How to Eat Right in the Office

Workday junk food indulgences eventually add up. If you've been eating lunches out, snacking in the break room and feeling lethargic during the day, you may need to overhaul your workday diet. As few as 100 extra calories per day can add up to 10 pounds of fat to your frame every year. It's no secret that a piece of birthday cake or a handful of holiday candy probably has more than 100 calories. Eating right in the office does take some thought and preparation, but before long, you may notice a difference in your waistline and your energy level.

Instructions

• 1

  Pack a lunch for the workday while you are cleaning up from dinner the night before. Keep a supply of nuts, cheese, whole fruits and cut-up vegetables in your fridge for a quick-boxed lunch. Add some deli meat, tuna fish, salmon or leftover chicken to your meal for a protein boost that doesn't have to be heated.

• 2

  Start each meal with a small salad. Use dark leafy greens rather than iceberg or romaine lettuce. Add some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and onion slices and two tablespoons of low calorie dressing, or oil and vinegar. Stay away from toppings like bacon bits, croutons or creamy dressings, which can add hundreds of unnecessary calories to your salad.

• 3

  Incorporate dairy into your diet on a daily basis. Choose low-fat milk, Greek yogurt and cheeses like mozzarella for excellent sources of calcium. Add dairy to your lunch selections since this adds protein, and has been shown to contribute to weight loss or management.

• 4

  Allow yourself to indulge a little once every day. Eat only a half of a brownie and drink a cup of non-fat milk if you can't resist your co-workers special homemade treats. Stick to your healthy diet for the rest of the day after the indulgence. Say "no thanks" if it's not something you absolutely have to have; save the calories for a glass of wine with dinner or a healthy dessert.

• 5

  Keep healthy snacks in your desk drawer. Fill up with apples, oranges and bananas to boost your fiber intake, along with an increase in a host of other vitamins. Place these snacks in a drawer or a bowl in your office for several days. Bring a bowl in at the beginning of the week and vow to eat everything in it by Friday. Keep nuts, string cheese, low-calorie yogurt or granola bars in the kitchen or your office to fight unhealthy mid-day snacking.