lean protein, no carb lunches

meganb1977 · January 2012

Trying to change my diet to more/leaner proteins and reduce carbs. Got some stuff for breakfast and dinner and a few more ideas for those meals, but having a hard time for lunch where I'm trying to do zero carbs. The only thing I could think of is a salad with chicken strips or tuna on top. I'm picky about what I eat and hardly even use condiments on my food. I thought of soup but it seems like they all have rice or noodles in them. Any ideas?

Wish me luck as well, trying to get fiance on board (which will make it easier for me when cooking dinner). He could stand to eat leaner/healthier just as much as I could but he's leery of the lean proteins and whole grains.

Thanks in advance!

junilla · January 2012

Good luck! I agree...lunch is much harder, especially if you are at work. Salad gets really old and is hard to eat "on the go" if you are busy. Try making a double recipe of whatever you have for dinner, and then take the leftovers for lunch. Or, I was thinking of trying a "healthy" egg salad recipe this week, and just eating it sans bread (sad...I MISS BREAD lol) Key for me is my 3 p.m. cheese snack! gets me through until dinner. Good luck getting the fiancé on board!

allisonkbye · January 2012

Clif bars! I eat one of those for lunch and I'm full for the rest of the day. They are so filling infact sometimes I only eat half of one for lunch and snack on the rest of it during the day.

number55 · January 2012

Um, I think you are trying to do no grains, not no carbs. Pretty much anything you eat, especially fruits and vegetables have carbs. Just want to clarify that you pretty much can't eat without eating carbs. You can however steer clear of grains, if you so choose. Your choices will however be fairly limited: salad with protein or protein with veggies...same things, different names.

Summer2011Bride · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:0e52601d-d655-4bb8-a476-915c1f0a2811">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]Um, I think you are trying to do no grains, not no carbs. Pretty much anything you eat, especially fruits and vegetables have carbs. Just want to clarify that you pretty much can't eat without eating carbs. You can however steer clear of grains, if you so choose. Your choices will however be fairly limited: salad with protein or protein with veggies...same things, different names.
Posted by number55[/QUOTE]

Ditto this. You don't want to completely cut out carbs. For one, that's impossible, and for two, although carbs get a bad rap, carbs ARE a necessary part of our diet and can be healthy. All fruit has carbs, for instance. You can also get healthy carbs from things like whole grains (brown rice, for instance). You probably are trying to cut "starchy" carbs like white potatoes, white rice, white bread, etc.

J&K10910 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:a5f8d2f0-6b12-4f9e-936c-354ed42a1b52">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]Clif bars! I eat one of those for lunch and I'm full for the rest of the day. They are so filling infact sometimes I only eat half of one for lunch and snack on the rest of it during the day.
Posted by allisonkbye[/QUOTE]

Those are pretty much solid bars of carbs.

I assume by carbs you mean grains. Because fruits and veggies are almost completely carbs. (ETA: Number and Summer beat me to it while I was posting!) As a PP suggested, making extra for your dinner and taking the leftovers for lunch is the easiest thing, if you have access to a fridge and microwave.

Grilled/baked/sauteed chicken with veggies and/or fruit
A burger without a bun with a salad
Stuffed peppers
Chicken and yogurt

I hope you're not completely cutting out grains unless you have a medical reason. I think you mentioned eating whole grains, which is an excellent choice. Have you tried quinoa? It's a complete protein (has all the amino acids) and has lots of fiber. I like to make a "salad" with quinoa, feta, halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, lemon, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and a little olive oil (you can add chicken too if you want some meat). It keeps me full for hours.

atowle1 · January 2012

Salad is definitely a great option, especially with strips of boneless skinless grilled chicken strips (available pre-cooked from Perdue at any grocery store). In the past, I've also gone to Subway before work and ordered a salad- you can have any of their sandwiches made into a salad. I recommend either the Oven Roasted Chicken Breast or the Sweet Onion Chicken- both are great, super low in carbs AND calories AND fat... and you can even get Double Meat to boost the protein and end up with a bigger salad so you can split it between 2 meals.

Aside from salad, I like the Mission Low Carb Burrito Wraps, which I add a piece of pre-cooked boneless skinless chicken breast to (or low-sodium deli meats), salsa, sometimes a little cheese... You can get creative with veggies and condiments that you do like and fit your dietary profile. Make it the night before for a quick grab-and-go in the morning. It's not "zero" carbs- but it's still low (like under 10g).

I also like to cook an extra piece of boneless skinless chicken/tuna/salmon etc. the night before, and have leftovers. Pair it with low sodium cottage cheese for a crazy protein boost with hardly any carbs.

Be careful with soup. Most of the canned varieties are FULL of salt (even a lot of the so-called "Low Sodium" ones), which makes all those calories stick.

The important thing to remember with all of this, is to just keep in mind that "zero" carbs, while fine if you're doing it every now and then, is actually counter-productive in terms of weight loss/ overall health if you do it more long-term. There's a reason why Atkins and South Beach are now pretyt much considered "fad" diets in the health community. Carbs provide essential energy that boost metabolism and provide energy to get through your day- and your (necessary) workouts. Foods like fruit and some veggies are high in carbs, but absolutely great for you. Remember: how many people have you ever heard of who got fat from eating too many apples and bananas? It's all about balance

meganb1977 · January 2012

Oh no, I'm not going completely without carbs, sorry for any confusion and thanks for the suggestions! Trying to eat whole grains and avoid the starchy stuff, and increase protein...this is what one of the trainers at the gym suggested if I wanted to burn a little belly fat before the wedding, to eat something with whole grain for breakfast and then again for dinner after working out, but avoid grains at lunchtime. Definitely still eating fruit especially since that will give me something a little sweet without any need for guilt over it.

I tried some high protein Greek yogurt with strawberry and liked it, still have more flavors to try. And had salad with tuna but can see where it would get monotonous. Found some protein bars at Sam's which were half the price as the supermarket. Also got some fish which will be good for lean protein and fiance likes fish. We stocked up on that and canned vegetables (which were also cheaper than the supermarket) so I think it might be feasible to cook an extra piece of fish or whatever and then make a lunch out of that and the extra veggies since fiance and I aren't going to eat a whole can of veggies. Still hoping that the brown rice and whole grain pasta will win us both over!

J&K10910 · January 2012

Is there a reason your trainer told you to avoid grains at lunch time? It really doesn't matter WHEN you eat them. Most people have better luck tracking and shooting for a certain target each day--for you, something like 100-150g of carbs would probably be somewhere to start.

J&K10910 · January 2012

And to give you a rough idea of how much 100-150g of carbs is... I don't eat gluten. On a day when I have one grain side (rice or quinoa), and a good amount of fruits and veggies (at least 5-6 servings combined), and very little refined sugar, I eat about 100g of carbs. It's on the low end for sure, but it's reasonable and for most people it's an ok amount of carbs to still fuel and get what they need.

Jaridds68 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:334f6bcf-bb10-4f5e-8fa1-95628ee941d2">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]...Also got some <strong>fish</strong> which will be good for lean protein and fiance likes fish. We stocked up on that and <strong>canned vegetables </strong>(which were also cheaper than the supermarket)...
Posted by meganb1977[/QUOTE]

White fish is an excellent source of protein! Also try shrimp (you can add it to a salad w/ balsamic to change up your salad routine).

Just be careful w/ the sodium levels - canned food usually contains much higher sodium than the fresh alternative.

Ground (lean) turkey is another good way of getting some extra protein in your diet (by itself, on salads, in soup, in a burrito etc). Egg whites and almonds are other good protein sources. Good luck!

J&K10910 · January 2012

Oh yes, frozen is an excellent alternative to canned veggies--much less sodium and usually tastes better! A little more expensive, but not much. Still much cheaper than fresh.

therabbitsmith · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:cfa0633d-3b81-4ec3-a5e0-ad13c6f2f23c">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]Is there a reason your trainer told you to avoid grains at lunch time? It really doesn't matter WHEN you eat them. Most people have better luck tracking and shooting for a certain target each day--for you, something like 100-150g of carbs would probably be somewhere to start.
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

My sister is a nutritionist and she says its usually best to eat grains/bread either for breakfast or after a workout but try to avoid it later in the day...

Idk... she got all technical when i asked why... Alot of it didn't make sense but what I understood did haha.

J&K10910 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:98063977-7b68-4ba1-b8ee-815e65297496">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: lean protein, no carb lunches : My sister is a nutritionist and she says its usually best to eat grains/bread carbs either for breakfast or after a workout but try to avoid it later in the day...
Posted by therabbitsmith[/QUOTE]

But WHY? Is there a scientific reason for it?

therabbitsmith · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:ffbdfcb1-038e-4e6b-861f-d62102bb2821">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: lean protein, no carb lunches : But WHY? Is there a scientific reason for it?
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

Something about your body using it while your active vs not active. I'm an accountant. I just eat what she tells me to eat hahaha

something she wrote in a workout discussion on fb:
I personally believe you should makes carbs important in <span class="highlight"><strong><font color="#ff0000">breakfast</font></strong></span> your body is so hungry. The reason your body will MAYBE go into ketone production is because you haven't ate in about 12 hours but that is very rare. When your body does this it takes the amino acids and breaks them apart to make glucose so that your heart and brain can function (because they only use glucose, not PRO and FAT). So it doesn't really make sense to consume protein because that isn't what your body needs because it's sitting there destroying it (does that make sense?). So that is why so many love oatmeal and the reason you can still eat your toast..

allisonkbye · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:ffbdfcb1-038e-4e6b-861f-d62102bb2821">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: lean protein, no carb lunches : But WHY? Is there a scientific reason for it?
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

<div>When you eat in the morning, period, you are kick starting your metabolism for the rest of the day. Carbs that are not used as energy are stored as fat. If you eat carbs in the morning you have the rest of the day to burn them off. If you eat carbs at night guess what...exactly. However if you work out in the morning, it's good to eat a dinner of carbs the night before so you have that energy. Obviously, as long as you are burning more than you are consuming. So it really all depends on what time of the day you work out. </div><div>
</div><div>FYI a Clif bar contains 9 grams of that is fiber, and they also contain about 10g of protien. So they are not techincally "a whole bar of carbs". </div>

meganb1977 · January 2012

Yeah I think that's why the trainer was saying to have whole grain with my evening meal, because I was going to be going to the gym after work before I headed home for dinner...later in the day yes, but after a workout.

The brown rice for dinner didn't turn out to be too bad either. I think I liked it better than fiance, but he said he would be fine with using it sometimes if I still used white rice sometimes.

J&K10910 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:7917ff14-4bbc-47b3-9e89-6321783f0327">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: lean protein, no carb lunches : When you eat in the morning, period, you are kick starting your metabolism for the rest of the day. Carbs that are not used as energy are stored as fat. If you eat carbs in the morning you have the rest of the day to burn them off. If you eat carbs at night guess what...exactly. However if you work out in the morning, it's good to eat a dinner of carbs the night before so you have that energy. Obviously, as long as you are burning more than you are consuming. So it really all depends on what time of the day you work out. FYI a Clif bar contains 9 grams of that is fiber, and they also contain about 10g of protien. So they are not techincally "a whole bar of carbs".
Posted by allisonkbye[/QUOTE]

But you still use energy, even while you're sleeping. Not as much, of course, but you do.

And I know what's in a Clif bar. But it still doesn't fit in with what she was asking for.

arwo · January 2012

I'm with J&K on this one. This whole "avoid carbs at such-and-such meals" is weird, magical thinking, and as far as I know, there's no actual evidence that it is true. Instead, it seems like some gimmick that someone came up with that "makes sense" but isn't necessarily true. Show me evidence that avoiding carbs at lunch is more effective for weightloss, and I might change my tune--but I'm guessing it's just a gimmick that leads to lower calorie consumption and therefore greater weightloss.

rlavach · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:a5f8d2f0-6b12-4f9e-936c-354ed42a1b52">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]Clif bars! I eat one of those for lunch and I'm full for the rest of the day. They are so filling infact sometimes I only eat half of one for lunch and snack on the rest of it during the day.
Posted by allisonkbye[/QUOTE]
How is half a Clif bar enough nutrition for lunch? It may be filling, but it's not balanced.<div>
</div><div>I've fallen off the wagon in the last few months, but I have to get myself back on track. When I was seeing a trainer, he said that I actually wasn't eating enough. Especially during the day. I needed to eat more fresh foods and to eat more during breakfast & lunch. Then perhaps a little less during dinner to compensate. </div><div>
</div><div>I'm vegan, so it can be easy to rely on a carbfest to fill me up. I'm not a huge fan of too many meat substitutes, since it's processed, so I try to have a lot of beans. OP, I often like to make a green salad and then top it with a bean salad to add some more substance. Or, I'll make a couscous or quinoa salad and add beans to that. Mmm, now I'm hungry!</div>

allisonkbye · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:6f9e94f8-240a-46ff-9eb6-18070f7e085f">Re: lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: lean protein, no carb lunches : How is half a Clif bar enough nutrition for lunch? It may be filling, but it's not balanced.
Posted by rlavach[/QUOTE]

<div>from clif bars website...</div><div><font color="#000000">
</font></div><div><font color="#000000">"<span style="background-color:#c4b391;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;text-align:-webkit-auto;">CLIF BARs contain carbohydrates, good to excellent amounts of protein (9-11 grams) and good amounts of fiber (4-5 grams). CLIF BARs also contain 23 vitamins and minerals and are free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives and ingredients sourced from GMOs." </span></font></div><div><span style="background-color:#c4b391;color:#242021;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;text-align:-webkit-auto;">
</span></div><div style="text-align:left;">
</div>

entropicbeauty · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_lean-protein-carb-lunches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:93e5fcf4-a1cf-483c-9159-3684084aba58Post:0c1eb871-4bde-40e4-9fc4-107aa734b4c0">lean protein, no carb lunches</a>:
[QUOTE]Trying to change my diet to more/leaner proteins and reduce carbs. Got some stuff for breakfast and dinner and a few more ideas for those meals, but having a hard time for lunch where I'm trying to do zero carbs. The only thing I could think of is a salad with chicken strips or tuna on top. I'm picky about what I eat and hardly even use condiments on my food. I thought of soup but it seems like they all have rice or noodles in them. Any ideas? Wish me luck as well, trying to get fiance on board (which will make it easier for me when cooking dinner). He could stand to eat leaner/healthier just as much as I could but he's leery of the lean proteins and whole grains. Thanks in advance!
Posted by meganb1977[/QUOTE]

Campbell's has a new kettle something or other soup that is Chicken and white beans - hardly any carbs in it and it's TASTY. I highly recommend it.

lean protein, no carb lunches

Re: lean protein, no carb lunches

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