7 Mistakes People Make When Preparing Lunchboxes for the Week

In addition to being an economical alternative, preparing lunchboxes for the week is an excellent way to eat healthier and lose a few pounds. By having your meals on hand, you reduce the chances of diving into a plate of breaded steak fries, which helps you stick to your diet.

However, there are some details that you should observe when preparing your meals for the week, so that they are really healthy and help you achieve your goals. Be alert:

1. Not following the correct proportion between food groups

It might be easier to prepare a giant pot of noodles, but it’s not a good idea to just eat carbs every day for your lunch. For your lunchboxes to be a healthy option, it is necessary to maintain an adequate proportion between carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Likewise, preparing just one salad, with zero protein, will leave you feeling hungry in no time – and more likely to hit the nearest bakery.

2. Using very large containers

Your lunchboxes need to be the right size for the amount of food you want to take. A 700ml container might be great for taking your salad, for example, but it might be too big for you to fill with rice and beans. Therefore, it is more advisable to have a set of pots with different sizes.

3. Overpreparing food

You can even prepare a whole bag of beans even though you know you’ll only need five servings for the week’s lunchboxes. However, instead of wanting to fill your jars with all that extra food, it’s better to freeze the excess and use it next week.

Likewise, it might not be a good idea to bring the whole packet of whole grain cookies to the office at once. Even if your plan is to eat just two units a day, having so much food in abundance can make you consume more than you’d like just because you couldn’t resist, without actually being hungry.

4. Not bringing enough food

Not for more, not for less: it is necessary to have an exact idea of ​​the amount of food you need so you don’t get hungry later. After all, it doesn’t do any good for you to take a drop of rice to work and then attack the carrot cake because you were about to pass out.

It may take some time for you to discover the ideal amount of food, but you need to be aware of this so that your body does not become malnourished in any way.

5. Be healthy only at lunchtime

Your lunch box is perfect: you eat a huge bowl of salads, a small portion of beans and brown rice and a medium piece of grilled salmon. So why aren’t you losing weight?

Maybe because the other meals are not as balanced as your lunch box. If your goal is to lose weight, you need to restrict the consumption of sweets and fried foods at other times of the day as well, not just at lunch.

6. Eat the same thing every day

Of course, it’s easier to prepare just one type of carb and protein for the entire week. However, eating the same thing every day will make your meals monotonous – and you’ll be increasingly tempted to take your lunch box home intact and have a slice of pizza instead.

Also, by always consuming the same foods, you are always getting the same nutrients, which can cause other important elements to be left out of your diet.

You don’t have to make big inventions every day, but it can be interesting to change the way you prepare vegetables, change the variety of leaves and try to consume different carbohydrates and proteins for lunch and dinner.

7. Follow a very prohibitive diet

It won’t do any good to try to fool yourself and leave the lunch box aside to eat hamburgers at lunchtime; however, you should not be intransigent with yourself either.

For example, you made a super salad for lunch, but the weather has turned, it’s cold and you don’t feel like eating a cold lunch box. In that case, if you’re going to be happier with soup, go for it – just try to choose a healthier option, like chicken soup or vegetable soup. Nobody needs to eat anything.

Another small gesture of kindness you can do with yourself is to allow yourself a treat every now and then. Otherwise, you will end up feeling dissatisfied with your food and leaving the lunchboxes aside.

Remember: it is not enough to prepare fitness lunchboxes with very few calories. Every diet needs to be sustainable and versatile so that food reeducation becomes something natural in your life.

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.