Fitness in the Workplace : Keeping your Diet on Track

So you've landed a new job at a new company or in a new department. You've got new co-workers and cultures to adapt to. It's likely there are unwritten rules around cakes on birthdays, team lunches and so on, so how do you keep your diet habits on track?

The simplest way to do this is to take your own food to work. Have left overs for lunch or make your own sandwich while dinner's cooking the night before. Take some fruit, snack bars, nuts, yogurts... whatever you have the means to store, and that you enjoy, to snack on during the working day. Of course just because it's there doesn't mean you have to eat it but it should help you to avoid the vending machine a little longer, especially if it's kept in your desk drawer and you don't have to move to get a snack!

There are plenty of durable lunch boxes on the market these days.
Undressed salads travel well, just take the dressing to add later.

Rice pudding and strawberries make a change from snack bars.

Can't take your own food? Try and choose well in the canteen or corner shop. Include some fruit or veg in your lunch every day and make sure you match your teas and coffees one for one with water or a low-sugar squash. Set yourself a small snack budget for the week to keep you aware of how many snacks you're eating. And if you are feeling the need to snack a lot, look at what you're eating for breakfast and lunch... do you need to eat a little more then to tide you over. Or is your snacking linked to boredom? By identifying these things you can find a way to deal with them, over and above any suggestions here.

A great option for a filling, portable and healthy lunch

Be wary of overeating. Meals in canteens are often main meal sized so it's easy to end up eating two "dinners" a day, which could be too much for some people. If you eat a main meal at lunchtime, reflect this in your evening meal by having something lighter.

Of course there's the office cake and meeting catering to think about. You don't need to deny yourself completely but be sensible. "I'm not hungry" is a perfectly valid excuse for not indulging in the fourth birthday cake that week or just take a half a piece. You can still have a taste without feeling guilty. And if meeting snacks are a regular thing and tend to be biscuits or cake, why not suggest that fruit, nuts, nakd bars (for example) are provided as well. At least then you have a choice if you really can't resist.

Why not introduce your colleagues to some delicious snack alternatives?

How do you keep your healthy eating habits on track at work?