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.

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.

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

This is not hard. Pack a lunch

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

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

Why can’t you take a snack?

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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.