15 Top tips for dieting at work

Sometimes when we start a diet we plan the meals we can eat at home and the strategies we can use in the house but struggle when it comes to eating out or going to work. Here are some tips that I think will help you when you are dieting at work.

Why dieting at work is difficult

At work, we often find dieting difficult because the pressure on us is different to at home. We often are trying to eat around a busy schedule or have to change our lunchtime depending on the demands of the job, meetings etc.

There is also the impact of our colleagues. We have all worked with someone who seems to always be eating and never gain weight or someone who regularly brings sweets or snacks in for their desk and tempts us with doing the same.

Alongside this, at work, we don’t usually have the facilities to make a meal so have to take food or buy food for work. It may be that there is a microwave available to heat food or perhaps a fridge to store food but the chances of being able to actually make and prepare food at work are quite slim.

Tips to help you when dieting at work on a daily basis

Drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep you full and less likely to snack.

Eat mindfully, by this I mean try to sit down to just eat, not read, not work and certainly not playing on your phone. I know it is easy to do but by doing this we are more likely to overeat.

Don’t skip breakfast and ensure you stay full with healthy snacks so you don’t get hungry and then binge!

If you are bringing in food for a celebration at work ensure what you bring is healthy so even if everyone else brings unhealthy foods you will have something healthy to accompany it.

If you and your colleagues order breakfast or lunch to the office try to choose healthier options and encourage others to order from places that do a variety, not the local greasy spoon!

If you are someone who likes to graze while you work consider healthy snacks you can bring such as raspberries, grapes or plum tomatoes.

If you have food at a meeting concentrate on chatting to others rather than eating if it is not a meal and you do not need the food.

If clients give you a box of chocolates share them with your colleagues rather than taking them home.

Use the stairs instead of a lift whenever possible.

Brush your teeth between snacks or meals to avoid temptation with other foods.

Make sure you do not get cold. If you get cold it is natural to feel hungry.

Tips when going out with colleagues

Choose healthy restaurants for meeting after work and alternatives to happy hour for drinking. Perhaps instead go bowling as a group or to the cinema?

Manage stress and if you will find socialising with work colleagues stressful then don’t go. We eat when we are stressed and if you avoid stress this will help.

Avoid making eating and drinking after work a regular activity unless you have planned this into your meal plan. Instead, meet your friends after your meal or for a few drinks before you then go home for your healthy meal.

If you are going to a work meal out ask the organiser to get a copy of the menu in advance if possible or look for this yourself. By doing this you can plan what you will eat.