Hi everyone, looking for some tips to get me through these long days at the office...
I always take some cereal in the morning then a salad or sandwich for lunch but right now I'm working long days so by the time I get home from work, I'm really hungry & end up eating dinners that are high in calories! Any advice to help combat this feeling of hunger?
Hi,
Can you prepare your evening so you can just heat it up when you get home?
I usually have a sugar free sweet in the afternoon if I am feeling hungry - it weirdly works. Also a big glass of water may help. Or, how about a breakfast bar (you can get ones with as little as 70 cals) and they may tide you over til dinner time.
I am sure some other great ideas will follow but as always, it seems to be all about planning 
I almost always have a dip in energy at around 4pm and often have a healthy snack at that time to tide me over. So pack yourself an extra mini-meal for later in the afternoon/early evening, then hopefully you won't be too hungry when you get home. I usually have a couple of oatcakes and an apple or banana and a cup of tea.
I also agree with Sueper's suggestion of prepping in advance. I like to make some emergency "ready meals" that I can just microwave or I prep some veggies on Sunday and keep them in containers, ready to cook.
It is also not unheard of for me to eat the same dinner, several days in a row if I make a huge pot of it (something like veggie curry or a chilli, bean stew or something) because I enjoy doing that, but I know not everyone likes to do that.
I have found if I get too hungry I just binge all afternoon so now make sure I have a decent breakfast, either first thing or mid morning, protein, wholemeal bread and fruit. If I don't manage then I have substantial Lunch, soup, sandwich etc. This has all but eliminated my mid afternoon sugar cravings. Good luck! 😊
A banana or sml pack of plain pop corn before you leave work will tide you over till dinners ready.
Batch cook at the weekend freeze meals so you just have to reheat during the week.
Depending on the facilities at work, would it be possible for you to have a hot meal at lunchtime (I'm thinking more along the lines of you reheating something you've prepared so you know it's nutritious and you know the calorie count rather than the unknown territory of canteen food ), this might keep you going through the afternoon then your salad or sandwich would be quick to make once you get home? ☀️
Have a water filter on your desk drink plenty, also don't work too late, bosses will expect more and more and you will end up frazzled.
My advice would be to have 4 meals in total but smaller and more satisfying. Use foods with more filling power, high protein like eggs , peanut butter, greek yoghurt, even full cream in coffee .
If you have to take food to work with you then a couple of hard boiled eggs with some salad veg and a piece of wholemeal bread will satisfy you for longer. Or add barlotti beans to your soup, much more satisfying.
I lost my spare 2 st and have maintained my target since last april, but if I go too long without food I am highly likely to snack badly! One of my standby items is a pack of Whey Protein powder, chocolate flavour from holland & barrett. One scoop with water makes a satisfying chocolate shake for 95 cal , or whizz in a banana for 200 cals, as a breakfast or afternoon extra.
If you have a microwave at work, could you try homemade vegetable soup as an afternoon snack/mini-meal? Made with lots of vegetables (celery, onion, carrot, cabbage, whatever you like) and some broth cubes, you can make a big pot of it on Sunday to eat across the week (or a huge pot and freeze in individual portions to last for a month), keep it low-cal, and it is very filling. It also helps you get your five a day, and is easy to transport. Depending on your calorie needs if you have a handful of grains in it (barley, whole wheat pasta; or add a couple of fiber-ful crackers or wholegrain bread slice) it is even more filling.
Celery and carrot sticks with a bit of hummus also work for me in the afternoon - the veg sticks take a while to eat and somehow I think that helps me feel full!
And as others have said, watch out for those long days! Especially if you're sitting at work!
I always have a stash of slim a soup sachets in the office I find they help keep me from snacking also I always have one before my dinner as it helps fill me up so I don't overeat, worth a try
I used to have a similiar issue ... always snacking in the afternoon. I found that keping some almonds in my desk drawer helped as I could snack on a few and they seemed to fulfl that 'snacky' need and kill any hunger pangs. Dried cranberries too.
Keep up the good work all!
I work 7 to 5 and work for a sweet company. We can eat as many sweets as we want. I have worked there for years and still find it hard to control eating them in the afternoon. So I make sure i have a substantial breakfast. Cereal on its own doesn't do it for me. I mix porridge oats with fat free Greek yogurt and fresh fruit, making it the night before. Big salads, jacket potatoes etc for lunch. Plenty of water to drink through the day. For elevens and three o clock's I have something special. It may be fruit, chopped carrots or a low cal bar. Whatever it is, I try to savour it. It's hard and I'm not perfect but practice makes perfect. Getting accountable buddies here helps as everyone is in the same boat. if you do fall down don't wallow in self pity. get up. If you fell in the street you wouldn't stop on the floor would you. Good luck
Life's hard at the moment :(
Progress at Last
Healthy Eating on the go
Say NO to office sweets & see the results
