and get all three macro's in your diet. Done and done.

I believe you can lose either way as long as you exercise and have a good amount of calories for you body type. I know that if I dont have a breakfast I will might end up having a bad lunch. Also with the 5 meals a day you keep yourself from getting hungry and that will keep you from making bad choices as well.

I eat three main meals a day with at least three snacks a day as well. And I have to eat after 7pm or I can't sleep b/c I'm so hungry during the night
I just saw you are looking for cold things. I make myself a big batch of grilled chicken at the beginning of the week and then cut up chunks of it into a salad with black beans, salsa (instead of dressing), olives, and some crunchy fiesta strips on top. Yummy and cold and has lots of protein!

i have 2 suggestions for you. One, buy a wide mouthed thermos. You could put just about anything in there. 2, if u want a hot lunch, dh used to have this thing. Looks like a black lunch box. Plugs into the cig lighter. It's like a mini-oven. (he did long haul) anyway, i would buy the aluminum bread pans, put whatever in it. (turkey leg, chops, you name it) cover it, and pop it into the lunch box, and away he would go. You can also bake potatoes in there. Lots of options, you just need to be creative. Plan ahead.

I eat all the time. a little something every 2 hours. fruit, salad, chewy granola bar etc.
for lunch and dinner I eat 200 - 300 calorie otherwise it is 80 - 100 calories

another option is to take some fruit with you and some protein bars. If you really want to lose the weight you will find a way to work around your situation. The thing about eating one big meal is that by the time you get to that one big meal you are starved and will tend to over eat. Or you will be hungry between meals and pick up chips or other high fat items to tide you over. I was busy running around on Sat and didnt have time for lunch but took a protein bar with me.. I could have also taken an apple or banana etc. People seem to make their situation work for them which may not work for you but then it might. Gotta work at it and see whats best for you. Someone mentioned Subway.. well Jarrod seemed to lose weight doing Subway but I cant eat all that processed meats and cheeses. Experiment and see.

Good luck.,... add me if you would like to!


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Okay Heres the Problem, The nature and the travel of my work (I do mobile onsite Technical Support work) wont allow me to bring anything but maybe Cold lunch with me.. I obviously can't microwave anything because Im in other peoples places of business.. Im not going to say
"Hey I just fixed ur machine and by the way can i use ur microwave in the staff Lunchroom".. So its hard to pre prepare anything but a turkey sandwich. lol

Although I've been lookin into Mobile Cooler/heaters that plug into your car Lighter.. which may be an option

I also work in an industry that has me on the road and often working early starts. Like others said the key is to prepare in advance. On the weekend I try and precook and prepare as much stuff as possible so I can just pack a lunchbox and go. In the warmer months I include a frozen bottle of water to keep things cool. In winter a thermos of homemade veggie soup is a great option (or you can use a wide mouth thermos for stews or casseroles).

For breakfast you could pack yoghurt with some frozen berries and muesli (the frozen berries help keep the yoghurt cool) or you could bake healthy muffins or muesli slices on the weekend. Pack a few pieces of fresh fruit or a plastic container containing dried fruit and/or nuts. Take a plastic container of cut up veggies like celery and carrot. High fibre crackers with a little peanut butter are a great snack. As for the turkey sandwhich load it up with salad stuff and be sure to use multigrain bread rather than white which has virtually no nutritional value.

I have so gotten into my healthy lunchboxes that I now even take them on the days when I am in the office and if I am going driving on a weekend I always pack my own snack bag and I now always carry nuts and dried fruits in little containers in my handbag so I always have a healthy option on hand.

When you eat has VERY little to do with how your body processes calories. I skipped breakfast this morning. . .wasn't hungry. The studies have shown over and over that all the crap about not eating late or eating throughout the day is really just that; crap. The french traditionally eat very late each night, and it's usually carb heavy, but they are much less overweight as a nation than we are. MUCH less.

Stay failry close to the right deficit, stay active, and get all three macro's in your diet. Done and done.

Actually I had a friend who changed nothing in her diet but made a rule that she wouldn't eat anything after 6:30 pm. She ended up losing almost 15 lbs in about 6 weeks just with that change ALONE. I have also heard similar stories. It makes sense... if you eat then go to bed, your food baby just lies there, no gravity to pull it down your digestive system. (yeah maybe my last sentence doesn't make much sense... but I have seen the proof in the pudding!!!)

Your friend ran a caloric deficit and lost weight. Simple as that. If you eat the same amount the rest of the day, but don't eat in a certain period of time, you'll be eating less. It has nothing to do with when your friend eats. I did the same thing with intermittent fasting for a while, not eating three days a week until after work. Yup, no breakfast, no lunch. The rest of the time I ate maintenance calories, but each week I had a 3500 calorie deficit. I lost almost exactly 1 lb. every single week.

And are you really saying that our digestive systems NEED GRAVITY?! Most animals on this earth have digestive systems that move level with the ground. Do you think a dog or cat can't digest food without walking around on their hind legs? There you go. . .logic wins again. Your digestive system is lined with involuntary muscles that contract in such a way to move food along, no matter how your body is oriented.

I just realized I forgot to tell you about the big salad I make with the chicken, that I add either some part skim mozzerella cheese or a little sharp...adds a great bit of flavor : )