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

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Replies

  • TheMotherAwesome
    TheMotherAwesome Posts: 174 Member
    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. I keep cereal and milk here for breakfast, and bring a morning snack, lunch and mid-afternoon snack with me every day. It doesn't have to be anything complicated - I usually bring a frozen lunch, but you may want to bring dinner leftovers if you're super worried about sodium.

    I don't like the idea of "I can't eat right at work". It's no different than eating right at home, or anywhere else. You just need to be well prepared and well informed.
  • KARISE
    KARISE Posts: 3
    NEVER BRING UR WALLET OR CHANGE TO UR DESK AT WORK- YOU WILL BUY SOMEONE'S KIDS CHOCOLATE FOR SALE OR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, OR VENDING MACHINES.

    NEVER STORE FOOD IN THE MAIN REFRIDEGERATOR- YOU WILL SMELL OTHER PEOPLES FOOD AND SEE VENDING MACHINE N WILL CHEAT- BUY A BAG THAT KEEPS FOOD COLD AND KEEP AT YOUR DESK

    EAT ALONE- HOW OFTEN DO U GET ALONE TIME ANYWAYS

    EAT OUTSIDE

    DONT SMOKE

    DRINK A GALLON OF WATER DAILY

    FOCUS ON TRYING TO DRINK 1 C OF HERBAL TEA OR GREEN TEA AN HOUR

    ONLY KEEP TEA AT DESK/WATER

    BRING YOUR OWN TEA CUP AND WATER CUP

    DONT EAT COFFEE CREAMER (IT HAS TRANS FAT AND HYDROGENATED OIL):smooched:
  • KARISE
    KARISE Posts: 3
    NEVER BRING UR WALLET OR CHANGE TO UR DESK AT WORK- YOU WILL BUY SOMEONE'S KIDS CHOCOLATE FOR SALE OR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, OR VENDING MACHINES.

    NEVER STORE FOOD IN THE MAIN REFRIDEGERATOR- YOU WILL SMELL OTHER PEOPLES FOOD AND SEE VENDING MACHINE N WILL CHEAT- BUY A BAG THAT KEEPS FOOD COLD AND KEEP AT YOUR DESK

    EAT ALONE- HOW OFTEN DO U GET ALONE TIME ANYWAYS

    EAT OUTSIDE

    DONT SMOKE

    DRINK A GALLON OF WATER DAILY

    FOCUS ON TRYING TO DRINK 1 C OF HERBAL TEA OR GREEN TEA AN HOUR

    ONLY KEEP TEA AT DESK/WATER

    BRING YOUR OWN TEA CUP AND WATER CUP

    DONT EAT COFFEE CREAMER (IT HAS TRANS FAT AND HYDROGENATED OIL):smooched:
  • Suzieqgirl
    Suzieqgirl Posts: 39 Member
    You need to take some fruit to work with you. Like apples, grapes & bananas. Reach for them instead of the cookie. Also you can keep some kinds of nuts around to snack on. Try to get the roasted & low salted ones to snack on. Try to walk at your lunch break to get your exercise in. I hope this helps.

    I have been on my diet a little over two weeks. This logging food has really help me to see just what I am eating and makes me want to get more exercise if I want to lose it faster.
  • hrbal1cs
    hrbal1cs Posts: 7 Member
    When I started my 8-5 job, I actually GAINED weight. However, once I joined MFP, I learned to portion things out. For example, like most on here, I eat oatmeal for breakfast EVERY morning. I also put milk and cinnamon in it to make it all around balanced. The milk gives you protein and other nutrients, and the cinnamon (At least a 1/4 tsp) helps regulate blood sugar, and keeps your appetite at bay. I also drink about 20 oz of water with this as well.

    Now, once I get to work at 8, I'm usually hungry by 10-10:30. That's when I grab a big apple and a stick of string cheese; again, enough protein and fiber (and only around 150 calories to keep me satisfied til lunch).

    At lunch, I eat the most. I usually have between 400-550 calories. This is where the bulk of my carbs are. I usually have a big turkey sandwich with whole grain double fiber bread with spicy mustard. I always have yogurt for lunch too (gotta get that 3 servings of dairy) and sometimes I will bring carrots or something else. I'm stuffed until later in the day.

    Either about an hour before I leave, I will have another piece of fruit to just stabilize my blood sugar so I don't go crazy at dinner.

    Dinner consists of protein and veggies (usually chicken/fish and asparagus/brocolli)

    BIGGEST THING: WATER WATER WATER. I keep a liter bottle at my desk, and constantly gulp all day. I fill it up at least 3 times during the day (not to mention drinking one while exercising and one at breakfast). Water is the best thing for you.

    Another huge thing; treat yourself once in a while. If someone brings cookies or sweets, allow yourself to have ONE. I will sometimes indulge in a piece of dark chocolate or a cookie. I savor it, drink some more water, and move on with the day.
  • inspiration78
    inspiration78 Posts: 22
    I also work a desk job and I have found that planning what I eat has helped me tremendously! I usually bring in a grocery bag full of food on Mondays to set me up for the week. I have a fruit bowl on my desk that I replenish once a week and I have a fridge here that I can keep my food in as well. Additionally, I have protein bars, pouches of tuna and other healthy snacks in one of my drawers so that I can feel like I have some options. Water intake is also really key so I keep a water bottle on my desk that I refill constantly. I also eat frequently throughout the day and I find that when I'm surrounded by food I don't have the urge to eat something unhealthy. We also do "order out fridays" which I do take part in from time to time depending on what the other co-workers choose. I think the bottom line is to be prepared. When you're not, you're more likely to fail. Hope that helps!:flowerforyou:
  • bellinachuchina
    bellinachuchina Posts: 498 Member
    As others have said, keep healthy snacks handy!

    I have my own little grocery aisle on a bookshelf in me cube! lol I have oatmeal & grit single serve packets, granola bars, slim fast snack bars, low cal soups, 100 cal packs, and fruits in the fridge! My coworkers may make fun of me for being so conscious of what I'm consuming, but I could care less! Since you are unable to be active during the day, it's so important to watch what your eating throughout the day! When I get bored in the cube & feel like I want to eat, I either look at this site, blog about weight loss, or look at success stories. Stay strong & stay busy!!!
  • jurgitafit
    jurgitafit Posts: 112
    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.

    Excellent excellent info here!!! clap clap :happy:
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Gum, gum and more gum! Veggies (sugar peas, sweet peppers, jicama slices), roasted edamame (Seapoint Farms)...

    I work 6:30-4. My general meals go like this:

    8am: Fage 2% yogurt, with kashi tossed in if I'm really hungry.
    9:30am: apple
    12:30 (or whenever I can get it): lunch...I HAVE to make my own food and bring it in..curries with rice or chicken and whole wheat pasta, stuff like that. And raw veggies on the side.
    3:00: fruit...lately I can't eat enough oranges, they're so yummy.
  • shanacleo
    shanacleo Posts: 21 Member
    Thanks all!

    Can I get a whoot-whoot for all these wonderful ideas!!!!!!!!

    I’ve created a shopping list and I’m so excited to hit the grocery store after work :)

    I’ve also created a mini-motivation board with all your tips and ideas to help keep the snack monsta away.

    With all these tips and choices, my desk chair doesn’t have a fat chance in killing my motivation!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Honestly, I find my desk job the easiest part of this!!!! I'm sitting all day but working a desk job allows me all the time I need (and the consistency) to get my SCHEDULED snacks and eat my meals. I eat breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and 2 afternoon snacks at work, so I keep all my food at work. It's not much...some veggies, fruits, string cheese, bread, and condiments in the fridge, cereal or granola, some hummus mix, nuts, fiber bars, pretzels in the pantry, and frozen veggies, chicken, and chocolate chip morsels in the freezer. I know which times, according to my schedule, I'm supposed to eat...I have everything I need to eat healthy here.

    Yes, the vending machine is TEMPTING. The healthiest thing in there is probably the Gatorade - and even that I won't touch, lol! You just have to figure out what works for you. Some keep fruit on their desk (I can't do that - I work in a bank) or snacks in their drawers. I keep mine out of reach, otherwise, I would eat it all!!
  • garagesalegoddess08
    garagesalegoddess08 Posts: 30
    omg!! sooooo i need to share in the greatest snack ever!! i found 100 calorie pack cottage cheese doubles, OMAZING!!! they come in peach, pineapple, blueberry, and strawberry, and i pre proportioned 16 animal crackers for 120 calories, dip those bad boys in there and voila!! it is super great!! they have definitely kept me sane at my 9 to 5, i also keep baby carrots and apples at my desk, and then i walk on my lunch, 30 min to eat, and 30 min to walk. hopefully this will all pay off, have not weighed in a while, just a little nervous. i also drink special k protein shakes, its like a 180 calorie strawberry yoohoo, totally brings me back to my being a kid. i hope that everyone takes the suggestions, they will make you smile. i hope everyone has a great day. :drinker:
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