How can I eat right, while working a 9-5 desk job?

shanacleo

Ahhh the “desk job”. Gotta love it or gotta hate it.
For all you cube dwellers out there in work-land, how do you handle your diet from 9-5?

For me, it can be challenging. Some days I’m bored, so I run out for a snack. Other days I’m stressed and I reach for a cookie in the kitchen. And then there are the office parties, lunches and happy hours. Oh boy are those fun, but not so after the pounds creep on!

What types of delightful foods do you nosh on during the day to keep the desk pounds away?

xecila

Rice cakes! It doesn't sound yummy at all, but try the flavored rice cakes. I was iffy about them for a long time, but I got some brown sugar ones that are delish. Also, laughing cow cheese with some low cal, whole grain crackers. Or apples with peanut butter.

Oatmeal is an awesome breakfast, too. I buy the instant stuff, and our coffee machine has the little hot water nozzle.. throw it together in a bowl and enjoy! Having a desk job actually helps me to eat breakfast. I can munch on it while working in the morning.

starkiss100

I have oatmeal alot for breakfast as well. I keep healthy snacks in my desk drawer as well. I also have my bottle of water at my desk to drink out of all day.

SailorMoon007

The key for me is to make everything I'm going to eat the night before and to make sure I don't have any access to money. This way, I only eat the healthy stuff that I have and am not tempted by the evilness in my cafeteria.

erickirb

I bring enough food to get me through the day with eating every 2 hours, just limit the size of each. I find it easier to do at a 9-5 than at home on weekends as the day is much more structured.

LongMom

I much prefer my desk job days to the weekend! During the week, my schedule is so nice and steady

I bring Oatmeal packages as well, sometimes Cream Of Wheat. I bring a LOT of fruit for sweet cravings and that REALLY helps me say no to the "weekly donuts" the boys around here like.

I also eat out every Friday for lunch - just to feel "corporate" LOL.

whyflysouth

Protein shakes and chicken salad. If your work has got a fridge, make a big bowl of salad every morning and take it with you work and keep it in the fridge or even on your desk and every 3 hours or so snack on that and/or drink a protein shake. Don't go out for lunch and drink tea often if you can.

That should keep your appetite stable such that when the office parties and the cakes and free bad food comes around you aren't starving and you can practice some self-restraint. Just make sure to make ALLOT of salad - I literally stuff myself full of lettuce throughout the day and it makes eating right allot easier.

amelia_atlantic

I actually LOST almost 20 pounds working a 9-5! I think seeing all the unhealthy food choices people in neighboring cubes ate realllly turned me off from binging in any way.

The things that help me are to be SUPER dilligent with MFP, pack a healthy lunch (salads, sandwiches, wraps) and mid-day snacks (almonds, fruit, portioned popcorn or triscuts) the night before and walk around outside on breaks. Drink water, water, water. Take vitamins!

hamiltonba

I make sure that I eat healthy and that I'm not hungry. I also bring munchies - carrot sticks, fruit, yogurt and chew gum to keep my mouth busy. If I'm hungry, the junk food is harder to resist.

00trayn

I'm working at a desk job as well, and I actually find it easier to eat right while in the office than at home. For breakfast, I have oatmeal every morning. My lunch is a few select items from the cafeteria that I've found aren't terrible for me. It's usually salad from the salad bar, a garden burger, or a sandwich. On occasion, I'll have the entree they are serving if I check the nutrition info first (Sodexo has a website with all the nutrition facts... lifesaver!). I have a drawer full of snacks, included some great tea, 100 calorie cheezit packs, dried cranberries, fiber one bars, etc. And since this healthy eating change would never work for me if I gave up everything that I loved, I let myself take part in "Bagel Thursdays" with a plain bagel and a tiny bit a cream cheese, or if my coworkers go out for lunch I'll go and pick healthy food from the menu. It doesn't have to be a complete sacrifice, just plan it out I've lost 15 pounds sitting at a desk 5 days a week in the past 2 1/2 months, so its very possible!

jerren

you know what, for me, the time at work is the easy part. I'm stuck at my desk and not allowed to get up and leave when i want really. I just bring my lunch and whatever snacks to work with me. I don't buy anything while here.

At home is where the fail comes in. My kids have snacks everywhere. Everyone else in the house aren't trying to lose weight so its kind of hard there.

Holton

I pack something everyday so as to avoid visiting the office kitchen. Currently I have dried apricots, whole almonds, and mini rice cakes and protein bars in my desk drawers. I bring in leftovers from home for my lunch (typically tilapia and steamed vegetables as an example or salads and apples w/peanut butter). I also eat frequently, so after eating breakfast around 7am, typically have something else around 9 and then again at 11 and then 1 and then 3. You can eat healthy while working in a office, it just takes a little more effort on your part, but if you keep your goal in mind, it becomes easier and easier. PLUS, I have found that the folks here at work are unbelievably impressed with how the weight is dropping of me which keeps me stoked to avoid the food they bring in! Let them keep packing it on! I want to be thinner and healthy! You can do it too!

lilmissy2

The key for me is to make everything I'm going to eat the night before and to make sure I don't have any access to money. This way, I only eat the healthy stuff that I have and am not tempted by the evilness in my cafeteria.

I agree with this. Other than that, if you find that sometimes you just need to get up from your desk and that leads to eating e.g. the cookie you mention, maybe you could try a low cal drink like a cup of tea that takes time to make and drink but doesn't affect your weight very much.

As for the office parties, always a tough one! I always feel bad (as the dietitian) not eating something because I feel like people think I'm some diet-obsessed freak! haha we had 2 strategies in my last place of work. The first was to have 1 birthday morning tea a month (rather than the several we would have if everyone with a birthday that month was celebrated on their actual birthday) and the second was to bring something healthy, to share along to the party.

GingerSnark

I bring my food for breakfast, lunch & 2 snacks while at work everyday. I don't snack on anything vendors bring in. If I don't buy it & bring it then I wont eat it.

Snacks are rice cakes, fruit, yogurt, almonds, veggies, etc. I stay away from those 100 calorie packs.

It's alot of pre-planning to make it work.

doll2002

I have a desk job as well. When I snack in between meals, I try to make sure it is a healthy snack. That doesn't always happens but the majority of the time, I have some type of fresh fruit. I also snack on 100 calories popcorn instead of potato chips.

TheMaidOfAstolat

I bring enough food to get me through the day with eating every 2 hours, just limit the size of each. I find it easier to do at a 9-5 than at home on weekends as the day is much more structured.

This is the exact same thing I do. My weekends are so full of stuff that I eat when I can and what I can. I don't track my weekends because of this.

spicy618

I agree. Almost all of us who have a desk job seem to have the same benefit.... Structure. If my weekdays were like my weekends :noway: AND on the weekends I rarely drink water when on workdays I drink over a gallon :laugh:

Bring ALL food and snacks to work with you. Plus some to cover you.

Look at my diary. Just so you know, I'm on maintenance. :bigsmile:

LittleSpy

Well, I've been doing it for nearly 8 months now and it's... well, it's easy.

I have an electric kettle which I use to boil water to make oatmeal (quick, not instant!) in the mornings when I get to work. I mix in a tbs of (natural!) peanut butter and little bit of protein powder. This concoction keeps me stuffed until lunch time. Sometimes to save calories I leave out the pb and add some fresh fruit to the mix instead if I'm planning a higher calorie meal later in the day. I bring the oatmeal/pb/protein powder combo to work everyday in a reuseable container. I cannot be trusted with an entire jar of pb near me at work (plus I don't want to use my coworkers' valuable mini fridge space by keeping a jar of pb in there).

For lunch I usually bring leftovers. If I have no leftovers & there was a good sale on frozen meals, I may bring one of those but I definitely don't think frozen meals are the best idea to eat often. I eat one for lunch maybe twice a month. At most. Anyway, when I bring leftovers I usually don't even bother with a microwave. Today I have meat loaf muffins (recipe adapted from "Cooking Light") and green beans for lunch. I had the meat loaf muffins for dinner last Thursday so those are leftover. The green beans were frozen so I just plopped them in the container with the muffins & added some onion & herb seasoning.

I also require (and I do mean REQUIRE) an afternoon snack. Lately more often than not it has been greek yogurt with some granolaish stuff or fresh fruit mixed in. Sometimes it's homemade yogurt and sometimes it's Oikos, Brown Cow, or Fage (my fav brands for different reasons). Today it's 0% Fage and I have 75g of fresh blueberries to mix in. YUM! Other good snacks are an apple or carrots with pb, a protein bar (check the ingredients, please), and I'm sure I've had many others. The key here is to pack in some protein to keep you going until dinner time.

2 days a week I leave my full time cubeland job and go straight to my part time delivery driver job. If that's the case, I eat a protein bar on the drive to hold me until dinner several hours later. On the days I don't work 2 jobs, I either eat a protein bar on the way home or shortly after and then I go out for a good run before making dinner.

Anyway, I think it's pretty easy to stay healthy in the world of cubicles once you get the hang of it. The pain for me is coworker sabotage. We've had cake on top of our filing cabinets EVERY DAY FOR THE LAST 6 DAYS! And not the same cake, either.. Oh nooooo. 6 DIFFERENT CAKES! I had a tiny piece of the first one and none of the rest. I'm tired of even just the idea of cake! :laugh: I can't imagine how sick of it I'd be if I had actually tasted all of them.

lesley1981

Like everyone else on here, I just bring enough food to work to see me through the day, and I keep a few cereal bars in the drawer! I also usually have a piece of fruit or two just in case!

It's not too bad in here, as everyone seems to be on a diet, so there are few temptations

jessicakate26

Yep...definitely agree - the 9 - 5 adds structure! I find that having the nalgene bottle at my desk always filled with water is key and I also keep sugar free gum at my desk for those times when I am bored or looking for a sweet...the gum definitely curbs my cravings!

ron2282

I plan everything the night before. For snack I usually bring in stuff like baby carrots, apples, sugar free jello or a cup of pineapple chunks. For lunch I have a sandwich or salad with a piece of fruit. We have LOTS of office lunches too. If I plan carefully the night before, I can usually enjoy the lunch and still stay within my limits. Oh, and lots of water. I keep a huge bottle at my desk and drink it all day.

tigersgirl

I also work at a desk 8-5-- I pack all my food and stick to it. I like the structure of this and the weekends are tough for me because of the options. I think as long as you plan your meals you should do fine.

havingitall

Easy.. I have snacks of almonds, fruit, apples and peanut butter....you name it.

Lunch is different raw veggies with hummus and chicken. We have a fridge in the kitchen. I eat worse when I'm not in the office. When I am on the road for work, I drive by Tim Hortons and really want to go through the drive thru

jb_sweet_99

Honestly I eat better at work then I do at home, lol! I just have a yogurt and some fruit in the morning, sandwich or soup or something with cottage cheese and veggies for lunch with a small v8, then veggies or crackers and hummus for an afternoon snack. I switch it up here and there but I find if I always have something that I can grab I don't feel the need to go to the vending machine. I haven't purchased anything from the machine other than a V8 for over a year now, you can do it! :bigsmile: Just plan what you will eat before you grocery shop and go from there.

medrewiske

For me, the key to controling my snacking at work is being prepared, and deciding if my cravings are really worth working off through exercise. I try to bring all of the food I might need during the day so I don't have to buy anything. Becasue if I go out and buy something, it won't be healthy. My snacks include

Fruit
90 calorie quaker oats granola bars
light & fit yogurts
baked cheetos
baked lays
mini rice cakes (right now I like the Roundy's cheddar cheese rice crisps)
pretzel thins
laughing cow cheese (with pretzels thins)
hummus (with pretzel thins)
pretzel thins with fat free sour cream & salsa
cottage cheese
Swiss Miss fudge bar (100 calories)
arnold sandwich thin toasted with hummus

hill242

I plan my eating for the day. I have a mid-morning snack and an afternoon snack ready at hand every day. I eat a good, nutritious lunch. It helps me avoid any hunger cravings that lead me to the vending machine or to any food (sweets) people often bring in. I like to bring in yogurt, nuts, and raisins.

But the biggest factor: Having the willpower and motivation to avoid grabbing a cookie, donut, or slice of cake.

Serenifly

Rice cakes! It doesn't sound yummy at all, but try the flavored rice cakes. I was iffy about them for a long time, but I got some brown sugar ones that are delish. Also, laughing cow cheese with some low cal, whole grain crackers. Or apples with peanut butter.

Oatmeal is an awesome breakfast, too. I buy the instant stuff, and our coffee machine has the little hot water nozzle.. throw it together in a bowl and enjoy! Having a desk job actually helps me to eat breakfast. I can munch on it while working in the morning.

woah creepy we eat the same thing, I eat 2 cups of Oatmeal and Blueberries for Breakfast, keeps me full for hours. If I run out of food I either have a Banana with Peanut butter, or a Rice cake with Peanut butter, I also buy half the fat PB ... I work at a desk all day, and there are 5 fast food places withing 5 minutes walk from me ... I manage to stay away, I gave up Burgers 2 years ago ... it's a challenge I have with myself, I was eating two bacconators a week! And decided 1 day to nil Burgers all together *yay me*

DeathIsMyGift

I too work in a cube farm and to be very honest...it's pretty easy for me to eat healthy. I make dinner every night which becomes my lunch the next day at work. (baked chicken, jasmine rice, turkey burgers, tuna & turkey sandwiches, etc). As for as snacks go...I eat a lot of bananas, rice cakes (caramel!), oranges, yogurt. And there is ALWAYS something going on in the office which includes very bad "snacks" like cakes, donuts, chicken bites from Chik-Fil-A, etc etc etc. It's mainly about will power and not indulging in said "snacks". Every now and then I'll have a slither of cake...but only a slither. Mainly I stick to fruits, yogurt and nuts.

jdavis193

i work a desk job from 9 to 5 but I get up a lot and move I work at a university... I eat 5 meals a days breakfast at 7 snack at 9 lunch at 11 snack at 2 or 3 adn dinner about 6... There are days I fight temptation but I do it though. You have to see what you want in the end. Not what you want right now.

KARISE

YOU REMOVE FOOD FROM YOUR DESK AND YOUR WORKSPACE IF NOT, YOU WILL GRAZE ALL DAY LONG AND NEVER FEEL SATISFIED.

YOU MUST FIRST REMOVE MINDSET OF HABIT OF EATING AT YOUR DESK, YOU ARE MOST LIKELY NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO CALORIES ANYWAYS.

EAT AT SPECIFIC TIMES IN THE PROPER SETTING. NEVER EAT STANDING UP, OUT OF THE JAR, OR IN CAR. EAT IN A NICE SETTING WITH PROPER UTENSILS.

WHEN YOU DO EAT EVERY 3 HOURS, EAT 15-30 CARBS, AND 15-30 PROTEINS AND TRY UNDR 300 CALORIES. EAT AT 645, 945, 1245, 345, AND 645, 945.

WHEN YOU EAT THIS WAY YOU CAN ADD EITHER 1 SERVING OF FAT OR 1 SERVING OF SUGAR, BUT NEVER BOTH. AND SUGAR NEVER AFTER 345.

THE LAST 3 MEALS, DONT EAT HIGH GLYCEMIC FOODS FOR THE CARB (POTATOES. CORN, FRUIT)

645 EX: 1/2 C OATMEAL, (CARB) 1 SCOOP PROTEIN POWDER (25 G PROTEIN, 130 CAL , 2 FAT, 2 SUGAR)
ADD EITHER FAT OR SUGAR IF U WANT.. ITS BETTER TO DO SUAGR IN THE AM THOUGH
BLUEBERRIES 1/4 C. (SUGAR)

945 KELLOGS PROTEIN WATER (10 PRO)
1 WAFFA RYE CRISP WAFER (10 CARBS W FIBER)
1 OZ CHEESE (FAT)

1245 3 C LETTUCE (SPINACH,CABBAGE,ARUGALA, ROMAINE)--FREEBEE, NOT A CARB OR A FAT OR A PROTEIN
1/2 CUCUMBER--FREEBEE
1/2 TOMATOE
2 CANS TUNA IN WATER DRAINED (50 PROTEIN , 240 CAL, 3 FATS)
1/8 C RED ONION
BTWN 60-120 CAL WORTH OF BREAD W FIBER IF U WANT OR A PITA BREAD OR CRACKERS (CARBS) DONT EAT IF UR GOING TO EAT COTTAGE CHEEESE WITH SALAD

I APPLE (SUGAR) BUT DONT EAT THIS APPLE IF UR SALAD DRESSING HAS SUGAR OR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SRYUP

OR MAKE A DRESSING OUT OF FAT FREE COTTAGE CHEESE, A PARMESEAN CHEESE PACKET FROM PIZZA HUT, RED PEPPER PACKET FROM PIZZA HUT, PEPPER, LEMON JUICE, CAYENE

345 PEANUT BUTTER 2 TBSP (FAT)
1 TOAST W DOUBLE FIBER BREAD OR RYE BREAD

645 SALAD LIKE THE ONE ABOVE BUT NO APPLE

945 PROTEIN POWDER W WATER AND ICE AND 1 OZ DARK CHOC OVER 70% COCOA

miss_lene

Hi there!

I usually have an instant oatmeal for breakfast so it's a bit heavier. Then I try to snack on something little every two hours. Carrot sticks, fruits, flavoured mini rice cakes, and yes, even popcorn sometimes. Drinking A LOT of water really helps. This makes you go to the bathroom a lot too (ha ha), but it forces you to get up and add in some extra steps to your day. Salads for lunch, and sometimes yogurt for a snack.

I find that I am more disciplined when I'm at work than after work.

Just keep trying to discipline yourself, and it'll get easier as time goes by.