How do I eat right for lunch at work?

Drink more water at work. Try to find a Subway instead of BK. Get some healthy take-out ( Thai, Italian, etc. ) the night before and take to work. Read Liz Applegate on RW and pretend you're interested. Get an Italian mother.

Workin', we are in similar positions running-wise. Lately, here is how I have been doing it, and it seems to work pretty well. I rarely eat eat breakfast, but I do pack a huge lunch (less than Taco Bell and is a bit healthier - although I have never been one to deprive myself of snacks, regardless of health value). I eat the main part of my lunch (usually 3 pb&js or turkey sandwiches) on the way to work (be careful (esp. with gloppy jam) and don't forget to brush off any bread crumbs immediately after getting out of the car - I've learned the way you would prefer not to). I run my main run during lunch on most days... nice if you can swing it. Throughout the day, I'm a scavanger of the other components of the "lunch" (bananas, orange(s), pudding, juice boxes, peanuts, and at least 3 Dr. Peppers (my personal vice)).

It gets me to dinner where my wife usually has some fare that is very nutritious - serious-runner-worthy.

Good luck!

Oh dude, if you are for real with this question then I say you had better change you attitude toward fast food.

Fast food is bad, bad, bad.

You had the right idea with packing your lunch. Go back to that. Do this though - add something to eat as a late afternoon snack - 1.5 - 2 hours before your evening run. This can be a granola bar, a piece of fruit, a piece of cheese, pretzels. Pretty much anything is better than eating fast food for lunch every day.

Whylimit yourself to eating three times a day? The healthiest option is to have several smaller meals spread throughout the day, and especially if you are hungry in the late afternoon after eating a healthy lunch, have a little something.

Just quit that fast food. It's fast all right - fast to putting you in the grave (ok that was dumb, but you know what I mean). It's just bad for you brother.

Try packing a small lunch and a few snacks.

What works best for me is eating a light breakfast (bowl of oatmeal and OJ) after my morning run, then a small snack at mid-morning (yogurt), a light lunch (maybe some soup or a sandwich), followed by another small snack in the late afternoon. This regimen keeps my energy level up all day and doesn't make me feel bloated before my evening workout. I've found that when I eat a large lunch I often feel like puking half-way through my evening run. However, by "grazing" all day, my food digests easier and my hunger is satisfied.

I occasionally go out for lunch with coworkers and end up eating a large meal. Those are the days that I avoid doing any type of intense workout because I know I will suffer the consequences if I do.

I have found that adding some healthy protein like yogurt, nuts, PB&J (a little thick on the PB) gives me a feeling of being more full. It seems to be working for me. I make my lunch the night before so I'm not in a big hurry during the morning. Also, for breakfast I eat oatmeal, fruit, and a self-made recipe protein shake. Again, I feel pretty full throughout the morning. Since I've done this my training seems to have improved significantly and I have more energy. I think before my diet did not include enough protein. This has worked for me...

I "brown bag" most days although I use an insulated lunch bag/box to keep things cool (I like cool fruit). First, I try to pack most of my lunch the night before and leave it in the fridge. I include a minimum of 2 fruits and at least 1 veg (baby carrots, grape/cherry tomato, etc.). Then there's a carton of yogurt and a large sandwich (usually on whole wheat). I like tuna salad but I use no/low-fat dressing or hummus as the binder. I also like turkey breast and I often butterfly a chicken breast that was grilled for the previous night's dinner. Wonderful with some romaine, tomato, etc.. I will resort to PB&J if there's nothing else around. Whatever you choose, I think it is important to have some decent quality protein source for lunch.

The other things that help are a solid breakfast (for me that's usually a double bowl of raisin bran with some other fruit or nuts added), and I leave a box of "cereal bars" in my desk if I get too hungry (basically overgrown fig-newtons, NOT those "bowl of cereal turned into a granola bar" things). A bag of hard candies (peppermints) is also handy for the odd craving.

Whatever you go with, bring a decent variety of healthy stuff, don't be afraid to bring a lot, and have a back-up that stores well for "emergencies". Just stay away from the FF joints; you'll save time, money, and health.

Oops, forget to mention that I will not eat all of that in one sitting. I tend to pull out a piece of fruit or whatnot at odd times, so I guess it's along the grazing route that others have mentioned.

If you aren't overweight, stick with Wendy's.

If you're preparing a healthy dinner, make a little more and take left-overs. Also, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, yogurt, and fruit are good to keep on hand.

I'm certainly not overweight (6'1", 145lbs), but don't like the idea of eating fast food every day (even though a whopper with fries and a coke tastes so good).

For the rest of the week, I'm going to try some of the suggestions and see what happens.

since i have had the same problem of being really hungry by the afternoon, i thought i would add one thing which has helped a lot. basically, eating out at lunch, (especially fast food), leaves me full the rest of the day, whereas eating my usual tuna fish sandwhiches just don't hold me over. i've found the main difference between the two meals is fat. so now i make sure i pack myself snacks which are high in good fats, which most of the time is a mixture of almonds and raisins, (to mix it up a little). i have found that this is a great way to keep my eating healthy and not be insanely hungry by the end of the day.

I've definitely faced the same problem, and my solution is pretty much what Fat Dude was advocating. No matter how many sandwiches I bring, it doesn't fill me up (or excite me), and I end up starving by 2pm. I really need a "real meal" at lunch to last the rest of the day. So whatever I'm making for dinner the night before, I keep exactly half for lunch the next day. Pop it in the microwave, and my main course is taken care of.

Of course, for balance, I also bring (like someone else mentioned above) at least two fruits (usually apple and banana) plus a vegetable (usually a carrot, sometime half a sweet red or green pepper), plus a little thing of yoghurt. And if I have any dessert on hand, heck, I'll bring some of that too. I graze on these other things during the day -- some of it in the morning, some of it after lunch.

Things that work well for the dinner/lunch double are any type of pasta (just mix the noodles with the sauce *before* they cool down, then it won't get all stuck together, and will reheat nicely), any sort of stirfry or curry with rice, pizza (homemade stuff can be pretty healthy if you just buy the crust), and so on.

Of course, sometimes you'll be out for dinner, or having something (like tacos) that doesn't lend itself to leftovers for lunch. On those days, you can resort to sandwiches. Alternately, I actually buy frozen dinners (stuff like Uncle Ben's Rice Bowls, or even Lean Cuisine). You don't even need to keep them refrigerated or frozen until lunch -- they last fine. Obviously, I'm not a big fan of these, but if you combine it with the aforementioned fruit, veggies, and yoghurt, it's not a bad meal -- definitely better than fast food, and actually cheaper.

Okay, so occasionally you'll still have to go out for lunch. Even if you settle for fast food, still bring the fruit and veggies to snack on during the day -- that way you might opt for a regular burger rather than the triple-decker.

Last point (I promise): keeping all the fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, and other snacks (nuts and raisins are a good one) on hand does cost some money. But I guarantee it's worth it from a health/performance standpoint. And don't nickle and dime yourself by buying cheap crappy yoghurt and moldy apples: get the good stuff so you'll be appetized the eat right, and you'll end up saving money by not eating out as much.

Sorry for the long rant!

Forget all of that stuff and go for the blonde. You'll run with a smile.

half pint wrote:

Forget all of that stuff and go for the blonde. You'll run with a smile.

So will I.

pack a BIG lunch, think about not only lunch but when you get hungry after lunch too-

something that worked for me- large water bottle/fruit juice/iced tea (try and stay away from soda)

sandwhich w/cheese, 2 slices of deli meat (turkey/ham/roast beef/chicken) and vegis- usually lettuce/tomatoe/cucumbers

2-3 pieces of fruit- banana/apple/pear/orange/watermelon, ect

dessert-sugars- jello pudding/cookies/granola bars/ maybe even a chocolate bar...

eat all that and you will be full... just pack an extra sandwhich if you need to

If your too lazy to pack your lunch, then ask Jared what he does.

Simple. Eat your coworkers' lunches. You'll always have enough, and it is a good opportunity to piss them off royally. No one ever comes forth with an accusation (just don't get caught), so it is 100% safe! Best practices include absconding with the lean cuisine immediately after seeing your boss put it in the fridge in the morning. It won't take long at all before messages and little nametags are put on the goods. These have never stopped me. Inexplicably, they actually make the food taste better! Using a little creativity, you'll have much more fun than you ever did in college, and you'll be saving money.

Try eating a little bit more at breakfast, even though you might not be that hungry when you first wake up.

I don't want breakfast damnit! Would that cost me money? Yes! Would it piss off my boss and frickin loser colleagues? NO!! I eating my co-workers' lunches, and everyone else should, too! Got it?