What to at for lunch to lose weight? Tips and balanced meal ideas

Losing weight doesn't necessarily mean eating less, but above all eating better. However, lunch is often neglected. Between busy days, lack of time or the temptation of ready-made meals, it becomes difficult to adopt a balanced diet that promotes weight loss.

• How to choose the right lunch to avoid compromising your weight loss goals?
• Which foods to favor and which to avoid 

Whether you're at the office, working from home or traveling, there are suitable solutions for every situation.

Here is a complete guide to making the best choices and reaching your weight loss goals without frustration.

Lunch is a key meal of the day. After a morning of intellectual or physical effort, the body needs energy to continue functioning optimally. However, a poorly structured meal can quickly lead to negative consequences on your metabolism and eating habits.

• A decrease in energy and concentration: A meal too low in nutrients leads to fatigue and difficulties in staying productive in the afternoon.
  
  
• Uncontrolled cravings: A lunch that is too light or poorly composed promotes sugar cravings and leads to snacking from 3 PM.
  
  
• Fat storage: When the body receives an excess of fast sugars or saturated fats, it transforms them into fat reserves, which complicates weight loss.

The goal is therefore not to eat less, but to eat smartly by favoring foods that ensure permanent satiety, provide energy and limit blood sugar fluctuations.

Even with the best intentions in the world, some dietary mistakes can slow down weight loss and sometimes lead to weight gain.

1. Skipping lunch: Many people think that by avoiding a meal, they naturally reduce their calorie intake and accelerate weight loss. In reality, it's quite the opposite. The body, lacking nutrients, will try to compensate by increasing the feeling of hunger at the end of the day. Result: a dinner that's too heavy and difficulty controlling portions.
   
   
2. Eating too light: Having only a green salad or a yogurt is not enough. Without proteins or good carbohydrates, hunger will return very quickly, thus promoting snacking that sabotages all efforts made.
   
   
3. Choosing processed meals: Prepared meals, store-bought sandwiches, or pre-made salads often contain too much salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Even options that seem healthy can contain calorie-rich sauces or additives that slow down weight loss.
   
   
4. Neglecting hydration: The feeling of hunger is sometimes confused with thirst. Not drinking enough water during the day can promote cravings and encourage eating when the body is simply asking for hydration.

A good slimming meal should be neither too restrictive nor too heavy. It must contain all the essential nutrients to ensure proper metabolism functioning and prevent food cravings in the afternoon.

Prepare your meals in advance
Planning your meals helps avoid improvising with what you find in the fridge.

Prioritize complete meals
Examples:

• Quinoa salad with chickpeas, avocado, and chicken breast.

• Spinach omelet with a slice of whole wheat bread.

• Sautéed vegetables with grilled tofu and basmati rice.

For days when you haven't prepared anything, here are quick ideas that respect the right proportions of proteins, starchy foods and vegetables.

Cold options without cooking

• Whole wheat wrap with hummus, turkey and raw vegetables: Whole wheat tortilla (starchy foods), turkey (proteins), grated carrots and cucumber (vegetables).

• Whole grain bread slices, hard-boiled eggs and mixed salad: Whole grain bread (starchy foods), hard-boiled eggs (proteins), green salad and tomatoes (vegetables).

• Avocado stuffed with tuna and chickpeas: Avocado (good fats), tuna (proteins), chickpeas (starchy foods), tomatoes and red onions (vegetables).

• Express Buddha bowl: Brown rice (starchy foods), grilled tofu (proteins), grated carrots and baby spinach (vegetables).

• Quick poke bowl: Quinoa (starchy foods), raw or cooked salmon (proteins), edamame and cucumber (vegetables).

Hot options in less than 10 minutes

• Vegetable omelet with whole grain bread: Eggs (proteins), mushrooms and bell peppers (vegetables), whole grain bread (starchy foods).

• Quick stir-fry of vegetables and spiced tofu: Tofu (proteins), frozen vegetables (vegetables), quick-cook quinoa (starchy foods).

• Chickpea patties with Greek yogurt and crunchy vegetables: Chickpeas (starchy foods and proteins), Greek yogurt (proteins), cucumber and radish (vegetables).

• Quick chicken wok with vegetables and whole wheat noodles: Chicken breast (proteins), whole wheat noodles (starchy foods), Chinese cabbage and bell peppers (vegetables).

• Complete soup with vegetables and red lentils: Red lentils (starchy foods and proteins), carrots, zucchini and celery (vegetables).

Protein snacks as supplements

If your meal is a bit light or you feel hungry in the afternoon, here are some ideas to complement without excess:

• A plain yogurt with a handful of chia seeds.

• A high-protein bar.

• A 0% fat cottage cheese with almonds.

• A sugar-free applesauce with a handful of nuts.

• A protein drink.

Prepare your lunch in advance
Examples:

• Grilled turkey fillet, green beans, and brown rice.

• Lentil salad with feta and crunchy vegetables.

Make the right choices when eating out
If you're eating at a restaurant or cafeteria, prefer:

• A source of lean protein.

• A portion of vegetables.

• A reasonable amount of whole grain starch.

Meals purchased from the supermarket

• A mixed salad (be cautious of store-bought dressings).

• A plain yogurt or a high-protein bar.

These meals are ideal for batch cooking and can be reheated or eaten cold.

Complete meals to reheat

• Chickpea, sweet potato and basmati rice curry: Chickpeas (plant-based protein), sweet potato (starchy foods), zucchini and bell peppers (vegetables).

• Turkey stir-fry with vegetables and quinoa: Sliced turkey fillet (protein), quinoa (starchy foods), broccoli and carrots (vegetables).

• Shrimp stir-fry with vegetables and rice noodles: Shrimp (protein), whole grain rice noodles (starchy foods), Asian vegetable stir-fry (vegetables).

• Red lentil dahl with spinach and brown rice: Red lentils (plant-based protein), brown rice (starchy foods), spinach and tomatoes (vegetables).

• Fish en papillote with vegetables and bulgur: Cod or salmon (protein), bulgur (starchy foods), zucchini and cherry tomatoes (vegetables).

• Spice-marinated chicken with split pea puree and green beans: Chicken (protein), split peas (starchy foods), green beans (vegetables).

Take-away salads

• Quinoa, chickpea and crunchy vegetable salad: Quinoa (starchy foods), chickpeas (protein), carrots, cucumbers and radishes (vegetables).

• Lentil, salmon and avocado salad: Green lentils (starchy foods), grilled salmon (protein), avocado, tomatoes and bell peppers (vegetables).

• Brown rice, grilled chicken and grilled vegetables salad: Brown rice (starchy foods), chicken breast (protein), grilled eggplant and bell peppers (vegetables).

• Bulgur tabbouleh with chickpeas and feta: Bulgur (starchy foods), chickpeas and feta (protein), tomatoes, mint and cucumber (vegetables).

• Whole wheat pasta, tuna and spinach salad: Whole wheat pasta (starchy foods), canned tuna in water (protein), spinach, zucchini and olives (vegetables).

Plan ahead to avoid questions at noon

• Make a meal list for the week.

• Plan your grocery shopping according to planned meals. For example, you can prepare a list with meal ideas for each lunch and dinner and shop accordingly. Using drive-through grocery pickup is an excellent way to avoid all supermarket temptations!

• If you have trouble organizing, you can use apps like Jow that suggest meal ideas and directly generate a shopping list for drive-through pickup.

Prepare meals in advance

• Cook in large quantities and store in the refrigerator.

• Precook starches (quinoa, rice, sweet potato).

• Store cooked and raw vegetables to easily vary meals.

Optimize your time in the kitchen

• Cut raw vegetables in advance and store them in airtight containers.

• Always have frozen vegetable bags ready to cook.

• Marinate meat and fish the day before.

Always have healthy snacks on hand

• Keep a high-protein bar in your bag.

• Plan for a 4 PM snack to avoid overeating at dinner.

• Keep nuts (almonds, walnuts) handy for a quick and balanced snack.