Okay Ladies, I need some help PLEASE

Almost every fast food resturant has salads and healthier choices now-a-days. There are still days when i give in and order something not so healthy. I try to keep snack packs on me also. While i may not always be at work i am also a college student and always hungry in between classes. I try to keep lots of healthy food on me.

What's REALLY helped me is I cook a buncha chicken at a time, and while it's cooking (george foreman or grill usually) I cut up lots and lots of veggies. That way I always have a salad or wrap ready!! it's made a world of difference. And I invested in an insulated lunch box and those freezer things that cook everything cold. I sometimes leave with lunch and dinner (and i already have it posted on here). it's convenient and I don't have to worry about having to grab something from fast food throughout the day. it does take a little extra time to pack the lunch as i'm measuring out things, but it's all worth it for me!

I make a big batch of Quinoa with herbs and a mix of EVOO and lemon juice. I portion it off into one cup servings and it keeps all week. Then at supper I make one extra of whatever protein we are eating, chicken salmon steak ect and ad it to my cold quinoa portion......delicious cold lunch on the go!

this makes 14 2c servings. Love this with a large salad. Very filling. Here is the general stuff I put in it. You can adjust for yourself and what comes in your area or what you like. But general idea.

I use the EVOO just to brown the turkey in and saute the veg a bit beofre adding everything else. If any of you try it let me know what you think. This also freeze well. Just reheat in pan with water in it.


Caroline (Save A Lot) - Ground Turkey, 12 oz 6
Wylwood - Grade A Fancy Dark Red Kidney Beans, 1/2 Cup
Dakota's Pride (Aldi) - Great Northern Beans Canned, 1 cup (130g)
Mothers Maid - Kidney Beans - Light Red, 1/2 cup
Celery - Raw, 1 cup chopped
Garlic - Raw, 2 clove
Onions - Raw, 1 cup, chopped
Carrots - Raw, 1 cup, chopped
Campbell's V8 - Low Sodium Original Vegetable Juice, 11.5 oz
Happy Harvest - White Distilled Vinegar, 1 Tbsp
Oil - Olive, 1 tablespoon
Happy Harvest - Aldi's - Tomato Sauce, 2 cup
Spices - Oregano, dried, 1 tsp, leaves
Generic - Green Bell Pepper- Raw, 1 large bell pepper
Happy Harvest - Aldi(M) - Diced Tomatoes, 1 cup
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Chol
Total: 1657 177 66 96 4620 240
Per Serving: 118 13 5 7 330 17

It freezes well and can be easly reheated in just a bit of water.

Sometimes, when I know I'm going to have a busy week I'll pre-make everything on the weekend. If you're not able to do that there are some chain restaurants that are actually pretty healthy, Au Bon Pain and Chipotle come to mind for me. Some grocery stores have a salad bar or pre-made salads and healthy snacks.

What's really helped me is to always pack a Luna bar to fight off hunger. It is very filling for only 190 calories and gives you time to think about your next step. I cannot think/plan when I'm hungry haha

i look at motivational pics of what i wish to look like. i really love zuzana light channel on u tube. i eat alot of salads and tuna, chicken, and for once i am addicted to water. i put apple cider vinegar in it sometimes for detox and weightloss. i go to this site or visit my workout buds on facebook. keep like minded people around ya. u can do this!:flowerforyou:

I tend to take packed lunches to college and work with me, really simple things like a pita and hummus or a sandwich with literally take 2 minutes to make and I always take a Packet of crisps (chips) with me, but i make sure that the packet is under 100 calories.
I also prepare it the night before because I struggle for time too, and its nice knowing that its ready for you in the morning.

I set times for myself when I'm at college or work for when I'm aloud lunch or a snack, but i have a drink of water before i eat the snack to be sure I'm actually hungary and not just board
Hope this helped
I rejoined MFP again the other day xx

I pack my lunch every night before I go to bed. It includes my breakfast, too. A normal day would be a Special K Strawberry Protein drink for breakfast, and then for lunch I'll have a salad, or a can of tuna and a few crackers, or a packet of microwave mashed potatoes (they're really good and only 100 calories). I also like taking the large apple cinnamon rice cakes with peanut butter on them. Then I pack a little baggy of veggies (cauliflower, carrots, green peppers, etc.). I like a little dessert, too, and usually go with a Dole fruit cup with jello. I found that the key is to always pack that lunch and be sure to take it. You're the one with the control, get creative. It takes no more than 5 minutes. Another little tip - record your lunch the night before so it's right there, logged in MFP. It makes it more difficult to change your mind. I, too, have quite a bit of weight to lose. I learned that snacks can be a dangerous game. Sure, you can find 100 calorie snacks out there, but eat just one at a time. Also, take advantage of the reports that MFP provides. You can see where you're doing good (nutritionally speaking), and where you need some improvement, to get a healthy and balanced diet. You have to retrain your brain before your body follows. You can do it!!! :happy:

Awesome blog, those are some good tips!

eating nut mixes really helps me trick my stomach into thinking that its full. this can either help you greatly or set u back. if you eat too many of these nuts in a sitting, u will end up gaining weight because they r very high calorie. but if you eat them sparingly, and stop when youve satisfied your grumbly tummy, it is a very good way to loose weight. they say to only eat around 20 individual nuts in a sitting. so what i do is put 20 nuts in a sandwich bag (so i cant eat more even if i wanted to) and eat them when i get my 1st grumbles of the day, usually around 10 AM for me. (i buy my nut mix from costco because it comes in large quantities, but im sure u can find them everywhere) i also keep cheese sticks or string cheese in my fridge at all times so that i can take one to work to eat for my 2nd grumbles of the day or so that i can just grab one when i get bored and feel like snacking. another thing i do is take a half of a bagel with creamcheese for a snack. some might say that this adds calories because of the bread, but when you get tired of fruits, veggies and yogurt and you look at all the horrible alternitives, half a bagel isnt that high in calories. i also reccomend packing everything the night before so u can grab and go. good luck!!!!!:)

I knew a lady that carried around a loaf of bread and peanut butter with her everywhere! Try something like that.. Lots of ladies I work with have a stash of greek yogurt, one has pretzels in her locker. I like to keep some of my lean gourmet meals in the freezer too. Nuts are good.. if you can, make some meals in advance, freeze them, and take them with you.. You can always stop in Subway too ;D

I also have a very busy lifestyle (3 kids, fulltime-way-more-than-40-hours-a-week job, plus my husband has a fulltime job, part-time job and goes to school on the weekends!). I totally get how hard it is. There are weeks where I think we've hit every drive-through window in town. That said, if I've got to go through a drive-through (or fastfood) I try to hit Wendy's, Subway, Chick-Fil-A or McDonalds (as long as you stay clear of the mayo/sauces and fried food and ask for the whole wheat buns--or skip half the bun--every bit helps!). I try to get salads or whatever grilled chicken they have and go with a side salad, fruit cup, etc.

Per snacks, I pre-portion in small snack-size zip-loc bags almonds, cheez-its (or other baked crackers--although right now I'm trying to limit Carbs because I'm a bit of an addict when it comes to Carbs!), raisins, carrotts, grapes, etc because I tend to overeat (especially something like almonds--they just keep popping into my mouth). I also keep light string cheese and Slimfast meal-on-the-go shakes and bars, along with Kashi protien bars on hand both at home and the office for a quick protien snack. And I've switched to Greek yogurt because it has so much more protien. It is more expensive, but a lot more filling than regular yogurt. My office is a "youth house" and it is literally stacked with every sort of imaginable snack food--if I get hungry it is way too tempting/easy to run downstairs and grab whatever bag of chips or box of cookies is at hand.

Pre-making the bags takes time on the front end, but makes it really easy to have with me. I know some folks will frown against "diet foods" like Slimfast, but they are a life-saver for me. I also have access to a freezer at my office so I keep a few Healthy choice frozen meals in there (we serve Pizza almost every Wednesday and Sunday night and that's part of how I got so overweight). Keeping an alternative meal on-hand gives me a choice. Sometimes I choose the pizza and just try to remember to not go overboard with it!

On the otherhand, don't beat yourself up because you have a crazy schedule. I started this a year ago and fell off after a few months because I didn't feel like I was "sticking to my program." When I had had enough bad days in a row, I just gave up. But I've learned my lesson--that my life is crazy and I just have to realize that there are days when I'm going to end up with no good choices and that is just how it is. I just need to make srue I don't have too many of those days in a row or if I do (I travel a lot and the food is chosen by the program and so sometimes there aren't good choices even if I want to make them) then it is what it is, but I'll make as good a choices as I can there and try to sneak in 10 more minutes of exercise.

Oh--and a little dark chocolate is another life-saver. A few small pieces can satisfy that sweet craving!
Good luck. Hope some of this helped!

I cook chicken in bulk, along with homemade turkey burgers and sweet potatoes. Then I put them in containers and either refrigerate or freeze them (when I put them as a meal) and they keep and I stay full

I work from home so usually I can eat first but if I have to run out I usually make sure I have some trail mix/granola bars on me to stave off hunger until I get home, or if I eat out I try to make it to Taco Bell to get something off the fresco menu. If I eat out at Mcdonalds or Hardees or something I try to get a salad (they are usually higher in sodium though so you have to watch it!) or I get a bunless burger or grilled chicken sandwich and an unsweetened iced tea or bottled water. If they have parfaits or apple slices I get that instead of fries.