Desk Job People, How Do You Mix It Up At Work?
megbee617
Posts: 100 Member
Hi all,
I have a (sometimes) boring desk job where I'm not moving around a lot. When my mind wanders I tend to think about food when I'm hungry. I've been trying to focus on eating foods high in protein and fiber to help me stay full (and not think about eating more!) In the past few weeks, I've been OK with it, but I'm starting to get bored. Here's a list of the types of things I've been bringing to work. I'm wondering if this stuff is OK and what else I should incorporate:
Breakfast:
Greek Yogurt (flavored), sometimes with granola or muesli
Recently starting bringing high-fiber oatmeal because the weather is getting colder
Nature Valley Bar w/ Peanut Butter
Lunch:
Salad with mixed greens, cucumber/other veggie, croutons, almonds, shredded cheese, light dressing, some kind of protein like tuna or turkey breast
A wheat wrap with tuna/ham/turkey/chicken and some type of cheese
Leftovers from the previous night's dinner
Snacks:
Light string cheese
Handful of almonds
Piece of fruit
Water, water, water!
I feel like I'm headed in the right direction, but I'm running out of stuff I can think of to eat. I feel like all I'm eating is tuna fish and nuts! What do all you desk jockeys bring to keep you full and not be bored with what you're eating?
I have a (sometimes) boring desk job where I'm not moving around a lot. When my mind wanders I tend to think about food when I'm hungry. I've been trying to focus on eating foods high in protein and fiber to help me stay full (and not think about eating more!) In the past few weeks, I've been OK with it, but I'm starting to get bored. Here's a list of the types of things I've been bringing to work. I'm wondering if this stuff is OK and what else I should incorporate:
Breakfast:
Greek Yogurt (flavored), sometimes with granola or muesli
Recently starting bringing high-fiber oatmeal because the weather is getting colder
Nature Valley Bar w/ Peanut Butter
Lunch:
Salad with mixed greens, cucumber/other veggie, croutons, almonds, shredded cheese, light dressing, some kind of protein like tuna or turkey breast
A wheat wrap with tuna/ham/turkey/chicken and some type of cheese
Leftovers from the previous night's dinner
Snacks:
Light string cheese
Handful of almonds
Piece of fruit
Water, water, water!
I feel like I'm headed in the right direction, but I'm running out of stuff I can think of to eat. I feel like all I'm eating is tuna fish and nuts! What do all you desk jockeys bring to keep you full and not be bored with what you're eating?
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Replies
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I like my smoothies in the morning...fruit, protien powder,half a shake and almond milk
I keep greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit and protien bars at my desk.
Lunch could be a variety of things...soup and a sandwich, right now turkey cause it was our thanksgiving this weekend, peanut butter and toast, tuna, ham, salmon, crab is my fav. or egg salad...turkey taco salad..you name it eat it.0 -
I only pack a certain amount of food- including a "junk snack- usually a reese's cup or something. usually my afternoon pick- me upper.
shrug- i don't eat a bunch of stuff at work- I log almost everything I packed before I even eat it- I usually have about 1000-1300 calories of food with me for the day- then i have to work out- which requires another meal (so between my left over 3-500 calories- I earn more from a workout) but I know exactly what's left in my food budget.
i also do not bring cash with me. cash = trips to cafeteria= crap I shoudn't be buying= food I shouldn't' be eating0 -
my day looks similar to yours - my wrap usually contains avocado, smoked salmon, Dijon mustard and baby spinach. But I might replace the salmon with any leftover protein from last night's dinner (i.e. roast chicken, steak etc). I bring a couple of Kashi granola bars to work to go with coffee a few times per week. I have more cut up veggies as a snack, as well as hard cheese (Armstrong cheese sticks). once in a while I make a salad nicoise (tuna, boiled egg, steamed green beans, olives maybe some seeds or nuts etc - really depends on what's in the fridge - I weigh all the ingredients as a make it since the recipe is always changing).0
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Breakfast: I always have oatmeal because I love it.. I make my own packages of oatmeal and add different nuts, fruit, chai, seeds, cinnamon ect. Sometimes I make crockpot oats for the week or overnight oats. The possibilities are endless.
Lunch: Depends on what I prep for the week. Last week it was stuffed peppers, this week its black beans and rice with chicken.
Snacks: Greek yogurt with sliced bananas, granola, and PB. I love cottage cheese with protein powder mixed in, almonds, cliff bars, string cheese, turkey pepperoni, egg whites, apple with pb.
water and green tea..0 -
I only pack a certain amount of food- including a "junk snack- usually a reese's cup or something. usually my afternoon pick- me upper.
shrug- i don't eat a bunch of stuff at work- I log almost everything I packed before I even eat it- I usually have about 1000-1300 calories of food with me for the day- then i have to work out- which requires another meal (so between my left over 3-500 calories- I earn more from a workout) but I know exactly what's left in my food budget.
i also do not bring cash with me. cash = trips to cafeteria= crap I shoudn't be buying= food I shouldn't' be eating
When do I get to eat that much :sad: I do that same as well and prelog it all but that being said I don't have 3500 so I only eat if I am hungry hungry.0 -
I sit at a desk all day everyday and it's horrible. Breakfast for me is egg beaters that I nuke at the office. Lunch is usually deli meat and string cheese with grapes. Snack is a banana. Suffice it to say I'm starving all day and all I can think about is a hamburger! Will I ever stop thinking about eating the bad foods?0
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I only pack a certain amount of food- including a "junk snack- usually a reese's cup or something. usually my afternoon pick- me upper.
shrug- i don't eat a bunch of stuff at work- I log almost everything I packed before I even eat it- I usually have about 1000-1300 calories of food with me for the day- then i have to work out- which requires another meal (so between my left over 3-500 calories- I earn more from a workout) but I know exactly what's left in my food budget.
i also do not bring cash with me. cash = trips to cafeteria= crap I shoudn't be buying= food I shouldn't' be eating
This.0 -
I only pack a certain amount of food- including a "junk snack- usually a reese's cup or something. usually my afternoon pick- me upper.
shrug- i don't eat a bunch of stuff at work- I log almost everything I packed before I even eat it- I usually have about 1000-1300 calories of food with me for the day- then i have to work out- which requires another meal (so between my left over 3-500 calories- I earn more from a workout) but I know exactly what's left in my food budget.
i also do not bring cash with me. cash = trips to cafeteria= crap I shoudn't be buying= food I shouldn't' be eating
When do I get to eat that much :sad: I do that same as well and prelog it all but that being said I don't have 3500 so I only eat if I am hungry hungry.
LOL not 3500... 3 to 500. as in 300- 500.
I wish. I could eat 3000 calories a day and be TOTALLY happy- and no svelt any more but totally happy with my food.
no my maintance is like 1830..I shoot for 1700- knowing I tend to fudge certain things- gives me a buffer.
if I don't work out- I have room for one medium meal... but I work out 5-6 days a week- so I usually have room for a meal and ice cream.
God. 3500- I wish. LMAO0 -
I just pre log everything. Usually cook breakfast pack it up and eat it an hour later at work. I make soups and chili's and other stuff over the weekend and bring that all week. Not to big on sandwiches but i love my veggies. Always pack some for snacks. I recently discovered overnight oats. Holy filling!!! Still experimenting to find what I really like mixed with them, but wow I wasn't hungry for lunch after eating those. Left over dinner is awesome mixed with eggs in for breakfast or just heated up. I like lettuce wrapped chicken and beef too and string cheese and to make different kinds of shakes.I sit at a desk all day everyday and it's horrible. Breakfast for me is egg beaters that I nuke at the office. Lunch is usually deli meat and string cheese with grapes. Snack is a banana. Suffice it to say I'm starving all day and all I can think about is a hamburger! Will I ever stop thinking about eating the bad foods?
No reason to starve all day just because you sit at a desk. I eat almost every meal, except dinner at my desk. afternoon snack varies. sometimes it's at my desk other time it's after my workout. Today it will be after my workout, yesterday it was at my desk. Just pre plan it and pack things that are easy to eat at your desk. I eat my soup at my desk. lol. Egg beaters are good, mixed with whole eggs, veggies and chicken. :~) with a side of fruit and some coffee, lemon water and tea. All eaten at my desk.
We're not supposed to eat at our desks..... whoops. lol0 -
I constantly mix it up as I too get bored with the same old every day. Greek yogurt one day, hard boiled egg another, oatmeal another, breakfast burrito another, my new fav - thinly sliced toast w/schmear of cream cheese, mashed avocado and spicy pepper jelly. thinly sliced toast w/mashed avocado and cottage cheese. cottage cheese and berries. thinly sliced toast with almond butter and mashed banana. lettuce cup omelet. i'm not a fan of apples and bananas, so I stock up on berries in the summer (freeze easily), watermelon and other melons that thaw just in time for snack time. pears, clementines, anything in season. my afternoon snacks tend to be savory - hummus w/endive leaves, carrots, celery, snow peas, grape tomatoes for dipping, baba ghanoush with same dippers, cheese and crackers, salsa w/same dippers. I always keep a can of unsalted mixed nuts in my drawer in case I forget my snack or need an extre pick me up. Coconut water. Lunch is usually leftovers from night before so can be anything from grilled fish, chicken, lamb stew, soup, chili. Made homemade calzones w/some leftover beef burnt ends and kale. Delish and I've still got one for tomorrow's lunch. I look for different low sodium soup varieties at Whole Foods. "Fig" is a really good brand that is ultra-low in sodium but still takes good. I'm lucky in that my gym is next to my office so I can buzz over at lunchtime. I also try to get up and take a walk around the block when the weather is good and I do 20-30 of yoga before leaving the house every day. We're getting ready to move to our new office building and I'm planning to get a treadmill desk.0
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I didn't read all the responses but I start vicious rumors and hold grudges about perceived insults that didn't actually happen.0
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I eat cereal for breakast and sammiches for lunch...throw in some yogurt and wasabi almonds for good measure.
Like others have said I pack my lunch so i don't end up overreating. I prefer to eat light during the day so I can eat more at night.0 -
Hey Meg,
I am starting to feel like I am in a slight rut too, I have the same smoothie for breakfast each work day, lunch is usually a falafel/salmon/chicken salad or could be a chicken stirfry from the previous night... For dinner I either have a chicken stirfry (various sauces to give variety), salad, pita pocket stuffed with salad and falafel.
It is going into summer here where I am so the salads are working for me, but I would like to have more choices...0 -
I usually eat the following (though sometimes like today I "accidentally" ate an omlette in the canteen aswell as I was cold!
B: Porridge Oats
S: Rivita & Hummous / Fruit
L: Salad/Pasta
S: Homemade Oat Bar / Fruit (or recently naughty choc - going to start leaving my cash at home as suggested)
Fish, Sweet Pot, Salad 0 -
I've been going crazy over the Amy's Indian Samosa Wraps lately. I've been taking one to work for breakfast, then I'll have some sort of Healthy Choice frozen meal for lunch usually. I have a "snack drawer" full of Zone Perfect protein bars and Special K snack bars.
I'm busy, so I pretty much eat every thing frozen or prepackaged when I'm at work. Home is when I get to relax and cook what I'd like for dinner.0 -
fruit. almost all fruits have about 50 calories each, compared to 150 or 250 calories for a Coke or a Cookie.0
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Breakfast - usually just a granola bar and coffee if I'm eating at my desk, with maybe a banana from home; if I have time to prep something from home, I usually just eat it at home (nut butter on toast with banana, cold cereal with milk or nondairy milk and fruit, or raw oats with yogurt, fruit, and nuts -- although sometimes I'll mix up the oats the night before and just grab the container on the way out the door in the morning).
Lunch - I still buy lunch from local shops and trucks a lot, and other days I have to go to lunchtime events for my job, but for other days, I would usually bring leftovers from home (after all, I've already figured out the calories and other nutrients in those foods), or a pouch of tuna or salmon or some sardines, with cooked grains, and whatever fruits or veggies don't take much prep (meaning leftovers or things I eat raw). I also keep microwaveable shelf-stable meals and soups in my desk for unplanned lunches at my desk (when the weather or time constraints make going out undesirable). And microwaveable popcorn, which has about a meal's worth of calories in it, although it's more fat than I usually want to have just for lunch.
Snacks: Sometimes I'll bring fruit or a piece of whole grain bread folded around a little butter or nut butter, but mostly it's stuff I keep in my desk that I don't have to pack each day, like granola bars and fruit and cereal bars; nuts (I've gotten hooked on the roasted coffee flavor of Blue Diamond almonds); applesauce with no added sugar in individual 4-oz. cups. I also keep those little packages of sandwich crackers (lots of different varieties, cheese and plain and rye crackers etc. sandwiching cheese or peanut butter) and zip-lock bags so I can eat 1 or 2 or 3 and seal the remainder of the package of six back up for another time. I've been wondering whether I would have the will power to stop at 2 or 3 oreos if I kept the little packages in my desk (they are sooo good dunked in an afternoon coffee), but I think it's best not to risk it yet.
I'm going to have to read through this thread again to get more ideas for myself; I think I'm in a bit of a rut too.0 -
My Daily Breakdown and this keeps me full
Breakfast (5am) 1 c. Oats , 8 egg whites and 2 slices of healthy life 35 calorie bread.
First Snack (9am) 1 C. Fat free cottage cheese with pb2 and an apple.
Lunch (Noon) I usually do 4-8 oz of chicken or turkey, Rice or sweet potato and some broccoli or some other green Vegi.
Snack (3pm) I usually do a bowl of puffed wheat with regular milk or a 1/2c cottage cheese mixed together with stevia
Dinner(6pm) Usually a lean meat (Chicken ,fish ect) rice or sweet potato and some vegis or what I call a "Man-Salad
****Lift weights**** (Monday, Wed , Thursday & Saturday )
Snack (9pm) Something very low carb higher protein ...
I yoyo between 2600-3000 a day Depending if im lifting that day or not. I battled Desk job hunger as well I work on computers all day stuck in an 8x8 office :P
I make alot of my own sweet treats ... Protein bars, brownies, cookies, ice cream , pudding, cake , doughnuts ect ect0 -
I work between 10 - 12 hours a day doing a desk job. TBH i don't really have breakfast, not hungry. I'll have soup or a sandwich for lunch, with an apple and yoghurt. Later in the day i'll have another apple, another yoghurt and melon. I drink a fair bit of water and tea (with no milk) during the day which helps. I treat myself to a 40 calorie hot chocolate drink too.0
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Today I had:
Cottage cheese mixed with grapes and oats (weird.. not sure if i liked it.. lol)
lemon water,
coffee;
2 egg with 3 egg whites and mixed veggies with cheese,
coffee,
tea,
water,
cucumber,
2 chocolate squares,
apple,
turkey and garbanzo bean chili with asian greens,
carrot,
tea,
water.
All at my desk
my protein shake will be after my workout, instead of at my desk like it usually is. 0 -
Tea with sweetener! 0 cals and feels like I'm 'eating'. Also flavoured water!
Other than that I take low cal snacks to have throughout the day:
apples
rice cakes
yogurt
watermelon (LOTS OF WATERMELON!)0
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