Calorie counting in the professional world?

When I first got married (in 2004), I weighed about 130 lbs (I'm 5'6").  After that, I started my professional career in an industry with a LOT of lunches out and dinners ordered in.  Over the next few years my weight went up to 175.

I quit my job in the city, and started working in the suburbs near my house.  As a result, I mostly went home for lunch and ate the healthier foods there, and I got back down to around 150.

I still want to get back to around 130.  I recently started working in the city again, and I'm really scared to get sucked back in to old patterns.

Here's some of the pitfalls I'm facing:

1.)  There's SO much great food within short walking distance

2.)  When I bring my lunch, I don't feel like I get a "mental break", since I'm not leaving the office, and it only takes 20 minutes to eat.

3.)  It seems it is always someone's birthday, or meetings are catered with really fattening food.

What do you other professional women do to handle this?  I'm most concerned with #2, because I can resist the other two... as long as I can find a solution for #2.

If it only takes you about 20 minutes to eat, then why not get out of the office and take a walk when you're done?  You could have your healthy lunch and even get in some exercise.

(I hear ya on the "mental break", by the way.  It drives me nuts if I get stuck in the office all day!)

I'm 5'6" - 146 lbs (down from 150).  I'd love to get back to 130 myself.  We can do it!

If you're leaving your office for lunch, try and collect menus/nutrional information from the restaurants around your office.  Then choose the things from the menu you can have based on the nutritional info. 

Make your lunch your biggest meal and go easy on dinner if you splurge a little.

There is one saving grace.  There is a soup place downstairs that has a variety of soups (many under 200 cals for 12 oz)!  So, at least I have an option when I do forget my lunch.

Good point about walking around.  I have been to some extent, but only to explore the neighborhood.  I should bring in some flats so I can make that part of my daily routine! 

Good advice on the lunchtime walk routine.  Great way to get a little exercise.

The fattening meeting fare is a tricky one.  I try to stay away from them as much as possible, sip a mineral water and maybe have one small sandwich, just to be sociable.  Then I go back to my desk and have the healthier lunch I brought in anyway! 

At my last job I actually suggested to the person ordering the fattening meeting fare that we should get the caterers to provide more salads, cherry tomatoes and the like... fewer tempura shrimp and soggy pastries!   I'm sure if you canvassed your colleagues you'd find you weren't the only one that would like a few more lighter options.

hey I totally feel your pain. In fact last week it was my co-workers birthday and i was asked to bake the cake for him (I'm an awesome baker) not only did i have to bake the cake without eating any, but i actually sat and watched everyone eat it and talk about how good it was....that sucked...but in the end i was proud

I work in the music business and i work in NY so i understand what you mean on all planes. I bring my lunch to work. I like to have selser with lunch so i use that as my excusse to go for a walk.

You know what i find the worst? All the lunch places around here have cookies and cake at the counter where you pay so you cant purchase anything without giant cupcakes staring you in the face. Thats just mean lol

i hear you on the mental break. i bring an assortment of things for lunch, and even when its cold out, i find a place -- coffee shop, where ever and even if i just order coffee - i sit there, and eat my lunch and drink the coffee..or tea.  it gets me out of the office, i've walked, and i'm eating healthy because i'm eating what i brought.  if i don't eat it all....i take it back to the office with me...and leave it on the desk.  use it as snacks the rest of the day.  

if i didn't do that, i'd be sitting at my desk for at leat 5 hours straight, working and eating right there at the desk.  i can kill a crapload of work, but feel dead at the same time.  so i try to get up and give myself a break more than lunch too.

Ugh, I hear you on the catered meetings.

I'm lucky here in that most of my co-workers bring their lunches too, so it's "normal" to sit and eat at the desk.  I walk to / from work, and I haven't been going for a walk at lunch because I usually have something to work on, though I take a bit of a mental break by surfing sites like CC.

Good luck finding something that works with your healthy lifestyle!  Bringing your own lunch is so much better I find.

So don't eat at your desk. Pick up your lunch and go and eat it outside some place... or else, eat it at your desk and then get up and go for a 15-minute walk to get you out in the fresh air for the rest of your lunch break. It's called a 'break' for a reason.

i always bring my lunch.  one. i can control what i'm putting in my food but also two. it gets expensive eating out so much!!!  just don't eat at your desk if you feel like you need a break.  we have an indoor atrium in our building that's really pretty to go eat... if you have an indoor area that's not your desk, go there! or when it warms up, get outside!  sometimes i eat outside, sometimes i eat my lunch in the 15 mins it takes, and then for 45 mins i walk around or i go to a store or i sit outside and chat, whatever it is.... sometimes if my friend wants to meet for lunch we meet at the mall, i usually cave and buy food from the food court, but i could bring my food and sit in the food court and eat it.  i know there's a ton of places in the city around me to just walk and eat, but i'd rather save the money and know what i'm eating.... and you don't just have to have sandwiches. i bring all sorts of stuff and actually rarely have a sandwich!  if you have a refrigerator and microwave you can pretty much have whatever you want for lunch!

I work in a city too with way too many yummy places around.  I joined a gym that is across the street and I go there for my lunch hour now.  Even though I only get to work out for about 35-40 minutes - then a quick shower and back I go.  I have a quick bite to eat before I go (banana and atkins bar) then I grab a salad on the way back.   It breaks up the monotony of the day and when things are slow here I sit in the sauna for a few minutes too!

totally know how you feel... I work in an office environment of about 1500 people and it seems like every day is someone's birthday, so there is always cake going around.. its easy to say no most days.. but it's tough when they just keep saying 'come on.. just one piece' my willpower can only last so long!!

im bad for eating at my desk when i bring my lunch.. and there aren't many places to walk around as it's a semi-industrial area, so i've been bringing sweats and running shoes and going up and down the stairs after i eat.. it's amazing how few people use the stairs - i rarely run in to anyone, and we have a shower that no one uses so if i sweat too much i can hop in and rinse off and prep for the afternoon.

i've also bought an under the desk cycler (instride cycle xl) that i use constantly when im working so i'm always burning calories.

I know how you feel. I'm in the banking industry and bankers are the fattest people around. I work in a branch and therefore there aren't as many people but like you said it's always someone's birthday or there's a wholesaler bringing in bagels from Panera Bread, etc. Sometimes someone will just bring in Krispie Kremes! I bring my lunch everyday too. I stock up on Lean Cuisine meals and I have enough snacks for 2 snacks a day as well. Sometimes I do give in to the birthday cake that's on the kitchen table and other times I just either eat in my car or eat and then leave. It will be easier now that it's getting warmer. I don't really like to leave my building because we have a tv in the kitchen and I like to watch the court shows and take a nap as well by the heater. Plus with gas so high I don't want to joy ride, but I could start taking walks.

Really it takes alot of will power. You just have to say to yourself "NO I WON'T LET THESE PEOPLE MAKE ME FAT" I look at it like that alot. Sometimes I even believe it because they all know that I am very concious about what I eat and they still bring in fattening stuff. I usually win the battle except for that time of the month and then I'm much more weak. Good Luck!

I am in the same situation -- I used to get a bagel with 2 cream cheese for breakfast from the cafeteria and then have a sandwich with a cookie or brownie everyday for lunch and get chips and a large pop for an afternoon snack!  Now I eat breakfast at home before work and bring a mid-morning snack (banana or protein bar) so I am not tempted to go down to the cafeteria.  I have been bringing my lunch and I completely understand the need to get out of the building!  I either go across the street to the mall or to starbucks.  Also, I have been keeping almonds in my desk and I bring an apple or strawberries for a mid-afternoon snack to get me through the day. 

The other thing you could do is see if anyone else in your office wants to lose with you or have a "biggest loser" contest in your office.  My sales team is trying to lose weight so we have cut out the cakes and cookies and bagels and instead have fruit and yogurt at our weekly meetings.  I find the motivation that comes from having someone who you are with 40 hours a week encouraging you to stay on track really helps!

Good Luck!

UPDATE:

So, I went on google maps in search of somewhere nice to eat outside (there's less in this part of the city than where I used to work... funny how much difference a few blocks will make)

Anyway, I found a rooftop garden a few blocks away.  While I was waking around trying to figure out how to get up there, I discovered a weekly farmer's market, that has all the same vendors as the one I go to on the weekends!

I bought some organic strawberries.  It TOTALLY made my day.  I'm so happy I found a nice place to chill outside!

I'm glad you've found some options.

I've mostly given up on trying to eat well at lunch.  I just try to have a healthy dinner and I bust my butt on the treadmill every night.  My original goal was to work out enough that I didn't have to watch what I ate.  I've amended that a little.  I try not to order/eat french fries anymore, but I still eat pretty much anything else.  I just limit the amount.

Oh and I'm 5'6" currently 137.5, down from a high of 159ish.

I am with you. I'm an RN, I work in a pediatricians office with drug reps bringing goodies in all the time. I refrain, as hard as it is.........say no when your faced with the yummies. I stay with what I bring for lunch and sometimes I walk at lunch as well. I have learned over the past month it is all about control and how bad you want to lose the weight. I am 5'6 as well........started at 145 a month ago and am now 138.5. I am so excited........

At least you have great food within walking distance!  I just have a Taco Johns, Pizza Hut, and Burger King here.  Yick.  There is nothing healthy there for me.  I swear, I gain 10 pounds just smelling pizza!

Go online before you walk to the restaurant, compare the nutritional values, and decide what you want BEFORE you get there.  You'll end up making better decisions when you know what's in the food.

And go ahead and bring food in- just go somewhere else in or near your building to eat.  If a gaggle is heading out to the local fast food joint, don't be afraid to bring your lunch with you and go ahead with them.  Bring a sandwich, and order a side salad and drink when you get there.

Or, eat your lunch at your desk (with the door closed if you want) and then go for a walk outside, as opposed to walking to a restaurant and eating there. 

"3.)  It seems it is always someone's birthday, or meetings are catered with really fattening food."

I used to have this problem. Someone brought a cookie tray/cake/box of donuts in! I have to have one! My solution to this: There's a cupcake store that has the absolute BEST cupcakes in the world. They are worth the splurge. Suddenly, that grocery store sheet cake seems so inferior. Why wait 300 cals on some cake that I know is sub-par? That makes it easy for me to avoid sweet treats in the office.

Wow.. there are alot of us in the same boat!

I have the same problems as you.   I gained weight from eating out at work too, and when everyone else is eating it, it just looks so good.  This is what I do: I bring lunch to work everyday.  I tried the walking at lunch thing, but sometimes I'm just too tired, since I run around at work all day and then i go to the gym right after work, so I really dont feel like walking sometimes.  What I do is, I walked around to try to find a good "spot" for me to sit, whether its under a tree, on a bench wherever!! I bring an extra sweater for me to sit on and I sit there my entire lunch and i eat my food from home.  I have the whole hour to just sit, as if i was sitting in a resturant.  I know what you mean though, sitting in a resturant, its just really a mental break.  But I find now that I never eat out when i am alone! Before I would almost everyday.  But I find that all I look forward to is going to sit in my spot at lunch time and eat.  I started working out and lost weight and people noticed so when i go out with co-workers we usually pre-decide where we are going.  In the morning, I would look up online the nutritional value of foods at the resturant and pick 1-2 items ONLY that I can eat. and thats all I would eat.  for the times when you have people's birthdays, meetings that are catered.  For birthdays, in our office people always bring cookies cakes etc.  I usually try not to eat any of it.  I may have a small tasting but i have a really small peice.  And just say I'm not hungry or just its too fattening and ppl respect my wishes.  The times when we have catering you have to try and use portion control and eat right the rest of the day.  Last week at my company we had a bbq.  There were hamburgers, veg burgers, sausages, and chicken breasts, so I had a few options there to work with, I just had the grilled chicken breast w/ salad, no bread, and I had a little peice of the dessert.  Try to use your judgement.  Someone also mentioned if its worth the splurge, and I agree.  Thats somethign to take into consideration too!

Goodluck!