A balanced diet is essential for healthy weight loss, but eating on the go often means convenience comes first. During the hustle and bustle of the working week, it’s normal to reach for the quicker option, but eating on the go doesn’t have to compromise on nutrition. Here, we’ll explore some options and offer tips to help you pack healthy meals into your busy schedule.

With an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and meal plan suggestions lining the shelves of supermarkets, healthy eating has seemingly never been easier. But while access to quality produce is at your fingertips, the busyness of modern life can derail the best attempts to get your all-important five(or more)-a-day.

Making healthy restaurant choices

You might think dining out means putting the brakes on healthy choices, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. There are still great healthy options on the menus at restaurants, once you know what you’re looking for.

Occasionally, restaurants list the calorie content of each available option. This can be useful if you want to know the energy intake before you choose something. To avoid doing mental arithmetic while you’re relaxing, though, you might find it more helpful to focus on how the meals are prepared instead.

Picking meals that are grilled, baked or steamed rather than fried is an easy victory for your weight loss goals. It can ensure you that the meal will be cooked in a way that uses a lot less (if any) oil. Commercial cooking oil is calorically dense and can be high in low-quality, saturated fat, so it’s one to avoid if you know certain foods are coated in it.

The same can be said for salad dressings and dips — ask a waiter exactly what’s in them, choose to have them on the side of your plate so you’re in control of how much you eat, or skip them altogether. If you are craving fried food, try sharing a side with a friend, or get your fix as a small starter before eating a lighter main.

Portion control plays a vital part in weight management, too.1 Aiming to have less food than usual on your plate is a good start for building healthier eating routines. You don’t need to finish everything you’ve ordered in one sitting — asking for your leftovers to be boxed-up when you’re feeling full means you’ll be less obliged to overeat.

Meal deals and supermarket options

Whether you work from home or commute to the office, you’ve got options when it comes to lunch. Without the right planning, though, you’re much more likely to clutch something in a hurry without giving it a second thought.

Supermarket meal deals can be cheap and cheerful, but it’s important to know just what you’re eating. Read the labels to check for fat, salt and sugar content, and if the deal involves ultra-processed foods like white bread, crisps, chocolate, or a fizzy drink, you’ll be doing more harm than good. To avoid falling into habits that can interfere with your weight loss plans during your lunch break, you can:

  • Plan your meals – Prepping your meals at home for busy days means you know exactly what goes into them. Include healthy proteins, like quinoa, chickpeas or tuna, and you’ll feel fuller throughout the afternoon.
  • Pay close attention to labels – Just because something reads as low-calorie, it doesn’t mean it’s a good choice for you. Empty calories might fill a hole, but they add little in the way of vital nutrients.
  • Choose fresh food – If grabbing something on the go is your only option, try and skip the heavily processed options. Salads, whole grains and soup recipes are often kept simple, and don’t contain hidden emulsifiers or artificial additives.
  • Think about healthy swaps – If you’re craving something sweet, try fresh fruit or unsweetened dried berries. Adding a handful of unsalted nuts to your snacks will give you a protein boost that can help you feel more alert. If your guilty pleasure is fizzy drinks, switching to soda water can help you lose weight.2

Staying healthy while you travel

Travelling can present challenges when it comes to eating what you want. If you’re going on a trip away, you’ll need to plan ahead if you’re trying to stick to your weight loss goals and keep your meals healthy.

Long train or plane journeys can test anyone’s willpower, so packing food to take with you will help you avoid loading up on unhealthy snacks when the food trolley goes by. Depending on the length of your commute, keeping food fresh might be tricky, so make sure you stock up snacks you can keep wrapped up, like nuts and seeds.

While nuts are calorically dense and should therefore be enjoyed in moderation, they’re packed full of heart healthy vitamins and minerals like potassium, zinc and vitamin E. Almonds and pistachios contain the lowest saturated fat content,3 but they’re often salted. Choosing unsalted travel snacks means you won’t get too dehydrated on your journey, and are less likely to reach for sugary drinks to wash them down. Excess salt can raise your blood pressure, so try to avoid it whenever you can.

If you’re going on holiday and want to keep your weight loss routine going, it’s a good idea to be mindful of what you’re eating. Sampling local foods is an essential part of enjoying different cultures, but overdoing it could be a setback for your weight loss goals.

And if you’ve adopted a fitness routine, there’s no reason to abandon it while you’re away. Bring running trainers with you, or see what exercises are popular where you’re staying and get involved on your trip. If you’re visiting a lot of different places, you can feel less guilty about the odd indulgence if you walk or cycle rather than using taxis or public transport. It can be quite easy to rack-up the step count on holiday—especially city breaks—so your calorie use will probably be higher than usual anyway.

Healthy choices with friends and family

Once you understand which foods you need to include in your diet, making healthy choices should start to feel like second nature to you. Developing meal routines can help you stay focused and committed to your weight loss goals, and the changes you make will soon become a normal part of your lifestyle. At the same time as being mindful about what you choose, it’s important to retain a sense of balance to avoid feeling like your diet doesn’t allow you any leeway.

For most people, spending time with family and friends goes hand in hand with enjoying food.

This doesn’t have to change just because you’re trying to lose weight. The odd indulgence here and there won’t derail your efforts if you’re eating well for the most part, so there’s no need to worry when you feel like you need a night off.

Sustainable healthy eating

The growing popularity of faddy, extreme diets can make weight loss seem like a temporary goal that is too tough to keep up long-term. If you take all the joy out of food, then you’re more likely to abandon meal routines that feel like punishment.

Losing weight should be the opposite. Changing your lifestyle and increasing your activity levels is hard enough without a gruelling dietary regime to stick to. If reaching your target weight feels too much like boot camp, you can end up resenting your efforts. This is much more likely to end in you abandoning your goals and reaching for the nearest comfort food.

Rather than worrying about perfection, or becoming overly concerned with other people’s weight loss blueprints, instead put more importance on self-compassion. Losing weight affects people differently, and happens at different rates.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet when you’re on the go is no mean feat, so don’t give yourself a hard time if you do occasionally stray from your weight loss routine. Celebrate the small wins, and enjoy taking the steps towards better health.