Work from home dieters

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spm2010
spm2010 Posts: 197 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I work from home (daycare) and find I tend to snack more than when I was working outside of the home. Im aiming for 2lbs a week (1290cals and 27lbs to lose) I was wondering if anyone else worked from home and has struggled with the snack attacks I get. Do you have any tips, any foods you ate or drank that kept you full. Any advice would help. I try and eat healthy, no fast food or pop and I am going to workout 60 minutes a day, somedays more. Thanks.

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  • jayhawkfan51
    jayhawkfan51 Posts: 78 Member
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    Im a daycare provider also. feel free to add me and we can motivate each other!
  • SinCity2003
    SinCity2003 Posts: 163 Member
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    I work at home in the mortgage industry. I don't tend to snack, I tend to eat out more than the usual person because I want to get out of the house. I also tend to nap instead of working out in the afternoon, which is not good either. Feel free to add me :)
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
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    On the plus side...

    The 90 minutes I used to spend on a commute I now spend in the gym.
    I buy all the food that comes in the house...no temptations from the snack bar at work.
    There are no cookies, cakes or donuts brought in every other day for someone's birthday.
    I can graze on healthy foods I keep in the house. No starving till the next meal and overeating fast food on a short lunch break.
  • sophiek1964
    sophiek1964 Posts: 79 Member
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    I have worked from home for about 10 years and I don't find it hard to stay on track for the most part. I am lucky that I can workout at lunch which is a big help. Otherwise, I try to adhere to a "schedule" everyday or I can get lazy or too tired. I eat breakfast and lunch at around the same time everyday. I usually plan what I'm going to eat for the entire day (including evening snacks) first thing in the morning and and log it in and adhere to what I logged in. Also, out of sight, out of mind. I keep snacks out of the house. I know that is hard with a daycare. A good strategy for me is that when I buy snacks for hubby or daughter, I buy stuff that I don't like eating. Eat very healthy snacks that will keep you full longer. Don't let yourself get hungry.

    I know it's hard to keep your head out of the fridge when being at home all day. It takes some conditioning and discipline. I must admit that I go through cycles that I'm not as successful with that. Overall, I've gotten used to my routine and have made healthy habits so it's not hard. Good luck! Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like
  • toggerr
    toggerr Posts: 15 Member
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    I had a similar problem but found the solution to be to break up my meals into smaller amounts and have them every two hours. Then on off hours if I was hungry for some reason I would have a cup of coffee or tea.
  • spm2010
    spm2010 Posts: 197 Member
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    I think I will buy fruit and veggie platters to snack on and continue drinking my 6 cups of sugar free green tea, that should help.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    Eat more protein and fiber. Apples/celery with peanut butter for a snack for example.

    Also, with only 27lbs to lose you should set your goal higher as 2lbs per week if too high of a deficit. Yours should be anywhere between 0.5 and 1lbs per week.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
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    I work a split so i am home for about 5 hours and was a big snacker but I have found that if I keep all the sancks out of sight it isn't as bad as if they are left on the counter.

    My snacking has cut down about 80%..now I snack more or less to get all the calories in.
  • calajane
    calajane Posts: 52
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    I work from home as well, I'm a freelance writer and dieting is tricky for me too. There are snacks for the rest of the family and sometimes I get really tempted. But like the other person here, I try to plan ahead and log food for the next day. During the day I can check what I can eat (adjusting amounts if needed)
  • karriecook
    karriecook Posts: 84 Member
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    I can relate! I'm home all day and snacking was my biggest problem. I finally printed out a chart and planned my meals and snacks on a weekly basis. Eating at the same time each days helps my body know to hold off for a bit longer because food is coming. I also eliminated processed "healthy or low cal" snacks like those 100 calorie snack bags and granola bars. I found they didn't fill me up and made me crave more snacks. My snacks now usually consist of a protein and fruit. This way I get my salty and sweet which satisfies my taste buds as well as fills me up. I have 3 snacks a day: After breakfast, after lunch and after dinner. Here is what I snack on:

    cottage cheese w/ fruit
    apple w/ peanut butter
    orange w/ almonds or pistachios
    hummus and pita chips or baby carrots
    hard boiled egg w/ fruit (if I didn't have eggs for breakfast)
    oatmeal w/ fruit (if I feel like I need something hot)
    Deli meat w/ slice of low fat cheese roll up (Trader Joe's has nice non-processed options)
    Sometimes I'll even have a bowl of soup which I make in big batches and freeze individual portions.

    The biggest change I made was eliminating processed food and started eating real food. Here is an awesome blog I found:

    http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/
  • popzork
    popzork Posts: 78 Member
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    I also work from home. The only thing that works for me is to not have it in the house to start with. Even with daycare, the kids don't need processed snacks either.

    Take the time to cut up and portion out veggies and fruit (or have the veggie trays you mentioned).

    I have found that when I'm truly hungry (about 2:30 - 3pm), I eat one ounce of nuts and that takes me to dinner, and doesn't initiate the cravings for more junk. Popcorn (in a microwave cooker or air cooker, not those bags) does the same thing. Helps avoid the cravings for more stuff.
  • GymAnJuice
    GymAnJuice Posts: 512 Member
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    me too, i read that anything with sugar in will keep you craving more food, so those low calorie snack bars won't help. once i start i find i'm a bit obsessed over food, so i plan to eat 3 meals planned in advance and only when i'm hungry - an apple or piece of fruit, low cal, sweet and takes a while to eat. best of luck
  • dsimmons107
    dsimmons107 Posts: 387 Member
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    I work for home and found that it helps me. I divide my calorie intake up over 6 meals. I eat lower calorie meals earlier in the day which allows me to deal with late evening munchies and still be under my calorie count. It also kicks your metabolism into overdrive and keeps it stable all day. I can control what I eat better by keeping low calorie, low fat, high protein and nutritious food for snacks. I used to travel all of the time and it was very difficult to control my diet. This is so much better.
  • imaginaryplaces
    imaginaryplaces Posts: 123 Member
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    I work from home too. Like some of the other posters have said - I plan my meals/snacks ahead and log the day's calories first thing in the morning, so I know what I have to work with. And I keep a schedule - for example, I eat lunch at exactly noon (unless I have a rush project that throws me off).

    When I do feel a food craving, I try to head it off - either by going for a short 5 minute walk outside, having a drink of water, or a cup of tea - usually that distracts me enough that I can resist. I've learned that, most of the time, I'm not really hungry, I'm just procrastinating or bored with what I'm doing. I've gradually trained myself to really think before I head into the kitchen.

    I also start off every day early with a trip to the gym; this gets me out of the house and helps keep me on schedule (not to mention the other benefits).
  • glitteredgrave
    glitteredgrave Posts: 194 Member
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    I don't work, I'm just at home 99.99% of the time. I stock my pantry and fridge with healthy food, so I eat healthy food. I am tempted sometimes by chinese takout (teriyaki tofu omg) but even then it's moderately healthy. When I did work I was a medical assistant, rushing all over the place and I didn't have time to eat real well so I had to use vending machines. Yuck. It's easier now that I'm home all the time.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
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    One thing I wonder -- trying to lose 2 pounds a week is a pretty aggressive goal. Maybe you're legitimately hungry because 2 lbs/wk is too much? You could try changing that to 1.5lbs/wk, adding the extra calories to your meals, and see if you feel more full.

    General advice, though, is that in my experience it's the healthy fats and proteins that keep you full, and not so much the carbs. Increasing your percentages of those may be helpful in keeping you full longer. Good luck!
  • tammihart
    tammihart Posts: 963 Member
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    I am a Daycare provider also. I am horrible about snacking!! I try to stay on the kids schedule Breakfast- Mid morning snack- Lunch- Afternoon snack but when I walk through the kitchen I grab a handful of this or that.

    Add me if you like!
  • mystikfairy61
    mystikfairy61 Posts: 80 Member
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    I am at home as well and find the snack bug getting me as well. i have found that having precut celery and carrot sticks and drinking my quota of water seems to help a lot with it.
  • mikeof9s
    mikeof9s Posts: 1
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    Howdy. I joined just a week ago. I work from home, and it has really changed my food and exercise habits. And not in the best way. Perhaps we can support each other a bit.

    When I worked at the company facility, I had a regular routine: Up with the alarm clock, same time each morning; make and eat approximately the same breakfast; get ready, and drive to work. At work, I would have my morning coffee. About the same time each day, I'd head downstairs, to the gym. there, I'd work out, or run, for for 30-45 minutes. On the way back to my desk, I'd stop by the cafeteria, pick a salad to eat at the desk.

    So, there, I'd have a daily routine of exercise, salad, and water. There were plenty of 'lunches out', etc., but basically the routine was pretty good.

    Now, working at home, the routine is looser, less structured. I am pretty good about breakfast, but that is it. No more running at noon. I snack repeatedly during the day. Just yesterday, I learned how many calories were in a Costco Banana/Chocolate muffin. After I ate it.

    I want to lose 40 pounds. I want to exercise daily. I want to eat right.

    Soft drinks. Pretty easy. Stop. I do not miss that. Chart your food. Tedious, but do-able. Really opens your eyes to your eating patterns. Chart your exercise. Again, do-able.

    My challenge is to again get on a schedule of exercise, and to eat smart.

    :smile:
  • Imanido
    Imanido Posts: 186 Member
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    I work from home as a translator, apart from looking after 2 little ones aaallll day looong (and all night long, LOL). Yes, snacking is really a challenge when you are on your own it is just a question of RAW determination having water/tea at hand. And healthy snacks ready for when your feel tempted. I also tried to ban unhealthy stuff from the house, biscuits, croissants (but with hubby and kids around sometimes is difficult) I try to keep temptations to a minimum (if you don't have it, you can't eat it).

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