Diet plan for an Office worker??

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surfnode
surfnode Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I work in an Office IT Support role where I sit at my desk from 9-5 on a daily basis.

I generally tend to drink 2 pints of water at work (I know I should probably drink more).

For Breakfast I have Branflakes with Semi-skimmed mlik and sugar.

For Lunch I have Warbuttons wraps with laughing cow cheese spread, light-mayo, ham, lettuce and recently 'thousand island dressing!!', a pack of walkers sunbites (sour cream), Strawberry Danone Activia Yogurt and an Alpen Light Bar.

Any suggestions would be helpful as people at work say I eat too much for lunch!!!

Some advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I don't think its the amount you eat at work, probably more what you eat at work. Have you tried plugging those into the log here to see what calories you are getting.

    When I started this I found myself eating a lot at lunch but it didn't contain too many calories.

    Lunch for me could typically be:

    100 g Quinoa
    100 g Sliced Cucumber
    4 Diced Cherry Tomatoes
    20 g Finely Diced Red Onion
    15 ml Lemon juice
    5 g Chopped Mint
    5 g Chopped Parsley

    Topped with a drained can of Mackerel fillets in Olive Oil (90 is grams I believe)

    Very filling and reasonable calories

    The other thing I was doing was saving an apple or banana to eat about 15:30 ish in the afternoon to see me through till dinner
  • walzllw
    walzllw Posts: 105 Member
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    I have an office job in IT as well. I count calories and workout at least 4 days a week. I work out (usually run) for an hour. I try to keep it simple. Calories in calories out.
  • rowanwood
    rowanwood Posts: 510 Member
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    I have an office job in IT as well. I count calories and workout at least 4 days a week. I work out (usually run) for an hour. I try to keep it simple. Calories in calories out.

    This. Calories in are lower for the desk job vs. say digging ditches but the theory stays the same.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    Food. Pretty much.

    Make sure you eat enough, but not too much? I'm not sure what the exact question is... are you looking for meal plans? Are you hungry? Not hungry? What's the dill... pickle?

    I work IT too. Sitting at a desk most of the time. I eat food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes I snack. If you're gaining weight regularly, I'd suggest less food.

    If you're staying the same weight and not losing at all, congrats, you're at maintenance. If you want to lose weight, eat less than maintenance.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    I don't understand the question
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    You have a wrap with spready cheese AND mayo AND thousand island dressing? One of those is enough surely.

    Do you have access to a fridge or microwave?

    Soups and salads are my basis for office lunches. I also freeze any leftovers from dinner ( pasta and sauce, bean casserole, risottos) and use those for lunches.
  • intheflowers
    intheflowers Posts: 24 Member
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    It seems like you're mainly eating grains. I count four servings alone in your breakfast and lunch, and no servings of fruits of vegetables. And the only good protein sources seem like the milk, ham, and yogurt, but I don't even think the quantities of those items are enough. For breakfast eat a couple eggs, drop the granola bar and 'sunbites' for a salad with an olive oil based dressing and another vegetable or a fruit, and switch your yogurt to a plain greek yogurt with a bit of honey or jam.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    Hi,

    I work in an Office IT Support role where I sit at my desk from 9-5 on a daily basis.

    I generally tend to drink 2 pints of water at work (I know I should probably drink more).

    For Breakfast I have Branflakes with Semi-skimmed mlik and sugar.

    For Lunch I have Warbuttons wraps with laughing cow cheese spread, light-mayo, ham, lettuce and recently 'thousand island dressing!!', a pack of walkers sunbites (sour cream), Strawberry Danone Activia Yogurt and an Alpen Light Bar.

    Any suggestions would be helpful as people at work say I eat too much for lunch!!!

    Some advice would be really appreciated.

    Thanks :)

    your lunch sounds perfectly reasonable. you ever log it and see how much it equates to calorically?

    tell your coworkers to get bent.

    log your food if you dont already. who cares what they think?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I'm an office worker. I just eat food, like I would if I was home.

    I'm not really understanding what you're looking for-- if a big lunch works with your calorie goal then have a big lunch. I prefer a small lunch so that I can have larger meals in the morning and evening and that's fine too. You should structure your calories in such a way that it's easiest for your to meet your goals. Anything else is just needless complication.
  • BattleTaxi
    BattleTaxi Posts: 752 Member
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    I plan all my meals over the weekend since I work a desk job all day as well. I pack all my meals and snacks in a lunchbox and don't touch anything else.
  • Vivian06703188
    Vivian06703188 Posts: 310 Member
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    I think the misunderstanding in your question comes from the fact there are people on MFP who want to gain weight as well as those who want to lose. It is not sensible to only provide part of one days calories and then ask why? You need to be eating in a calorie deficit for your body and the only way you will know if you are doing that is to log your calories. Since you have a problem with your coworkers seeing you log your calories it shouldn't be too hard to log them the night before so you are not self conscious. You are adding a log of fat to your lunch meal with the mayo, 1000 and cheese as well as the grains being over a regular amount that being said it has been proven you can eat junk food and still lose weight though the portions are very small. If you are looking to lose weight log your food truthfully and find out just how many calories you are consuming at breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Any thing you eat or drink should be logged. Many times liquid calories sideline weight loss All of us log all our food everyday to achieve our goals because it is the only way to get results. Once you get in the habit of logging it is not hard to keep it up. Now let me tell you while you are sedentary I am disabled and my exercise is extremely limited and I am here to tell if you log you calories and following MFP plan truthfully you will lose weight. I am down 23 pounds in 80 days. I still have a long way to go but I have made this my new lifestyle trying to improve my diet for health.
  • Michelle_dirtracer
    Michelle_dirtracer Posts: 245
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    I sit at a desk for 9 hrs a day. A normal day for me is:

    Breakfast: 250 calories or less
    Lunch: GNC Lean Shake and a piece of fruit

    No snacks during the day.

    I have lost 4 lbs in less then a week, so it seems to be working.


    Oh and about 6 glasses of water, that doesn't include what I drink at home also.
  • stephyw2001
    stephyw2001 Posts: 29 Member
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    I also have a desk job. I'm not sure if you're looking for lunch suggestions? If so, one thing I like making for lunch is some simple hummus ( put 1 can garbanzo beans, 2 TBS tahini, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp onion powder in food processor. Drizzle in roughly 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil, slowly as it blends. The amount may vary, just enough to get your ideal consistancy. You don't want it too watery, more pasty). This should make about 8 servings.

    Then I make a simple hummus sandwich for lunch. I use Koepplinger's wheat bread, either baby spinach or romaine lettuce, a slice of tomato and the hummus to make up a sandwich. This sandwich is 363 calories. For a snack, I bring the individual packs of Craisins (100 calories) to snack on while at my desk.
  • smarionette
    smarionette Posts: 260 Member
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    Hi,

    I work in an Office IT Support role where I sit at my desk from 9-5 on a daily basis.

    I generally tend to drink 2 pints of water at work (I know I should probably drink more).

    For Breakfast I have Branflakes with Semi-skimmed mlik and sugar.

    For Lunch I have Warbuttons wraps with laughing cow cheese spread, light-mayo, ham, lettuce and recently 'thousand island dressing!!', a pack of walkers sunbites (sour cream), Strawberry Danone Activia Yogurt and an Alpen Light Bar.

    Any suggestions would be helpful as people at work say I eat too much for lunch!!!

    Some advice would be really appreciated.

    Thanks :)

    Breakfast looks good, but a bit light on the protein side of things. Skip the sugar and add a little bit of dried fruit instead. Eat your yogurt at breakfast.

    Lunch...where are the veggies? Try ditching the wrap, using real cheese, ditch the light mayo and the thousand island dressing and find a nice full fat salad dressing you like and using it in moderation and making yourself a salad instead. Carrots, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Cheese, Celery, Tomatoes, Ham + dressing = yummy. As a point to watch most things that claim to be "light" are full of sodium, sugars (real and fake), waxes and other stuff you wouldn't think to stock in your kitchen.
  • robin949598
    robin949598 Posts: 86 Member
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    I also have a desk job, but I do have the benefit of working in a hospital that has a salad bar in the cafeteria. Most days, I will pack leftovers from the night before. If I don't have any, I will buy lunch at work. I also keep snacks in my desk drawer. I have 2 snacks a day-one around 9:30 and the other around 3:00. This keeps me going all day. I also drink only water at work. When I get home, I try to get on my treadmill.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I'm confused, what's the question exactly?

    It doesn't matter what you eat or when you do. For all your body cares you could eat all in one sitting or 2. Doesn't matter.


    At the end of the day as long as you stick to your calories/macros the rest doesn't matter at all
  • ST99000722
    ST99000722 Posts: 204 Member
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    I'm confused, what's the question exactly?

    It doesn't matter what you eat or when you do. For all your body cares you could eat all in one sitting or 2. Doesn't matter.


    At the end of the day as long as you stick to your calories/macros the rest doesn't matter at all

    ^ All of this. If you are looking for ideas for healthy meals try the BBC Good Food website, which has a whole section on packed lunches. good luck !
  • bluelena
    bluelena Posts: 304 Member
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    Lunch for me could typically be:

    100 g Quinoa
    100 g Sliced Cucumber
    4 Diced Cherry Tomatoes
    20 g Finely Diced Red Onion
    15 ml Lemon juice
    5 g Chopped Mint
    5 g Chopped Parsley

    Topped with a drained can of Mackerel fillets in Olive Oil (90 is grams I believe)

    Very filling and reasonable calories

    This sounds so good. I may try this with sardines vs mackerel.

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