Been there, done that

Ok. The problem you identify is snacking at your desk. I’m going to give you a list of some things that have worked for me. I use an all of the above approach. You don’t specify what exactly you are eating or where you get it.

My two big policies (these are wide scope approaches) are these-

I became a germaphobe at work. I don’t eat anything I don’t bring.

I plan snacks and eat them at predetermined times. I find delay easier to do than just say no.

Baby carrots
Apples
Sugar free candy
Sugar free gum.
I’d go with something better if I had calories available.

I had appealing snacks planned for after work before gym. Again I was just waiting to get to them.

Are you sure it’s the number on the scale you should be looking at? You seem to want a specific number and a high level of fitness. I made a major strategic error watching the scale when I needed better training.

Do you count macros? It’s a lifestyle. But depending on the level that you are working at, it may be what’s needed.

Lol OK so I may have used food as a tool to make my work days go by faster in the past 😂. So here’s my professional advice on how to eat more on the company’s dime but still stick to your goals:

First of all, you need to arrive to work about 15 minutes earlier than normal (stay with me, here). What you want to do is pack your breakfast and eat it before you begin your work day. Eat it at your desk or in the break area, but eat it *right* before you “clock in” for the day.

Now don’t drink your coffee on the way to work or at home. You want to be sipping on your coffee after you’ve had your breakfast at work. This should be bringing you into your lunch hour/early afternoon snack. Perhaps you even get a coffee refill half way through the morning and gossip with some coworkers along the way (this step is completely optional).

Now a pro tip would be to prolong your lunch hour to the latest possible time slot. This depends on if you have the freedom to pick your lunch hour. If you can push it to 2pm, this is ideal. That means at the 12oclock hour you have your first snack of the day (instead of lunch). Since you’ve had your breakfast *right* before your work day started, you shouldn’t be ravenous to the point where you want to chow down on a second higher calorie meal right away.

Now 2pm you have your lunch. And then 5pm, on your way home, you have another snack so you don’t want to eat everything in sight when you get home.

Now if you work it right, you can have your breakfast right before clocking in, a mid morning snack, an early afternoon snack, and then a late lunch, and possibly a snack for the ride home to look forward to. It really depends on your allotted calories and how much freedom you get with your work schedule.

Timing and preplanning your meals are key here. You want to spread out the higher calorie meals with lower calorie snacks in between. Breakfast right before clocking in is a total game changer.

It sounds like you are trying to restrict yourself so much it is backfiring. You need better spaced calories, and calories that are actually pre-measured and logged. Timing your food gives you something to look forward to and keeps you from eating whatever is around if you know something is waiting for you at a specific time. When you feel like mindless munching, go for a walk around your building, go to the bathroom, talk to a coworker, refill your water bottle, etc.

You don’t need to cut out snacking, you just need to snack smarter. You got this!