How to keep eating like Bodybuilders - for us office rats

[fitnessmomma]

I love this article! I will have to say working in a office was the start of my weight gain. Although my co-workers say I never sit still, I am always on the go, running throughout the office, they always hear my pitter patter. LOL!!
Donuts are evil and so is that dang candy machine! I'm happy they bumped up the prices and pop makes my stomach upset.
I prefer to eat fruit and soups, I love the on the go soups, very nice!

[Count Basie]

Originally Posted by ctgblue

Hmmm, 4 BIG boxes of donuts today
Here I sit, with my mug of coke zero, and my container of mixed meatloaf, chicken, and veggies

Get rid of the Coke Zero ... you'll feel better without it.

[JonnieRingo]

Yep, I'm blessed to have a job with a microwave and 'fridge, and they don't mind me eating something or making a protien shake every 2 hours or so. However, sitting all day in an office, means extra cardio at the gym later, ha!

[Revmachine21]

- A scale for powder / oatmeal measuring (this one was embarrassing addition)
- Bagful of disposable chopsticks & plastic utensils
- Alcohol wet wipes to keep the eating surface (aka 'office desk') clean
- Raiyu (I guess this is chili oil, a spiced oil for flavor)
- Rock Salt & Pepper Corn grinders
- Microwavable emergency brown rice
- Emergency cans of tuna
- A bowl
- 13 pairs of shoes
- A desk drawer full of gym clothing & emergency thongs
- Foam roller for IT band treatment

Stuff I'm thinking of getting:
- A small spice rack
- A funnel


Coworkers have given up making comments :-)

[liftiron68]

Originally Posted by JonnieRingo

Yep, I'm blessed to have a job with a microwave and 'fridge, and they don't mind me eating something or making a protien shake every 2 hours or so. However, sitting all day in an office, means extra cardio at the gym later, ha!

I'm that lucky also, so I'm able to pretty much eat the way I need to. I do bring 1 protein shake to work, but I mostly bring the chicken and beef that I cook at home.

Also, my office has a gym, so I luckily don't sit all day.

[kdp4240]

Originally Posted by chodan9

I read it earlier,
I thought it was informative, being a cube land dweller myself, sometimes the long hours (I'm in IT) can make it a little difficult to get the amount of meals I need a day, especially if we are in crisis management mode heh heh

Same here. I'm in production support and on some days I'm glued to my desk for the entire day. I bring a stocked backpack everyday just in case!

[BallroomTed]

Great stuff!

It can be hard to stay true in the office. Especially, when someone makes home-made goodies and they insist you try some! What I do is take a plate of cake, pie, or whatever. Then I go back to my office, take a bite, then pitch the rest in the trash.

At least I can honestly tell the person that I tried it and liked it! (well, if I didn't like it I may have to fib a little..lol)

[Canned_Tuna]

Great article! Some excellent ideas. Thanks for posting,

[ptbrakefield]

I too am a teacher; luckily I can keep a lot of things in my room. I try to bring enough to eat on through the day, however. If I have too much around me I'll tend to eat it, so I don't stock up too much. I do need to start keeping protein at work, though.

Great article; thanks for taking the time to put it together.

[BDC-Eddy]

My desk sits about 5 feet from the snacko, everytime someone pops a hot pocket into the microwave I smell it for hours... when they bring in donuts and pastries, you guessed it, i am the closest one to them... thank goodness for iron-will-power!!

[LLAKE62]

I don't have any great a-ha tricks but the following works for me:

I have a silo of Quaker instant oats hidden in one of the cabinets near the coffee maker, which also spits out really hot water. Every day about 10:00 I head down and dump some oats into a cup, add water, and a splenda. When blueberries are in season I skip the splenda.

Every day I bring either a grilled chicken breast or tuna pack and a Tupperware type dish with either fresh spinach or lettuce. I also bring a container of broccoli or some other veggies. Sometimes (for treats) sweet potato (which nuke great!)

Around noon I scarf the chicken and lettuce/spinach. YUM

Around 2ish I have my pre-made shake (also from home) or some other goodie.

And then before I go home I have some other type of treat . . . and usually a few almonds.

HINTS: I prep my grilled chicken on Sundays for the whole week.
I buy the huge Quaker Oat silo and then just refill my hidden stash
when needed.
When I use salad dressing I add it right before eating or it gets soggy
Glad Tupperware is affordable and holds lots of lettuce and/or veggies.
You can bake veggies for a different flavor

I have people who bring baked goods constantly - it's a huge battle. On the occasional day that I forget my work-food, I find myself at the vending machine --- NOT GOOD

I guess the best thing about what I do is that I really LIKE it! I like that people at work are always SHOCKED when I happen to eat something that isn't just good for you

OTHER - I drink TOO much coffee . . . it is my vice and my habit . . . yet, it works for me

[Be_Blunt]

Hi all,

First post here! I was really happy to see an "over 35" forum, and after lurking here a bit I'm happy to know that there are PLENTY of "old farts" like me around. (It should be mentioned that most of you look WAY better than I do!)

I'm posting because as a relatively "new" office rat, I had recently put on about 25 lbs of belly fat in about 3 months. I went from a job where I was on my feet, moving as fast as possible for 14 hours a day to a cube, where the only thing that gets exercise is my fingers.

Historically speaking, this shouldn't have been a problem. I had maintained my weight of 160 lbs for more than 15 years, regardless of how much fast-food, ice cream, cake, etc. I ate. In fact, I knew few people who ate as badly as I did and pretty much everyone I met was envious of my "fast metabolism" and my inability to gain weight. Being a hard gainer all my life (this was especially trying during high-school and college athletics) had finally paid off!

This was true until I turned 35. It was like someone flipped a switch on my 35th birthday and I started to put on lbs. It didn't get out of hand until I switched jobs, but after the switch my belly ballooned so much that I went from a size 32 to 36 in a few months, and was carrying a Honda Civic-sized spare tire around my middle.

Over a month ago, upon returning from a business trip to Latin America my wife patted my protruding belly and said "I see you brought something back from Colombia with you". That was the last straw.

I joined the gym the next day, and I've worked out 6 days a week since. I haven't lost any weight, but my gut is virtually gone, my muscles have gotten bigger, and I feel great! I've been using whey protein and creatine as supplements and I'm happy to say that snacks have gone from Coke and candy bars (or chocolate covered pretzles, or cookies, etc.) to roasted almonds and beef jerky. Lunch has changed from a loaded double-cheeseburger to Tuna on wheat with a side of cottage cheese and carrots. The surprising part is that it hasn't been overly difficult. In fact, the only looks I get from people at work are, shall we say, approving.

I intend to stay the course, and information like this article certainly make that easier. Thanks for all the info, and hopefully I'll be around this forum for a long time to come.

[seems]

That is one wonderful article.

[FatboysFatter]

Originally Posted by IronIc

I read it this morning. I love it!

This office has an endless supply of donuts, pizza, jellybeans and pastries One guy has a partner that works at Panera Bread, lol.

I had to resort to buying my own refrigerator. I bring my lunch in!

lol

[ClarkDark]

as well as bottled and fountain water and an ice machine, all provided by my employer. Company meals (birthday parties, etc.) have their share of sweets and junk, but there are always plenty of fresh fruit and other healthy alternatives, especially since we began encouraging our employees to join Dr. Ian Smith's 50 Million Pound Challenge a year or so ago. The only thing more I could ask would be to actually have a fridge in my office, instead of having to schlep to the cafeteria (a very short walk). I'm thinking of bringing the mini-fridge my oldest daughter had when she was in college out of the basement and bringing it to the office.

That said, I do get teased about my "steroid" protein drinks, my daily meals from The Pump (a local restaurant chain in Manhattan specializing in clean meals for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts) and the fact that I seem to be eating something at every meeting. And everybody knows that the protein shake bottle in the fridge belongs to me.

Anyway, this is very good article; extremely thorough, it covers all the bases. I thought I was the only one who froze water in his shake bottle so that might shake would stay cold without refrigeration (except I use this trick when I'm driving around in my car).

[ctgblue]

Originally Posted by ClarkDark

That said, I do get teased about my "steroid" protein drinks,

I call it my "BALCO Blast"

[G_Reaper]

I am on board with the office eating program, but always looking for new ideas. Always try to eat healthy, but don't want to get bored.

I am lucky, as I do have a bar fridge in my office as well as many areas to stash food. Have access to boiling water and a microwave.

I bring in 12 boiled eggs each week. Along with some brown rice and chicken which was extra from other meals.
I stock oatmeal (instant plain) and mix in yogut for flavour.
Yogurt and water in fridge, sometimes apples.
I have many tins of tuna, salmon, beans, and soup.
I have a big bag of almonds.

I work hard to keep the weight off, as its easier than putting it on and then getting rid of. (used to be able to eat anything). Those days are gone and never coming back, oh well.

Good article, thanks.

[noobee]

How do you guys manage to eat, now taht i have full time job and only 2 hours break i can basically only eat brsfst lunch and dinner, this sucks

[Kerry67]

Good article. My problem is (since I am new to this) is how much, when, and what to eat. I really don't understand the whole carb, protien, etc....thing. I am trapped in my cube all day and like to munch, so what can I have ? Jerkey ?? Fruit ?? Pretzels ??? How much can I eat ?? Any help is appreciated.

[dungeonmistress]

my office, friends etc are used to what some call finnicky eating habits (I call it smart). I bring my lunch to work. We're having a pizza party friday. I'm gonna go, but I'll eat salad with a can of albacore dumped on top. I will feel more like working out later by having that instead of pizza which is hard to digest and feels like I have a bowling ball in my stomach. *burp*

[curt_james]

Originally Posted by ctgblue

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/desk_job_diet_tips.htm

this one is geared at us guys and gals

let me know how you like it

Fantastic! Thank you.

[curt_james]

Originally Posted by noobee

How do you guys manage to eat, now taht i have full time job and only 2 hours break i can basically only eat brsfst lunch and dinner, this sucks

Protein drinks! Carry the powder in those travel coffee mugs. People will look at you cross-eyed if you drink a protein drink but they won't give you a second glance if you're drinking "coffee".

Add water to the mug and shake. Thirty grams of protein between your breakfast and lunch and then again between lunch and dinner.

Suck be gone!

That was an idea from Ron Harris, a frequent contributer/author in the various muscle magazines.

[pmartel]

I work in a call center.

For years now I have been bringing my own lunch to work.

As of this week I finally joined our gym as this board has really inspired me to see what I can to do at 51.

What I have done is I've modified my routine somehat regarding my diet.

Morning; protein shake, supps, oatmeal & eggwhites combined as breakfast before I leave and this is before 5AM

Next meal is around 10AM which is a rice bean & veggie combination. My 15 minute breaks usually include a banana each.

When I get home, protein shake, supps & as of late a fairly hefty dinner as I'm eating to gain bulk and not fat while working out..

It's not easy for us office types, especially those of starting out, but if you do advanced planning, anything is possible.

Hope this helps

[jixsumo]

Originally Posted by curt_james

Protein drinks! Carry the powder in those travel coffee mugs. People will look at you cross-eyed if you drink a protein drink but they won't give you a second glance if you're drinking "coffee".

.

That is the best advice I have ever seen. I love my protein shakers, but I hate what I am eating being the office conversation.

[dartol]

Great thread! On my previous team, my coworkers got used to the fact that I bring in a lot of salads with tuna. They did tease a bit about it though. Now I am on a new team so I have a new group to break in.

One of my new coworkers has a halloween candy stash and a huge discount club box of twizzlers on the end of her row, and I have to walk past it to get to my desk. Not fair! Though her cube backs up to mine, so I am sure she gets to experience my tuna, broccoli, etc smells. LOL

Darren

[ctgblue]

I occasionally have one of the bbr engineers stop by for a bar on the way to a meeting that has a crappy lunch, I have so much stuff I happily give away samples

[crh2008]

as an attorney i had to make an effort not to "do lunch" everyday as the "do lunch" crowd frequents establishments that have no healthy food. So I have stockpiled protien shakes and frozen chicken breast at the office. oh yeah, and i invested in a warehouse building down the street and partnered with a person to start a gym. alas, i have no excuse not to work out whether before work, at lunch or after work. as a plus the gym is becoming a great business investment. i learned as i approached 40 that i had to take drastic steps improve my health and body as it takes more work at 40 than at 30. but it has paid off as i am stronger, have more muscle and i have worked my way back to 32 inch waist. i am now wishing to "cut" without losing alot of mass and any suggestions is appreciated.

[crh2008]

great advice

[tedon]

Most of the time, I'm stuck in the office all day, so I just prepare my meals the night before. That takes the guess work out of figuring out was to eat during the workday. I make sure I have a meal/snack every 2.5 to 3.5 hours to spead it out evenly.

[OldManSkinny]

I've been a school teacher all my life. I had a box labeled "Packham's Pantry" in the faculty room. I always kept cans of tuna, green beans, protein powder, powdered milk, splenda, etc. there. I got a used blender at the thrift store to keep on the counter for shakes. It only took a couple of minutes between classes or after school to dash in and guzzle a shake.

I'd grill a week's worth of chicken on the weekends and freeze it in portion-size baggies. Also servings of steamed rice and steamed veggies. Then each morning I'd just grab my choices from the freezer and they'd be ready to microwave by lunch time.

I ate better than anybody. I even had requests to bring lunch for everybody (which I did a couple of times).

There's no excuse for not eating healthy foods. It just takes planning.