Let’s have a vote. Which is worse, that annoying coworker a few doors down that’s a pop-culture quote machine OR that nerve-wracking hour you get for your lunch break?
For those who only get 30 minutes for lunch, I’m sorry. For those that only get 15 minutes file a class action lawsuit against society because that just shouldn’t exist.
Lunch time is one of the worst times for the person who is trying to get healthy and lose weight.
First, its nerve-wracking because it is the fastest hour you will experience in your day.
Second, by the time you finish decompressing from the work load or from Mr. Pop Culture its already 45 minutes into it.
Third, it’s where a lot of bad food choices are made. From fast food, to cafeteria food, to bad left overs, to vending machines, it’s just a land mine of mistakes waiting to happen.
The bright side is, since this is an area where a lot of people sabotage their weight loss, if you find a solution for it you will be getting over a huge real-world weight loss barrier.
Here are my 7 ways to burn fat on your lunch break:
1 – Never Skip Lunch
If you skip lunch you will be sabotaging your dinner. You’ll be starving by 5 o’clock and the thought of a balanced meal just doesn’t sound like that great of an idea anymore.
During lunch you can do a couple of things. There are left over options that are outlined in my awesome cookbook (get that here).
Or, you can try any one of these fat burning foods:
Potato, Sweet potato, Yams, Squash, Pumpkin, Steamed brown rice, Steamed wild rice, Lentils, Couscous, Kashi, Bulgur, Whole-wheat pasta, Oatmeal, Barley, Beans (black, kidney), Corn, Strawberries, Melon, Apple, Orange, Fat-free yogurt, Fat-free milk, Whole-wheat bread, High-fiber cereal, Whole-wheat tortilla, Whole-wheat pita bread, Whole grains, Fresh berries, Citrus, Avocado, Cinnamon (Not Cinnabon), Eggs, Mustard, Chilli Peppers, Hot sauce, Ginger, Popcorn, Cottage Cheese, Seafood, Nuts.
2 – Eat Protein With Your Meal
As you can see in tip #1, there are plenty of foods you can easily pack for lunch. Combining protein with your meal will also provide you with energy, gives a boost to your metabolism, helps build muscle and prevents you from overeating.
If you want to be real quick about your lunch and still benefit from a balanced lunch you can have a protein-packed smoothie.
Click on the image to get a whole 10-day smoothie detox guide and a bonus book featuring 8 stories and 8 ways to lose 10 pounds in a week.
My favorite thing I used to do at lunch time was come to work with a Tupperware container that had steak, chicken or turkey I made earlier in the week and a small container of homemade dressing. I would then get a huge salad bar full of greens, beans and veggies from the grocery store nearby.
When lunch time came around I would heat up the protein and have myself a huge salad.
This whole elaborate meal usually cost under $5 (Pro tip: it’s usually the weight of the protein that makes your salad bar salads so expensive).
3 – Walk (Exercise’s Friendlier Cousin)
When I made my massive salad, I would walk to the grocery store and back. That whole endeavor would usually take me about 20 minute.
A 20-minute walk does many things. In that time you can reflect, relax, decompress, enjoy the fresh air, get away from the zoo, listen to your favorite music or audio book or simply be left alone.
I cherished that alone time.
The key to this is to really use that time for yourself only. So, none of that eating lunch at the desk nonsense anymore, right?
Walking also gives you the opportunity of taking the stairs, which you should do always and often. It’s a great way to sneak in some exercise without realizing it.
I chose to commute to work on the subway. I walked to the bus stop, took the bus to the subway station, took the train into the City and walked to my work site. The whole commute took 1 hour and 20 minutes.
I calculated that between my commute and lunch walks, I was walking over 2 miles a day without even realizing it. Plus, I got A LOT of reading done.
4 – Slow Down and Chew
This might sound like a strange one, but what I’ve learned is that a big part of the reason why we overeat is because of how fast we eat.
Lunch breaks are notorious for this because we have to guzzle food down and get back to work ASAP.
If you slow down and give yourself at least 20 minutes to eat you will actually be healthier for it.
A 2010 Harvard study actually showed that eating slower makes you feel full faster. Yes, that Harvard.
When you eat slower you are more conscious of your food. You are able to feel the sense of satisfaction the brain signals to the rest of your body, which makes you eat less naturally.
You are also able to better digest your food. Eating too fast contributes to bloating… And nobody likes a stressed out and gassy coworker.
5 – Calculate Target Calories
In this crazy world we live in, most people will consume a vast majority of their calories during their lunch break.
A lot of times it’s not because of the amount of food consumed, but rather the type of food. It’s actually no surprise considering that the Monday-Friday lunch time is where most people will seek out a quick bite to eat from the burger place next door.
It is also the time where these bad food decisions become incorporated into a schedule, which in turn creates a habit.
Allot yourself a calorie amount, like 400 for your lunch. You’ll be surprised how much food you can have in 400 calories.
The key here is to have lower calorie, but much more flavorful foods. So adding condiments and spices to your proteins, sandwiches, wraps, salads or soups can easily keep you under 400 calories without missing the Whopper with extra pickles.
6 – No Sugary Drinks
Instead of the sugary drinks, why not drink something that actually boosts your metabolism.
There are plenty of detox and metabolism boosting water recipes that you can make and keep in the fridge for the whole week.
Drinking this type of water not only tastes a lot better but helps you burn fat as well.
Check out my products page for my Detox Water guide.
7 – Planning
We all know that we have to eat lunch. We all know that its going to be hectic. We all know that the time is going to fly by too.
Planning your meals will satisfy all of the above tips.
You can plan your meals by keeping a food journal where you track your meals and weight goals. You can also update your iPhone and download some health tracker apps where you can track your daily activities, meals, how long you sleep and how far you walk per day.
Staying on top of your health is not a hard thing to do.
We make it hard by forgetting about ourselves and our own needs. Until it gets too late and then we start fighting an uphill battle.
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Let me know what YOU do to burn extra calories while on the job.
Leave a comment below!