Uh, I Need Some Help, Please

Hi everyone!

I'm pretty new here and i'm just starting on this weight loss journey and I ned some help with something. . .

This may sound idiotic, but I have NO IDEA how to eat healthy when I'm just cooking for myself. I do ok with making dinner for my husband and myself, and breakfast is fairly simple, too. A bowl of cereal and non fat yogurt instead of milk; a slice of 12 Grain toast with peanut butter and some fruit juice. Then I have some fruit, nuts or a veggie for a snack a few hours later. Things like that are easy to figure out, but lunch has me utterly stumped. . .

So I'm asking for some help with lunch ideas because I am so clueless as to what to eat so I end up eating nothing and then binging on some chips/crisps and a diet soda or something like that. By binging I mean half the damn bag or there about, and guess what? No to little weight loss, bloating and nausea and generally knowing that it's unhealthy. If anyone has any ideas I'd really appreciate it.

I normally have a sandwich, pita, or salad for lunch with some fruit. Lunch is lunch.. I have more fun with dinner.

My lunch I'm eatting right now has:

iceburg lettuce, red cabbage, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, a roma tomato, chicken, and a little light balsalmic vinegrette. Sandwiches? Slices of bread, meat, and some mustard, lettuce, tomato, whatever you want on there :) More veggies the better. Then fruit: a cup of melon, cup of grapes, an apple, etc.

Whatcha like to eat?

First of all; good for you!

Second: Plan plan plan.  Grill chicken breasts in batches, then freeze what you won't use right away.  Same with rice and veggies.  It will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Third.  I find it worthwhile to plan meals for the whole week.  Then I don't have to hesitate or screw around deciding what to make for dinner the next night.

Fourth.  Some nice meals: curried lentils with almonds and a salad, turkey sandwich on whole wheat with a side of fruit, grilled salmon with rice and vegetables, hummus on flatbread with vegetables, mmmm...now I'm hungry...

I intentionally make dinner so that I have leftovers for lunch, but when I make something new for lunch, it's usually some sort of salad (with leftover dinner meat!), or a sandwich, or soup. I'll also do the random snack kind of lunch, but with some thought to making the snacks good food - vegetables and hummus, cottage cheese or yogurt, bread and cheese, pieces of fruit.

Thanks a bunch you guys. It all makes sense when I look at your responses. . . I guess this a lot more simple than I realized. I really hate cooking for just myself, so I'm going to try making extra bits of dinner tonight so I can eat them for lunch tomorrow. I had a yogurt and some baby carrots today, but by the time I ate them I was famished and almost crazy with low blood sugar. I really don't recommend letting yourself get that hungry.

Thanks again!

What you can try is write down the type of food you like and for each meal and make sure there is a little of everything (protein, carb, fruit, veggie)   Once you've come up with a good cycle of food make sure it's ready for you at that exact time so you are not searching for junk!  Also, don't forget that protein is essential to muscle building and weight loss.  The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns.  Below is what I like to eat and try to stick to during the week.  On the weekends I try to eat clean but can slip some times.

On my way to work:  Protein Shake

Breakfast:  Egg white sandwich & coffee.  Some fruit

Lunch:  Big Salad or sandwich and fruit.

On my way home:  Protein Shake

Dinner:  Chicken breast, small amount of carbs, and veggies

PS  Breakfast should be the biggest part of your day!  You burn more throughout the day than you do when you are getting closer to the evening.  Also, when I have a protein shake you can have something like almonds or fruit.  It's always better to have fruit then juice!  Juice is concentrated sugar and less fiber.  The sugar will then turn in to fat if it is not burned off in a work out.  Lastly, don't ever skip a meal.  Your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down.  Remember your body needs good fuel in order to do what it is suppose to do. 

Hope that helps!

About once a month I make a big pot of vegetable soup, then freeze it in sandwich zip loc bags (1 cup portions).  Depending on what I put in the soup, it usually has 50-100 calories per cup.  Then, at lunchtime, I heat up a serving of soup while I am making a sandwich, or cutting up tomatoes into cottage cheese, or digging out leftovers from the fridge.  I start with the soup, it gives me a big shot of fiber, vitamins, etc. and makes my half sandwich or whatever seem a lot more like a meal.

Original Post by kriklaf:

I intentionally make dinner so that I have leftovers for lunch, but when I make something new for lunch, it's usually some sort of salad (with leftover dinner meat!), or a sandwich, or soup. I'll also do the random snack kind of lunch, but with some thought to making the snacks good food - vegetables and hummus, cottage cheese or yogurt, bread and cheese, pieces of fruit.

^ I do this as well.  I mostly do the "good snack" lunch, but I will do leftovers once a week.  For example: I'll cook a dinner of salmon, steamed broccoli & brown rice.  The next day, I'll flake the leftover salmon on top of salad greens and toss with a few leftover broccoli florets & a spoonful of leftover brown rice, and voila! I have salad for lunch! :)