It’s 11 a.m. on a Tuesday and you’ve been at work in your office for 3 hours already. Your coworkers are already talking about what they are going to order for lunch because they don’t bring anything with them. You think to yourself well maybe just this once you could forget what you brought to eat and just order out some extra food. You think back to that diet your trainer just set up for you and try to decide if it’s worth it or not.
With a large percentage of the workers in the United States having office jobs, this situation happens to more and more people every day. THE OFFICE TRAP.
From candy machines, ordering out, donuts a customer dropped off, or that birthday cake for little Johnny that works in the mail room, there are numerous ways our goals can be sabotaged in the blink of an eye.
Many of us think oh maybe I’ll just have a taste. Maybe I’ll just have a bite.
Well as you know that almost never just is just one bite. One turns into two, and two into three, and the next thing you know your elbows deep in a Nutella jar.
IT HAPPENS. WE ARE ONLY HUMAN.
…And we all make mistakes.
A lot of people think they have to succumb to peer pressure and give in. They think just because everyone else is ordering something from your local pizza place that you have to as well.
Many people don’t understand what being healthy is all about and what it takes to reach the fat loss goals you have for yourself.
With an estimated 160 million Americans in the United States overweight or obese there is a good chance you will run into someone who looks down on you for dieting, or questions why you always sprint to the gym right after work.
Whether in an open office type setting or live the cubicle life, your office is more than likely tight knit and everyone usually asks one another if they want to order out or get food somewhere on lunch break. In a lot of offices, ordering food is a daily thing and becomes a habit amongst coworkers to talk about.
You can fight this. It’s actually really easy.
And I’ll let you in on this secret just once.
Are you ready?
JUST SAY NO THANKS. (And say it with confidence)
After politely saying no, I want you to think of your goals and what they mean to you.
Think of the hard work you’ve been putting in the gym and the time you’ve devoted to meal prepping every week so you can live a healthier lifestyle than most. I want you to really think of these goals whenever a generous customer brings in that huge box of Dunkin Donut munchkins or when you pass by the snack machine.
Now with all that said I don’t want you to think your better than everyone else just because you’re able to say no to everything your office throws your way.
How about something a bit different. How about you try and instill a different culture into your office and explain why you are doing what you do. Explain to them the benefits of cooking foods in advance prior to the week starting, meal prepping, and how eating whole foods a majority of the time is important to your health. How a cookie here and there isn’t the end of the world, but ordering out every day isn’t a good habit.
You could possibly convince the office that once a month everyone cooks a healthy meal and brings it in for everyone to sample. A protein rich dish of sorts that could be something as simple as a 100 calorie protein donut from Dustin aka The Flexible Baker’s newest cookbook, or a recipe from Cait’s recipe collection over at The Macro Experiment. They are simple to make, way better tasting than anything off your local food truck and will make your taste buds dance for sure.
Now, I know sometimes it’s impossible to avoid the inevitable…
Sometimes the office has a work meeting outside the walls of the normal business and you go out for lunch wherever someone decides.
So…
How about some options you could possibly have just in case you forgot your lunch, or you happen to be extra hungry that day and want something a bit more than what you brought.
The key is finding the meals that are usually lowest in fat and carbohydrates and more protein-packed than the rest. This will usually ensure the option you picked will be lower in overall calories and not so detrimental to your diet.
Many fast food places and chain restaurants these days have menu options that actually aren’t horribly bad for you.
Matter of fact some of them pride themselves in being healthier than one another.
When dining at these places you just need to look by either asking for the nutritional menu or even using that handy google app on your phone. In a few keystrokes, you can have a complete list of what’s available to you at your fingertips from most food chain establishments.
Below, I’ve gone through a few different well-known dining establishments’ menus and pulled some of the choices you could make.
Take for instance, at McDonald’s: http://www1.mcdonalds.ca/NutritionCalculator/NutritionFactsEN.pdf
While most of the choices listed on their menu are not what I would call healthy by any means due to the high caloric content made up of loads of carbs and fat, there are some that can be suitable for a once in a while choice in a pinch.
At Chipotle, super high protein choices can be made without sacrificing taste!
Their menu can found right here: http://attometer.com/pdf/ChipotleNutritionSheet.pdf
It’s one of the simpler menus but a simple choice of steak or chicken can be made laid over a salad mixed up with some salsa and still be under 300 calories! If your diet allows for more calories, feel free to make your own rice bowl. It’s very good tasting food for sure and definitely the go to place for some fresh food!
Now let’s say the whole office was going out to eat to a bigger chain restaurant and you needed to make a smarter choice from their menu. I’ll take Applebee’s for instance since there are many locations around the world.
Their menu is: https://www.applebees.com/Nutritional-Info
Even though most of their menu is very calorically dense and not suitable for those on a diet, if you look at the menu above you actually can find a few good choices that will allow for a protein packed meal and even get in some micronutrients.
Now, what happens if you end up going to a place where it’s a mom and pop’s deli or small place to eat where a nutrition menu is not something that’s available?
This is where you must be smart and make conscious choices based on your goals.
Wherever you go you can more than likely ask for some kind of grilled protein and vegetables and/or salad with the dressing on the side.
The best thing you can do in this situation is ASK, because as my Dad used to always tell me ….”It doesn’t hurt to ask, Chris”. Ask what’s available to eat that’s on the healthier side and possibly ask to have the food grilled not fried.
An example of this could be grilled chicken with some kind of vegetable(not covered in butter) with a side salad, or possibly grilled salmon with plain rice and vegetables. Use your best guess to estimate what you’ve had.
When it really comes down to your progress it will ultimately trickle down to your ability to make the right decisions based on what you have available. Knowing you’ve made the best choice based on the situation at hand is the biggest success you can have while dieting and the strength of your willpower will show you how much your goals mean to you!
If by any chance you’re interested in making a big change in your life, and want to have someone who creates accountability for you to do so you should contact me. I would love to help you get stronger, healthier, or lose that unwanted stubborn fat you’ve may be dealing with. Email me