Going out to lunch is a favorite pastime of employees everywhere. Pop into just about any of your favorite dining hot spots and you'll see long lines and hungry faces. While going out to lunch every day may seem like a great reward for a long morning of hard work, it actually comes at a high price - not just in dollars, but in calories as well. {relatedarticles}When you're surrounded by fast food restaurants on every side, it's easy to give into temptation. It's no secret that filling up on high-calorie, high-fat foods will contribute to your own personal obesity crisis, But there are ways to take these factors out of the equation, which is where brown bagging it comes in handy. There's a lot to be said for packing your own lunch, especially when you get some creativity involved. Why not throw last night's leftovers in a Tupperware container and enjoy them for lunch?

You can spice up a traditional sandwich by preparing it on pitas, wraps or whole-grain bread. Pick the lean protein of your choice and then top it with the fresh vegetables of your choice. How about making a salad loaded with all of your favorite trimmings? {relatedarticles}Top it with your favorite light salad dressing. You can also enjoy healthy staples such as tuna, yogurt, string cheese, hummus, fruit or luncheon meat rolls. Although fresh is usually best, another option is to bring a frozen entrée or can of soup. But be sure to keep a close eye on sodium counts as they tend to run extremely high in these products. Most importantly, don't forget a drink. You don't want any reason to make a beeline for the soda machine. Instead pack a thermos of unsweetened tea or water.