Smaller Lunches

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yrsbrn
yrsbrn Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I work a desk job and am trying to lose weight. I got down from 230 to 187 last year and put some back on for the winter (new warm clothes are expensive...). I lost most of that weight last year while at home trying to find work, so I didn't have to deal with getting through the day while hungry that much.

I've recently stopped going to the work cafeteria and started bringing blueberries, grapes and assorted nuts for lunch. It's delicious and usually filling, but I know it can be higher in sugar than I'd like. Any suggestions for what to bring as a filling, low-calorie lunch?
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Replies

  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    grilled chicken breasts, apples, assorted veggies, hummus....all good options! If you don't have a way to refrigerate, you could buy a little cooler ice pack inexpensively...or just freeze a water bottle to use.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    edited February 2017
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    My diary is open so you can see what I typically have for lunch. Right now I have been digging 4oz of grilled/seasoned chicken, 100g fruit (watermelon or grapes), 100g veggie (carrots or celery), anda mini bagel with 1/3 fat cream cheese. Nothing special about those fruits and veggies other than they are easy to prep, pretty cheap, and I enjoy eating them. I add some Bolthouse creamy garlic dressing to dip my chicken.

    It comes in around 345 calories.

    In the past I have done soup, crackers, laughing cow cheese, and fruit quite a bit.

    Edited: I also sit at a desk all day.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,987 Member
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    Every day for lunch at work, I make a HUGE salad. Luckily, our work cafeteria has an awesome salad bar, but you can bring one from home, too. Today, mine has romaine lettuce, carrots, peas, peppers, cucumbers, olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and zucchini. You can add some grilled chicken for protein if you like. With a low-calorie dressing, this saves me a ton of calories and I can have a big dinner.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Don't think low calorie. While you are overweight, you can eat more (and lose weight) than you'll be able to as normal weight, you just have to let those calories work for you. Eat at regular intervals. Eat meals composed of lots of different foods from all the food groups.

    Don't think "filling" - if you are overweight, your hunger and satiety cues are probably off. Just log your food diligently and hit your calorie goal every day, and if you want to, protein and fat goals too (regard those two as minimums) - think "nutritious"; a nutritious diet will satisfy you on a totally different level. This may help regulate your appetite.

    Is sugar a problem for you? If not, ignore it.
  • CaliMomTeach
    CaliMomTeach Posts: 745 Member
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    Trader joes salads and use half of the dressing. They are good. Just check the calorie content, because a couple of choices are higher in calories, but most are reasonable as long as you don't use all of the dressing.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    I make various things in my little compartment lunch box.

    Today I had two boiled eggs, some yoghurt mixed with salad cream to dip them in, a compartment (about half a cup) filled with chopped up cucumber, carrot and apple, a slice of bread, two clementines and a Fudge bar. Yesterday I had a big compartment (about a cup) filled with chicken salad made with celery, grapes, apple and peanuts with a yoghurt dressing. Previously I've had things like cold chicken dippers, a mushroom omelette, potato salad - variety is the way to go! And always with lots of fruit and veg and a little treat.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Every week, we go to Costco and get a bag of Kale salad and a rotisserie chicken. We add feta and olives. We both use the seeds and cranberries, I sometimes use the dressing, as well.

    The Kale salad has a couple of advantages that have nothing to do with kale being a magic super food, or whatever the kids are calling it these days.
    -with kale, broccoli and brussel sprouts, it has more bulk and fiber than most salad greens: more filling!
    -because it has more bulk, it holds up to the dressing. You can put the dressing on in the morning and not have a slimy salad in the afternoon

  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    @concordancia Is that the Sweet Kale Salad? I have some in my fridge waiting for me. How do you calculate the calories when you add the dressing to the salad and the other toppings in there. I've heard it's delicious, I just hate calculating salad calories...
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    I meal prep one day during the weekend for lunches. I usually have 4oz of boneless skinless chicken thighs, and 3 servings of veggies (using different spices so they're not boring). Sometimes I'll have 3oz of ground beef instead. I'm searching for some sort of fat to add in that doesn't kill the calories to add to satiety as I'm usually hungry a few hours later (actual hunger).
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    edited February 2017
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    @concordancia Is that the Sweet Kale Salad? I have some in my fridge waiting for me. How do you calculate the calories when you add the dressing to the salad and the other toppings in there. I've heard it's delicious, I just hate calculating salad calories...

    I eat this all the time. The calories shown on the bag are including the dressing, pepitas and cranberries for 140 calories per cup. I assume they just figure the whole bag with the dressing packet added, plus seeds and fruit then divide it by amount of servings. With just the veggies it's only about 35 calories. I usually don't eat the dressing - it's a bit sweet for me so I give it to my mom. Plus I don't need the extra calories.

    This is also a great stir-fry ingredient, already chopped up and just toss into the pan with some lean protein.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Around how many calories are you looking to spend on lunch?
  • Butts_Boys_and_Burgers_ohmy
    Butts_Boys_and_Burgers_ohmy Posts: 83 Member
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    I food prep once a week. I work a desk job and the only places to eat close are BK, McD's, and Taco Bell. I started making casseroles on Sunday, then I divide it up into 6 containers - once for each day of the week. Pinterest has been a HUGE help in finding low calorie casseroles. I usually pair it with a green pepper or cucumber for snacks.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
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    Smaller lunch ideas -

    Mason jar salads. You can make several at a time. They keep well in the fridge and you just add the dressing when you eat it. I use the Sweet Kale Salad for this quite frequently because it holds up very well.

    Wraps - chicken or tuna, veggies, hummus, etc. in a tortilla.

    Boiled eggs, celery with laughing cow, 1/2 apple with a little peanut butter.

    If you have access to a microwave:

    Canned soup or chili. (I prefer homemade, but not everyone makes it.)

    Leftovers from the previous night's dinner and a bag of salad greens. Heat up the leftovers and throw on top of a pile of greens, squeeze of lemon or a little salsa. Lunch!
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    This may or may not be of help. I have a desk job and am fortunate that we have a microwave at work so I usually eat a Lean Cusine (I know not the healthiest but its quick and I know how many calories it is). On other occasions I make a monster pot of soup at home and prepackage and freeze servings for lunches. If I'm in the mood for sandwiches I buy the little big bread (140 cal in 2 slice I think) and lean turkey or chicken. Nothing wrong with a sandwich as long as you are careful with any condiments. I happen to love mustard and light mayo is not bad so I usually use a bit of both. If you add sliced tomato you get a moister sandwich without all the fat. If you are carrying to work I would put the tomato on at the last minute. If you are ambitous make your own frozen meals that way you have complete control over the calories. Good luck.
  • yrsbrn
    yrsbrn Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks all! This is pretty helpful, and I think I have a better sense of what I want to plan for lunch in the next few weeks.

    I'm trying not to get hung up on calories, but I tend to go for anywhere between 400-700 calories per meal. On a good day, it'll gradually decrease from breakfast to dinner, but I do get overruled by my own hunger/satiety at times. It's a process.
  • getupforchange
    getupforchange Posts: 86 Member
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    I usually take whatever chicken or turkey I have left over from dinner the night before and make a sallad to bring into work the next day for lunch. I will cook extra on purpose to make sure there are leftovers. It's cheaper than buying something every day and I find that it's way more filling than the yoghurt and blueberries combo I would turn to before I started doing it.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    yrsbrn wrote: »
    Thanks all! This is pretty helpful, and I think I have a better sense of what I want to plan for lunch in the next few weeks.

    I'm trying not to get hung up on calories, but I tend to go for anywhere between 400-700 calories per meal. On a good day, it'll gradually decrease from breakfast to dinner, but I do get overruled by my own hunger/satiety at times. It's a process.

    You have to be somewhat hung up on calories, because that's what controls your weight, but be the right kind of hung up. How you split your total calories into meals, has no impact on your weight loss. Sticking to the right amount of calories, has. To be able to stick to the right amount of calories for a long time (which is what makes you lose weight), it's smart to work WITH your appetite, not AGAINST it. So I really suggest you let go of the "eat breakfast like a king" myth, and instead find out what works for you.
  • sarahills
    sarahills Posts: 23 Member
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    I take the same thing most days, the filling varies though. I even pre box ahead of time for those days when I wouldn't get the chance.
    Open sandwich made with one slice of Soya and Lindseed bread, filling either: Prawns, chicken breast, gammon or houmous. Side salad with dollop of coleslaw (15g light mayo only) and to finish a handful of nuts and dried apricots. A large bottle of sparkling water to swill it all down and I'm genuinely not hungry again until my evening meal.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,072 Member
    edited February 2017
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    On the days when I am not tempted by a packet of crisps from the shop, I usually have around a 450 cal lunch which normally consists of:
    • one of the following or similar: Protein Pasta with Tuna, Sweetcorn & 1 tbsp Light Mayo/ Slim bagel with 15g butter & 150g Fat Free Cottage Cheese with some black pepper/Pitta with small tin of baked beans and 25g low fat grated cheddar/ Chicken marinated in Thai Spice with some salad leaves/ Prawn salad
    • Light Babybel
    • Sugar free jelly

    I make them all up ready on a Sunday for Mon-Fri so I can just pack and go the night before. I do snack mid-morning (25g pre-portioned nuts/bombay mix or similar and protein bar/muffin) oas I can't eat a heavy breakfast, I feel sickly if I eat a lot early on. Definitely an improvement on the almost 1000cal sandwiches I would get a the deli almost every day last year (I am having one today though :lol:)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    yrsbrn wrote: »
    ...I got down from 230 to 187 last year and put some back on for the winter (new warm clothes are expensive...)

    I'm so distracted by this comment. Trying to wrap my head around the meaning of it. Are you saying that you purposely gained some weight back for the winter so you could fit back into your old warm weather clothes? Maybe I misunderstood...I do that sometimes.

    Anyway, when it comes to lunch, I'm looking for quick and easy, so I usually would just have a protein bar and maybe some fruit and a cheese stick - cheese is one of my favorite foods. Fits well within my calorie goals and keeps me going for hours. Your choice of blueberries is a great fruit option. Super nutritious and lower in sugar than most other fruits. And nuts are a healthy, filling choice. Too bad they have so many calories that you really have to watch your portions. Nuts are so easy to overeat. There are lots of good ideas on this thread, and my boring old protein bar may not be the best option for everyone, but it really works for me - best part is it's super easy. :)

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