When I used to work in an office setting, there was constant temptation to eat sweets that people would bring in (probably because THEY didn't want to eat them at home!) such as boxed chocolates, leftover desserts from a weekend party and candies, candies, candies. I know whenever someone brought food into my office if there was anything labelled 'FREE,' it would be gone in half a day! In fact, it didn't seem to matter what it was -- the sweeter it was, the faster it would mysteriously disappear, so long as it was a freebie.
This always made me chuckle, because I somehow managed to avoid these little calorie-drenched temptations. I had a secret strategy that I'm going to share. Co-workers would always say "Joy, you are so good, how do you resist?" But little did they know my strategy was pretty simple and it kept me on track. It was a two-step process that I followed every day and this enabled me to be in control of my cravings and my waistline.
My two-step solution, after the jump...
Step 1. Eat breakfast (specifically, a healthy breakfast). Eating in the morning is only half of the equation, but what you eat is what truly matters. Taking 10-15 minutes each morning to eat a balanced breakfast will ensure your blood sugar is in check and your energy is stable throughout the day. This will help you avoid cravings that would normally send you straight to the freebie sweets in the office lunch room.
Step 2. Eat healthy snacks to keep your metabolic engines fired and your fat-burning potential high. The body is smart, it will always crave the quickest source of energy. So, if you are starving and the easiest quickest option is to eat chocolate, then what do you think you are going to end up eating? Yes, you got it, that freebie chocolate that you told yourself to avoid! Unless, of course, you have eaten breakfast (as per Step 1) and you have healthy snacks on hand.
The key to healthy snacking is making sure that the snack you packed is balanced. You want to create your snacks from the three macro-nutrients (just like your breakfast): complex carbs, protein and good fat.
Here are some good examples of healthy snacks to help you avoid those office sweets.
* Veggie sticks (celery & carrots) and 2 tbsp hummus
* Handful of raw, unsalted nuts (such as walnuts, pecans or almonds) and 5 dried apricots
* 1/2 cup organic kefir or yogurt and a handful of berries
* 1 scoop chocolate hemp protein powder and 1 cup of almond milk
* No grain, gluten-free, dairy-free muffins -- these are incredibly delish!
* Fruit (such as an apple or pear) and handful of nuts
Ideally, you want to eat every 3-4 hours to keep that metabolism running efficiently and your blood sugar balanced. I plan my snacks out when I grocery shop each week. Staying organized is yet another strategy for avoiding those office sweets, because if your bring your snacks to work each day, you are much less likely to end up snacking on something you later regret.
If you find the temptation to eat those calorie-rich snacks won't go away, despite your best efforts to eat a healthy breakfast and bring snacks into work, then you can resort to these 2 tips:
1. Ask yourself: "If I eat that piece of leftover cake, am I going to feel better for doing so?" Probably not.
2. Tell yourself that you are going to wait 20 minutes before eating those chocolates and if the craving is still there, you can give in and have one. (But most likely, it won't be!)
Of course treating yourself once and a while is perfectly fine and life wouldn't be as sweet if we didn't have treats every so often. But if your office is like mine used to be and there is a constant supply of freebie sweets, then you now have strategies for avoiding the weight gain that sugary snacks can cause! And you don't even have to tell anyone your secret, it's safe with me.
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