Manly Lunches That Won't Make You Fat

It's already the middle of May, which means, you're only a few weeks away from wishing you lost the extra weight you've been packing around your middle throughout the winter. That's why if you haven't already started to trim the fat and calories you've been binging on all season long, it's time to start.

One area most men find impossible to keep in check is their lunches, which is why we've come up with a few easy-to-handle nutritional tips that don't require foraging like a bird, or, feeling emasculated by how little you're allowed to eat. Instead, these 'manly' tweaks let you feast more like a man-without losing your dignity.

Guiltless Grilled Cheese: Instead of cooking one in the traditional way, try toasting two slices of bread, place one slice of reduced-fat cheddar cheese between them, sprinkle a little powdered butter substitute on the cheese, then stick the sandwich on a paper towel in the microwave. Nuke it for 20-25 seconds - just enough to melt the cheese -- and you're done.

Fat-friendly Fried Chicken: Buy yourself a bucket the day before you plan on eating it, wrap each piece in a paper towel, place the chicken into a different container, then toss it in your fridge. The towels will soak up some of the fat, plus, eating it cold will let you peel away even more congealed fat and make you eat less since fried foods tend to be less appetizing when served cold (so you'll be likely to eat less).

A Pain-Free Peanut Butter Sandwich: Skip the traditional peanut butter and switch it up with an all-natural brand (the type where the oil rises to the top of the jar.) Dump out the oil -- which is a large portion of the fat -- then spread away.

The Right Kind of Reuben: Switch the corned beef (which is loaded in fat) for turkey ham instead, then add some low-fat mozzarella, spicy shredded cabbage, mustard and pickles on two slices of whole-grain rye bread. Broil it until the cheese melts and you're done, minus about 12 grams of fat.

A Sub That Won't Sink You: Instead of eating a meat sub like veal Parmesan or a meatball hoagie, try this trick instead. Cut some eggplant into a few cubed pieces, spread on some olive oil, then lightly brown them under the broiler. Mix them in with a little fat-free tomato sauce and capers, spread them into a whole-wheat Kaiser roll, then top it with grated Parmesan.

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A Guy's Gyro: Strip the fat and calories from this favorite lunchtime dish by mixing up a dollop of nonfat yogurt, chopped cucumbers and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spread it inside a whole-wheat pita lined with fat-trimmed grilled chicken strips, roll and eat.