Sitting at a desk for 8 or more hours a day can turn your fat loss efforts into a huge challenge. Choosing the wrong foods at lunch; eating ‘provided’ meals at a meeting or indulging in office celebrations where junk food is present can have your body switch from shedding fat to storing fat. Although I work from home, I sit at my desk a lot. I also have an entire kitchen at my disposal. It doesn’t mean that I always make healthy eating choices.
Healthy Diet Tips to Help Avoid Weight Gain at Work
Plan ahead: Always have healthy snacks prepared ahead of time. Pick a day and package up healthy snack options so they will be ready to grab when hunger strikes. I keep a few of my favorite snack items at my side so that I don’t sneak into the kitchen for unhealthy treats. I love carrot sticks, almonds and a cup of popcorn.
Drink Water: Most companies will let you keep water at your desk. I’m sure you have heard about the many benefits of drinking water. Think of all the good you’re doing for your body. I try to keep at least a liter size water bottle by my side. I like to add fresh fruit slices for a bit of flavor as well. Your mind can often confuse the need for water as hunger. When you feel hungry at times between meals, try drinking water instead. After 5-10 minutes, you are likely to quench that craving.
Exercise: My husband admits that after leaving work late, sitting in traffic, eating dinner and helping to clean up—the last thing he wants to do is workout. Here’s the good news. You don’t need hours of time to get in a decent workout. Shorter workouts with a blend of cardio and weight training can help you reach your goals. If you still find it challenging to fit in a formal workout, take advantage of every opportunity to move at the office. Go for a quick walk outside, and then take the stairs back up to your office instead of the elevator.
Eat Mindfully: Grabbing an unhealthy snack or eating more than we should can often be out of boredom. Take some time to be mindful of what you are eating. Enjoy each bite of a healthy meal and remind yourself that you are doing something good for your body. When you are tempted to grab more food, try chewing gum. This will often satiate the desire to eat.
Brush Your Teeth: Believe it or not, brushing your teeth can help minimize the temptation to grab an unecessary snack. In addition to it being great for your teeth and gums, and bad breath, your minty fresh mouth can serve as a reminder that you don’t need to grab that handful of candy from the office jar.
There you have my Healthy Diet Tips to Help Avoid Weight Gain at Work! I’d love to hear any suggestions you may have about how to be healthy at the office too!
I second the motion on standing desks. I work from home too and though I don’t have a fancy standing desk you can get at the furniture store, I have a mini-laptop table that I put on top of my desk so that it’s at eye level when I’m standing up to work. I think it helps a lot.
Nice post! I like the brushing teeth tip, and if I think about it, it really makes sense in a couple ways.
Often you brush you teeth before you go to bed, so your body could associate that with going to bed, leaving you feeling less hungry.
Thanks for the tips!
A standing desk is quite the rage at my workplace. Some people have added little stand-alone stair steppers (like the size of tall shoe box and not motorized) in addition to a standing desk. I’ve also seen people at the office make a standing desk with cardboard boxes to see if they would like it or not. Not an option for everyone, but a thought.