Snacks at work to munch on!
KiwiGirl91
Posts: 43 Member
Okay so I work for a company doing tech support (great job, great pay and I love it and my conworkers). Down side? I’m sitting on my butt allday munching on snacks because they encourage us to do this.
What I really want to do is start eating the right foods etc.. something that will help with my weight loss etc.... so suggestions are a must pretty please!
I’m a grazer so I literally munch through out the day so something that will help me - I’m thinking dried cranberries but that’s all I’m coming up with
Can you guys recommend me some healthy filling snacks!
What I really want to do is start eating the right foods etc.. something that will help with my weight loss etc.... so suggestions are a must pretty please!
I’m a grazer so I literally munch through out the day so something that will help me - I’m thinking dried cranberries but that’s all I’m coming up with
Can you guys recommend me some healthy filling snacks!
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Replies
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How are they encouraging the snacks? is the company providing them? I was a frequent snacker for a long time, not because I needed to eat or even that I was hungry, I just always packed them with my lunch for work. I just stopped packing the extra stuff. Instead I drink a ton of water and black coffee throughout the day.3
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If you have a place to spit out the pits, cherries are the best for desk snacking. They're delicious, and each one takes a minute to eat because you have to eat around the pit, so it's impossible to eat them too fast.1
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Roast some chickpeas in the oven in your spice of choice: ranch, paprika, garlic salt, even cinnamon! They come out crunchy like chips and are good to mindlessly nosh on. You could also pre-portion baggies of popcorn, pretzels, rice cakes, veggies. If you're feeling lazy and just want a quick grab-and-go, grocery stores often sell bags of Baked Chips that are less calories.
For sweets, I tend to grab gummies (Annie's brand are my favorite, but you get so little per bag. Welch's make a great one too). The 100 Calorie Packs of assorted cookies are tasty too. Greek Yogurt can sometimes curb a sweet tooth. And there's a lot of recipes floating around for skinny donuts, cakes, muffins, etc.5 -
Hey there! I have the same problem! My co-worker has a BUCKET OF FREE CANDY outside her office door. I walk past the candy bucket like 20 times a day. Even if I ignore the candy 95 times out of a 100, I'm still eating it 5 times a week that I don't need to.
Something I did, which is kind of weird but it worked, was put up a poster on my office wall that said "0 days since a candy incident" and then marked off every day that I managed to not eat any. And then set myself different goals - a month, 100 days, etc.
Alternative snacks - I have almonds, which are good for me because I like them but I don't like them enough to chew through them mindlessly. Microwave popcorn is also good. I also have mints at my desk and I've found it's helpful to have a mint after I've eaten something to help send a signal to my brain that I'm done with eating that thing now.4 -
How are they encouraging the snacks? is the company providing them? I was a frequent snacker for a long time, not because I needed to eat or even that I was hungry, I just always packed them with my lunch for work. I just stopped packing the extra stuff. Instead I drink a ton of water and black coffee throughout the day.
They do as well as breakfast for early morning meetings - as well as numerous amounts of vending machines around the work place and switching between departments and working means 95% of my day I’m sitting at my desk working and munching
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janellereasoner wrote: »If you have a place to spit out the pits, cherries are the best for desk snacking. They're delicious, and each one takes a minute to eat because you have to eat around the pit, so it's impossible to eat them too fast.
I wish
cherries are so damn expensive here more so cause we’re not in season yet - I’ve considered dried fruit as an option (I’m in winter atm ) 
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Just drink water and don't "graze". Period.
Problem solved.
I sit at a desk all day as well and food is everywhere.
Bagels, snacks, pastries, candies. Most of it is free.
I'm also about 11% or 12% body fat.
No snack is "healthy" if you are consuming more calories than you need.
It sounds like you are actually asking what foods you can eat that will support unhealthy eating habits.
The answer to that is "none".
Drink water, walk around the building, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
It isn't like they pay you more if you "munch on snacks".
You are choosing to snack -going so far that you are asking for other things to eat- and blaming "them".
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How do they encourage snacking? This is absurd. You are an adult. Bring healthy snacks from home and make it a point to eat them at certain times. Grazing can be dangerous. Hummus/veggies, egg cups, small salad with a protein or fruit.2
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How do they encourage snacking? This is absurd. You are an adult. Bring healthy snacks from home and make it a point to eat them at certain times. Grazing can be dangerous. Hummus/veggies, egg cups, small salad with a protein or fruit.
The line of tech support that I work in is in a call center - so everything we do is timed so they encourage us to have snacks or food at our desks so we don’t have to get up and leave etc.. unless it’s a bathroom break or or lunch most the day we’re at our desk.2 -
I have been at a desk job for yrs.
We have a full vending kitchen downstairs.. that I rarely visit.
Every Sunday, I grocery shop. Prep my lunch and breakfast, then pack some snacks.
Popcorn, beef and cheese sticks, crackers, protein bars... list goes on.
I don't care what they are all snacking on, only what I am snacking on.5 -
Do. Not. Do. It. At. All.KiwiGirl91 wrote: »How do they encourage snacking? This is absurd. You are an adult. Bring healthy snacks from home and make it a point to eat them at certain times. Grazing can be dangerous. Hummus/veggies, egg cups, small salad with a protein or fruit.
The line of tech support that I work in is in a call center - so everything we do is timed so they encourage us to have snacks or food at our desks so we don’t have to get up and leave etc.. unless it’s a bathroom break or or lunch most the day we’re at our desk.
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The line of tech support that I work in is in a call center - so everything we do is timed so they encourage us to have snacks or food at our desks so we don’t have to get up and leave etc.. unless it’s a bathroom break or or lunch most the day we’re at our desk. [/quote]
That's fine but, you have the choice to bring healthy snacks and eat them at certain times. Pretty sure they are not standing over you a gun telling you to "eat your snack now. "
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The line of tech support that I work in is in a call center - so everything we do is timed so they encourage us to have snacks or food at our desks so we don’t have to get up and leave etc.. unless it’s a bathroom break or or lunch most the day we’re at our desk.
That's fine but, you have the choice to bring healthy snacks and eat them at certain times. Pretty sure they are not standing over you a gun telling you to "eat your snack now. "
Definitely lol that’s why I asked if anyone could suggest ones that I could take in
I’m starting out my healthy eating / weight loss journey so that is why I asked. I wanted to know what are types of food that are good for me and not going to make me want to binge at the end of the day. 4 -
The only thing that will prevent you from going on a "binge at the end of the day" is discipline.
You will probably "want" to regardless. The point is that you decide not to.2 -
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I think ZERO snacks, as cqbkaju keeps suggesting, is the best option by far.
If you truly need snacks all day long, then I think it just means your breakfast, lunch, and dinner need some tweaking to be more satiating meals.4 -
I like Nuts, trail mix, etc. Sargento quick packs are really filling as well.
What works best for me(and I've been slacking) Is prelogging and packing everything for the whole day.5 -
I think what the OP meant to ask was how to avoid all the temptation for treats at work. And it's hard. I work in a library where there are frequent catered staff meetings, as well as tons of cakes, cookies, chocolate, and chips in the break room. It's super tough not to give in, and a lot of the time I will give in to a brownie. I just stop at one and make sure I bring my own snacks to tide me over.2
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Carrot sticks, low fat string cheese, jicima, raw sliced red peppers, cucumbers, Fresh fruit. I drink alot of cold water with Kool-Aid drops in it just for taste. I also drink Campbell's cup-a-soup just cause it's provided at my work and although very high in sodium it is mostly low calorie. If your calorie allotment is higher than mine the tuna snack kits with rice crackers are about 146 calories in Canada. I actually use them for breakfast but they could be a filling high protein snack.5
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celery; broccoli; cucumbers... crunchy without the calories like trail mix and nuts.3
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I used to have the same problem with a job, to the point that they brought us snacks to our desk and other garbage food like sugar cookies, donuts, etc. They finally quit asking me when I would ask them to put it in my garbage can or have them watch me throw it away. You not only have to train yourself not to be tempted, but also co-workers.
The way I have MOSTLY (I'm not perfect and no one is) overcome this is to have an insulated lunch box with an ice pack at my desk full of healthier food options. Could I keep it in the work kitchen in the fridge, yes, BUT then I'm walking several times past the tempting sugar or carb temptations that are always left out. The things I pack are in the smaller snack size reusable glad containers and can be hard boiled eggs, 3oz of rolled up turkey or roast beef, pickle spears or 3 wedges of the Laughing Cow light swiss cheese (only 35 cal each). You can also make a "adult lunchable" with lean meats and cheese & nuts. If I'm craving sweets I pack fig bars which are similar to fig newtons. ALSO, in the small glad square you can put a Tablespoon of peanut butter and then sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top and that's nice treat; you can use a carrot or celery or a small spoon to eat it. Great thing about the glad containers is that you can prepare a weeks worth of food all in one evening on Sundays and then just grab what you're in the mood for each day. Trader Joes is a great place to shop and surprisingly cheap but remember just because it's organic or a "healthy version" of something doesn't always mean it's good for you! Stores are getting pretty tricky with how they market things.
Hope some of this helps. Good Luck! 9 -
skelterhelter wrote: »I think what the OP meant to ask was how to avoid all the temptation for treats at work. And it's hard. I work in a library where there are frequent catered staff meetings, as well as tons of cakes, cookies, chocolate, and chips in the break room. It's super tough not to give in, and a lot of the time I will give in to a brownie. I just stop at one and make sure I bring my own snacks to tide me over.
Exactly!! I think I need to choose my wording carefully from now I find it hard when they have cookies, flavoured crackers, chips, chocolate and all sorts of food for us to grab and I want to take my own healthy stuff in even if it’s carrot sticks just so I don’t feel tempted to eat the bad stuff. 2 -
I work in IT and sit at my desk all day except for lunch as well. I've found IF helpful so I don't eat from 7pm-10/11am except for black coffee and water. I pack 4 snacks daily and a lunch. My snacks are usually carrots and hummus, 1oz of nuts, 2 boiled eggs (sometimes I only eat the whites depending on how my food is panning out), 1c/ 1 small piece of fruit, 1oz of cheese (1 cheese stick). For lunch I go for something small 300-400 calories like 3oz chicken breast with 1c salad and 1/2c quinoa. This way I get 400-500 calories for dinner/ dessert at night. Do you have a Fitbit? The feature that buzzes you every hour to take 250 steps has been VERY helpful to me. Just getting up for water or a bathroom break, or taking a lap around the building has made a difference. Good luck!
Just saw the previous comment about resisting snacks. Idk about your office, but in my office the people who eat all that free cake and cookies and junk don't look very good... They're my motivation not to eat that stuff!5 -
It is difficult to avoid the pitfalls at work. I work in a cubical hell, before that at a Network OPS center, sitting at a desk. So for the past 17 years I have felt your pain.
I keep a tin of mixed nuts, pure protein crunch bites, in my locker and bring fresh fruit and yogurt. What I do, well use to do, (I need to get back to it) is measure out the serving sizes ahead of time so I don’t over indulge. And I will over indulge if given the chance. Which is why I basically, have plan for success, or I can plan on failing.
You got this!
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You should set a timer and try to get up and move your body every 40 min. Drink water. Every 3 hours a snack under 200 calories and potty break and move that body. You could be the one to motivate others you work with. So a meal every 6 hours and 2 snacks in between at the 3 hour mark and you’ll maintain you energy and still lose weight. Good luck. Remember protein first then veggies then fruit. No more than 1 cup total per snack
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KiwiGirl91 wrote: »skelterhelter wrote: »I think what the OP meant to ask was how to avoid all the temptation for treats at work. And it's hard. I work in a library where there are frequent catered staff meetings, as well as tons of cakes, cookies, chocolate, and chips in the break room. It's super tough not to give in, and a lot of the time I will give in to a brownie. I just stop at one and make sure I bring my own snacks to tide me over.
Exactly!! I think I need to choose my wording carefully from now I find it hard when they have cookies, flavoured crackers, chips, chocolate and all sorts of food for us to grab and I want to take my own healthy stuff in even if it’s carrot sticks just so I don’t feel tempted to eat the bad stuff.
I understand. I work a desk job, and am a big time snacker. And while people will say "don't snack", it's easier said than done.
Baby steps for just starting out..... And you are on the right track by changing your snacks!
I like popcorners chips. They are like chips, but made from corn. If you love popcorn, you will like these. If you don't care for popcorn, you will hate these. haha
Fruit is good, I like berries, cantaloupe, apples, etc...
Pretzel crisps, stick cheese, veggie snacks (baby carrots, celery sticks, etc...)
Dried fruit is good. Also banana chips. I always have little boxes of the sun-maid raisins at my desk.
I recently found that the Quaker rice crisps (looks like mini rice cakes) have more flavor and don't taste too much like cardboard (I like the Apple Cinnamon). haha
Beef jerky or Turkey jerky is good, if you want to get more protein.
Greek Yogurt, as someone previously mentioned is good.
Lots of great options out there! Good luck!
I am a major snacker, so I understand!2 -
Dried cranberries are pretty calorific, 130 calories in 1.4 ounces. I wouldn't go that route personally. If I were going to munch all day, it would be celery or cucumber. Very low calorie for the volume.
A bottle of water is my go-to. Get an awesome water bottle that makes you smile when you look at it. Keep it full and drink from it all day. This is mine. I love it. For some reason, having an awesome water bottle makes a difference in how much water I drink. If I get really sick of water, I have some Crystal Light powder in my desk drawer I can add to it.
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quiksylver296 wrote: »Dried cranberries are pretty calorific, 130 calories in 1.4 ounces. I wouldn't go that route personally. If I were going to munch all day, it would be celery or cucumber. Very low calorie for the volume.
A bottle of water is my go-to. Get an awesome water bottle that makes you smile when you look at it. Keep it full and drink from it all day. This is mine. I love it. For some reason, having an awesome water bottle makes a difference in how much water I drink. If I get really sick of water, I have some Crystal Light powder in my desk drawer I can add to it.
Def this.
Make sure you drink lots of water! Helps curb the desire for more snacks, too.
Personally, if I have to get up and refill it, I will forget. It's always, "I will fill it as soon as I am done with this." And then an hour goes by, and it's one more thing I need to finish before I go fill my water bottle.... So I actually come into work with 3 full water bottles totaling about 100 oz.
I drink one in the morning, one with lunch and one in the afternoon. I stay hydrated, it sits in front of me so I am constantly reminded to drink water, and it helps keep my desire for more snacks, in check.
Love the idea of Crystal Light! Might have to get some of those packets... haha
Also, I LOVE your water bottle.
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Don't bring stuff. If it's there, you're more likely to eat it. Bring your lunch to eat and piece of fresh fruit (like an apple or a banana) to hold you over until dinner. Leave your money in the car so you're not tempted to go and buy extra stuff.
If you'd rather eat little snacks through out the day instead of a meal, then pack your meal so that it consists of little snacks - deli turkey slices, a 100 calorie pack of nuts, a cheese stick, baby carrots, a chopped apple, bag of popcorn.5
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