Desk job and eating habits

lilylovesyou108

So I just recently graduated college. Mind you, my eating habits weren't all that great in college, but I felt like since I was always on the move, going from class to class, meeting to meeting, and studying, while my meals were a lot more irregular, I never really sat down and thought about when I get hungry.

It seems to me that having a desk job - typically 9 to 5 has made me be a lot more conscious of when I am actually hungry - which I feel is more often than I thought I was.

I feel like I need to snack in between my meals now. Even though I'm just sitting down and doing work all day, I feel even hungrier by the evening, and I want to eat more. Back in college, I don't think I was ever really this hungry. Or if I was - I don't think I was super conscious of it.

What are your experiences with hunger and working - especially if you have a typical 9 to 5 desk job like me?

Also - does anyone do weekend meal prepping? I have some friends who would prep all their meals for the rest of the week over the weekend, pre-pack it and everything, so they could just take it to work and eat it. It helps them manage their food and snacks and stuff.

KANGOOJUMPS

did you learn to drink in college?
are you snacking on some booze?
9 to 5 jobs make me want to drink,

JamieM8168

Kind of weird but I always buy a bag of baby carrots and bring them to work so if I need to snack on something I have something healthy to eat.

TeaBea

I absolutely manage my snack and meals ...... I have to. That way there is NO excuse to use the vending machine. I keep (no sugar added) applesauce, packets of oatmeal, and a can of soup in my desk drawer.

I buy veggies & cut them up .... that way I can toss some in a sandwich bag & I'm ready to roll.... snap peas, pepper strips, and raw broccoli .... are faves. My snacks are typically veggies. Planning meals (protein, complex carbs, and fat) .... should keep me full.

For me .... I will eat out of boredom ..... so I plan for healthy snacks and a big water jug on my desk.

minijuggernaut

I bring breakfast and lunch in tupperwares that I cook nightly (I hate leftovers) as well as cut up fruit and veg, a tub of hummus, a tub of almond butter, a few bags of nuts, measuring cups, my scale, some utensils... in a little travel bag. I get some good natured ribbing at work for my "feed bag" but I prefer to never be in a situation where I get hungry.

kayaksara

I bring all my food in to work for the day. I bring no money for vending or I would probably end up getting soda and chocolate! I usually know what I am going to eat for the week. Carrots, apples, bananas, blueberries, popcorn are my snacks. I sometimes make a pot of steel cut oats on the weekend and bring that for my lunch all week. If I was more ambitious I would probably make some chicken or something too. I think you need to plan. And don't eat out of boredom. Gum helps me when I am not truly hungry at work.

taintedbutterfly18

Had a big problem when I didn't bring any snacks for morning or afternoon hunger pains. I would eat junk sitting around the office like candy and gummy bears. Started doing some planning and so far it is helping.

newmanel

Crazy, I feel the exact same way. At my desk job, I feel like I'm always hungry. I think part of it is boredom masquerading as hunger, to be honest. My job was so boring that I would look forward to snacks as a way to break up the day's tedium. I found that drinking coffee or tea instead of resorting immediately to food curbed a lot of the hunger pangs.

I'm also big into planning the week's meals, which helped curbed the incessant urge to snack at my desk. At least it regimented it somewhat, because before I packed intentional, healthful snacks, I'd buy a huge bag of Chex Mix and just graze on that all day. I really recommend planning your work lunches and snacks to regain control.

Shellz31

I think everyone else got the snack-at-work thing covered, but I thought I'd give my two cents on how to handle after work hunger. I also started to experience being really hungry after work once I graduated college and started a desk job. The feeling has, unfortunately, never gone away. My way of dealing with it is to break dinner up into two meals. I have a high protein mini meal immediately after I get home from work then wait 1.5-2 hours before having my usual dinner. I should also mention that I try to keep the calories at lunch as low as possible to make room for my first dinner. Anyway, if I eat a good amount of protein right after work and then wait a little while, the feeling of hunger usually subsides. If it doesn't I'll much on some veggies.

breeshabebe

We have tons of vendors that bring us food! Donuts and Icecream are weekly! What I will do, is give myself a time limit and stick to it. Like with icecream... I'll eat a small amount of it.. but only at 3 o'clock. So if it's 1 o'clock and I am wanting it, I will just keep telling myself that at 3 I get to have it. LOL I think about my next meal alot. If its after 3 and I have already had my treat, I will just think about what I am going to do for dinner and how awesome it will taste.

melissarae27

Make sure your breakfast has lots of fat in it, that will help to satiate you throughout the day. I keep plain almonds and beef jerky at my desk for when I feel hungry.

southerndream24

I always bring things to snack on at work baby carrots, almonds, and keep Quest bars in my desk. We have kitchens on every floor so I can bring anything from home. Plus we have a corporate cafeteria that has plenty of healthy options.

abbyrmichel

I work 8-5 and I am the same way, I never felt very hungry at college but now that I am at my internship for the summer I experience the same things. I usually want to eat, like other people said, out of complete boredom. So now, I try to pack healthy snacks so I can munch on them to make time pass. I also buy sugar free gum and chew on that to keep me busy. At night I try to keep myself busy so that I forget that I am hungry, or I just go to bed early

granitendirt

I agree with being bored at work and eating to fill time. On weekends, I am hardly ever hungry because I'm doing things I enjoy and relaxing.

I go for a quick walk when I can... even just 5 minutes at a time here and there throughout the day. Keeps my brain from exploding from the tedium.

Realizing that my job is like this has been motivation for me to think more about what I really want as a career. A desk job just might not be for me, honestly. I am far too restless.

nyrina4life

I work a desk job and bring dried cherries (no sugar added, or anything... ) graham crackers, or apples and peanut butter.

I don't know why, but it seems like sitting for x amount of time makes you feel like you need to eat. Or at least it does for me. I could work 12 hours at a hospital, munch on a snack about four hours in then have dinner (and I was on my feet 90% of that).

phizzylizzy

Kind of weird but I always buy a bag of baby carrots and bring them to work so if I need to snack on something I have something healthy to eat.

I am eating baby carrots at work RIGHT NOW! With some hummus, a tasty 100 calorie treat.

sbrownallison

I kept a bowl of fruit at my desk and, if I got hungry, I would have a snack. Before that I had been going to the vending machine for a snack. Bad idea! I began drinking caramel lattes (not the skinny kind) at least once a day. Jeebus, I put on 40 lbs! Nowadays I'm home all day with easy access to the fruit bowl. I limit my environment and don't buy trigger foods.

lilylovesyou108

So healthy snacks are a must.

I like this idea of breaking up dinner into two parts. I'll definitely try this out!

It's good to know I'm not the only one.

I really do think it's a matter of sitting down and if I'm bored or just not trying to do work, for some reason, a stomach that isn't full translates into a stomach that I should try to fill with food because I'm bored or just sitting down.

On weekends when I'm going out, on my feet, or walking around, I don't really have this problem. It's only a matter of when I literally sit down all day to do work, and then I get conscious and start wanting to snack or munch on things.

JenSD6

I find having a routine helps, such as always having lunch at the same time every day. I eat my breakfast at my desk as soon as I get in, then I'm usually good until lunch. I generally have a small snack at 4:00 to hold me over until dinner is ready 6:30'ish.

And prepping weekday lunches on the weekend is a great habit to get into. Makes for a lot less stress the morning of and fewer "oh, I'll just go to McDonalds today" decisions.

BluejayNY

I eat at the same times every day. I eat breakfast 9:30 to 10. Sometimes I have a snack around 11:30 if breakfast didn't satisfy me. I eat lunch 12:30 to 1:00. Then I have a snack 3 to 4 pm. I almost always get weirdly hungry around that time. I pack my snacks so candy bars or the free donuts/pasties at work do not tempt me.