Hands over Those Chips: Tips on How to Avoid Snacking at Work
Words by Katherine Castillo Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine October 2010 Issue
Do you know that a pack of Piattos has 110 calories? If you weigh 150lbs, it takes 15 minutes of high-impact jogging to burn that off. Yeah, yeah…your workload is way over your head and your boss is breathing down your neck. We all have to jump through hoops from time to time but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our health and waistline. So before you go from Mini Me to Super Size Me, here are a few tips on how to avoid unhealthy snack binges at work.
Eat a hearty breakfast. Sadly, most figure-conscious people don’t understand that if they skip breakfast, they’ll end up eating more throughout the day. Remember the saying: “Eat like a king at breakfast; eat like a prince at lunch; and eat like a pauper at dinner.”
Bring fruits to work. Nowadays, it’s so easy to snack on fruits because they all come washed, peeled, and sliced to bite-size perfection. All you have to do is walk to the nearest fresh fruit station at SM Supermarket, fill your plastic container to the brim and pay a little over 50 bucks for the lot.
Say “hell no” to sodas and iced tea. A 12 oz. can of Coke has 140 calories while an 8 oz. glass of iced tea comes with 90 calories. Moreover, sodas or any sweet-tasting drink will make you crave for something salty to balance things out. Next thing you know, you’ll be grabbing for that pack of chips.
Say “no” to junk foods. It’s not really a tip; rather, this one’s a hard and fast rule. That bag of Lay’s looks and smells so damn tempting, but do you really have the time and patience for a 20-minute treadmill run to burn it off? Think about it.
Get up from your office chair and chat. Instead of Facebook-ing on your little breaks, why not chat with a friend? Do you know that you can burn approximately 40 calories while talking to a colleague next to the water station?
Chill. Save your nerves, save your waistline. Binge eating at the office is difficult to control when you’re under too much pressure. Chill. Focus on the task to get things done on time and simply bask in the good vibes.
Keep hydrated. Sometimes, when you feel that your body is aching for food, it’s actually a signal that it needs water. So when you start to feel those hunger pangs, drink a tall glass of water.
Leave coins at home. If your office has a vending machine filled with treats of different sizes, shapes, and colors, you’re better off with not having any coins with you.
Brush your teeth after every big meal. You like that minty fresh feeling after brushing, right? This is one of the best ways on how to trick yourself from eating for another hour or two.
Focus. Multitasking is like the new aerobics, but for some people, juggling three things at once wears them out pretty badly so they tend to go on a snacking spree for a reward. Why not focus on one task first and swear not to bite into anything unless you get it done? Focus. You’ll be surprised you might end up doing more.
