If you’ve been looking to tighten your waist line or your budget, it can be overwhelming trying to think of all the many things you “should” be doing differently. For a softer, easier approach that will give you clear and consistent improvement, just try changing one thing: your lunch break. If you eat out at restaurants or other food service vendors, you are spending a lot more money than you probably realize. Spending $10 a day on lunch, five days per week can add up to as much as $230 dollars per month. With a little bit of planning, you can eat better food for far less money.
When you buy cheap fast food like burgers and processed chicken sandwiches, you are ingesting far more sodium, fat, additives, and calories than a homemade version of the same item. “Healthier” options like salads start in the $6 range at the cheapest fast food locations, and often have additives that you aren’t aware of that make it much less figure friendly than you probably realize. If you eat at a restaurant, there is a much more liberal application of oils and fats and the salad dressings are much more fatty than the average brands carried in the grocery stores. You’re spending 2-3 times more money and ingesting 2-3 times more calories than doing it yourself.
To make things easy, buy fresh or frozen chicken breasts on sale. Prepare them with marinades or rubs in flavors that you like. You can make them take on an Asian flair or give them bold Latin flavors. Think about what dishes you like in restaurants and you can find easy recipes to get the same flavors at home. Grill up several days’ worth of chicken and then the night before, slice them and add them to a salad mix from the store. Add nuts, cheese, dried fruit or anything else you enjoy. Keep salad dressing and crisp components separate until you are ready to eat. Fill up on the lean protein and extra greens. You will be full for far fewer calories and will save a bundle.