How do you eat well at work?

I'm not working right now for medical reasons, but when I return (hopefully within the next month or so), I've realized that in order to eat properly (own a convenience store....candy and chocolate SCREAMS my name...), I'm going to have to plan.

What steps do you take to ensure that you're making good choices at work?  Is there something unique that you do that you could share with everyone?  Thanks!

Hi Laurie,

My office building doesn't have snack machines thank goodness! My motto is, you can't eat what you don't take! I pack in fruit, veggies, cereal for snacking. Every now and again, I'll bring a Pria Bar, the chocolate/peanut butter kind, makes me feel like I'm eating a candy bar. I get the low carb one so I don't use up all my carbs in one sitting.

I try to force down an english muffin with Smucker's preserves on it before I leave for work too. If I eat before I get here, the first thing I do is fill up a 32 oz cup of water and plan to finish it by 10:30-11 and I do this 2-3 times throughout the day! I have a snack about 2 hours after coming in, an orange or something, today I had 6 large shrimp (bought the frozen peeled and deveined yesterday for $7, a bargain!). I'm having a salad for lunch with spinach, chick peas, cucumbers, chicken and fat free catalina dressing... very filling. I try to snack again about an hour before going home so I'm not ravenous while I'm cooking.

Keep things on hand like oranges, apples, bananas, nutrigrain bars, Kashi bars, crackers, yogurt... just remember... if you didn't bring it, you can't eat it and keep that mind set when going for the twinkie in the vending machine.

Hope this helps!!! It'll take about 3 days to adjust but once you do, it's for life!

I claimed a crisper drawer in the fridge at my office as my space. Hey,
it was empty, and no one goes in there.   So at the beginning of
the week I fill it with fresh fruit and veggies and my daily
lunch.  by friday I make sure it's cleaned out so that nothing
goes bad over the weekend.   I know that at this moment, I have 2
snack baggies of carrots, some spinich and romain, tortilla wraps, a
diet coke, an apple, and a container of tuna salad.   All good
foods and its right there in the break room for me if I need it.

I keep nuts and popcorn.  i also have a large bottle of water on my desk and make sure i drink it every time i think i am hungry.

I eat my best when I am at work.  Luckily there is a Superstore just walking distance from my work so twice a week during lunch I go up there pick 1 or 2 bags of mixed veggies.  (usually a combo of broccoli and carrots) and something else (like snow peas), a 4 pack of Perrier and maybe a diet coke and some chewing gum.  Keeps me going all day! I don't like to feel hungry and I have to be mentally focused for most of the day so munching through out the day works best for me.  Veggies do get tiring so I reward myself with a nice hardy dinner.

I hope you feel better soon, whatever your medical reasons are :)

Thanks, people!  And thanks for the well wishes, chobe!  I'm on my way to recovery.  :o)

I jumped when I saw "Superstore"...LOL!  It's my favourite place!  I love the selection of ethnic foods there.  I shop at an "Extra Foods" which is the smaller version of Superstore, has all the PC brands, etc.  And, like you, I'm addicted to raw veggies.  In particular baby carrots.  They're my potato chips!

Yay us!  LOL!

I actually work at subway and we get free food. It's great having the sandwiches available. Unfortunately "free food" also includes the sodas, cookies, and calorie stuffed sandwiches (BMT, Spicy Italian, Meatball Marinara). I just turn away from the 200 cal cookies and stick to turkey sandwiches (only 280) and water.

Suck on sugarfree candies, it may take a way your craving for sweets.

hi laurie!!  long time no see.  i must say i graze at work so i take in lots of veggies.  i'm a mindless eater when i'm at my desk!  all i can do is try to minimize the damage ;)

I like to pack my breakfast and my lunch to take to work (I get in really early).  Instant oatmeal is a great breakfast that can sit in a desk drawer, will keep you filled up and id healthy for you.  Lunch can be anything you want if you plan ahead.  Usually toasted whole grain bread, fat-free cheese slice, fruit and a fat-free yoghurt.  Best of luck!

I do about the same as everyone else. I make it a point to not have any change or dollars on me so I don't get tempted by the machines. I pack breakfast, lunch, and a snack or two and store tea bags in my desk. I like knowing in advance what I have available to eat all day because I think it helps my body plan around it. Instead of craving "something" at 3pm, my body now craves "that apple in my bag". It helps me keep the random eating to a minimum.

And I swore off food day. I don't want their donuts and I'm not bringing 'em either!

I have a big plate which I 1/2 fill with raw veggies; cukes, green peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, etc. Then 1/4 of fruit; oranges/ apples/ grapes/pears/etc.  The last 1/4; 2 oz cheese and a little bit of what ever was for supper.  I put a pita or 12 grain bread on top.
Sounds like a lot, but this is breakfast and a snack for me.
If I forget the fruit I am craving carbs all night.

I eat oatmeal in the morning before work.  I write down everything I can eat at work and calculate the calories before I leave the house.  I only bring the foods on my list.  They usually are an apple, banana, carrots, lean pocket, 100 calorie granola bar,lean cuisine, cottage cheese, a 1 oz. portion of cheese.  I bring some combination of these items that add up to about 700 or 800 calories (including the oatmeal).  This means by the time I get home I still have about 900 calories available to me for the evening.

When I worked at an office, I had a cooler pack - and every night, I packed it with my next day's food - lunch and snacks. I am the zip lock baggie queen, so I divided baby carrots, cut up cukes, bought grape tomatoes, cut up fresh turnips, jicama, and zipped up portions to throw into the bag (or the refrig for the next night.)

I also added clementines, apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit - whatever I had on hand. In the morning, I made a sandwich with lean deli meats and savory mustard and added it as well.

I added up the contents for calories (or in weight watcher days, for portions or points) and at work, I nibbled to my heart's content. But what I brought was all I allowed myself to eat.

Invest in a food dehydrator.... this is a dieters best friend and easy to learn

The low calorie snack making is endless

apple chips, banana chips ..... natural fruit rollups (add splenda to sweeten)

great chicken jerky to snack on all day and very low calorie....add mrs dash seasoning (no salt)

Most come with a book on how to prepare vegetables, fruits and meats ....

HI Laurie,

I pack a lunch and 2 healthy snacks so it seems like I am eating all day. I eat every two hours. Some of my favorite snacks are a fruit with one of the following:

• 1 oz cashews (about 21 nuts- count them out and put them in a snack bag.
• Fruit plus 1 protein (example apple and string cheese)
• Lara Bars (no added sugar, lots of fiber and protein)
• Yogurt
• 1 ounce cheese and 4 crackers
• Clif Bars
• Kashi crunchy bars

I could go on and on. Just make sure your snacks have at least 4g fiber and 7g protein.

Good Luck!

When I go to work I like to bring salads mainly. They're easy to pack, and if customers come in and I have to stop eating, my food won't get cold or hot. Sometimes I bring soup, very filling. I also normally bring a few peices of fruit (peaches, apples, tangerines),some chopped veggies (carrots), and maybe some nuts