Quick lunch ideas for a guy on the run...
 

Well, to put it plain and simple, my schedule is extremely hectic. I am a professional schmoozer (Biz dev guy) during the day, I run a non-profit org, I am going to grad school, I coach soccer, and I am a weekend DJ.

Here's the problem. I am trying to drop 20-40 pounds, and I cannot find a decent low-fat lunch on the run to save my life. I am sick of Subway and BK Salads SUCK. I tried bringing tuna into the office, but then my office smells.

Do you bring a bag of grapes with you at all times? Carrots? I would love to hire an admin to bring me lunch, but that is kind of rediculous. Anyway, any ideas would help.

Can of tuna... chicken breast on whole wheat bread NO MAYO (you can cook it each night before work).. protein shake.... turkey on whole wheat NO MAYO...

there are a ton of things that are very easy and quick to make. remember to cut down your portions and increase the amount of times you eat during the day. 6 MEALS A DAY. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Don't confuse snack with eating crap, it should be about the same size as your other meals and all healthy clean food. The hardest part will be learning to eat smaller yet more meals, but that is the way to not only lose fat but to also boost that metabolism. Good luck!

*edit: Fruits are to be ate in moderation. Although they are good for you (fiber and vitamins) and make a good junk food substitute, they are very high in carbs (sugars). Eating too much fruit is not a good idea when trying to losing fat.

I like hard boiled eggs for my snacks. Toss the yolk and you've got a high-protein snack with almost no fat.

Perfect snack! I LOVE my hardboiled eggwhites :)

Tuna salad is v.good for a bit of protein, low fat and carbs. (and for the athletes, just chuck in some pasta for a healthy setup!)

Agree, only just make sure not to make it with mayo otherwise you might as well be eating a greasy cheeseburger.

Natural peanut butter on whole wheat is pretty good. It has about 16-18 grams of fat, but science is finding that the type of fat that PB is rich in, can actually help you lose weight.

True the fats in peaut butter are the fats that are good for you, but peanut butter is to be eaten in major moderation (like 1 tablespoon a day), and the only people who need to worry about eating the peanutbutter for fat are those on very strict cutting diets that don't get their daily fat intake needs via the meals that they prepare. Basically, stay away from the peanut butter ;)

Yeah, I forgot to mention the whole moderation thing, but obviously, use it in moderation.

I tend to forget that I follow different weight loss "rules", since I've trying to lose weight very quickly, and quite a bit as well (Last Christmas I weighed 300 Pounds, and was 5' 11" or so, as of last time I weighed myself, I was 250, with more muscle mass and a 4" smaller waist). My suggested daily calories to lose a healthy amount each week were very high, well above 3000 but I was in severe cutting mode, so I often needed that peanut butter to maintain a somewhat healthy level. So it was a HUGE cut back from my old diet! :)

I guess for someone that's not quite as morbidly obese, big time moderation is in order when it comes to the peanut butter.

Great accomplishment majik_6! What is your goal? 50 lbs is like losing a small child off your body, awesome fuking job!

Thanks! I'm looking to hit 190-200, maybe 215. But with very little bodyfat. I've got a very big frame, so the only thing that looks right on me, is either excess fat, or excess muscle. I'm hoping for the second one. :) My original goal was to be 200 by Christmas, but I don't know about that. 215, maybe, but probably not 200.

My only problem is I LOVE BEER.

I have been on major cut back for about 2 weeks, but I still have my occasional 3-4 beers.

I have lost about 10-15 pounds without going to the gym once, so when I start on the treadmill and weights next week I should lose more rapidly.

Majik_6: Did you do anything specific, or just cut out all the bullshit and walk a lot? Congrats by the way.

If you've got a microwave around there are a lot of choices for soup. Campbells makes some Healthy Choice that are low in carbs and in calories. They tend to hold off the hunger longer for me than starchy foods.

WhatAboutBob: I cut out a LOT of bullshit at first, (At my heaviest I was eating 4 or more FULL meals, double what a real meal should be, and eating snacks that consisted of 2-3 PB sandwiches and 3-4 glasses of Mountain Dew) and just started eating like a regular person. Then I started a very mild weight training routine. That got me down to about 278.

This summer, I started smoking a pack a day (not to lose weight, just because I lack will power, and all the people at the gym would smoke...tempting), started doing 1.5 hours of pretty intense weight training daily, cut my calories WAY down (for several weeks I was at 1000-1200 calories, with no more than 25 grams of fat a day), and did 30 minutes of hard cardio. I also started studying nutrition, and tried to keep my macro-nutrient ratios correct. I followed a diet/exercise plan that is closer to that of a bodybuilder on a cutting phase than that of someone just wanting to lose some weight. And you know what? It worked.

One of the best, moderate plans I know for exercise is the Men's Health Magazine Iron Manual, or Homegrown Muscle (same plan, different names). It's a year long plan, that has several "phases" the first phase is a general one, but it gets more specific, targeting arms, strength, speed, abs, etc. It's available on their website: www.menshealth.com .

By the way, I also take supplements, mostly Muscletech: Hydroxycut, Anotesten, Nortesten, Acetabolan II, and whatever protein I happen to have (preferably chocolate Nitrotech).

Men's Health is a great resource for good recipes, as well.

I also love beer, although I don't get that many chances to imbide. There are several low carb beers. I believe Michelob Ultra (or something like that) is supposed to be pretty good in that department. I don't remember if that the one or if it's something else, but one of them only has like 3-4g. of carbs. The calories still add up, though, so it's wise to never drink too much.

edit: One of my favorite "healthy" recipes is a spinach/artichoke dip on the Men's Health website. It only has like 100 calories, and 4 grams of fat, but you can change the recipe to eliminate ALL the fat, by just substituting fat-free dairy products.

Link: http://www.menshealth.com/cda/recipe...0-1395,00.html

When you get down towards your goal weight, go buy some bodyfat calipers and ditch the scale. Rely on the mirror and bodyfat calipers to determine your progress. That scale doesnt always paint an accurate picture on your progress.

What is occasional? Don't expect to make good progress if you drink alchohol. Treat your drinking night as your "cheat meal" for the week, and try and muy miller lite, michelob ultra, or one of the other low carb low calorie beers. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you are serious about your health you need to cut out the drinking, or severely limit it.

The night before boil 2 eggs. Bring those, an apple, two cheese sticks, and cherry tomatoes.

Im a big fan of smoothies. They are liquid meals. There are so many different types to make so you never get tired of the tast. They can have heaps of energy (the good type) of you make them with the right stuff. It makes you feel bloated so you feel satisfied. They are easy and fast to make and faster to throw down. If you want it to fill you a little more put somw wheatgerm in it. My family and I have a full on assortment of smoothies and whips which we have. We just experimented heaps and found some are good and some are not. Try them out and find the good ones for you.

I can't go too low-fat. Just can't do it; I don't feel write, don't work right, can't concentrate. When I want fat but want to keep it healthy, I go with a couple of slices of avocado. It's the healthy kind of fat that your body really needs, and it adds something to a dry turkey sanchwich that makes it so much more satisfying.

I've gained and lost a lot of weight over the years, but I've never gained a pound on avocados. It's just a different kind of fat, and the body reacts differently to it.

Protein bars. Detour and One Way are my favorites. :-D

Well, being of German descent and watching my relatives drink everyday and live into their 90's, I don't take that with any grain of salt.

Drinking 3-4 beers over the course of 3-4 hours is no worse for you than drinking white milk. It is probably better for you. When I start trying to be Sophomore Bob again drinking 15-16 beers, then we can continue this conversation.

>> So far I have been on this "thing" for about 2 weeks, I got into some of my old jeans, feel great.

Ok, you asked for advice. If you don't think that drinking a few beers every day will make losing fat extremely harder to do then you are very mistaken. Take whatever advice you want with a grain of salt I dont give 2/3 of a turd, however, I won't be responding to anymore of your questions since you seem to have such knowledge of the human body. I, for one, have learned a huge lesson for the day. I had no clue that drinking drinking beers is better for you then drinking milk, and that drinking everyday makes you live a lot longer. Sheesh, I need to fire all my educators... they seem to not have a clue what they were teaching me :( Thanks whataboutbob!

Alcohol not only is as rich in calories as fat but also slows down the metabolism thus making it harder to lose weight. Saying that there is ample research saying that a beer or wine a day is good for your heart and prolongs life. Black beer is better than light beer for you. Conclusion: Beer is good for you in moderation.