The top 5 ways to avoid putting on weight at a desk

30 May The top 5 ways to avoid putting on weight at a desk

I have spent most of my life in the corporate world and I have to say this is one of the easiest places to put on weight.

With biscuits and chocolates always on hand, a never ending array of birthday cakes, entertaining, dinners out, parties, traveling around, there are so many temptations which can result in your weight slowly but surely going up.

Added to this long hours and coming home tired – the last thing you feel like is cooking a nutritious meal which means the easiest option is often a pizza with a wine (or three) to relax at the end of the day.

Oh I know as I have been there too – I put on 10 kilos from bad eating habits just from working at a desk so my next few blogs will be focusing on how to avoid putting on weight at work. This blog is my top 5 personal and practical ways to avoid putting on the paunch when you are have a desk job.

1.Plan and pack your meals

This is the best tip I can give you – make your own lunches and bring them to work. Yes I know it takes some effort but not only will you know exactly what you are eating, you will save heaps of money too.

Buy the ingredients from a local supermarket and make lunch at work if you don’t have the time to do it before.

Or make an extra serving or two of dinner the night before and bring the left overs to work.

2. Have healthy snacks always on hand

There are often all sorts of treats available at work – a cookie jar, vending machines full of chips and lots of cafes nearby with cakes and goodies.

So try and have healthier treats on hand to resist the temptation of eating crap. Celery and carrot sticks with humus, nuts, crisp reads, fruit and so forth.

And drinks lots of water too – not only is this good for you but it keeps you feeling full too.

3. Brush your teeth

Now this may seem a strange one but oddly it works. After lunch or a healthy snack, brush your teeth. You will feel less inclined to eat again for a while and lose that fresh taste feeling.

Also this forces you to move around a bit – make sure you take a 5 or 10 minute break every hour you sit in front of a computer.

4. Make your drawer your own supermarket

Make sure you have a drawer or two stocked up with condiments and spices on hand. Have nice cutlery and crockery so eating at your desk feels more like a special meal than a boring eating experience.

If you don’t have time to eat breakfast, have some Weetbix or rolled oats on standby. Soups are good to have in stock too.

Stock up the fridge with your own heathy goodies too. Brown bread and wraps, plain yoghurt, lean meats, salads and so forth.

Bring in a good variety of foods so you don’t get bored eating the same thing day in and day out.

5. Team up with a coworker

If you are finding it a bit hard to do this all on your own, work with someone to share the duties. They bring in the snacks, you bring in the lunches. They do one week, you do the next, they bring in the salads and you bring in the soups and so forth.

There are probably a few people like you who want to ensure they eat right when they are stuck at their desk plus this is great way to get to know your fellow workers a little better.