Posts: 4
2/5/13 9:27 P

I enjoy time alone in my room. I have 2 cafteria duties a week (I would rather do 2 inside than recess duty because I seem to get more things done after this duty than before recess duty). I invested in a small refergirator and microwave in my class. Its easy to keep healthy snacks and my lunch in my room. My room is a good distance from the cafteria and it forces me to stay from the school lunch. I also drink my water while on duty makes it easier to walk away

SparkPoints: (9,585)
Fitness Minutes: (1,225)
Posts: 379
2/1/13 7:06 A

I teach in a unique situation where I am able to go home for lunch. And, I don't have a microwave at home, so TV dinners are not an option, which is probably better. I have been eating a lot of soup for lunch. Although, my downfall is that I like so many crackers that the soup is not soupy anymore.

SparkPoints: (2,695)
Fitness Minutes: (1,515)
Posts: 91
1/29/13 12:09 P

I also avoid our cafeteria like the plague! I pretty much worship my quiet, duty-free lunch. Usually I'll try to bring leftovers. But if that's not an option I'll grab a can of soup. I also keep 100 calorie packs in my room (not the best choice, but it works for me) as well as bagel thins with some light cream cheese and sugar free jam just in case I'm low on time. I'm also known to fall back on frozen meals when I'm crunched for time.

SparkPoints: (17,418)
Fitness Minutes: (23,060)
Posts: 39
1/22/13 2:30 P

We have lovely, supportive cafeteria staff, but the food is not weight-loss friendly. Most of us bring a lunch. I find it a challenge to bring something interesting, portable, and healthy. I get bored easily with yogurt and carrots!

SparkPoints: (30,313)
Fitness Minutes: (13,171)
Posts: 1,263
1/22/13 11:48 A

This is what I bring for lunch most days:
1 cup of baby carrots
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
10 yellow grape tomatoes
1 Kashi Go Lean Crisp Protein Bar
2 Mini Babybel Light Laughing Cow cheeses (the round ones)

If I have a late day I also bring an apple and 1 oz. (22) dry roasted almonds as an afternoon snack.

bottled water

current weight: 250.0

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200

Posts: 488
1/19/13 11:49 P

Most of the teachers at my school bring our lunches and eat together. I usually put a serving of whatever we had for dinner the night before into a container in my lunch bag when I'm cleaning up the supper dishes. Then I take two fruits, and I keep almonds in my desk to have a dozen for a snack in the afternoon.

Pounds lost: 12.8

0 14.25 28.5 42.75

57

SparkPoints: (2,275)
Fitness Minutes: (170)
Posts: 27
1/19/13 12:40 P

I haven't eaten at the cafeteria in my current school. I just pack (mainly a sandwich and fruit) for lunch and eat at my desk or in the teacher workroom. I just moved to this new school this year....the school I was at before had a terrible lunch program. Sometimes I would eat there because I hadn't packed lunch, but I usually regretted it....plus it was really never what I would call diet healthy.

On a sidenote....at my former school I also was at a colony (hutterite) school 2 days a week and ate there those days....not heart healthy, lowfat at all! - but delicious. Maybe THAT's how I gained all the weight I did!!

SparkPoints: (197,683)
Fitness Minutes: (68,635)
Posts: 13,775
1/18/13 7:13 A

I used to teach in a school that had a wonderful teacher's cafeteria. We could get salads, protein, homemade soups, as well as the choices offered to the kids. I miss that cafe (just not the school)

Pounds lost: 3.0

0 9 18 27

36

SparkPoints: (5,930)
Fitness Minutes: (1,657)
Posts: 143
1/17/13 8:48 P

My school is blessed with an amazing cafeteria. In fact, I think I have them to thank for my recent success. Each day at lunch, I am able to get a lean protein and a selection of at least two healthy vegetables a day in addition to fresh fruit. The only tough part is that we eat at 10:40... By 2:00, I am hungry. By 3:00, I am ready to gnaw on a textbook.... Keeping healthy snack around that are really satisfying is the biggest challenge for me.

Pounds lost: 10.2

0 12.5 25 37.5

50

Posts: 2,389
1/14/13 3:12 P

This year I wouldn't even dream of buying a school lunch. I am at an "alternative" school that the district forgets about so there isn't much too choose from food wise. If I forget my lunch I simply don't eat b/c I don't have time to run to Subway (which is actually the closest ff place) to get my food.

I normally bring egg salad, cottage cheese, string cheese and a cup of fruit for my cottage cheese. If I don't have enough time to make egg salad I just bring 2 hard boiled eggs. If I have food left over from the night before I bring that.

current weight: 142.6

155 150 145 140

135

SparkPoints: (197,683)
Fitness Minutes: (68,635)
Posts: 13,775
1/12/13 6:59 P

I have to eat with my kids everyday. I get paid coverage for it, but wouldn't mind the break once in a while.

Pounds lost: 3.0

0 9 18 27

36

SparkPoints: (115,887)
Fitness Minutes: (47,585)
Posts: 43,462
1/12/13 8:46 A

I usually have a can of Progresso Light Soup....

Pounds lost: 109.9

0 29.75 59.5 89.25

119

Posts: 14,377
1/10/13 7:05 A

I asked a student the other day if they minded me eating my lunch while we worked. I had a meeting during my break. Other days we have our social skills groups. There is no other time to fit it into the day.

Pounds lost: 10.2

0 11.1 22.2 33.3

44.4

Posts: 1,076
1/10/13 4:44 A

After reading your post, I'm not going to whine about not having duty-free lunch again. Bless you! That's dedication!

SparkPoints: (7,825)
Fitness Minutes: (5,954)
Posts: 163
1/10/13 12:01 A

I technically have 25 minutes for lunch, but by the time the kids get out, and with them being sent back after only 20 to get the cafeteria ready for the next group, it ends up being 17 minutes. I don't have a planning period (other teachers have 90 min a day, but I teach an extra class during mine), so those 17 minutes are my only break during the day, and I often spend them at the copy machine, gathering loose ends for the last half of the day, etc.

I have never eaten even a crumb from our cafeteria. Yuck. We do have a culinary arts program that hosts a restaurant for teachers twice a week. It's always delicious, but I've gotten better about only going when it's something I realllly want. In the past I would go just to go. They have started following the new health guidelines, though, so it's actually not a bad option most of the time. They make their own whole wheat pasta and pizza crust; "fried" chicken is now baked, etc.

This first week back I have made it a point to bring my lunch, but it has to be something I can eat while working since my time is so limited. Leftovers have worked well.

current weight: 159.4

189 178 167 156

145

SparkPoints: (197,683)
Fitness Minutes: (68,635)
Posts: 13,775
1/6/13 11:06 A

I usually bring leftovers from home for lunch. I rarely eat the school lunch as I find them to be too high in carbs for me.

Pounds lost: 3.0

0 9 18 27

36

SparkPoints: (871)
Fitness Minutes: (1,979)
Posts: 29
1/5/13 4:42 P

I never eat school lunches as I find ours unappetizing. I pack a healthy lunch each day. The teacher's room is often laden with goodies etc. that test rally my willpower. Yesteday I managed to not eat those for our monthly social or any of the ymmy soft prestzels sold on Firdays!

Posts: 119
1/4/13 12:10 A

I have managed to avoid school lunches for 5 years and want to keep it that way. I'm lucky since I have a mini-fridge and a microwave in my room. More dangerous than the lunchroom is the staff room. I will be staying out of there for a bit since you know all of the leftover sweets will end up there.

Pounds lost: 28.8

0 14.25 28.5 42.75

57

SparkPoints: (46,272)
Fitness Minutes: (63,305)
Posts: 3,771
1/2/13 5:12 P

No way
Maybe we should post the pictures of the school lunches.
At my school the kids also get breakfast.
Best one is the enriched doughnut 500 cals. Some of the boys eat 2 of them.

Posts: 6
12/30/12 7:16 P

I agree! Thankfully, my classroom is in a portable, so I avoid it like the plague.

current weight: 200.0

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160

SparkPoints: (10,306)
Fitness Minutes: (8,105)
Posts: 262
12/30/12 2:04 P

Lunch at school -- Just say NO! Most of time I can follow the meal plan on Spark people for my lunches. Sometimes I have to change the meal but I pick from the ones on spark.

Posts: 6,225
12/19/12 9:19 P

Lunch at school...I'd rather eat chalk!


Now you know that's bad!

May SparkPoints: 1,556

0 625 1250 1875

2500

SparkPoints: (18,300)
Fitness Minutes: (15,851)
Posts: 1,228
12/17/12 10:01 A

The lunches where I work are terrible. I feel sorry for the kids who have no other choice. I definately take my own.

SparkPoints: (10,405)
Fitness Minutes: (5,786)
Posts: 104
12/11/12 9:09 P

While our lunches are supposed to be healthier, they are still high in carbs and calories. I take my lunch -- usually left-overs or meals I cooked over the weekend and froze.

Posts: 6,225
12/5/12 6:13 P

Starbucks Protein Bistro Box

May SparkPoints: 1,556

0 625 1250 1875

2500

Posts: 1,076
12/2/12 11:39 A

The Kashi bars sound like a great idea. How much fiber? I have to track that carefully and have a hard time getting enough.

SparkPoints: (30,313)
Fitness Minutes: (13,171)
Posts: 1,263
12/2/12 10:20 A

I bring my own lunch to school every day. My cafeteria is overcrowded and doesn't offer any kind of special meals for teachers so I avoid it. My lunches are fairly consistent, which works for me. I bring a Kashi protein bar. I get them from Costco and them come in Chocolate peanut, Chocolate pretzel, and chocolate caramel. Sounds decadent, doesn't it? They're all around 150 cal, 5 gr of fat, and 8 gr of protein! AND they taste great!! I also bring 1 cup of baby carrots, a small apple, and 2 Light Laughing Cow Mini Baby Belle cheeses, and water. That's my lunch of choice!!

current weight: 250.0

310 282.5 255 227.5

200

SparkPoints: (106,304)
Fitness Minutes: (56,979)
Posts: 5,751
12/1/12 8:30 A

I bring my own lunches...that way I know what i'm eating and it's healthy!!

SparkPoints: (2,504)
Fitness Minutes: (299)
Posts: 47
11/30/12 4:56 P

I typically take the 10 or so minutes to prep a lunch the night before either a salad or black beans. I also like Amy's Organic soups and meals. I'm completely grain free and mostly processed foods free so I try and make my meals the night before.

SparkPoints: (25,270)
Fitness Minutes: (18,610)
Posts: 1,096
11/27/12 4:40 P

I only occasionally buy school lunch, and then only a salad. Otherwise I make my own salads or hot dishes; sometimes I use the frozen entrees, but they are often too salty for my taste or too skimpy! If I do use one of them, I bring a small salad as well.

Leftovers work ... but my husband often requests them!

I always make sure I eat a good breakfast, which makes it easier to flex on lunch.

Pounds lost: 74.5

0 26.75 53.5 80.25

107

Posts: 918
11/27/12 3:37 P

Like NFLATTE, my school cafeteria has done a major overhaul but the prices went up in the process. I would buy a salad with grilled chicken and an apple and that would cost me $4. It's cheaper for me to prepare my own salad at home or bring leftovers. I now try to buy once a week and leave it as a treat for surviving another week.

SparkPoints: (46,272)
Fitness Minutes: (63,305)
Posts: 3,771
11/27/12 3:41 A

As the new year gets starts all those weight loss ads start. One day I sat and watched Nutra system ad I thought I could do that so I went a got a weeks full of frozen dinners. You know healthy choice and WW. After a while I noticed that they were just pasta or rice frozen. So on Sundays I make pasta and rice put them in bags and freeze them. I really try to get prepared on Sunday for the week by making the food head of time. I feel better when I am eating better.
Today I had rice and turkey, yogurt, cut up grapefruit.

SparkPoints: (65,735)
Fitness Minutes: (48,020)
Posts: 4,886
11/20/12 8:39 A

I often take yogurt and some sort of extra, like berries or seeds, to put on it. I also make sure I cook enough dinner the night before so I have leftovers to take.

Posts: 5,590
11/20/12 6:49 A

Our school lunch program has undergone an overhaul, often offering whole grains and sometimes,Seattle Sutton healthier lunches...I have to watch the menus carefully, and I usually bring my healthy lunch, but once in a while, I do choose one of the healthier school lunch options

Posts: 2,149
11/19/12 8:20 P

I used to make big salads three ahead on Sundays and Wednesdays. Since getting braces, salads are just too much trouble!

I have been making batches of soups and stews on Sunday evenings or even using left-over chicken and cooking up veggies in the morning to make a soup/stew. I've found I can make a nice soup in about 30 minutes in the morning. If I don't cook it in the morning, I reheat and add veggies in the morning and steam more veggies while getting my kids up and ready for school. I pack these in insulated containers so I don't even have to go into the cafeteria to heat my food. I take my class to get their lunch and we all eat in the classroom.

With five kids, plus teaching full time and grad school, I've had to get pretty creative!

current weight: 162.1

175 162.5 150 137.5

125

Posts: 1,076
11/19/12 4:23 P

I've eaten school lunches since I first started teaching in 1975. For me it was my big meal of the day and I just had a bit lunch for my evening meal. Of course, that was back when cafeterias still really cooked! It was a rural school and those ladies could whip up some delicious food.

Now that it's just my adult son and I, my large meal is still at lunch. I have to pick what I eat carefully, but we do have a pretty decent salad bar this year.

Posts: 48,317
11/19/12 1:58 P

Some schools offer a salad alternative if you pre-order. Have you checked to see if yours does that by any chance?

Pounds lost: 13.5

0 7.5 15 22.5

30

Posts: 14,377
11/19/12 9:13 A

I never eat school lunch. Most weekends I try to shop and prep food for the week. Soup and/or sandwiches are easy, yogurt, nuts, cut up veggies.

Pounds lost: 10.2

0 11.1 22.2 33.3

44.4

Posts: 20,860
11/19/12 9:01 A

I may not be the TYPICAL example because I have a classroom with a refrigerator, stove, oven and microwave as well as the dishwasher to clean up. BUT, most of the time I take leftovers from the previous night and heat in microwave. I keep my cupboards, freezer and fridge stocked with things to make a quick lunch. I have peanut butter and lean turkey, chicken and sometimes ham slices (not too often because of the sodium but occasionally), a few sweet potatoes to microwave and add cinnamon to, or the regular potatoes that instead of putting butter on them, I add a slice of cheese for a delicious quick lunch. I have a few of the healthier frozen dinners in the freezer but usually don't eat them. I keep sandwich wraps (whole grain, high fiber, low carb) and use them instead of bread most of the time. I have some cheese that makes a quick sandwich. Sometimes though I just have soup, some veggies, a fiber or protein bar or even a piece of meat. I also have fresh and canned fruit, pudding and Jello cups to round out my lunch.

current weight: 276.0

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150

SparkPoints: (6,355)
Fitness Minutes: (3,789)
Posts: 47
11/19/12 8:21 A

I have a hard time resisting buying lunch at school...it's cheap and easy...but I know it is not very good for me.

What do all of you bring in for your lunch? I need some quick and easy ideas. Thanks!

current weight: 185.0

185 176.25 167.5 158.75

150