Packing your own lunch for work is a major advantage in your weight loss journey. You have full control over the ingredients and you can get as creative as you want. But how do you know what to bring?
For many people, lunch is the midday meal and halfway mark of the day. Breakfast was eaten three to four hours ago and now you feel your energy waning and your focus slipping. These are characteristic signs that your body is hungry and ready to refuel.
Other signals your body is ready to eat:
Arriving at your next meal starving is not recommended for weight loss. You are more likely to overeat while in this state.
If you are consistently famished by lunchtime, it is a good sign you either need to increase your energy intake at breakfast or break up your morning by adding a low-glycemic snack.
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn about </strong> <a href="/blog/exercise-before-or-after-breakfast">the effects of exercising before or after breakfast</a>.</p>
A healthy lunch is a balanced meal that incorporates the different food groups and fiber. At the end of your meal, you should feel satisfied and ready to get on with the second half of your day.
A balanced meal features all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. All of these provide energy and vital nutrients to keep you healthy. If you sacrifice one area, you risk missing out on a specific nutrient or fiber, making the diet hard to follow long term.
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Read about </strong> <a href="/blog/macronutrients-vs-micronutrients">macronutrients vs micronutrients</a>.</p>
Making healthy meals at home will make a big difference for your calorie intake and your wallet.
When you prepare your own work lunch, you have complete control over the ingredients and the portion sizes. Even healthy-seeming pre-packaged salads and sandwiches can sneak unnecessary calories into your diet that can work against your weight loss plan.
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Don’t forget to bring snacks as well. Ideally, your snacks will cover at least two food groups. If you pack fresh fruit, include some peanut butter (for the protein).
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Read about </strong> <a href="/blog/high-fiber-low-carb-foods">the best high-fiber, low-carb foods for blood sugar control</a>.</p>
The most diligent people who pack lunches for the week create a weekly meal plan.7 Having a plan helps to build a weekly grocery list, and takes the guesswork out of what’s for lunch. Here are some ideas to try, or get inspired by:
If you need help figuring out what kind of meals to plan for lunch at work, check out this article all about low GI lunches!
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn more about </strong> <a href="/blog/food-tracking">meal tracking tips & food tracking apps</a>.</p>
There are easy steps you can take to make packing a healthy work lunch easier, until it becomes part of your new routine:
Finding systematic ways to make healthy work lunches will make it easier to create and stick with your improved eating habits.
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Find out why </strong> <a href="/blog/why-eggs-weight-loss">eggs are so good for weight loss</a>.</p>
Beverages should be considered part of your lunch meal. Make deliberate choices about the drinks you pair with your meals, and try to include low-sugar options whenever possible.
Bringing a drink from home is an economical option that can also be more nutritious.
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn about </strong> <a href="/blog/does-drinking-water-help-you-lose-weight">drinking water for weight loss</a>.</p>
Most cooked meals will hold for an average of 30 days in the freezer. If you want to reheat something to eat for lunch at work, freeze it in a microwave-friendly container.
Fruits freeze very well and can be added to your yogurt or oatmeal without being thawed first. By the time lunchtime rolls around, the fruits should have melted and become more palatable.
The healthy eating plate model is a fantastic visual tool you can reference to assess your meals:9
The healthy eating plate model is also a fantastic way to assess your dinner plate while dining out. It is not uncommon for a restaurant meal to be 50% carbs and 50% protein, with two small pieces of broccoli on the side. This meal setup is very different from what is recommended in the healthy eating plate model and could benefit from modifying the ratios of your food groups.
Not everyone has the freedom or control over the timing of their lunch time meal. If you have the choice, try to eat your work lunch at a time of day when you can take a quick walk after eating. It will help digestion and is an excellent strategy to manage your blood sugars.
If you do have some control over your schedule, try blocking thirty minutes to an hour each day on your work calendar for preparing and eating lunch and even a quick after-meal walk.
Research has shown that even a ten-minute walk after eating will lower your blood glucose levels.10 Your muscles rely on glucose for fuel, and the more you move your body and use your muscles after eating the more sugar they will burn.
Squeezing movement into your workday can also naturally perk up your energy levels, help you focus again, and just blow off some steam if you are having a stressful day.
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn more about </strong> <a href="/blog/control-blood-sugar-spikes-after-meals">managing post-meal blood sugar spikes</a>.</p>
A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is the perfect device to track the effects of foods and physical activity on your blood glucose levels. For example, review the data on days you are not able to go for a walk after lunch compared to the days when you are.
The more context you can provide to interpret your blood sugars, the more deeply you will understand your body’s response to specific foods and other factors (such as stress or quality of sleep).
Having direct data on how your body is metabolizing glucose can be very motivating. Weight loss can be a long-term commitment, and using tools such as a CGM device can keep you inspired.
<p class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn more about </strong> <a href="/blog/cgm-data-weight-loss">analyzing CGM data to personalize your weight loss plan</a>.</p>
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