Help!! I sit at a desk all day!!

Franzibear

I also have a desk job, and used to like snacks... especially in my situation (working in a bigger office, with mostly lazy gamer people, who snack all day long on candy and whatnot), it's very difficult sometimes to not fall into the habit as well. But what I have found, and what other people before me have said too I think, is that just cutting out snacking, and having a fixed meal schedule has helped me most. I have a small breakfast, light lunch, and nice dinner, and I try to stick to the schedule. That, for the most part, got my mind off of always focusing on food all day long..!

jedibunny

Anything special K
Rice cakes
almonds
Water

These help me. I sit at a desk all day too and I'm a bored snacker. I will drink water first and then question if I'm actually hungry. If I am, then I go to one of those choices above

Agreed! I keep a tin of mixed nuts/almonds around, lots of water, and I've been known to mow through rice cakes fairly often. There are also healthy snack mixes out there that might have slightly fattier things like sesame sticks, but are pretty satisfying. I work a desk job and there's almost ALWAYS temptation around, so I keep my metabolism up by snacking a small amount at a time.

Mirror_Mirror

I am a receptionist. I have to get up and down to put medical charts up in the door way behind my desk and I always get up and walk to ask questions. This still doesn't add up to much. Because I am constantly in the eye of patients in our waiting room I really can't "work out" at my desk. So the drinking more water and going to the bathroom thing will help me.

As far as snacking goes... When I first started this lifestyle (about 2 weeks ago) I was a boredom/ hunger desk snacker... I tried to have "healthy" things like pretzels, granola bars, "fit and active fruit strips" yet what I've found is since I've been eating a healthy full breakfast I don't need to snack between breakfast and lunch typically. This was a drastic change, in fact I have snacks still in my desk that are probably almost stale at this point. I know when I've not eaten a good enough breakfast though b/c I hear my stomach rumbling or find myself thinking about lunch.

To fight the boredom eating I've decided to get rid of any food in my desk. I built two snacks into my lunch each day yogurt and a reduced fat string cheese. If I need a bit of help I'll grab one or the other to bridge the gap before lunch but it is part of my "lunch" so I'm not eating any extra calories yet it's not such a large part of my lunch that I am not getting enough for the rest of the day.

So if you are strictly a boredom snaker I suggest removing snacks all together. If they aren't there just to curb hunger you will end up eating them some days without realizing how much you've eaten till you go for them and find out they're gone already. If you find you need it for hunger take a second to check how much protein you are getting vs carbs in your meals for me protein keeps me fuller and satisfied longer. Depending on how long you go between meals snacking might be okay but try to give yourself 1 snack for a certain time period and plan it in, that way you can't boredom eat but you aren't stuck starving till the next meal. Try to figure out what time you seem to get "hungry" and pick a small snack that fits into your calories for the day.

Oh and the mint thing... is genius! I do that as well when I'm craving something sweet or want to boredom snack. My personal favorite is Cinnamon Altoids (3 mints is a serving but I only ever need one at a time and they are only 10 calories per serving. And yes they are great because nothing goes with them so they kind of ... fill that craving gap, lol!

Meevz

I sit at a desk all day and I just try to eat every couple of hours. I bring an apple, a fiber granola bar, and fresh fruit for snacks and then just have a big salad at lunch. I also drink a TON of water and chew gum in between snacks.

skeck

I agree with Mirror_Mirror.

I am in a similar boat and I just plan snacks into my day! If I bring my lunch, I will pull something small out of it and save it for a mid-afternoon snack. Or, I'll drink lots of water or crystal light. Mints & gum work wonders, as well.

I wish you luck!

MahoganyBrown78

I sit at a desk all day too & was immediately drawn to this post. Someone else feels my pain! I'm getting a lot of great tips from everybody so thanks HipsterGirl for asking the question & everybody else for responding. I'm new to this site too (1st week on Friday) so I have A LOT to learn but I just wanted to share what works for me snack-wise.

Larabars (I'm gluten intolerant & these are GREAT!)
Fruits & Veggies - Venture out & try a new one each week or month
Nuts - Ration out the serving size, put in a baggie & leave the rest at home
Hard boiled eggs - the protein is a real hunger killer
Water - 'nuf said!
Popcorn
Crackers (Gluten-Free for me) - Ration out...(like nuts above)

I'm going to look into the cycle. It can definitely help me & I can get one for my dad who is recovering from a stroke.

Zaetalicious

One of the things that has helped me during long days at work is not just having stuff on hand, but pre-planning everything I eat. When I do that and I stick to my plan, my weight goes down consistently. When I don't, I find myself over-snacking on absolutely everything. Just a thought for the things that have worked for me...

Good luck!

THIS. Plan plan plan plan. It's the only thing that's helped me. Decide what you're going to eat the day before (or for the entire week if you're feeling like it!), and stick to it. That way there are no surprises, you know what you're going to eat that day, when you'll eat it, etc etc. When I get really busy and don't plan my diary a day ahead, it's TERRIBLE, lol, I end up going through every snack I have in my drawer!!!

tdavis092206

I sit at a desk all day long also.. But when I get home I try to move as much as possible and I make sure I pack my snacks, breakfast and lunch the night before so I don't get the urge to grab something someone is ordering just because I forgot my lunch... Good Luck on your journey!!!!

Tkzk

I'm wondering if it's possible to just not let yourself snack, or to mentally prepare yourself and accept that you will only have x amount of snacks. I know that sounds really stupid, but I not only sit at a desk, but I work from home, so my entire kitchen is filled with stuff I could eat. There was one morning where I had three cheesecake slices in a row. I kid you not.

Since tracking my food (only 3 weeks, so I may not be the best person to give advice), I'm VERY conscious of exactly what I eat is adding up to in terms calories, fat, etc. I just tell myself, this is what you get, and that's it. It's kind of like when I quit smoking about 15 years ago. I just decided, OK, no more smoking. It was hard at first, but I think it's possible to get used to these new habits. There are things you can do to mitigate the pain or to prepare yourself better, but it comes down to mind over stomach. Right? Maybe I'm full of it--I'm new here!

cristaine

Well, I have split my "meals" into 4 or 5 so usually there is only a 3 hour gap between meals.... BUT I made a veggie only rule. If I am desperately hungry between meals, I can eat unlimited non-starchy veggies. But, I even try to do away with that, honestly, because if I am only having 3-5 hours between meals, and I am at a desk, I am probably "snackish" not hungry. Part of how I got to the weight I am is because I would eat when I *wasn't* actually hungry. For me personally, I need to train myself out of that habit. But if I am desperate: non-starchy and low glycemic veggies. I can't do much damage with plain celery (another way you could do it, is simply snack out of your next pre-measured meal. Then you know that you will be having a smaller meal later because of wanting to snack early.