My name is Dan and I am a 17 year old highschool student. I started dieting at the beginning of the summer and have lost about 40 lbs. so far. Bringing me from 245 to 205. I'm only 5' 4" so you can imagine how fat I'am.

Through those months I realized the key to dieting. It is 99.9% psychological. The only reason I made it as far as I did was my will power, and I didn't get it until the beginning of summer vacation. I bet you can guess what my motivation was...

GIRLS!

One of the biggest problems for me with dieting is knowing what to eat. Basically I'm looking for some low fat, low carb lunch recipes I can eat for lunch at school. My school cafeteria food is terrible, they might as well just fry balls of fat and serve them.

Not only that but I'm a picky eater, especially when it comes to eatting healthy. No tofu or soy products for me, I want real food!

Here is a list of some foods I dislike:

- Beans
- Mushrooms
- Strong Cheeses
- Tofu
- Soy products

Please help me,
Dan

What about salads.. or cut up veggies with some light dip...There are ice packs you can put in your lunch bag to keep your food cold..and fresh.. As for the girls?? Don't do this for the girls but yourself instead.. :D ..

I eat on campus and what I do is usually get the school food and skip the carb if I can. Also I take a thermos of soup with me and lunch meat. I also think cooking any piece of meat works well too. Would your parents help you out with shopping etc? You could eat a good sized low carb breakfast. For lunch you could have cheese sticks and lunch meat, soup or you could order something with meat and throw away the bread like a chicken sandwich etc. that is what I do when I am in a bind. even if the chicken is breaded you will still be fine its the bread itself that gets you in trouble. Then when you get home you could eat a larger meal that you have control over. Can your parents stock food that would work on your plan in the fridge etc?

Ouuu, I never thought of bringing soup. Do you know any good soup recipes?

Getting lunch at school wasn't really what i was looking to do. Even if I were to just eat the chicken from a chicken sandwich, half the time it is processed meat.

Thanks for the replies,
Dan

Hey there Dan. You could try cooking up chicken breasts at home (I'm going to assume your parents are behind you on your efforts) with some broccoli (cooked or not) or other veggies. If you can, you can cook enough for several days at a time so you can just make up your lunches and go.

You could carry string cheese and an apple or other fruit for a snack. The dairy is good for your bones and the fiber in the fruit will help fill you up.

Almonds are good snack too - the fat in them is heart-healthy and will help keep you from getting too hungry (just don't eat too many of them, a little goes a long way).

There are some veggie burgers out there that are quite good and are not made with soy products, if you want to try those out. Check out the labels to see if any might appeal to you (I hear more raves about morningstar products than about boca burgers.)

Simple soup: big can of crushed tomatoes, some mixed veggies (frozen is usually less mushy for soup than canned, but whatever works for you) and maybe some browned, ground turkey. Or small chunks of chicken. Add any spices you want (I like to add hot sauce to my soups). Also - check out the sodium content for any canned veggies you add - try to pick the low/no sodium so you don't end up retaining water. You can always add salt on your own.

Hey Dan,

You know the cartons of egg whites they sell? Well, it's relatively simple to cook, and 1 cup (only 120 cals, but 24grams of protein) makes a LOT of food! So you can have sauteed veggies with egg (any veggie -- eggplant, squash, tomato, etc...), you can have veggies wrapped in an egg sandwich roll with salsa or various sauces(you know, substitute your egg pancake for the bread), you can have steamed egg, scrambled egg wrapped in big veggie leaves, egg crepe, etc...

Besides that, there's fish -- grilled fish, baked fish, fish soup, raw fish, sushi, fish cooked with different sauces and veggies. A very thick fish stew can be very satisfying.

:D

You can cook a lot of chicken, and make your own chicken salad or chicken meat pattie and substitute the bread for a big leaf. The low calorie breads don't have as much carbs as the regular ones -- maybe that'll help?

Wish you luck!

Here are suggestions.

1) fruit will fill you up and most are under 100 calories a serving.

2) veggie soup made with broth and no meat will make low calorie items.

3) veggies. The whole can of green beans is only 100 calories.

how bout a turkey breast sandwich on whole wheat bread w lettuce and some baby carrots and cherry tomatos on the side and some fruit???

Have you asked your health teacher and/or school nurse? There is some knowledge that he/she can help you with, I bet. I'm suprised that the school hasn't a program to help those who want to lose weight... if school isn't for learning, then what's it for?

As for what to eat, well.. we are all different but IMHO, I would cut out/or reduce some of the special things.. chips, pop, pies, ect.. and keep with the main food groups (eathing proper portions)... this a health teacher should be able to help you with.

Even the mixed veggies and cut up chicken recipe that was suggested could very well go into a thermos...Or make a salad with the cut up chicken.. Try and eat some protein at breakfast.. or do you eat breakfast?? i sure hope so because it is the most important meal of the day and the key to weight loss success of any kind...A piece of fruit and a bottle of water...Also I suggest you stay away from processed meats if you are watching your sugar.. a lot of processed meats are cured with sugar or laden with sodium...