Trying to maintain goals while having a sedentary job?
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I wasn't relating to your sarcasm, 603, but to the original poster's dilemma.0
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I wasn't relating to your sarcasm, 603, but to the original poster's dilemma.
I'm just informing you.
It makes zero sense to keep a drawer full of snacks if you have an issue with snacking. Because, just as you're experiencing, it can cause you to snack too much.
I'm all for keeping healthy snacks on hand, I do it when I know I'll be running errands for a long time.
Maybe keep the snacks in your car and take a 5 minute break and walk to your car for them. Because then you can really figure out if you're hungry or not when it's 40mph winds out there.
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You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
Actually, it does if you plan your snacks and track and limit them. I keep stuff that is satisfying but with few enough calories that it doesn't put me off track the entire day. The days I get off track with snacking are usually the days I'm exhausted. That tends to be my trigger.
I am old enough that I remember when snacks were not expected and common. I do find that if I get used to being appropriately hungry between meals, I do better. But then, hunger's not my trigger, fatigue is. I can be hungry before lunch and not go overboard -- for many people, it's a trigger to overeat. You have to assess your own habits and situation.
I have found that a giant bag of cut-up veggies leaves me little room for other food, but I don't mind eating them without dressing. Babybel Light cheese and an apple, a single clementine orange, an ounce of jerky -- MOST days, this gets me through. If it doesn't I eat a little more, but try not to go overboard. I believe in a sustainable plan, and being hungry and cranky all the time is not sustainable for me.
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marysamezz wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »just because you have the opportunity to 'sit and eat all day' doesnt mean you have to... i have an office job, its made no difference to my weight loss or fitness routine.
I'm asking people for opinions and advice because I'm saying I have a hard time not snacking all day. Just because you don't have a hard time doesn't mean no one else does.
i think the advice here is to flex your willpower, and it's solid advice.
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marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.0 -
Sarcasm caught and answered. I habitually keep snacks because of a long-standing diabetes diagnosis, now in remission. I never let myself get too hungry.
I also prevent over-eating at home after work by timing my afternoon snack for about 3:30 in the afternoon. That means having relatively healthy options available.
Willpower is overrated. I restructure my environment to help achieve my goals.0 -
marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
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I'm a full-time computer geek, which is as sedentary as it gets. You're doing good with the workouts, so big plus there. I'll second the vote for high-protein snacks (although with the caveat that protein doesn't always have a high satiety value -- depends on the person). Most days, I'll go through a quart of fat-free, sugar-free yogurt (half in the morning, half in the afternoon). 500-ish calories, but they're better calories than candy or chips. I'm also drinking pretty much constantly -- usually a mix of diet sodas (it's a known fact that programmers convert caffeine into code) and water (usually with some sort of artificial sweetener to cut the chlorine taste). As you can tell, I'm not a poster child for clean eating
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marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
i highly doubt eating half a cucumber to help prevent over indulging when your starving later is going to do more harm than good. I posted this for helpful and positive advice. Not for an oppurtunity for negativity to flourish. I think that keeping almonds or trail mix in my desk to go to instead of unhealthy snacks would be helpful to me. You saying that it won't work is negative and it's an opinion on what is or isn't helpful to you. You're accomplishing nothing but exuding negativity.0 -
I have a desk job. I keep unsalted almonds in my desk drawer and carrot/celery sticks in my lunch bag. I try to go for a walk on one or both of my 15 minute breaks. On occasion I will indulge in a homemade goodie that someone brings but it's few and far between. Common sense, will power and gym.
Good luck.0 -
Sarcasm caught and answered. I habitually keep snacks because of a long-standing diabetes diagnosis, now in remission. I never let myself get too hungry.
I also prevent over-eating at home after work by timing my afternoon snack for about 3:30 in the afternoon. That means having relatively healthy options available.
Willpower is overrated. I restructure my environment to help achieve my goals.
I agree! I would rather eat a healthy snack if it's going to prevent me from over indulging later0 -
marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
i highly doubt eating half a cucumber to help prevent over indulging when your starving later is going to do more harm than good. I posted this for helpful and positive advice. Not for an oppurtunity for negativity to flourish. I think that keeping almonds or trail mix in my desk to go to instead of unhealthy snacks would be helpful to me. You saying that it won't work is negative and it's an opinion on what is or isn't helpful to you. You're accomplishing nothing but exuding negativity.
nuts and trail mix are pretty high in calories. are you going to be able to keep them to sensible portions?
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skullshank wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
i highly doubt eating half a cucumber to help prevent over indulging when your starving later is going to do more harm than good. I posted this for helpful and positive advice. Not for an oppurtunity for negativity to flourish. I think that keeping almonds or trail mix in my desk to go to instead of unhealthy snacks would be helpful to me. You saying that it won't work is negative and it's an opinion on what is or isn't helpful to you. You're accomplishing nothing but exuding negativity.
nuts and trail mix are pretty high in calories. are you going to be able to keep them to sensible portions?
I have a scale I could just portion it out.0 -
I'm sedentary at work too. I agree with others who have suggested bringing your own lunch and snacks (just enough for the day), keeping limited cash on hand to purchase snacks and high calorie beverages, and getting up for a quick walk when you have a few minutes.
What helps me the most though is keeping busy throughout the day. If I'm busy working, I am not thinking about food at all.0 -
One way to manage portions ahead of time is to pre-portion them. I like the half-size snack ziplocs. Now that does demand a certain amount of willpower not to double-up.0
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I gained most of my weight in college, when I was walking all over campus and had plenty of free time to exercise. Keep in mind this weight gain had nothing to do with drinking or living in the dorms, because I did neither. I lost most of my weight while working a desk job and sitting on my butt for most of the day.
Avoiding just sitting at your desk and stuffing your face with high-calorie treats is something you need to figure out on your own. For me, I just don't do it. I pre-log all of my meals so I know when I'll be eating what. At work, I eat breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack, all of which I bring from home. I am very rarely tempted by all the free food that's sitting around the office every week. I often bring my share home to my husband, who is currently bulking, and it doesn't bother me one bit to not eat any. I love donuts, but I don't NEED one, and I won't have one if it doesn't fit my macros. That's just how it is.
I get up early to work out, I plan out my meals so I'm not hungry all day, and I go about business as usual. It's really not that difficult. You either want it or you don't - you decide.0 -
marysamezz wrote: »skullshank wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
i highly doubt eating half a cucumber to help prevent over indulging when your starving later is going to do more harm than good. I posted this for helpful and positive advice. Not for an oppurtunity for negativity to flourish. I think that keeping almonds or trail mix in my desk to go to instead of unhealthy snacks would be helpful to me. You saying that it won't work is negative and it's an opinion on what is or isn't helpful to you. You're accomplishing nothing but exuding negativity.
nuts and trail mix are pretty high in calories. are you going to be able to keep them to sensible portions?
I have a scale I could just portion it out.
great, but are you keeping the whole bag there, or only making the portions available?0 -
marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
i highly doubt eating half a cucumber to help prevent over indulging when your starving later is going to do more harm than good. I posted this for helpful and positive advice. Not for an oppurtunity for negativity to flourish. I think that keeping almonds or trail mix in my desk to go to instead of unhealthy snacks would be helpful to me. You saying that it won't work is negative and it's an opinion on what is or isn't helpful to you. You're accomplishing nothing but exuding negativity.
I don't think your company will appreciate you keeping half eaten cucumbers in your desk drawer. Don't need to attract mice.
You may read it as negativity but it's called being realistic.
It is incredibily easy to overeat nuts and trail mix - those two items are very calorie dense. 28g of nuts is between 150-200 calories (depending on the type of nut, if it's dry roasted/honey roasted/ etc). Unless you're going to buy preportioned snacks (which is not economical or earth friendly) or preportion them at home and store them at your desk (which then could cause items to go stale quicker if the seal isn't tight enough), you will probably over eat your nuts or trail mix. It's incredibily easy too. And it's not a dig at you at all. I've been here 3 years and still weigh nuts out because of how easy it is to overestimate.
And ps, nothing is unhealthy is moderation.
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marysamezz wrote: »skullshank wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »marysamezz wrote: »redheaddee wrote: »I keep my drawer in my office full of healthy snacks and have claimed a drawer in the fridge as well. That way I don't eat out during the week. I also get up and walk the office at least hourly. There are lots of body weight stuff you can do at your desk throughout the day. I also have the luxury of a door and blinds, so I can close the door at lunch and do some yoga. I even brought a mat to live in the office. You want it bad enough, you make it work.
Good tip, I need to pack some healthy snacks in my desk!
You have a problem with snacking so you're going to fill your desk with snacks?
Makes sense
healthy snakcs can help curb your appetite and prevent over indulging later. So yeah.
Or they can lead to over-indulging in the present.
i highly doubt eating half a cucumber to help prevent over indulging when your starving later is going to do more harm than good. I posted this for helpful and positive advice. Not for an oppurtunity for negativity to flourish. I think that keeping almonds or trail mix in my desk to go to instead of unhealthy snacks would be helpful to me. You saying that it won't work is negative and it's an opinion on what is or isn't helpful to you. You're accomplishing nothing but exuding negativity.
nuts and trail mix are pretty high in calories. are you going to be able to keep them to sensible portions?
I have a scale I could just portion it out.
I would be a bit careful with the trail mixes and nuts. They are full of nutrients but very calorie dense. I can pretty easily polish off 700 calories of trail mix at a sitting (this is less than a cup). Not saying don't try it, just keep an eye on your portion sizes and if you can't help overeating them (I can't), try something else.
That being said, being prepared with low calorie density snacks in your desk is a great idea. Fruit, veggies, dry roasted peas and beans, whole grains - really anything that will fill you up and satisfy your cravings without a ton of calories.0 -
Except Costco muffins. Costco muffins are evil. They demand to be eaten in full.0
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