healthy nibbles at your desk

Saradoyler

Im in my job 3 months, and have put on 14ib (1 stone) since ive started here. Im constantly eating at my desk, nibbling chocolate, biscuits etc
doesnt help that there is a chocolate machine outside my office or that there is always biscuits etc brought in by the other girls and left for us all to eat. So hard to resist

what healthy nibbles would you have at your desk girls??

sugar free chewing gum

don't tend to keep food around my desk

neuro-praxis

I find the more boring the job,the more I nibble. Any way to make work more interesting?

Failing that, big bags of chopped crudites (carrots, celery, peppers, cucumber) are refreshing to chomp on, plus little portions of mixed nuts and seeds. Also drink herbal and fruit teas instead of black tea or coffee...a biscuit just doesn't go as well with herbal and fruit tea.

marnie d

Today I had grapes and cut up apple mid-morning, mid-afternoon I had yoghurt. Sometimes I have them kinda cereal / breakfast type bars, I know they're not ideal but better than a twix. Sometimes I have wheaten bread with butter and jam. I intend to get like a small jar and fill it with sunflower seads or something to nibble on.

I struggle with my weight too, put on weight since working here and can't shift it. I'm making an effort now because it's lent.

Honey-ec

That's a lot of weight in a short space of time. To be honest, I'd be trying to break the habit of eating at your desk completely rather than just replacing the biscuits etc. with another snack. I know it's easier said than done but if you're constantly grazing, even if it's "only" on fruit/nuts/seeds, your weight is going to keep going up.

didnt notice the weight part

go out for a walk at lunchtime

xzanti

I like nibbling on raisins.. they're actually quite filling too..

I find the Aldi ones are the juiciest and tastiest tbh.. and they're only 99c for a good sized bag..

Also Rivita crackers with a bit of jam or low fat cheese..

Gauge

I feel your pain, when I started in an office job I gained a fair bit of weight too initially... a combination of boredom snacking and crappy lunches and just not being used to sitting down all day, five days a week.

TBH the only thing that worked was to just break the nibbling habit altogether, I found even "healthy" things like dates, raisins, grapes, nuts and stuff like that were just too tempting to graze on all day. Even supposedly healthy stuff adds up and fruit can have a lot of sugar. Chocolate and biscuits are always in supply here but I've just had to force myself into not thinking about the biscuit jar, it gets easier over time and once you're in a routine it becomes second nature.

I now make sure my breakfast and lunch are nice and filling and I'll usually have an apple between lunch and home time. If you have access to a fridge boiled eggs last a few days -can be a handy, filling snack mid-afternoon and I know myself I can never have more than one.

leggit

here's a tip:

put down the fork....

in all honesty though, eating at your desk is just a bad habit no matter what you're eating. Cut it out altogether, I have breakfast in the morning and then lunch in the afternoon and that's it.

I always see people who claim to be on a diet eating all day at their desk and then having lunch and then going back to their desk and eating more! I'd think a good breakfast would solvce this for most people

Outkast_IRE

No eating at the desk for any reason, bring a healthy packed lunch and stick to it every day.

My number one piece of advice is start a food diary, write down everything you consumr every day and get a accurate idea of what calories are in everthing you are consuming and you would be very surprised how quickly you reach 1500cal a day

Ophiopogon

I put on four stone in two years when I worked in a sit down job in my early 20's. There was always food around in that job, people bring in cakes, sweets everything. I would graze through out the day and I never thought it was alot as just small bits here and there.

I lost the four stone in five months when I started a physical job that also involved no chance for nibbling.

Just stop nibbles, even fruit is high sugar. A stone is a lot and it will only get worse. It's so easy to ignore and put on the weight but it's a cvnt to get off in the end.

Neyite

Stop eating except strictly at break or lunch time, and then, you can have homemade salads, soups, fruit and so on - if you have to, ban all eating around your desk and go to another area for tea break and lunch. I drink heaps of water - so reach for that instead of the biscuits and keep hydrated.

I limit myself to 1 coffee in the morning, and I drink about 1.5litres of water the rest of the day.

In my first trimester I was constantly snacking so I learned to fill a desk drawer with fruit on Monday and munch my way through it during the week. If you find the vending machine is too tempting, bring a home packed lunch and leave your purse in your car or locker if you can.

krudler

i found having a punnet of grapes to eat throughout the day isntead of chocolate helped, I'm the same if I work on late shifts, our canteen is closed so you can either bring in food and not get to eat it for hours or just eat snacks throughout the day

Bubblefett

bluewolf wrote: »

sugar free chewing gum

don't tend to keep food around my desk

I actually found a stick of gum to be great to keep me from nibbling. I won't eat anything if I've the taste of mint in my mouth cause it makes everything else taste awful imo.
Best advice from Honey-ec though to just work on breaking the habit, you won't regret it.

Das Kitty

The only thing I ever eat at my desk is an apple. I usually go through about 2 litres of water a day at work.

Treating yourself with lots of biscuits at work is only punishment in the long run. Trust me, I was that soldier.

icescreamqueen

Remember too much 'healthy' food is bad for you too. Just too much food full stop. Hate that at work too, people bringing in junk food and basically inflicting their bad habits on others. One of the girls at work started weight watchers and I was amazed how quick it caught on. Not saying you need to lose weight but it's a good way to maintain your weight and make you more health conscious.

peggie

hi op
taking this form another angle-snacking so frequently is bad for your teeth. from a dental health point of view i would recommend water and sugar free chewing gum between meals. you could have treat with lunch if you feel the need for something sweet. (some days you just NEED chololate!)

- is the job stressful or boring? if so dealing with that will may snacking less necessary

best of luck
peg

joanmul

You could try mini shredded wheat. A handful of them is approx. 100 cals and would be a bit filling. I think the chewing gum would be the best though as you should ditch the nibbles altogether.

el Bastardo

Start a fruit basket and replenish it as required. Anything else will be a disaster.

I did desk work for a year or two and brought in desk food for social purposes - We congregated around desks with food. We worked between 12 and 20 hous a day so our manly figures went out the window! . I discovered fifteen extra kilos on me at the end of two years of crazy life of eating, drinking and driving rather than moving!

LegacyUser

In my workplace there is a tradition of bringing in cakes for birthdays etc

I brought in fruit baskets and bags of mixed nuts.

Boy was I the weirdo that day!!!

I bring them in for myself only now (thank God)

el Bastardo

Yep. Same here.. and then I moved country... and guess what? i brought in a cake on my birthday (a fcuk-off big one, at huge expense!) and I was laughed at! Just goes to show: When in Rome...

Seomra Mushie

Jgiles wrote: »

In my workplace there is a tradition of bringing in cakes for birthdays etc

el Bastardo wrote: »

Yep. Same here.. and then I moved country... and guess what? i brought in a cake on my birthday (a fcuk-off big one, at huge expense!) and I was laughed at! Just goes to show: When in Rome...

HATED the birthday cake tradition when I was in a semi office-based job. Is it REALLY necessary? Most people find it wearisome and get fed up at having to pony up regularly for various birthdays, and the person whose birthday it is, is usually morto. On top of this, there's a big feckin' cake to eat!

saa

I don't think anyone's mentioned it but is OP getting regular exercise? Adding more in would take some of the pressure of completely focusing on "healthy" food.

Bring in little lunch boxes of food and take a break/eat it with water away from your desk.
If you have your own nutritious food ready you shouldnt have to rely on vending machine/canteen/biscuits etc.

donegalgal12

I work in an office with 9 other girls, at any given time at least 1 of us is on some kind of diet! The company I work for used to provide biscuits free of charge but this has now stopped due to the recession (my waistline says thank god!). The work that I do can be very boring at time and it involves a lot of thinking, so coffee is a must. My advice to you is too eat 6 small meals a day and have three break at work 1 at 10, lunch and a afternoon break at 4 all away from your desk. If you can walk to and from work this would help keep the weight off and most important drink loads of water (it will fill you up). I keep a 1ltr water bottle at my desk and I find that this is easier that 8 trips to the water cooler.

beks101

A stone in three months is quite significant, I'd get a plan together to stop the nibbling on crap asap OP. You could easily add another stone no bother if you're not careful.

Plan out exactly what you're going to eat each day the day before work and get cooking/preparing. And keep a plentiful supply of fruit in the work fridge so you can grab for an apple every time the biscuits are doing the rounds.

I feel for you, I work in an office where there's an endless stream of cookies/cake/chocolate and on top of that my job is a bit mad, I can be rushed out on a shoot or holed up in an edit suite at a minute's notice, so lunch breaks regularly go out the window. My only option is to bring a packed lunch, dinner and a load of fruit with me to work every day so where ever I go, the Tupperware goes with me! It takes some time and preparation, but when your alternative is raiding the vending machine or stocking up on fatty canteen dinners and watching your waistline explode, it's well worth it. I'd also get into a daily exercise routine, that will naturally peter off the cravings for crap as you'll find the energy levels required for training can't be met by eating nutritionless stodge.

elizabethmary

Sort of in a similar situation, I teach adults and they always have a tea break, and If I dont join them they get offended. And push biscuits on me or again the get offended, its OK for them, they haver one tea break, I have 4 classes a day so 4 tea breaks. I now tell them I've had a break already...but yes I do eat more at work than at home. I thonk its beacuse at home I eat when I am hungry whereas at work it set break times.

Anyway, yes I found gum meant I didnt want the taste of a biscuit in my mouth.

evilmonkee

I guzzle water! As another poster has said, I keep a 1lt bottle at my desk and I find I drink more than I would if I had to keep getting up to go to the water fountain.

I also second the 3 breaks a day idea, a cup of tea at 10:30, lunch at 12 and an apple at 3:30. All healthy options and keep you going throughout the day.

Furthermore, myself and some colleagues try to get out for a walk during lunch, its just a stroll but it helps to get you out of the office... When its raining we go for a wander around inside the building!

elizabethmary

I want to make some healthy oat bars, not flapjacks as hey havge too much fat and sugar...anyone any recipes?

Pembily

elizabethmary wrote: »

I want to make some healthy oat bars, not flapjacks as hey havge too much fat and sugar...anyone any recipes?

Oats, dried fruit (cranberries, raisins etc), cinnamon, seeds or (Aldi luxury porridge and seeds), water and honey. Enough water to combine the mix, just barely wet and a drizzle of honey.

Cook in a loaf tin at 180 for about 15 min, serve with frozen yogurt if so inclined or cream if being a glutton

Tigger99

Pembily wrote: »

Oats, dried fruit (cranberries, raisins etc), cinnamon, seeds or (Aldi luxury porridge and seeds), water and honey. Enough water to combine the mix, just barely wet and a drizzle of honey.

Cook in a loaf tin at 180 for about 15 min, serve with frozen yogurt if so inclined or cream if being a glutton

Sounds good pembily. What kind of ratio for the ingredients?

Orla K

elizabethmary wrote: »

I want to make some healthy oat bars, not flapjacks as hey havge too much fat and sugar...anyone any recipes?

Nothing wrong or unhealthy about fat!

Stench Blossoms

Orla K wrote: »

Nothing wrong or unhealthy about fat!

Amen sister!!

Pembily

Tigger99 wrote: »

Sounds good pembily. What kind of ratio for the ingredients?

I am making it tonight so will weigh stuff (I generally throw in a bit of this and that :rolleyes: ) so will let you know!

Orla K wrote: »

Nothing wrong or unhealthy about fat!

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Amen sister!!

This is the problem with some dieting programmes! You cut out fat and your diet then is not balanced! You need a certain amount of healthy fat in your diet.

That's my excuse for eating avocados and olives :pac:

Pembily

Tigger99 wrote: »

Sounds good pembily. What kind of ratio for the ingredients?

I made this last night as it's my breakfast for 2 days.

90g oats
3 tbsp seeds
4 tbsp cranberries (I don't like raisins)
1 tbsp honey
6 tbsp water (maybe 7 if needed)
shake nutmeg and cinnamon

Cook for about 20min at 180!

elizabethmary

Thanks will try that, I do need to cut down fat if I can as my cholesterol has gone up. I but nak'd oat bars but hope its cheaper to make.

Thanks again

Orla K

elizabethmary wrote: »

Thanks will try that, I do need to cut down fat if I can as my cholesterol has gone up. I but nak'd oat bars but hope its cheaper to make.

Thanks again

I could argue with that but I'll just post a link, which has another link to follow
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2011/06/my-healthy-skeptic-podcast-interview.html

107

Robert H. Lustig , UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology , take on it :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Apples are the only thing I really eat at my desk. I used to bring nuts but would end up eating them all :rolleyes:

herisson

in college i usually have an apple, banana or a few cherry tomatoes in my bag!

only way to stop me frrom eating/buying crisps!

lace

I absolutely love cherry tomatoes! And grapes! I find dillisk is great instead of a bag of crisps too! Not everybody's cup of tea, I know, but I love it!

kylith

I popped into Holland and Barrett on Friday and picked up 500g of mixed seeds, thinking I could have 100g a day to nibble at my desk. Well, there's probably only 40g gone at this stage since I find just a few seeds every now and then will keep me satisfied until I get home.

I don't like snacking at work, but seriously guys, vegetable norimaki. I make my own at home with peppers, spring onion and celery. Add soy sauce and wasabi and you'll never munch on biscuits again.

vard

Nibbling on anything for an extended course of time will most likely cause you to gain weight.

What sort of job is this you're doing anyway? Sounds like it'd be right up my street; just sit there munching cake and chocolate all day then go home.

Or have you oversold it to us? Focus on the work and find other things to occupy yourself with. I find that I generally eat less when I'm busy.

vard

kylith wrote: »

I popped into Holland and Barrett on Friday and picked up 500g of mixed seeds, thinking I could have 100g a day to nibble at my desk. Well, there's probably only 40g gone at this stage since I find just a few seeds every now and then will keep me satisfied until I get home.

While a handfull of seeds here have definite benefits, if you're looking for something to keep weight off you might (I say might as it completely depends on calories in/calories out) want to look at another option.

Seeds are one of the most fat and calorie dense foods there is. I'm not sure what seeds you're talking about, but 100g of seeds would usually be around the 600 calorie mark... more than a few biscuits, in other words.

Stheno

vard wrote: »

While a handfull of seeds here have definite benefits, if you're looking for something to keep weight off you might (I say might as it completely depends on calories in/calories out) want to look at another option.

Seeds are one of the most fat and calorie dense foods there is. I'm not sure what seeds you're talking about, but 100g of seeds would usually be around the 600 calorie mark... more than a few biscuits, in other words.

Yep agree 100%, went through a phase of eating 300g of pine nuts a day in work in a call centre years ago, convinced they were healthy, until one of my colleagues on a diet got addicted and discovered the fat content!

I'll never forget her reaction!

cj2007

I found the same when I worked in an office, kept nibbling on stuff (sometimes I think it was just to keep busy)!! I switched it to drinking cups of tea and liters of water literally liters I would easily have gone through 4 in a day at the office! My skin thanked me for it! I also used to have carrot and celery sticks and then the little bags of special k bites!

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

Yep agree 100%, went through a phase of eating 300g of pine nuts a day in work in a call centre years ago, convinced they were healthy, until one of my colleagues on a diet got addicted and discovered the fat content!

I'll never forget her reaction!

How did you not get pine mouth :eek:

Stheno

bluewolf wrote: »

How did you not get pine mouth :eek:

Perhaps they weren't from the suspect chinese nuts?

Never noticed any issue to be honest, but at over 600 calories per 100g I can see why my colleague had a fit!

ComfyKnickers

Sorry to hear you have put on a stone. I am prone to weight gain too, the usual struggling all my adult years with it but my main downfall in the evening time at home.

At the desk, I keep one of the boxes you get the Extra Sugarfree Gum in and I constantly keep it full, someone else mentioned that too. I chew one during the morning, have a pack of Go Ahead biscuits (the pack of 3, not an entire pack!!) with my 11am cuppa, chew another piece of gum, try to stick to a light lunch (i.e. sandwich etc) but if I end up eating a dinner out, I won't have one at home. If I get peckish around 4, I usually have a Weight Watchers bar and nothing else then until around 7pm.

I notice that days I am very busy, I don't even think about food, I've no doubt a lot of nibbling at a desk is down to boredom and habit. Stay away from the work biscuits altogether and stick to what you bring in yourself. If you want chocolate, bring in a little fun size bar, that way you are getting your chocolate fix without eating loads!!

Good luck x

Tigger99

Pembily thanks a million for that recipe. I tried it and its perfect, just the right amount of crunch. I'd highly recommend it.

Fiona

My desk treats would be the following:
blueberries
banana / apples or pears
carrots
ww onion and herb crackers
ww cookies or bars