It's a familiar story: you stay fit and trim until you get out of school and get a job. Then, the pounds slowly creep on. Fortunately, it can be avoided, or even reversed. Try these 6 steps to stop on-the-job weight gain.
1. Keep Your Water Glass Full.
Water has zero calories. It keeps you hydrated, clear-headed, healthy and feeling full. Sipping water throughout your day helps you avoid mistaking thirst for hunger.
Want a little more flavor? Add fresh lemon or orange wedges, or try unsweetened herbal or green tea. Just watch out for sugary beverages, which can be a significant source of daily calories.
An 18-month study found that liquid calories affect weight loss more than solid food. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the research found that cutting just one sugar-sweetened beverage a day led to 1½ pounds of weight loss.
2. Don't Eat While You Work.
Yes, you're busy. But studies show that we eat more when we're distracted. If you're simultaneously checking email or running reports, then you're not paying attention to your food or your stomach.
Stop what you're doing, and eat without (or with a minimum of) distractions. Even if it's just for 15 minutes and not a full hour, the break will clear your head and help you stop eating when you're full.
3. Pack Your Lunch ... and Then Some.
Don't let a tight schedule force you to the nearest burger joint. A home-packed lunch can easily be healthier (and more affordable) than fast food.
It can be as simple as a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread, piled high with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber (or whatever your favorite veggie toppings are) or as fancy as last night's leftover grilled salmon with couscous and asparagus.
Bring some healthy snacks too. A large-scale study from Auburn University found that frequent snackers tend to eat more healthfully, while Northwestern University research found that those who eat more often are more likely to stay at a healthy weight.
For the healthiest, most cost-efficient snacks, choose fruit. Apples, bananas, and oranges are readily available and travel well. Dried fruit and nuts keep better and add some protein and heart-healthy fats.
4. Just Say "No, Thank You."
You've had it happen: a co-worker brings in cookies or leftover birthday cake and asks if you'd like some. In case you didn't already know, you are allowed to give a polite but firm 'no, thank you.'
To the inevitable follow-up - "are you sure?" - a simple "yes, I'm sure" is also allowed. Or head it off by giving a reason up front: "No, thanks; I'm trying to watch my weight" is more persuasive than "no" on its own.
If social pressure makes you feel that you simply must accept, remember the advice of Miss Manners: your only duty as the recipient of a gift is a proper 'thank you.' In other words, you don't have to eat it. Toss it out, or pass it on to someone who actually wants it.
5. Ask HR to Go Easy on the Treats.
Does your company sometimes 'treat' the staff to boxes of doughnuts? Whether it's for a big meeting or just to say TGIF, HR reps are often the source of empty calories in the break room.
Ask HR to be more supportive of healthy lifestyles. Suggest a fruit basket or an assortment of yogurts instead. Even a fresh fruit tart has more nutrients than a cake, and a cheese platter with whole-grain crackers has more fiber, calcium and protein.
A simple, polite request may be enough to make a healthy change in your office. If not, then choose your battles wisely: let the others have their doughnuts; you still have your willpower.
6. Walk the Halls.
The phone, email and online chat all help keep us in touch. But when your co-worker is only a few feet away, down the hall, or even one flight up, are they always necessary? To keep from gaining weight at work, make a habit of getting out of your chair to communicate.
You can even take a walk-and-talk: a brief meeting held while you're both walking, either around your company's campus or even to a nearby coffeehouse. You can burn a few calories, reinvigorate yourselves, and still accomplish your goals.
You should consult your physician before beginning any exercise or diet program.
Credit: GlobalFit and GetActive
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