Pack lunch like a boss for weight loss

May 15, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

Finally, the lunch hour hits.

And immediately, two opposite emotions hit you:

Delight that it’s time to eat… and despair, that you didn’t bring anything to eat.

Maybe you didn’t pack anything. Maybe it slipped your mind as you slipped outta your house. Maybe you ate it on the way to work. And now, you’ve gotta have something. Whole Foods is too far away. Starbucks has those horribly bruised leopard spotted bananas you’d rather starve than eat. Thus, the vending machine it is, while you return to your desk for a working, prepackaged lunch. One that’s gonna pack on the pounds and make weight loss a monumental chore.

But, let’s backtrack a bit and ask: is there another way?

Well, let’s think about it. Why do we forget lunch half the time? Of those reasons mentioned above, nine times out’ve ten, it’s ‘cause you never bothered to make it. I can relate. For a long time, my excuse was ’cause this was an extra fifteen minutes in the morning of sleep, yoga, writing, running, or walking the dog. And, while I didn’t consciously tell myself I was sacrificing lunch prep for those other activities, it inadvertently ended up happening anyway. So, why not just make my healthy meals ahead of time (duh)? Well, sometimes I did. But even that – slopping food into a container every night after a day that started before sunrise – can slip your mind (which, TBH, just wants to zone out on “Big Bang Theory” reruns by that time’ve day). And, while I’d always heard of “meal prepping for the week”, that was always a fail for me – one of massive proportions. If it was salad (which it usually was), it looked like Hulk vomit by Friday.

But maybe that’s just because I deserved a gold level “doing it wrong award”.

One that could’ve been averted, had I actually read some of these meal prep advice pieces.

And what was I missing from my salad prep? Well, ingredient-wise – nada. I had everything there I needed: leafy greens, beans and tofu, miscellaneous veggies. My issue, however was layer failure. Simply dripping my ingredients in hither and thither was why everything was wilted and soggy.

(“Genius diet idea; it’s so gross I’ve lost my appetite. Caloric deficit FTW!”)

The trick, on the contrary, is to plant your plant foods in the right places of the tupperware – starting with your leafy greens first. See, the reason my beans, tofu, and veggies were getting so soggy, is honestly so obvious I feel stupid even typing it out: if wetter stuff’s on top of drier stuff, the dryer stuff’s gonna get wet. (Can I get a simultaneous facepalm and eyeroll?) So, since leafy greens and those cooked veggies probably fall into that category, you’re probably gonna want to put them down first. Then, if you wanna add some quinoa or rice (or beans – my fave) that would need to go on top, so it doesn’t get wet-toilet-paper level mushy by dining time.

Then, finally: never put your dressing in the same container. Tupperware’s evolved. So, let’s take advantage of the ramekin sized containers they now make for your juicier toppings. The bonus is that, you may realize you don’t even need all those extra calories, ‘cause what you’ve got already tastes just fine on its own. Remember, you can always add more, but it’s tough to take it away, when it’s already slathered onto your salad.

And, that’s it. You buy five containers, layer ‘em up before the start of the week, and label ‘em like a five year old’s underwear. That way you don’t have to worry about putting your brain or body to work after the grind’s finally over, or ever missing out on a healthy lunch again.

(Protip: set a reminder-alarm on your phone to actually *grab* it from the fridge at ETD o’ clock)

So, to avoid the pre-packaged lunch trap, package your own lunch Sunday to last you the week!