12 Easy Healthy Lunches for Weight Loss
I’m sharing 12 Packable healthy lunches to sustain weight loss. Each balanced lunch is half veggies, 1/4 protein and 1/4 carbs.
My packable lunches are a slight deviation from the weight loss meals I ate all summer (you can see those healthy meals here!). These lunches are more in line with my plate diet, except instead of splitting the grains and fruits into their own category, I’ve been eating 1/4 of the meal carbs- so I choose between a grain or a fruit).
For weight loss, I’ve found the Macro plate ideal with 1/2 your meal from veggies. Then for weight maintenance, I use the Myplate meal plan method, and get some extra carbs!
Instead, I’ve been using some meal prep lunch containers I found at Walmart (super cheap, only $3.46 for 5 of them). These have had the best seal, and my dressing doesn’t leak to the other compartments. (here’s more portioned lunch boxes here)
If you don’t have a Walmart close by, I also got these red containers on Amazon. However, I was not as impressed with these. The dressing does leak to the other compartment. If you don’t have liquids in here, these will work ok.
I started grad school this fall and I’ve been packing my lunch too take to school and sharing it on my stories.
But, just in case you missed it, here’s a recap of the meals I’ve taken to school so far. (and some of them are posted on my 30 day meal plan here)
I always try to eat
🥦 1/2 my meal veggies
🍗 1/4 protein and
🍎 1/4 carbs!
Low Calorie Lunches
Ground Turkey & Rice
- Ground turkey with mustard
- White rice
- Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and bolthouse dressing
Chicken & Apples
- Protein: Chicken breasts
- Carbs: Apples
- Veggies: Carrots, cucumber, and Bolthouse dressing
If you won’t be eating your lunch for a few hours, I recommend adding a bit of lemon juice to the apples to keep them from turning brown!
Low Calorie Chicken & Potatoes
- Protein: Chicken breasts
- Carbs: Potatoes
- Veggies: Green salad, carrots, and Bolthouse dressing
If you’re scared that your salad will get soggy, you can always pack it in a separate, small container!
Tuna & Naan
- Protein: Tuna
- Carbs: Naan bread
- Veggies: Carrots, lettuce
Weight Loss Lunch Ideas
Ground Turkey & Avocado
- Ground turkey with avocado
- Oranges
- Bell peppers, cucumbers, and Bolthouse dressing
Cheesy BBQ Ground Turkey
- Protein: Ground turkey with BBQ sauce and cheese
- Carbs: Rice with butter flavored cooking spray.
- Veggies: Roasted Peppers, onions, broccoli
Chicken & Peaches
- Protein: Chicken breasts
- Carbs: peaches
- Veggies: Carrots, cucumber, red peppers, and Bolthouse dressing
Here I added peaches, but you can add in whatever fruits are in season!
Chicken, Rice, & Extra Protein
- Protein: Chicken thighs
- Carbs: Rice
- Veggies: Carrots, cucumber, and Bolthouse dressing
- Built bar (My affiliate Built Bar coupon code is HEALTHBEET)
Low Carb Healthy Lunch Ideas
BBQ Chicken & Potato
- Chicken breast with BBQ Sauce
- Russet Potato
- Cucumbers, broccoli, pepper, and carrots
Steak & Peaches
- Protein: Steak
- Carbs: Peaches
- Veggies: Carrots, cucumber, grape tomatoes, and Bolthouse dressing
Ground Turkey & Low Carb Noodles
- Protein: Ground Turkey
- Carbs: Low carb Healthy Noodles
- Veggies: Zucchini and spaghetti sauce
Another lower calorie option is packing zoodles! See this page for how to make them.
White Fish & Rice
- Protein: White fish (I used Feast Mode Honey BBQ seasoning on both the fish and the rice)
- Carbs: Rice
- Veggies: Carrots, broccoli and laughing cow cheese
Low Calorie Lunch FAQs
The best formula I have found for a good weight loss lunch is to balance half your meal with vegetables, ¼ with a protein, and ¼ with a whole grain or carbohydrate. This formula not only keeps you satisfied until dinner, but also makes sure you get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals your body needs to get through the rest of the day.
Increasing the volume of my meals gives me the chance to feel extra full and satisfied, have large portions, and still be able to lose weight. This is only possible by including high volume, low calorie foods like vegetables. Adding greens, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. can all be combined to make a big meal and still help you lose weight.
If you included more vegetables into your diet every single day, and used them to displace higher calorie foods, you can lose 10 lbs. Swapping something like spiralized zucchini or shirataki noodles for pasta can save you 150 calories per serving. Do this simple swap every day for 6 months, and you’d lose ten pounds!
You can prep all these healthy lunches in advance. In fact, I usually prep the proteins (chicken, ground turkey, or steak) and then I just need to add the veggies the morning I’m taking that lunch to school or work.
More Healthy Recipe Ideas for Weight Loss
Healthy Weight Loss Lunch Ideas
Ingredients
- 1/2 meal veggies (broccoli, cucumbers, carrots)
- 1/4 meal protein (chicken, steak, fish)
- 1/4 meal carbs (fruit, grains, starchy veg)
Instructions
- For each meal, start with your veggies and make half your meal vegetables.
- Then, choose a protein source.
- Then finish with a carb. Either a fruit, grain, or starchy veg)
Nutrition
Hi Amy,
I was wondering if you could recommend a lunch box or tote to put these containers in to take to work. I love them but they’re biig. Thank you so much for all you do to inspire and help people.
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond. I was going to see what I can find, and haven’t found anything I love. When I was in school though, I carried a backpack that doubled as a cooler. This is the one I used
https://urlgeni.us/amzn/7zqJ
Searched online for easy lunch ideas for weight loss and your page popped right up. Thank you for these wonderful ideas and the presentation which is easier for me to remember. Looking forward to posting our progress. Thank you!
Thanks LeeAn!!
I have been searching the web for hours today for some simple throw together lunch ideas for work my husband and myself. I do not have time to whip up a gourmet lunch that all the other sites list. I, like many people out there work for a living. I’m up at 5:30 getting ready making breakfast, throwing something together for lunch so we don’t eat fast food, working all day in our small business, closing at 5:00 but getting out by 6:00 to go home and make something healthy for dinner. After all that I may have an hour of down time to read or watch tv to turn around and do it again the next day. I try to get in some walking at work after lunch. I see people going to the gym, walking in my neighborhood in the morning and having the time to put together extensive meals and having plenty of time to plan it out. They are very lucky they can do it. My goal is to work hard and make as much much money as I can to retire and be able to enjoy doing those things. So for all of us out here doing the daily grind, we appreciate someone just putting some great ideas out there for those of us who are just plain tired and out of ideas at this time in our lives. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Nancy!! Glad you’re here. I feel the same way- Work like crazy so I can retire early! LOL.
Good job Amy as usual! I love the lunch box ideas thank you. I have now lost 13 pounds and my hubby has lost 22. We follow your advice and find your dedication very inspiring. You rock!!
Linda!! Thank you so much for saying that. YOU ROCK!!!
Congrats on your progress. 🙂
love this lunches… yes i guess its quick way to pack…my favourite is the steak…hehe…thanks again…
Where did you get the containers?
The black ones are from Walmart.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-5PK-3-Compartment-Round-Meal-Prep-Container-Clear-Lids-Black-Containers-1L/627671574?athcpid=627671574&athpgid=AthenaItempage&athcgid=null&athznid=si&athieid=v0&athstid=CS004&athguid=7l6wyYaYwyZfT22NqsNKiKZX2Mx0-HYoj5vW&athancid=null&athena=true
Amazon has some red ones, but I don’t like them as much. I have both.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K9BTSHQ/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=healthbeet01-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07K9BTSHQ&linkId=29c8d95c28f8111b93df5e034b5d8f77
This Was very helpful! i’m trying to pack a lunch that’s very heathy and low calories, so this was a big help! Thank you!
I’m so glad Yesica!! Thanks for sharing.
I suppose this is good if you can’t think of literally anything else to eat, but I’ve never seen more bland recipes in my life. Adding some spices costs very little calories (if any) and can pack in flavor easily. The use of ranch dressing on almost every vegetable is, well….. not very creative at all. A better, healthier alternative would be to use balsamic vinegar. There is also a lack of cholesterol in all of these recopies, which is essential to building muscle or retaining muscle when cutting. Overall, this seems like a mediocre recipe book with very little time or effort put into it.
Wow. Feels harsh. I didn’t feel like I need to write down all the seasonings I used. It’s definitely a personal choice on what foods need flavor. And yes, there was almost zero effort. I prepared these lunches on my way to school each morning. Probably 2 minutes max! That’s how lunch packing goes! Am I right??
Wow, what a total jerk. There is nothing wrong with respectful, constructive criticism but his wasn’t constructive and he was an asshole. It’s obvious he’s the type that likes to tear people down. He’s got a problem, it’s not you. You handled it well. Don’t let someone like that effect you. I just discovered your website, I love your ideas and will use them!
Thank you for backing me up Jessica!! A round up of lunch ideas is hardly something to get critical about. LOL
This was spot on! I was going crazy trying to figure out what to eat that wasn’t repetitive and boring! THANK YOU FOR THE HEALTHY CHOICES!
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you found my lunches helpful!
Hi Dan!
Why are you such an asshole?
How do I know how much to put in each compartment?
Hi Lon.
You can do two different ways. Most importantly, as long as the portions are balanced, you shouldn’t have to count or measure. For example, if you have multiple trays of lunch, always make half the meal veggies, 1/4 carbs, and 1/4 protein.
However, if you are counting calories, I generally weigh and measure before I put it in the containers. When a container is full, I average about 350 calories for that meal.
These look delicious! Are they eaten cold? Can they be made the night before? Also wondering if you have breakfast recipes as well. Thank you!
Hi Traci,I ate most of these cold, but I like cold proteins anyway. You could also use a microwave for the parts of the lunch you like to eat hot. I usually put these lunches together in the morning.I have lots of breakfast recipes, just not really portable ones!Thanks!Amy
This is a Great way to start my New Fitness Journey…Thank You
I’m so glad! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks
You’re welcome Carolyn!
How do I know which 1 to pick. Do I just try both? I need to lose 150lbs and don’t know where to start
Hi Becky! Are you asking which lunch you should eat? I eat a different one each day.
I’m a Polo-pescaterian and these are right up my alley😁
I’m so glad! Thanks so much Porsha!
These meals look so easy to make and they look delicious
It’s true! These healthy lunches are perfect for taking to school or work.