This might be the most colourful lunch I have ever packed myself.
Almost seven years ago, I moved to Toronto.
I weighed just over 120 pounds. I could eat whatever and whenever I wanted and not have to worry about gaining weight. I was a smoker. I was lazy.
Flashforward to today: I now weigh 160 pounds. If I eat it, it will stick to my middle section like a new tattoo. I no longer smoke. I’ve been exercising for the first time in my life but still get winded after climbing a flight of stairs.
Six months after I started working out, I’ve realized that exercise isn’t enough. I can’t expect to melt off any inches or pounds if my eating habits are as poor as they’ve always been. So starting today, all that changes.
I’m sticking with my two-day a week workouts with Booty Camp Fitness. And, beginning next week, I’m adding two more nights of working out to the mix and going to try my hand at a kickboxing and MMA workout with the new Femme Fitale program.
And I know even that won’t be enough: I have to change the way I eat, what I consume and how much I consume. That change starts today. I bought a new piece of Tupperware over the weekend, into which I can fit a bunch of delicious veggies, some kind of healthy proteins or grains and not much else. The fact that it’s portion controllable will also help when I decide to have something not-as good for me for lunch — I’ll only be able to have so much, instead of overfilling an entire Tupperware container with the junk.
Lunches are going to be my hardest meal to sort out, so I’d love some healthy lunch ideas to keep me on course. I’m looking for healthy, tasty ideas. Please leave any you have in the comments!
Here’s hoping to liking what I see in the mirror before I turn 30 in three months.
Crock pots are the greatest invention of life. Make a giant vat of something healthy like vegetarian chili, veg-heavy stew, lean pulled pork and then portion it out into individual tupperwares. Cuts down a lot on the “I don’t have time to pack so I’ll just grab something at work later” morning rush that ultimately results in poor eating decisions.
Will: I do that in winter usually, but not so much in summer. We’re doing a big batch of chili soon, so that will be a great week. What I love most about the container is how I can easily eat 4 smaller meals throughout the day instead of gorging on three things at once. Here’s hoping it works.
YAY! GO Sarah!
Thanks, Amy!
Good for you, Sarah! I recently switched from my regular routine of sandwiches to couscous, which I make with chick peas, cranberries, avocado, chopped bell peppers and this recipe for lemon-tahini dressing: http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-tahini-dressing-206009. I make a big batch for the week and parcel it out.
I also love these healthy lunch ideas for salads and soups from GOOD: http://www.good.is/tag/the-good-lunch. So many choices!
Great ideas here, thanks Zalina! Do you add the dressing when you make your week supply, or do you keep it on the side and add it the day of? Thanks for the ideas!
No problem! I add the dressing to the whole thing when I make it.
For work lunches I make a lot of salads from Oh She Glows – easy and healthy. ohsheglows.com. Using that Tupperware is a great idea.
Great piece about Femme Fitale today!
Wow, Katie! The recipe ideas at Oh She Glows are awesome! They’ll also be great when I’m looking for some non-meat ideas too! Thank you for the link!
And thanks for the compliments on my Femme Fitale piece!
I just ate a lean cuisine, but I added a handful of shredded cheese on top so I hear you. I have an unhealthy relationship with food, and am trying hard to get better. Hummus is good. My boss makes us an amazing salad of dark leafy greens, a can of tuna, a cut up avocado and olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Nice idea, thanks Shawnte! It’s amazing how hard it can be to break bad eating habits, especially when it comes to lunches! Good luck in trying to break some of your not-so-great habits, too! You can do it!
All the the things you’re doing sound like wise, and healthy, lifestyle changes. I suggest you add 8 glasses of water, daily, to your diet; more if you’re working out….and limit your salt intake. No added salt to food, and watch prepared sauces, anything in cans, and restaurant food. Read labels! You’d be surprise how many things have added, hidden, salt. There are healthier choices out there; look for them; they’re usually on the bottom shelf at the supermarket.
Thanks Cheryl. I hear you about the water — since my workouts will be outside until October, the key is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Passing on salt will be a challenge, but I did it today! (Hence the lemon for the rice instead of a few shakes of the salt shaker!) Yes, I think labels will be my friend going forward — for better or for worse.
I’m all about the big salad with baked chicken. Lettuce, peppers, carrots, broccoli, beets, etc etc. Totally fills me up.
Also, made this mango blueberry quinoa salad last night. easy and delicious http://is.gd/Ld6YQ4
Thanks, Lizz. I tried a quinoa salad close to this one last week. I think I overcooked the quinoa, so I’ll have to give it another go.
Hi Sarah,
Congrats on turning over a new leaf! I think a couple of things are key to eating well during the work day. First, it helps to really find some lunches that you enjoy and that are “high satiety.”
Second, leftovers from healthy dinners can make things easier because you don’t have a separate effort. Simply making more of your lean chicken, fish, rice and veg dinner, for example, means you simply have to put it in your tupperware container when dinner is done.
That said, one of my favourite lunches is a hearty salad that holds up well in the fridge for three days and tastes more flavourful as the ingredients mix. Simple combine a can of tuna, a can of drained white beans, half a red onion and a stalk of celery finely chopped, a couple of large fistfuls of curly parsley, stemmed and chopped, the juice of two lemons, a quarter cup of olive oil, some pitted calamata olives (if you like them), salt and pepper to taste. It’s a little chopping intensive but worth the effort. I pack this for work along with hummus and pita, and it’s divine. Plus, it’s a nutritionist’s dream with it’s combo of legumes, fish and leafy greens. I’ve passed this recipe on to many, for whom it has become a staple.
I also keep those little cans of flavoured tuna on hand. When you’re short on more elaborate lunch fixings, these are yummy on top of greens or mixed with an avocado – no dressing required. I even eat this kind of tuna on crackers.
Another easy protein – hard-boiled eggs. These really add something to salad, or work well in a little platter like the one you have above.
I think you’ll find that the afternoon pastry, chocolate bar or other treat will become less appealing when you’re really enjoying the lunch you bring from home. When there’s a lot of junk in the office, and I get in the habit of eating it, I’m much more likely to crave it. When I’m out of the habit, I just don’t want it anymore.
Besides, all this activity you’re doing is going to help motivate you to fuel your body with really good stuff.
Best,
Brandie
Thanks Brandie. I definitely want to do the hard-boiled egg thing, but I tend to like my hard-boiled eggs right out of the fridge, and can’t put my lunch in a fridge at work. I’m thinking of making them part of my breakfast.
Thank you for the salad recipe, I’ll give that a go!
That Tupperware is an amazing idea! I think I’ll try that.
I’ve also started reading “The Lean,” which is about leaning into better food/exercise habits and I really enjoy it. She’s obviously pro-vegan (and I loves my meat now and then), but she gives good tips and there are recipes in the back. I haven’t made any yet but they look delicious.
Good luck with this, Sarah. You’re awesome and I believe in you all the way!