Eating for weight loss requires a combination of things. First is creating a calorie deficit so that you can start to drop that excess weight. Next is creating healthy recipes at home that contain lean proteins, fresh fruits & vegetables and fiber.

[He was sooo friendly before you needed healthy lunch recipes, now he's like a different person!]

Those things are true for breakfast, lunch and dinner however most people struggle the most with making healthy lunch recipes during the week. Coming up with healthy lunch recipes is easier than you think and doing it this way will save you money…which you can then use to buy smaller clothes!

What You Like

The first step to creating healthy lunch recipes is thinking of the foods you favor during lunchtime. Some people prefer sandwiches while others prefer salads or microwaveable meals. Figure out what your tastes are to help you create a shopping list for your healthy lunch recipes.

I’m sure this sounds strange but most of us are so used to grabbing greasy junk for lunch that we never really sit down to think about what we’d eat if (gasp!) we actually made our own lunch. I was the same way, and it took me a few weeks to figure out what kind of luncher I was.

Where Can I Reduce?

The next question you have to ask yourself is where can I reduce calories in these healthy lunch recipes? This is really the key to eating for weight loss and creating your own healthy meals throughout the week. If you prefer sandwiches, consider foods like pesto or guacamole to replace mayonnaise. It’ll save you a ton of extra calories and teach you a little something about eating properly for weight loss.

Creating healthy lunch recipes will require you to make food substitutions for some of your higher calorie favorites. Before you get scared and run for the hills (where are those hills, exactly?) you should know that making healthy lunch recipes at home will almost always save you calories compared to hitting some fast food dive.

Leftovers Are Your Friend

Coming up with healthy lunch recipes isn’t always easy, it’s an ongoing process that we just have to get used to in order to look the way we want. However an easy way to make up for those days that you shirk your weight loss responsibilities, is to make a little extra for dinner and pack it up for tomorrow’s lunch.

[Healthy lunch recipes come in tupperware, not styrofoam containers!]

The problem for most people when it comes to weight loss is that we simply eat too much. Using leftovers to make healthy lunch recipes solves both problems at once. Cut your dinner portion size in half if you suspect it’s too big (if you suspect it, it probably is), and either eat it as is or create a tasty alternative.

HEY YOU! Dinner recipes that make great leftovers are here!

Do I Really Need That?

Another common problem for those of us trying to lose weight is having eyes bigger than our stomachs. Some of you are looking down right now thinking how impossible that seems, but lunchtime creates temptations like no other meal. This is one big reason why making your own healthy lunch recipes will make your life—and weight loss—a whole lot easier!

[Turn that Sunday dinner roast into a roast beef sandwich with fixins and you've got a healthy lunch recipe that cost you nothing!]

When you stop at your favorite burger joint you have to choose between fried burgers, chicken and fish…not really a healthy choice at all. When you just have to have fast food ask if you really need (or if your weight loss really needs it) that. Choose baked chicken or fish instead and get a small fry if you don’t say NO to the fries altogether.

Do you really need the soda just because it “comes with” the burger and fries? Water and tea are great lower calorie alternatives so your lunch doesn’t become a calorie bomb.

Sweets…Everyday?

The best thing can you do for weight loss and creating healthy lunch recipes is cut down on the number of sweets and desserts you consume during lunchtime. I know it’s hard, lunchtime is like recess for adults, where no one is barking orders at you and bossing you around so you indulge in a powdered doughnut here, and chocolate shake there and a few iced-caffeine drinks throughout the day.

These so-called treats are doing your weight loss NO favors and certainly belong nowhere near anything calling itself a healthy lunch recipe. Add a few pieces of fruit to your lunch bag so you can snack on them when you get a sugar craving. I know it doesn’t sound as awesome as cupcakes, but fruit gives your body enough sugar to fight the craving without the high calorie count.

So you see making healthy lunch recipes on your own is pretty simple. Yes it’ll require you to do more of the work than the nice people waiting to take your order, but it will save you money not to mention the inches it’ll save around your mid-section.

Sometimes you need to take a break and reset before you begin something new. That’s the premise behind Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. Find out more by reading our Eat Stop Eat review!