Is Work Sabotaging Your Diet?

Let’s face it, we’re all busy and it can be difficult making the best decisions for our health, especially when it comes to nutrition! Couple this with a hectic day at the office and it doesn’t seem so unrealistic that the meal plan you started on Monday has been forgotten by Wednesday. 

When I am at work I get the sense that I am the “food police.”  I never comment on things but I do stick to my game plan and others pick up on it. In turn, when I am around, whether on purpose or not, my colleagues seem to keep that candy drawer closed. How can we make this easier for ourselves and others? Below I list out 4 simple tricks to prevent falling of the wagon week after week!

1.     Plan. First things first, if we don’t plan ahead for the week or even the day, we are setting ourselves up to take the easy road. What does this mean? If the boss says we’re ordering Pizza, you eat the pizza. Instead, on Sunday evening, take a few minutes to think about your week. Will you be eating breakfast at home or at the office? If so what will it be? A protein packed shake and a piece of fruit is a convenient option to have on the go. Next move to snacks, and lunch. Any lunch meetings or special events? Think ahead to those and figure out now what you will eat.  Will you bring a healthy salad? Or choose that meal as your weekly reward me? The clearer you are about planning your week, the more likely you will stick to your eating agenda.

2.     Prepare. Set aside time during the week to go to the grocery store! Not only will it be forgiving on your waistline but on your checking account too. Think about how many $10 salads you buy at Sweet Green or Whole Foods! Don’t get me wrong, I love these places, but it adds up! Whether its ten minutes the night before, an hour on Sunday, or the day of, build time into your day to  prepare your snacks and meals. If the food is in the refrigerator or on the counter you be more likely to eat it than if it isn’t there at all.

3.     Stock. Stock up your office! Pick up some nuts, apples, cans of tuna, your favorite protein bars, a can opener, and plastic ware. Keep a water bottle there as well. I know it may sound silly, but seriously having these things around will help when hunger strikes. It can also save you from rummaging through your coworkers candy drawer. That’s the worst: mid- afternoon hunger pangs and the next thing you know you’ve downed a bag of Reese’s.  Walk past the candy bowl. Better yet, create your own “candy bowl” and fill it with Larabars or fruit.

4.     Decide. Decide ahead of time that you are committed to your healthy lifestyle. Do not be easily influenced by coworkers to indulge. It is easy to say, “Well, it’s just today.” But trust me, those “just today’s” and up to weeks, months, and before you know it, you’ve become another statistic: as of 2010 69.2% of Americans 20 and older were overweight or obese!

The next time your colleagues ask you to lunch, what will you do? You’re gonna stick to you game plan J!  Let me know what tools help you succeed with nutrition at the work place!

Sources: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.  20130. Obesity & Overweight. Retrieved on August 15, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm.