Lunch options so uninspiring I just fast

[Anonymous]

I work down by McPherson square. About half our lunch options closed during the pandemic and never reopened. Half the time I just sit here and nothing is tempting enough to make me want to go all the way downstairs and walk a block or so to get it. I wish a chopt or a good taco place would open in one of the many empty store fronts.

I wish I was actually losing weight this way but I end up just pigging out when I get home.

[Anonymous]

I would use this to your dieting advantage. Eat eggs, toast and protein for breakfast, skip lunch, and have a healthy dinner.

[Anonymous]

Well, i like that you're putting a wrench in the whole "get workers back downtown so they can buy our stuff" freak effort.

[Anonymous]

I buy lunch ingredients and make a sandwich at the office - bread, turkey, etc.

[Anonymous]

I hate buying lunch out at work. It’s so expensive for a sandwich and never as good as I expect. With the exception of a super expensive sweetgreen, but I’d get sick of even that if i had it too much. The older I get, the happier I am with leftovers of my own cooking.

[Anonymous]

I ate healthier when I worked in the office. I would pack myself a salad or leftovers, and some healthy snacks. And then I had to eat it because I didn't have a kitchen full of choices. Time to brown bag it, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I ate healthier when I worked in the office. I would pack myself a salad or leftovers, and some healthy snacks. And then I had to eat it because I didn't have a kitchen full of choices. Time to brown bag it, OP.

I work not too far from you OP and I agree--it's also so expensive these days. I've started to bring carrots/hummus and crackers and cheese or sandwiches. If I skip lunch altogether, I pig out on junk when I get home.

[Anonymous]

I’ve become very devoted to my brown bag lunches. Ingredients for a salad are easy to put together and carry in. I also plan leftovers into my dinner cooking plans. Surely you have access to a microwave at your office?

[Anonymous]

Why can’t you take a snack?

[Anonymous]

I’ve grown to love salad kits. The Taylor Farms ones from Whole Foods are good.

[Anonymous]

Um, you know there is an option that is neither buying nor starving…right?

[Anonymous]

This is not hard. Pack a lunch

[Anonymous]

I work near a ton of fast casual options: Panera, Chipotle, mezeh, etc.

I still pack my lunch every single day. It’s cheaper, I can control what goes into it, and most importantly, I don’t starve and binge later.

It’s doable, op! Make a plan, make a shopping list, buy a cute lunchbag and good containers. Don’t feel sorry for yourself, take control

[Anonymous]

Can you take food? Do you have an office fridge? If not you can usually get by with ice packs in a lunchbox.

I don't have lunch buying options near my office so I have to take if I want to eat without leaving. I often take a salad but f I am in a huge rush I will take fruit and cottage cheese. Like a lot of cottage cheese. It takes 30 seconds to wash berries and dump them in a container and put cottage cheese in a container (or you can buy the pre-portioned ones, but I probably eat two portions). Keeps me full.

Sometimes I do fruit and a yogurt and a little bag of granola or nuts. Also fast. You can use frozen fruit, even. Just set it out an hour before you eat.

I have also been known to pack a piece of fruit and 2 cheesesticks.

It helps me to eat just a snack at home.

[Anonymous]

I keep a lot of ingredients for a variety of lunches in the office fridge. Bag of lettuce, hard boiled eggs, some deli slices and cheese. At my desk I keep fresh fruit and tomatoes and spices, canned tuna, and olive oil, vinegar and a loaf of bread. I can whip up a tuna salad sandwich, decent green salad, egg salad or even deviled eggs. Way better than the plastic wrapped day old deli sandwiches at the corner store.