Advice about snacking at work

Jbarbo01
Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a desk job, that sometimes i really do enjoy but it can be boring. I'm relatively busy at work but Im still sitting so for some reason hunger bothers me more when Im sitting than when im up and moving. This has made dieting a challenge for me. I followed all the advice, I eat high fiber, high protein, whole food meals for lunch and bring high protein snacks to work like organic nuts or dried edamame. I still get hungry and there is candy everywhere in our office, Has anyone else been able to overcome this dieting obstacle with a desk job? Any advice is appreciated!
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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    I would say snacking is ok for you since you barely eat 1000 calories a day. Snack more. You are probably hungry because you aren't eating enough. And if you are active (like you workout), you will need more calories.


    ps- I have trail mix or a protein bar when I get hungry.
  • Jbarbo01
    Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
    Haha Oh no, I often dont finish my diary because when I do snack and eat poorly I have the all or nothing attitude and then tossing the day. If i track everything i always eat at least 1500 calories. I eat much more than that....maybe thats the bigger problem...
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    I have a desk job, too and there's a popcorn machine, cookie dish, candy bowl, and honor box downstairs. So I usually have several pieces of fruit on my desk, a bag of almonds in my drawer, and a bag of jerky on the desk. I bring my scale with me to work every day to measure things so I know I'm logging them accurately (for the fruit) or eating the appropriate portion (for the nuts and jerky). I'm kind of a loner, so I don't leave my office much so I'm not tempted, but I'm very happy with the success I've had so far and I don't want to sabotage myself, so it's easier all the time to pass up the cake and donuts and stuff that people bring.
  • DGK12
    DGK12 Posts: 117
    I'm in the same boat. I love my job and my coworkers, but I've never been around a group of people that eats so much so often, lol!!
    I keep cottage cheese in the fridge, Old Fashioned Quaker oatmeal in my desk, I pack a daily bag of edamame, cucumbers, red and green peppers, boiled eggs, greek yogurt, etc. daily. That way, if I HAVE to snack, I just tell myself I'm not going to eat anything that I didn't bring, and I get into my bag. It's worked for me so far. Also, I always try to keep water on my desk. :-)
  • joecollins9385
    joecollins9385 Posts: 355 Member
    you could try bringing fruit to work. i keep apples and bananas at the shop for snacks, i also keep berries in the fridge to mix with yogurt and protein shakes.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    I have the same problem...I keep a stash of healthy snacks at work (protein bars, fruit, cereal, yogurt).
  • svanzile
    svanzile Posts: 34 Member
    Fruit or veggies! I swear I'm eating grapes all day long :) Or find some rice cakes that you actually enjoy the taste of... makes you feel like you're snacking on a bag of chips but doesn't hurt you so bad calorie/fat wise! Good luck!
  • adk88
    adk88 Posts: 143 Member
    I have had the same problem. I usually cut down my calories a little for breakfast and lunch to allow myself a small snack every 1-2 hrs while working. I try to snack on things like celery, apples, light cheese strings, almonds, and I am a hige fan of the 100 calorie Thinsation snack packs. I always get my diary ready for breakfast and lunch the night before so I know I allowed myself the calories for these things. I find that generally works for me. I'm not the kind of person who can go from breakfast to lunch without anything. I just have smaller meals, more often. I find this works best for me and helps with keeping on track.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    What you are probably feeling "boredom hunger". I have a desk job myself. To curb the hunger I drink TONS of water and hot tea. I also schedule 2 snacks daily, 1 at 10am and 1 at 2pm. Normally they are either beef jerky, almonds, protein bars or fiber granola bars.

    I'm pretty good at resisting other people's food temptations because I'm prepared.
  • MrsPong
    MrsPong Posts: 580 Member
    I snack ALL DAY. literally....ALL DAY. I'm sure my office staff thinks I'm a fat*ss lol
    I pre-log and break items up so I can eat.
    For example:

    7:30AM (home): string cheese=50
    2 cups water
    9:30AM (work): Breakfast sandwhich =250
    2 cups water
    1:00PM: Soup =140
    somewhere in between I drink hot chocolate = 20
    2 cups water
    3:00PM: Sandwhich=150
    2 cups water
    5:30-6: Dinner.... whatever it may be
    2 cups water
    8:00-8:30= snack... 100-200

    I eat more if I'm hungry (or working out) and less if not. All depends...
    I usually know how much calories r in our candy, and I don't want to "waste" my calories.
  • Alast
    Alast Posts: 33
    I have the same problem. What works best for me are fruits (currently bananas and oranges) and/or simply a slice of cheese with a slice of ham. The fruits are good for your sugar level and the cheese/ham combination helps against hunger. Ok, a banana does that, too, so i guess its the perfect fruit. Also i heard bananas are good against low mood due to the lack of sunlight in the winter :)
  • Cherylpie77
    Cherylpie77 Posts: 7 Member
    I also have a desk job and my calorie allowance is 1500 a day, but I always make sure I have a drawer full of low cal snacks that I really like. 90 calorie bags of crisps like Wotsits or Skips, small chocolate bars around 100 cals, or lower calorie biscuits like Rich Tea. That way, I can have a treat if I really feel I need one (and eating a small chocolate bar really kills the hunger for me), but it won't ruin your calorie counting. Nuts are much healthier, but pretty high in calories and don't always feel like a treat :-)
  • cindybowcut
    cindybowcut Posts: 250 Member
    The one thing that I do to avoid the sweets and candy at is work is to go in and add them and see how many calories they are. I wanted a bigger size tootsie roll the other day. When I looked at its calories and saw that it was 50 calories I decided that I didn't want to waste 50 calories on something that wouldn't satisfy me. I chew gum all the time, that way I don't feel like I need to eat something just because it is there. Like today when one of our foreman brought in donuts, I was so proud of myself for walking away from them. I like the following snacks:

    celery with laughing cow cheese
    string cheese
    boiled egg
    cucumber slices
    beef jerky
    banana or apple slices with peanut butter
    almonds (I buy the toffee glazed ones)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I drink a lot of tea.
  • UnoDrea3732
    UnoDrea3732 Posts: 342 Member
    Hi! I have a desk job as well that requires me to be at my desk or somewhere in a 3 ft radius for about 9hrs a day. Fortunately, we have the luxury of bringing in our own mini fridges if we want. When I didn't have a fridge, I would load up on almonds. You can even stash an ounce of semi-dark chocolate at your desk for "emergency" cases.

    Now that I have a fridge, I eat the same snack at the same time everyday and I drink TONS of water. AM snack is greek yogurt and my PM snack is an EAS Low Carb Shake. Try eating every 3hrs and have your food at the same time everyday. That way your body doesn't get that "urge" to snack inbetween meals.
  • alaty211
    alaty211 Posts: 12 Member
    I have a desk job too it is very challenging not to get bored and wanna eat something thats why I keep full stock of water, preztels, granola bars, apples, oranges, rice cakes,snackwell 210 calorie cookies. Alot of low calorie snacks you may need to up your water intake to curb your hunger.
  • Juliechilli
    Juliechilli Posts: 123 Member
    I have a desk job too. I work at a Firm where there is ALWAYS food left over in the conference rooms. We're talking good stuff! When I'm in the mode of losing. I basically do not allow myself to eat any of the leftover food. I bring my lunch, which I prepare on Sundays usually, and just stick to that. It's not easy. I am also doing a 12 week 'challenge' with some coworker who also want to lose. We weigh-in and report to each other every Monday. So that keeps me pretty accountable during the week. I also go to the gym at lunch and drink green tea whenever I have a craving. I tend to eat when I'm bored too. I feel your pain!
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
    I have a desk job and I eat sunflower seeds all afternoon 2/3 OF cup is only 200 calories and full of healthy fat
  • mrsewert
    mrsewert Posts: 430 Member
    I work for a produce company and still can't deal with the constant need to 'snack'. LOL

    There are days I wanna chew my arm off an then the next day I could go all day without even thinking about eating.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Haha Oh no, I often dont finish my diary because when I do snack and eat poorly I have the all or nothing attitude and then tossing the day. If i track everything i always eat at least 1500 calories. I eat much more than that....maybe thats the bigger problem...

    Maybe if you don't keep track of everything you eat, then you will never know what the problem is. Not logging is cheating, and you are only cheating yourself and hindering your own goals.
  • KristinaW506
    KristinaW506 Posts: 19 Member
    I also have a desk job and struggle with snacking especially since I have access to pretty much anything I want in the building. Including a McDonald's downstairs. I bring all my snacks from home, I make sure to bring enough and I try to bring something fun and save that for the end of my day around 3pm when the snack monster hits hard! Lately I'm in love with mangoes so I bring some cut up mangoes and I am always looking forward to eating them. Make it fun and not boring, when I get bored with my snacks is when you tend to want junk.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    Snacking at my desk is probably the reason that I gained the weight in the first place. I work from home, so no one is raising their eyebrows at me every time I get up. I definitely snack because of boredom. I enjoy my job and it's challenging, but it's monotonous. To counter this, I tell myself that when I finish xyz project, or a specific task, I will get a snack. Usually by then it's lunchtime anyway. I also no longer eat at my desk, I've declared my desk a no-food zone. It sounds strict, but it's really helped me. I also adopted this policy for myself when I do have to be in the office; no food at my desk, only in the break room (or my car if I'm not feeling social).
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    Yes, only my work station is at home and my kitchen is only steps away. To the greatest extent possible, I have banished snacking. If it's not meal time, I don't eat but drink water instead. I feel so much better about myself not being an eating machine.
  • RaineMarie
    RaineMarie Posts: 158 Member
    Snacking at my desk is a problem for me too. I eat out of boredom pretty often. One thing I found recently is that drinking coffee in the morning tends to hold off morning cravings - I'm not a huge coffee drinker so I am not sure why this works, but it does for me. The afternoon is always the worst for me. I eat lunch around 11am (bc I have breakfast at 6am) so by 2:30ish I'm searching for something, usually chocolate. The Fiber One brownies tend to satisfy my chocolate craving and they are only 90 calories. I also bring a fruit cup or piece of fruit, and a yogurt just in case. But all are relatively low in calories, but satisfying. You just have to really ask yourself "am I really hungry, or am I just bored?" That seems to help me the most.
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
    I bring, cheese, yogurt (chobani), dark chocolate and almonds to work for snacks :D
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    find healthy snacks...here are some of mine!

    - trail mix (I make my own with just honey sesame sticks and wasabi peas)

    - dried fruit (I love banana chips...sometimes with peanut butter)

    - pistachios

    I'm a textural eater, so that leads to some of my snacks -
  • chunkiedunker
    chunkiedunker Posts: 144 Member
    i eat sunflower seeds all day long basically. one serving is alot and it takes a alot of time to crack and eat them. it may be a little uhmm messy but 1 serving of sunflower seeds seems like you are snacking on them all day. i also usually do a fiber bar or protein bar in there too. i log the sunflower seeds as my am snack but i snack on them in the afternoon too. they are a decent snack health wise.

    i too sit at a desk all day. i drink several glasses of water but really snack out of boredom.
  • gsmithnp
    gsmithnp Posts: 139 Member
    I find that chewing a piece of minty sugar-free gum helps differentiate between boredom and true hunger. If after about 20-30 minutes of starting a piece I'm still "hungry" then I probably truly am and will eat something like a small piece of cheese or some almonds. A lot of times though, I realize it's been an hour or more and I'm not feeling hungry anymore.
  • Blacklance36
    Blacklance36 Posts: 755 Member
    I work in a large edible nut factory that also makes chocolate so Im surrounded by fresh roasted cashews,peanuts,pecans and chocolate covered everything including my favorite, chocolate almonds.

    If I stray I log it right away so I have a visual of how bad Ive been. I also find that green tea helps my food cravings a lot.

    The best defense is to refuse to eat it though, and I know thats easier than it sounds but it comes down to willpower and having the proper alternatives handy. I always have fresh fruit with me.
  • cechapman10
    cechapman10 Posts: 39 Member
    I make my own trail mix and try to keep that at my desk. Like others have said, I also allow myself a treat from time to time. If I have a mini Kit Kat, I log it.

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