Reddit reviews EasyLunchboxes Insulated Lunch Box Cooler Bag, Black

Something to keep in mind: If you have a long commute, I'd definitely recommend getting a backpack with two straps. As cute as some messenger/tote bags are, your shoulder can get quite sore from carrying it, especially if you have a lot of things in it, like a Macbook, lunch, etc. My commute to-and-from work every day is 2 miles that I walk, and I am very glad to have a backpack that allows for equal distribution of weight across my shoulders. Unfortunately, I don't have any good recommendations for a nice backpack, because I'm just using an old backpack from when I was in college. As for lunch bags, I just got this cheap one off of Amazon that is roomy enough to hold several food items and containers, and then I just stuff the lunch bag into my backpack. Best of luck to you in your search, though!

I bring everything to get me from 7-4 in a general office environment.

Breakfast - overnight oats: 3/4 cup old fashioned oats, coconut milk, PB2, frozen cherries and strawberries (they thaw overnight), and a banana. This is super portable if you find the right kind of jar/tupperware. I add the banana fresh in the morning. If I didn't leave the house at 6am, I would totally make a smoothie of spinach, a banana, and bunch of other fruit with coconut/almond milk, but the wife doesn't appreciate the roar of the magic bullet waking her up.

Lunch - the past two weeks has been rice and beans with frozen peas. I freeze half the week and microwave them at work. If you have access to a microwave that could work. EDIT - I use [these] (http://www.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-3-Compartment-Bento-Containers-Brights/dp/B00AD67KN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449755268&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+lunchboxes+3-compartment) for my lunches. They have held up surprisingly well over the last 4 months for 5 days a week of microwaving 2-3 minutes at a stretch.

Snacks/stuff I may eat with lunch - a rice cake with peanut butter (usually have the PB in another small container), unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon, clementines

Almonds and other fruit are portable and last all day.

EDIT 2 - I have been noodling this around in my head this morning some more. It boils down to a lot of trial and error. I always start my first day at a new job with something portable and nonperishable. Things like fruit, nuts, and a PB sandwich. I can keep them with me and not worry about refrigeration or anything unknown with where I am working. I mean most places have a kitchen for their staff, but you don't want to be caught assuming and you have a wilted dead salad by the time you get to it.

Once you get the lay of the land, then you can begin to plan. But it comes down to what you have available and what you like to eat. I have gone from those Chinese take out plastic containers, to glass containers (awesome for soups and tomato based things, but the lids are the failing point), to my little three compartment deal and probably a few more steps in between. I tried to carry my lunch in my work bag, but that sucked. So I used plastic/reusable shopping bags. That sucked too. I eventually bought a cheap [lunch bag] (http://www.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-Insulated-Lunch-Cooler-Black/dp/B004UISANC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449768469&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+lunchboxes+insulated+lunch+box+cooler+bag) that I cram everything in. For the cost, it works great, but don't expect it to keep anything colder then the commute to work. Same goes with my water bottle/coffee mug. Used to have separate ones, now it is just one. Hell for a while I was using one of those 64oz ones that you take to kid's soccer games.

I like to prep on Sundays, lay everything out, and coast through the week. Other people rely on leftovers or making things the night before. Mine is actually a combo, I prep the oatmeal and odds and ends so I can just grab and go in the morning.

tl;dr There are no right answers. You do you and don't be afraid to mix things up as you figure things out.

I'm so sorry that stupid stall happened to you :( You were trying so hard for so long without any positive results, it would drive anyone nuts. The egg allergy is another weird bummer. And it only happens on keto? WTF bodies, WTF? Sometimes it feels like the nature is evil and conspiring to make our lives miserable.

However, remember that no matter what, it is never impossible to lose weight. Even if you were in a coma your body would still burn plenty of calories and if your feeding tube provided less, you'd lose weight.

Now here's my take on the issues:

Calculating food nutrition: Not sure what you mean by "tracking food", but estimates and portion control don't work on keto if you have a tendency to overeat. Your body is screwed up and doesn't give you appropriate signals on how much you need, that's why you gained weight in the first place. You can't trust it. You have to literally weigh everything you eat, to a gram precision. Including milk/cream in coffee and sugar free candies.

Eating at work and long commute: Assuming you leave early in the morning and the lunch break is at noon, that's maximum 6-8 hours for food to sit in your bag unrefrigerated. It's probably fine for most foods, they won't get dangerously spoiled. Stomach acid is good at dealing with moderate amounts of bacteria, anything that doesn't smell/taste off shouldn't cause any harm. For a peace of mind you can also get a cooler lunch box with an ice flask insert, something like this. Sandwiches with low carb bread, crackers with cheese, salads, keto cookies, cakes, lettuce leaves with stuff thrown on top are all edible cold. On college days I leave home at 9am and come back after 9pm, with lunch break at 4pm. I take flax bread sandwiches with cheese, cooked meats and pate, keep them unrefrigerated and haven't poisoned myself yet.

Artificial sweeteners: I wouldn't worry about it too much, just check the ingredients of granulated/powdered ones. Unless it's erythritol, it probably contains dextrose/maltodextrin which is light, fluffy sugar. The whole fear of cancer, "chemicals" and weight gain is BS. They can raise insulin, cause cravings and make food more likely to settle as fat, but they won't make you gain fat out of thin air on a calorie deficit.

Metabolic slowdown, calories and stalls: It is true that metabolism slows down on a calorie deficit. However, it is not a binary thing where it is normal to a certain point and then switches to slow mode. It is more or less proportional. By having a bigger deficit you will slow it down more, but not to the point of maintenance on 1200 kcal. The reason why going too low is bad is low energy, hunger, too much stress on the body causing it to freak out and sustainability. If none of these are an issue to you and you feel great, a bigger deficit is ok and you will indeed lose more on a bigger deficit, despite slower metabolism. But it has to be comfortable and mostly a positive experience. If the negatives outweigh the positive feelings, you will become irritated, sick of it, hate everything and eventually break. It's not a matter of willpower, brain runs on chemicals, you are your brain, and you can only win by cooperating with it and playing by its rules. Water retention can cause apparent stalls for a couple of months, but in your case of 6 months it is more likely a combination of factors, including having more calories than you though. Here's a good post on shorter stalls, which are normal and to be expected.

Please don't ever give up. I'm on 1200 kcal myself (I weigh every crumble that goes in my mouth) and been stalling for 6 weeks, but today it started creeping down a bit. It is very frustrating and I have rage quit myself more times than I'd like to admit.

this might be a good idea for the kiddos. They're small and easy to carry, and they can put their carry-on items in them with easy access. For any sort of road-travel, it's good to toss in some trail mix and a juicebox -- for the plane, it'll carry a book, device (mp3, tablet, DS, etc), plus travel kleenex packets, headphones, etc.....
Backpacks for kids can sometimes be a little too bulky, and these make the trip much easier, as well as being kid-size. :)
Good luck!

Hummus and veggies or hummus and pretzels (17 pretzels are 90 calories and the perfect amount for two tablespoons of hummus which is 70 calories).

I also do frozen veggies or veggie blends, like peas and carrots, broccoli, California blend, etc. Dish them out frozen in the morning and 30-45 seconds in the microwave at lunch is normally enough to thaw and heat them.

For lunch packing suggestions, I just use a lunch bag similar to this. I got mine free from work for some "Healthy Habits" initiative. It's nice because I can carabiner it to my work bag easily enough.

For tupperware, I have an assortment of Lock-and-locks in various sizes. They are great, I can fill one with a vinaigrette and it won't leak.

I don't do one tupperware with multiple compartments, I do multiple smaller containers so I can heat some things and leave others cold.

Multiple smaller containers also helps with portion size because sometimes I want to just fill the container all the way up instead of measuring.

Psst, this is for you
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004UISANC?cache=2a07503d9fd37fcc9db87264b1fe4374#ref=mp_s_a_1_1&qid=1393759804&sr=8-1

I work 12 hour days, so I feel your problems.

Birdseye and Green Giant do steam in bag vegetables I've found to be pretty good. They are under $3 a per bag, so that is an easy way to get your veggies. At least two meals a day for me are nothing but 4 minute to cook veggies bags. Like $20 gives me a month worth of food.

http://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/birdseye-steamfresh/steamfresh-chefs-favorites

I'm also a fan of doing spaghetti with meatballs, chicken alfredo or some other pasta based dish I can put into Tupperware and just microwave in 5 or 6 minutes or less. I figure I spend maybe $40 a month on dinners for work.

Also, pick up a lunch bag like this to carry it in.

http://smile.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-Insulated-Lunch-Cooler-Black/dp/B004UISANC/

I also recommend a 4 in one utensil set like this.

http://smile.amazon.com/Piece-Stainless-Steel-Eating-Utensil/dp/B004V5XNQS/

I also have a cheap, $20 2 quart crockpot from WalMart that I can do soup or something in. Start it up when I get into work, by first lunch (I take two half hour lunchs a night) I've got a good meal ready to go. Often times one of my co-workers and I will poll some cash and do something.

I was in the same boat. Packing my lunch and bringing it to work was a hard routine to start but now it is second nature to me. Make twice as much dinner and bring the rest for lunch. My daily routine now is gym for an hour and eat when I get back to my desk. No one at work has ever cared.

Also, a small lunch bag and these Ziploc containers are money.

I love short work weeks! I have one this week as well, and I'm excited because I get to go home early on Thursday and see my family (which includes my puppy) :) The best thing about short work week means a long weekend! What do you plan to do this weekend?

This rad lunchbox would make me less ratchet at work since I currently just use a plastic bag :P

$7.99 on Amazon. Drop in an icepack and a sandwich- http://www.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-Insulated-Lunch-Cooler-Black/dp/B004UISANC