Nutrition Trouble Spots - The Office

Offices are rife with problems for dieters. Between free food in the break room, forced socialization involving food for someone’s birthday/retirement/baby shower, that deadline that forces you to miss a workout or grab something that doesn’t fit your food goals, and peer pressure from coworkers to go out for food or drinks that aren’t part of your plans, your job can derail your fat loss goals. A few things can help. First, eat before going to work and before any work event, and have emergency rations just in case. Second, if there is a work event that involves food and you HAVE to go, plan what you will and won’t eat, feel free to say “no thank you, I just ate”, and stick to protein and veggies. Third, have an exit strategy to get out of the situation. During the workday, it might be an urgent message to return, or a project that needs to get out by the end of the day. At the end of the day, it can be other plans or a family commitment. Finally, if it is a HUGE event at work and you cannot get away from eating or drinking something you don’t really want, remember that a bite or two won’t derail you from meeting your goals.