How to stop snacking on junk
September 23, 2010 11:32 AM Subscribe
How can I break the habit of eating at my desk during the workday?
Busybusybusybusy. Therefore, I never take a lunch and usually just eat at my desk. I'm definitely more of a "snacker" than a formal meal-type of person. I recognize this, so I pack myself a lunchbag of healthy stuff to eat throughout the day: cottage cheese, fruit, yogurt, salad, etc.
However, work has a free snack service and subsequently, we have this drawer of snacks for the taking in the kitchen (it's a small office)...cookies, chips, crackers, chocolate...junky convenience food in it's finest.
Somehow, I've managed to form this habit of going straight for the snack drawer after eating my healthy foods and it's getting out of control. Please help me break this habit before I get fat. I've tried drinking tea, I've tried chewing gum and mints...it's just those damn snacks!!
Busybusybusybusy. Therefore, I never take a lunch and usually just eat at my desk. I'm definitely more of a "snacker" than a formal meal-type of person. I recognize this, so I pack myself a lunchbag of healthy stuff to eat throughout the day: cottage cheese, fruit, yogurt, salad, etc.
However, work has a free snack service and subsequently, we have this drawer of snacks for the taking in the kitchen (it's a small office)...cookies, chips, crackers, chocolate...junky convenience food in it's finest.
Somehow, I've managed to form this habit of going straight for the snack drawer after eating my healthy foods and it's getting out of control. Please help me break this habit before I get fat. I've tried drinking tea, I've tried chewing gum and mints...it's just those damn snacks!!
You run marathons. You're not going to get fat.
What about brushing your teeth after you eat? A clean-feeling mouth feels nice, and maybe you'll want to keep it that way?
posted by runningwithscissors at 11:41 AM on September 23, 2010
What about brushing your teeth after you eat? A clean-feeling mouth feels nice, and maybe you'll want to keep it that way?
posted by runningwithscissors at 11:41 AM on September 23, 2010
I suggest chewing on gum when you're done with your snacks. Or maybe just don't go get the snacks you don't want to eat and have a healthier alternative handy instead.
posted by Kimberly at 11:43 AM on September 23, 2010
posted by Kimberly at 11:43 AM on September 23, 2010
Response by poster: Re: runningwithscissors - yes, I do, but I really don't want to keep eating (and now somehow craving)? crap food, especially when I'm not even hungry.
posted by floweredfish at 11:43 AM on September 23, 2010
posted by floweredfish at 11:43 AM on September 23, 2010
You run marathons. You're not going to get fat.
Sadly, one thing has nothing to do with the other.
OP, bring a little more food from home than you need. Then eat that instead of the office provided food.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:47 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Sadly, one thing has nothing to do with the other.
OP, bring a little more food from home than you need. Then eat that instead of the office provided food.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:47 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
> You run marathons. You're not going to get fat.
I managed to gain 5 lbs during my last marathon training plan. Running a lot sometimes gives you cravings for real bad food :)
My solution is to drink more water during the workday. Anytime I feel I might be a little hungry, I just assume that I need to hydrate. OF course, you will spend more time in the restroom, but it's a nice stretch break :)
posted by ShootTheMoon at 11:48 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
I managed to gain 5 lbs during my last marathon training plan. Running a lot sometimes gives you cravings for real bad food :)
My solution is to drink more water during the workday. Anytime I feel I might be a little hungry, I just assume that I need to hydrate. OF course, you will spend more time in the restroom, but it's a nice stretch break :)
posted by ShootTheMoon at 11:48 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I broke my similar snack habit by realizing that it was the walk to the snack room that I was craving more than the snack itself. Instead of walking to the snack drawer, walk out of your building, and do a quick turn around the block.
It has the added benefit of usually clearing your head and helping you organize necessary tasks to do when you return.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:55 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
It has the added benefit of usually clearing your head and helping you organize necessary tasks to do when you return.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:55 AM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Can you force yourself to take a lunch? By creating a fixed time for food, you body may lighten up a bit on the urge to constantly snack. Even if it's only fifteen minutes away from your desk, a "formal meal" might be enough to convince your stomach that you aren't hungry all the time.
posted by quin at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2010
posted by quin at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2010
When I was working a desk job, I stocked up on savory healthier snacks--chai tea with milk and stevia was a good one (especially because I had to walk to the coffee pot to get hot water), as were nuts and dried fruit and apples and peanut butter.
Now that I work at home, though, I've just started to eat structured meals--and I've found that I eat far less. It might make sense to at least try bringing a bagged meal, along with one small snack for later in the afternoon, to see if that helps with your noshing.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2010
Now that I work at home, though, I've just started to eat structured meals--and I've found that I eat far less. It might make sense to at least try bringing a bagged meal, along with one small snack for later in the afternoon, to see if that helps with your noshing.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2010
Second the walk - the brief distraction was always what I wanted more than anything. I would also keep a not-too-big water bottle at my desk, so that I regularly had to get up to either refill it or pee.
posted by restless_nomad at 12:02 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by restless_nomad at 12:02 PM on September 23, 2010
Best answer: I have a habit of drinking water/soda/coffee at my desk constantly, and I used to have a desk-snacking habit. Last week I started noticing that I'd get the urge to get up and fill my water bottle while the bottle was still half-full. (On preview, it's exactly what ocherdraco describes. I just want to get out of my chair.)
I suspect the snacky urge comes from the same itch for distraction or stimulation that leads you and me to be hanging around on AskMe right now instead of finishing that report or calling that client back. At least, that's what it is for me. It might help to attack it from that angle, and do things like set a timer where you focus on something for half an hour with no snacking or soda and no checking personal email, or going for a quick walk down the hall and back when you really (but not really) need that cookie.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:03 PM on September 23, 2010
I suspect the snacky urge comes from the same itch for distraction or stimulation that leads you and me to be hanging around on AskMe right now instead of finishing that report or calling that client back. At least, that's what it is for me. It might help to attack it from that angle, and do things like set a timer where you focus on something for half an hour with no snacking or soda and no checking personal email, or going for a quick walk down the hall and back when you really (but not really) need that cookie.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:03 PM on September 23, 2010
Best answer: I'm a snacker-of-habit, too. I started to bring a big -- bigger than I can eat in a week -- supply of baby carrots to keep in the fridge. They satisfy my must-crunch-something urge (it's definitely not real hunger), are filling and slow enough to eat that I never go off in search of chips, and I feel totally ok about just having the bag near me and munching mindlessly. Even on my worst days, I never manage to eat more than half a pound... and so far, no carotenoderma :)
What's kinda cool is that I seem to have unwittingly conditioned myself to snack=carrot, so now when I have a craving, it's a craving for carrots. This is totally weird, but on the upside, the snack machine has lost its appeal.
posted by Westringia F. at 12:09 PM on September 23, 2010
What's kinda cool is that I seem to have unwittingly conditioned myself to snack=carrot, so now when I have a craving, it's a craving for carrots. This is totally weird, but on the upside, the snack machine has lost its appeal.
posted by Westringia F. at 12:09 PM on September 23, 2010
Piggy backing on the need for a walk suggestion - don't keep the healthy food you bring from home at your desk. Keep it in the office kitchenette area so you can get your walk craving satisfied on your way to your chosen food from home.
posted by WeekendJen at 12:27 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by WeekendJen at 12:27 PM on September 23, 2010
I don't think snacking is all bad - I'm one of those people who really has to eat smaller, and high-protein, meals throughout the day instead of three main ones in order to keep my weight down and energy level up. (This is on my dietitian's advice to control my metabolic syndrome.)
But of course there's a difference between "eating several small healthy meals" and "mindless noshing." I find that I nosh if I'm stressed out, haven't taken a break, and kept my nose to the grindstone nonstop. Your mind and body are screaming for down time and snacking gives you at least a few seconds of distraction. And your body needs fuel - if you don't eat lunch and then eat starchy snacks then you are going to get HUGE spikes and crashes in your energy.
My recommendations: First, take a little bit of time to sit and eat a healthy lunch. Have something ready to go - leftover pasta, salad fixings (I find that a tossed green salad with chicken is a good complete meal that gives me needed protein), a sandwich, whatever, and take some time - even if it's only 20 minutes - to sit and eat a proper meal. Your body will thank you for the fuel, and your mind will thank you for the break.
No matter how busy you are, take a break every once in a while without snacking. Get up and go outside, or at least walk around the floor. If you are super-duper busy, do something like schedule a half-hour for tasks, then five minutes for a break, rinse, repeat. You will probably find that you work faster and more efficiently and get MORE done if you allow yourself mini-breaks and a decent chunk of lunch time.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 12:51 PM on September 23, 2010
But of course there's a difference between "eating several small healthy meals" and "mindless noshing." I find that I nosh if I'm stressed out, haven't taken a break, and kept my nose to the grindstone nonstop. Your mind and body are screaming for down time and snacking gives you at least a few seconds of distraction. And your body needs fuel - if you don't eat lunch and then eat starchy snacks then you are going to get HUGE spikes and crashes in your energy.
My recommendations: First, take a little bit of time to sit and eat a healthy lunch. Have something ready to go - leftover pasta, salad fixings (I find that a tossed green salad with chicken is a good complete meal that gives me needed protein), a sandwich, whatever, and take some time - even if it's only 20 minutes - to sit and eat a proper meal. Your body will thank you for the fuel, and your mind will thank you for the break.
No matter how busy you are, take a break every once in a while without snacking. Get up and go outside, or at least walk around the floor. If you are super-duper busy, do something like schedule a half-hour for tasks, then five minutes for a break, rinse, repeat. You will probably find that you work faster and more efficiently and get MORE done if you allow yourself mini-breaks and a decent chunk of lunch time.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 12:51 PM on September 23, 2010
Something like olives might be good to keep on hand. I find they're flavourful enough that they satisfy most cravings.
posted by backwards guitar at 12:56 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by backwards guitar at 12:56 PM on September 23, 2010
The best thing for me was to start reading labels. Not the nutrition information so much as the ingredients, as I've been trying to switch over to less processed foods. While I may *know* that the 100 calorie pack I'm holding has a lot of crap I don't want to put into my body, reading the list makes it impossible for me to ignore that fact. If the food doesn't have a label, I'll go online and look up the ingredients for the specific item or something similar. Sometimes I still eat the food, but it's more like once a month rather than once a day.
posted by Aleen at 1:07 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by Aleen at 1:07 PM on September 23, 2010
Best answer: cottage cheese, fruit, yogurt, salad
I would be starving if that was all I ate during a stressful workday. How can you even go near the recommended amount of calories for a grown woman with that kind of non-food? You would have to eat huge amounts of this low calorie stuff to feel full. No wonder you need to snack on chocolate all the time! You're just plain hungry!
Eat something with more calories (especially protein and fat) to actually feel full. I'd recommend:
- full fat plain greek yoghurt. avoid the sugary stuff. if plain's too boring for you, throw some grapes or other fruit on top.
- boiled eggs (I eat them with mayonnaise. Yum. Trader Joe's has pouches of pre-cooked ones)
- string cheese or other full-fat cheese like cheddar, gruyere...
- beef jerky or any kind of dried meat product
- baby carrots or snap peas dipped in generous amounts of hummus or baba ganoush
- and my special recommendation for your desk drawer: cashew nuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts and almonds. If they make you binge, try the unsalted/"natural" variety. I can never eat more than a handful of unsalted nuts/almonds, and they make me feel sooo full!
posted by The Toad at 1:20 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
I would be starving if that was all I ate during a stressful workday. How can you even go near the recommended amount of calories for a grown woman with that kind of non-food? You would have to eat huge amounts of this low calorie stuff to feel full. No wonder you need to snack on chocolate all the time! You're just plain hungry!
Eat something with more calories (especially protein and fat) to actually feel full. I'd recommend:
- full fat plain greek yoghurt. avoid the sugary stuff. if plain's too boring for you, throw some grapes or other fruit on top.
- boiled eggs (I eat them with mayonnaise. Yum. Trader Joe's has pouches of pre-cooked ones)
- string cheese or other full-fat cheese like cheddar, gruyere...
- beef jerky or any kind of dried meat product
- baby carrots or snap peas dipped in generous amounts of hummus or baba ganoush
- and my special recommendation for your desk drawer: cashew nuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts and almonds. If they make you binge, try the unsalted/"natural" variety. I can never eat more than a handful of unsalted nuts/almonds, and they make me feel sooo full!
posted by The Toad at 1:20 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Again, and I seem to be the only one stating the obvious here... stop eating at your desk. You have eyes, and can see yourself when you eat at your desk. So if you are about to eat at your desk, don't. Put a yellow sticky note on your computer saying "No" if you have to, but really... it's not that hard. Just like "How do I quit smoking?" - "Stop putting cigarettes in your mouth."
posted by Biru at 3:55 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by Biru at 3:55 PM on September 23, 2010
I broke my work snacking habit by reading ingredients and making sure I understood what all the ingredients actually are. Now when I am tempted by something sweet I read the ingredients and am kind of grossed out and don't want that snack anymore. So I'll go without, or have something healthy. I keep almonds, cashews and pistachios and fruit leather in my desk.
posted by sadtomato at 5:14 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by sadtomato at 5:14 PM on September 23, 2010
I know you said you're busy at work, but really if you can just take even a 15-minute break, paying attention to what you eat will help you feel more full. If your employer is asking/expecting you to work through your lunch, check your state laws... you may be entitled to a certain number of breaks per hours worked and/or a minimum lunch period.
posted by IndigoRain at 10:38 PM on September 23, 2010
posted by IndigoRain at 10:38 PM on September 23, 2010
Mints! I won't eat anything after a nice strong mint. Maybe that's you as well.
posted by rouftop at 12:08 AM on September 24, 2010
posted by rouftop at 12:08 AM on September 24, 2010
I printed out a picture of Jessica Simpson when she was super-fit for Dukes of Hazard and added a word balloon admonishing me to "Stay awake from the candy machine!" and stuck it right inside my doorway so that she's the last thing I see before I walk out of the office.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:34 AM on September 24, 2010
posted by Jacqueline at 7:34 AM on September 24, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pmbuko at 11:40 AM on September 23, 2010