by Sara Mould
Meetings, deadlines and sitting for hours at your desk may be helping you pile on the kilos. It’s time to eat smart and slim down.
“More than half your waking hours are spent at work so what you choose to eat (or not to eat) in the workplace can make a major difference to your waistline,” says dietitian Heidi Bieber. Follow these healthy eating strategies to look your best.
1. Eat Slowly
The next time you decide to gobble down your lunch to get to a meeting remember you could be adding unnecessary kilojoules to your eating plan. A study at Rhode Island University (US) instructed a group of participants to eat a large plate of pasta as quickly as they could. These participants consumed 2 713 kilojoules in nine minutes. A second group were told to eat a large plate of pasta slowly – they consumed 2 432 kilojoules in 29 minutes. That’s 281 fewer kilojoules even while eating for an additional 20 minutes!
2. Do a walk-about
If you’re sitting behind a desk all day you need to get more exercise.
Dr Joe Fitzgibbon, author of Weight Loss for Health Gain (Newleaf) says, “Occupations involving light levels of physical activity, such as sitting at a desk, are strongly associated with weight gain over time.” Try taking a walk around your office building or signing up for an afternoon gym class to put a stop to weight gain.
3. Sit far away
Vending machines full of snacks and cool drinks can tempt even the most dedicated dieters so make sure you stay far away. A study at Cornell University (US) found that those who sat closer to an office sweetie jar tended to eat more sweets and underestimated their consumption.
4. Stock up
“To make your office environment work for you, you have three choices: you can take healthy food with you to work, keep healthy food at work or make sure it’s available near by,” says Bieber. She suggests you pack these lunch time snacks:
- Sandwiches – Made with low-GI bread and topped with a low-fat protein (such as tuna, cottage cheese, salmon, boiled egg, or white meat).
- Fresh fruit
- Low-fat yoghurt
- Fresh vegetables such as carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes
(Salad – preferably undressed with a low-fat protein.
5. Never skip lunch
“If you’re hungry, you’re more likely to fall into bad habits,” says Bieber. “Take a few minutes out each day for a healthy balanced lunch. Furthermore, plan a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Snacks will make sure you don’t come home hungry – a key to avoiding sugar binges when getting home,” she says.
6. Tame your treats
Don’t consider any food off-limits. Many women who are trying to slim down keep a close watch on what they can and can’t eat. The outcome: They seek comfort in forbidden foods when they’re under pressure. Experts suggest getting 10 percent of your kilojoules from “fun foods.” So indulge yourself and just watch your portion sizes.
7. Snack attack: Dietitians suggest these munchies
- Low GI crackers (such as Ryvita/ Finn crisp) with a topping such as cottage cheese, humus, avocado, peanut butter, ricotta cheese, marmite, or fish paste).
- Fruit
- Yoghurt
- 20g popcorn
- 20g nuts
- 20g dried fruit
- 20g biltong sticks
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