The 5 Healthy Meal Prep Work Lunches for Weight Loss guide is perfect for you busy on the go people that have decided to prioritize their health. Find out our best meal prep ideas to keep you satisfied at work, organized at home, and winning on the scales. With our 5 healthy meal prep lunches you can’t fail.
What makes a healthy meal prep lunch for weight loss?
Weight loss depends on that all-important calorie deficit. That is eating fewer calories or burning off more calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. For most female adults maintenance calories add up to 2000 calories a day and 2500 for men. But that number changes based on age, gender, body composition, and fitness levels. Work out your Calorie Deficit here.
So how can you make easy lunches that meet your calorie deficit goals, but keep you full all day at work?
Follow our Guide that’s how!
Typically, our meals contain a combination of three macronutrients: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Unless you are following the Atkins or Keto diets, you should be eating all three of these macros and here’s why:
Protein
Protein = the weight loss secret. This macronutrient keeps you feeling full and satisfied and provides your body with essential proteins to build and repair muscle. It’s key to keeping you from raiding the donut box on your break and it can help to reduce the amount of fat stored around the abdomen. That’s right that stubborn body fat.
For a protein boost add things like:
- Eggs
- Tunafish
- Lean meats, like chicken, lean beef, and lamb
- Beans, pulses, and Tofu
- Nuts and seeds
- Protein powders
Low Calorie Natural Protein,
Chocolate Cookies & Cream, 25.6 Ounces
Prebiotic Fiber, Key Vitamins & Minerals
- Gluten-free and Kosher
- Support healthy digestion
- Associated with lower body weight
- Only 60 calories
So how much protein do you need?
We recommend making each meal 30% protein to encourage weight loss. Athletes and people wanting to gain muscle mass will want to increase that, but 30% is the best place to start. But you don’t have to make this about maths.
Success Alert: Focus on adding at least one source of protein to every meal and leave the maths to 5th graders. Throw a handful of beans into stews and curries, or add an egg to your salad box.
Carbohydrates
Carbs have been vilified recently as the enemy of weight loss but we need them. They’re the building blocks of energy and should make up 50% of our meals. Don’t forget it’s a calorie deficit you need to lose weight NOT banning bread from your diet.
To meet your carbohydrate needs try adding:
- Rice and grains
- Bread
- Pasta
- Starchy vegetables, like potatoes and yams
- Fruit and Vegetables
Success Alert: Make this the base of each of your meals. Start with a bed of rice or pasta, or any carb of your choice, then add your protein.
Fat
Fat is the macronutrient you need the least of, but you do need it. Fats are essential for health and provide essential nutrients that body cannot manufacture on its own and help us absorb vitamins while contributing to cell functioning. We reccommend 20% of fat in each meal. But not all fats are created equal. There are good fats, poly and mono -unsatutarted fats contribute to healthy blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels, while Saturated fats can lead to heart and vascular diseases.
Try incorperating mostly unsaturated fats into your diet, like:
- Nuts and Seeds
- Vegetable oils, like peanut and canola oil
- Avacados
That doesn’t mean that your favorite fatty foods are off limit, just kept within a calorie restricted diet. You can still enjoy saturated fats:
- Butter
- Cheese
- Non-lean meats
- Chocolate
- Chips
Success Alert: Enjoy saturated fats in moderation to keep a balanced but varied diet and secure your weight loss.
5 Healthy Meal Prep Work Lunches for Weight Loss
Try out these balanced weight loss meal prep lunches that are perfect for your work meal!
1. Chicken, broccoli and Rice
You can’t go wrong with this absoloute classic by gimmiedelicious.com; chicken, broccoli and rice. This lunch has the perfect balance of macronutrients and it only takes 20 mins to set yuou up for a week of workday lunches.
The best news? This recipe can be adapted to your own tastes. Try roast butternut sqaush instead of broccoli, egg fried rice and chicken in sweet and sour sauce. You could be eating a different lunch every day using the exact same recipe.
2. Naked Chicken Burrito Bowl Meal Prep
3.Chicken Caesar Salad With Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing Recipe
4. Make-Ahead Fruit & Greek Yogurt Parfait
5. Meal-Prep Shrimp Taco Bowls
Conclusion and final thoughts đź’
The choice is really yours with Healthy Meal Prep Work Lunches for Weight Loss! Grab some of your favourite recepies and ingredients, like the delicous meals above, save time and lose weight. Just don’t forget that all important calorie defecit.
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