Lunch Ideas - Creating Balanced Vegetarian Meals

PT,
First of all, I started at 150+ too at 5'3". For somebody who went from 160 to 110 by just nursing and always being around 110, I had the shock of my life when I didn't reduce after this baby. Now I feel it was a good thing. I have learned not to take my metabolism for granted, put crap in my body and expect to just sit on my rear end all day long and expect to be toned by the end of the day. Don't worry, with patience you will get there.
At 155 lbs and 5'2" with very light exercise you should be able to eat 1400 cals a day and be able to lose a pound a week. Don't go any lower. If you lose more than a pound a week, go above. Keep playing with this number. I got this from my personal trainer and it worked for me. I now eat at 1500 a day(minus workout cals). On days I workout, I eat extra(basically try and eat my exercise cals back). If not, I can eat 1700 a day and not eat back exercise cals. Try this for a couple of weeks, if you don't lose a pound a week then try cutting down to 1300 and if you lose more make it 1500 and so on. Make sure you measure everything though. I kept thinking I was eating at 1200 and not losing. Then I chanced on Shiva's blog. That's when I knew my low oil subzi had to have more than a tsp of oil. When I measured I noticed I was indeed using a tbsp and calling it a tsp .

1400 should be this -
Morning- (comes upto 260 odd cals)
1) 8 oz of 2% Milk( I make it into coffee). You can make it 5oz.
2) Refrigerated oatmeal -
Overnight, No-Cook Refrigerator Oatmeal

Lunch - pick any from this thread. I would make it 450 odd cals, that's probably what most of my lunches here are. Shanvy's probably around 350-400. I'm sure Shanvy makes up by eating a mid morning snack, something that I eat only on workout days, otherwise no time

Evening snack - I drink a cup of 8oz 2% milk coffee and a nut pack or similar snack. All this maybe 250 cals.

Dinner - if I can manage i eat a portion equivalent to lunch. I reduce the carbs and add some dahi or something sometimes. I'm going to have to make space for a morning snack and reduce the cals in dinner but I just don't have the time for a mid morning snack. Again around 400 odd cals here.

Try this and see if you can lose any weight. Once you clean up your diet then find an exercise program. Find an activity that you enjoy, otherwise no matter how good it I'd for you, you won't stick to it.
If you can, try starting strength training in the gym with a personal trainer. I did and felt great, then had to stop because of an injury(unrelated to gym). I would highly recommend a mix of cardio and strength if you can.
Most of all, take it slow. The weight didn't come on in a day, it won't come off in a day.
Also if possible blog your journey. It will help a lot of people. I didn't do it because I thought who can possibly learn from me but thinking of all the mistakes I made along the way, I can write an entire novel!
Since we are talking healthy, let me give you the low down on my "injury". When my DD was born, she had terrible colic. I had to be on a very restrictive non dairy non meat non soy basically non anything good diet to nurse her. By the time she turned 18 months old, I was back in my gap size 4 skinnnies. Great, isn't it? My friend envied how I did it so effortlessly. I probably ate 1500 cals a day breast feeding and ate all my vitamins and calcium supplements. I didn't have much of supply issues and she nursed for 27 months.
Fast forward 12 yrs. I have terrible shoulder pain, I injured my shoulder while getting a bag out of a luggage carousel when I went to India in summer. I was in so much pain. Got a scan, went to doc, got ruled as a muscular thing and got put on various muscle relaxants. No relief. Steroid shots on the shoulder, no relief. Months and months of any type of treatment by my PCp, it goes and comes back again. Went to a specialist this week. Guess what the X-ray showed. My under eating during nursing then has given me hell. Basically my body leeched calcium from my bones for my baby. The second time I did it, thankfully I ate upwards of 2500 cals, didn't lose much weight but thankfully saved my bones. Apparently if I had done what I did with dd I would have had terrible joint issues. Btw, apparently all those supplements don't get absorbed by our body the way nutrients from food get absorbed.
So anybody reading this, please don't under eat, give up on dairy and lose weight. Dont eat below 2000 cals while nursing and lose weight. You will lose easily but the price you pay 10-15yrs down the line is not worth the figure.

Take things slow but do it right.

*added - PT,
Eat the white rice if you have to, just be conscious of the amount. Maybe 1/3cup and a roti or something like that. Ideally in my lunches, 1/4cup and a roti(oil free) and all the other things. Giving up something you ate every day cold turkey will not work. Reduce slowly and then you won't miss it much when you replace it completely. Look at Shiva's blog. She has a soup that she eats at night. Good one and has rice

 

Wow Mathi! Glad you enjoyed it. I never thought of brown rice, let me try that!
I add sprouts to subzis too but in the end. I don't like it if they get too mushy. I had no clue they could not be cooked with other veggies. Maybe because of the mushiness? Any other reason? Raw sprouts don't sit well with my DH, I have to cook.

*Added - Mathi, just saw your ticker. Did you complete 100 miles with so many days to go for jan? Great Job! :wowarty

 

Shanvy,
Here is wishing you a Very Happy Anniversary! Hope you have a fun day today! Here is a virtual party for you from all of us!
arty

 

PT,
I cook quinoa in the rice cooker(1:2). I make it just once every 3-4 days. It stays well in the fridge for a week, unlike rice that gets hard after a day in the fridge.
Dalia I'm still not sure of the rice cooker or normal cooker measures. I tried various times but never came out just right. I just make it on the stove top. Boil water, add washed dalia, check for the right consistency and drain out the water when done. Lets see what Shanvy does with dalia.

L

 

I know Keerthi, its a little difficult to bring in to practice. When you start to do ritually you will get used to including salads.