How to eat a healthy lunch-on-the-go for less than 6 bucks

There are plethora of reasons that I love living in South Florida, not the least of which is the ubiquitous best grocery store in America, Publix, where shopping is literally a pleasure!

Today I stopped into the Publix in lake Worth Beach and was able to get a delicious lunch for less than $6. The trick to doing this is not ordering the pre-made sandwiches and salads, which are very good. But I do build your own type of lunch. 

First, I stop at the deli. I typically get a quarter pound of some boar's Head turkey or chicken breast. But sometimes I'll venture into the Publix brand if it's on sale. Today I got a quarter pound of ham, which brought me a nice amount of protein and low-fat at a cost of about $2.25.

Then I went over to the bakery. They had rolls in packs of eight. But you asked the person behind the counter to sell you one of them, and they are happy to repackage it as a single item for you. This was just $0.62!

I also got two bananas, and I zipped open a huge package of grapes and placed the amount I wanted in one of the available plastic bags. This was about two dollars for fruit.

Finally, I was able to get a special price on Fage plain, 2% Greek yogurt. 

I could have gone to a fast food restaurant and gotten a "deal" soda with some nuggets and a burger and fries for about the same amount. And right now I would feel disgusting. Not to mention, tomorrow my, forgive my frankness, bowel movement, would be greasy. 

Instead I feel satisfied and healthy, and tomorrow going to have a smooth and beautiful movement as a result.

Yay, Publix! My pursuit of a healthy weight is right on track!

This is what I ate in December to lose 30 pounds

I'm currently living in South Florida living in motels and sometimes sleeping in my car, so it makes shopping and planning meals a bit difficult. But I manage. And this is what I ate in December to lose nearly 30 pounds. All this food totals around 2,200 calories and is protein-centric, but I don't cut single food type or macro nutrient totally out of my diet. 

As mentioned in a previous post, I eat six meals per day over the course of 12 hours. While this isn't what I eat every day, it's a sample of what I typically at all last month:

1) I have a snack at 7 a.m. to break my fast. This is usually a banana and a yogurt.

2) Just before starting work I have a meal, usually a breakfast sandwich for convenience.

McDonald's breakfast sandwiches are a weakness that works for me

3) Then there's a snack at 11 a.m. This is almost a vegan protein shake. I'm not vegan, but my wellness coach friend Angela put me on to pea protein and while it's gross at first but I convince myself that they taste like health, and that works to trick my brain just fine.

4) My lunch meal at 1 p.m. is usually a hardy bean and vegetable soup with a packet of water-packed tuna or some ritz crackers and a can of sardines in oil

5) My afternoon snack is another protein shake and maybe a couple pistachios or carrots or fruit.

6) Unfortunately, my last meal of the day is almost always some kind of convenience food, capped at 400 calories. Maybe a McChicken sandwich with pickles and mustard instead of mayo or a ham and Swiss croissant at Starbucks. On the weekends when I have more time I'll go to Publix and get a quarter pound of Boar's Head turkey, fresh fruit, another carrot, and a small roll.

These seven simple habits helped me lose 30 pounds in 30 days

Moderation in everything, including moderation! That's my mantra these days. So with that in mind, I skipped the "dieting" and simply made these seven changes in December to lose nearly 30 pounds in 30 days in December.

1. Drinking my coffee black

Cream and sugar are banished! No explanation needed. It's just a smart idea, and we all know it.

2. Drinking more water

Based on my weight I should be drinking five liters of water daily. Well, that's not happening! But I'm up to drinking two 1.5 liter bottles and a cup here and there with meals. It helps flush toxins from my body. I feel the difference.

I like my water cold and my coffee black

3. Eating one plain Greek yogurt daily

It's got protein to help me maintain muscle while losing fat, probiotics for gut health, and a bit of satiating fiber, Plus, I feel better about this mid-morning snack when I skip the added sugar and hidden weird ingredients in yogurts processed with sugar-laden fruits (or "natural" fruit flavors and colors).

4. Fasting for 12 hours per night.

They call this intermittent fasting, and lots of people recommend eating all your food within an eight hour block during the day. Well, I guess that's a good idea. But I do for 12 hours at night because that's what I feel like doing. The key is not to be hard on yourself. So I take a good idea and tweak so I can have some success without suffering.

 5. Making sure I get at least 2,500 steps in

This is not a lot. "They" recommend getting 10,000 steps daily for general health. Well, I'm not there yet. And 2,500 is as good as it gets. For now I do what I can. Besides, it's a heck of a lot more than what I was doing before. Sadly, since the pandemic started and I began working and intermittently sleeping in my car, I had barely been getting 300 steps a day. Yikes, I know. But now I'm getting a mile in over the course of my day. Yay me.

6. Limiting myself to 2,200 calories per day

Lots of diets tell men to reduce their caloric intake to between 1,500 and 1,800 calories per day. Well, that's great for some people. Cutting myself down to 2,200 per day still gets me into a calorie deficit because of my size. And weight loss is as simple as that - burn more calories from your system than you put in. So there.

7. Eat six times per day.

Spreading out my calories  throughout the day keeps me satiated enough before "feedings". As I mentioned, I fast 12 hours, and I eat during the other 12 hours. Twelve divided by six is 2, so I eat every two hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

We CAN pivot, make decisions, and make choices to create big changes in our lives

I Banished 26 pounds in December, and even though my goal was 30. This weight loss journey is all about resilience. I had lost a little over 50 lb in July and August, but my failed attempt to relocate to South Florida set me back and I gained 25 of it back. So now I am back on track, under 400 lbs. And I'm moving forward with confidence.

I am not using any weight-loss medications or supplements, I'm not subscribed to special food deliveries. And I haven't had any surgical intervention - not that I'm dissing those methods. But I have been focussed in treating physical ailments like sleep apnea that were impacting my mental health and stability.

These things I share not to brag, but I think it's important to be transparent about how folks achieve their weight loss when there's a huge industry out there lying to people, backed by social media myths, that tells us we can't do it by other means. Because we can!

It's okay to utilize the tools that are out there. But just know that we each can tap the power we already have within ourselves to begin making healthy decisions. We can pivot our lives in the directions we choose, and make choices that support these decisions.

Happy New Year everybody!