Trying to maintain goals while having a sedentary job?

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  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    edited December 2014
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    If you don't already, I recommend pre-logging.

    The first thing I do when I get to the office is make a cup of coffee then sit down at my desk and pre-log all the food I've brought for the day. I'm not organized enough to preplan dinner. But I brainstorm what I might make based on the numbers from the day. (And I don't really keep anything at my desk, aside from maybe an emergency can of soup or oatmeal in case I forget to grab my lunch bag. Everything I bring is pre-portioned.)

    I usually eat breakfast at my desk (yogurt, maybe with whey if I have salad for lunch, or fruit & cottage cheese). I bring my own lunch, which varies from a sandwich or salad to leftovers from the night before & applesauce or something. And I typically have almonds for an after lunch snack. I base most of my choices on making sure I'm getting enough protein each day. Also, like others have said, I try my darnedest to drink plenty of water. It helps me to see all my calories accounted for already. I don't always eat everything I bring. So then I get those calories back to put toward dinner or an after dinner snack. (Woo!)

    Slightly off topic but- you seem to have a very vigorous workout schedule and the general consensus you'll find on this site is that if you're hungry you should eat. So maybe you need to eat more at breakfast or lunch so you aren't as tempted to snack?
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Except Costco muffins. Costco muffins are evil. They demand to be eaten in full.

    I had one before. It was stale and belonged in a trash can.

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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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.

    Wow, hangry much?!
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    I've been reading a lot of books on motivation and change lately, and it seems like the current research supports the idea that habits are much easier to change than break. Keeping lower calorie (or portion controlled, if you can do it easily) snacks on hand will likely be easier to stick to than just eliminating them. Sure, willpower might work, but i figure, why make things any more difficult than they need to be?

    As an aside, you could also change your habit to something like deep breathing or walking around the office if the alternate snack idea is still putting you over your calorie goals. As a bigger change, it will be harder, but it's a good plan B.
  • bennettinfinity
    bennettinfinity Posts: 865 Member
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    MakePeasNotWar wrote: »
    marysamezz wrote: »
    skullshank wrote: »
    marysamezz wrote: »
    603reader wrote: »
    marysamezz wrote: »
    603reader 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.

    Yep - I tried the almond route when I first tried to up my protein intake. An ounce or two through the day made a big dent in my overall calorie allotment while not sating me in the least. I chalked that one up in the 'failed experiment' column. But that's a sample size of n=1, YMMV, OP.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I think the advice to keep a schedule is a good suggestion. If you have an eating schedule and know what you're going to eat and when, you might be less tempted to munch in between. I always try to make sure that I'm eating things I enjoy so that I still look forward to my next snack/meal and am less likely to sneak things in between. I also try not to let myself get too hungry, because when I'm starving, I'm much more likely to just grab a handful of anything and eat it without too much concern.

    I'm at a desk all day, but since I'm face to face with patients all the time, I don't snack while I'm working. However, I do have water/coffee/tea next to me all day long and sip on it when I feel hungry, and that does help. I always bring my lunch with me and have it pre-logged so I know how much I'm eating, and I try to pack it full of protein to keep the hunger at bay. :)
  • Jim_G10
    Jim_G10 Posts: 132
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    I have a deskjob as well and find water a good way to stave of any feelings to nibble or even eat loads more than my plan.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    edited December 2014
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    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.

    Exactly this. In fact, I use my office job as a way to KEEP from eating, I basically act like food at my desk is not allowed and I very rarely snack at work. I eat meals at home or in restaurants, and only snack if I really have to. It's seriously helped me avoid eating from stress and/or boredom.

    I do have a bit of an advantage though, temptation wise, in that I work in an atypical office. It's mostly men and they smoke (off premises) and drink Mountain Dew or Coke, but don't snack or bring in treats. In the past I worked in more typical offices with candy, potlucks, etc. That was more difficult but I still did all right because I did not get into the habit of midday snacking but chose my "battles", for example I said no to bowls of candy and store-bought cookies/cakes but if there was strawberry rhubarb pie from a local pie shop, I practically jumped for joy and logged that as part of my lunch or dinner for the day.

    Obviously this is not the solution for everyone because many people prefer to snack periodically or have several mini-meals each day.

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