OK, I'm ready to start on Jan 5th. I'm preparing myself now, planning the coming week of exercise classes and proper, home cooked food. I'm not following an official diet plan, I'm hoping that by eating better (up the fruit and veg, cut back on the chocs etc) and by taking regular exercise I can gradually shrink in a way that i can sustain for the rest of my life.

On Monday I go back to work. I have an office job and sit at a desk. it's a danger area for me because I tend to eat out of boredom/frustration. I also struggle to find a healthy lunch that isn't a salad (although I do love salad, it's just that I find I don't always have the time to make it each morning) or sandwiches (bread being a trigger food for me, i could easily pack down half a loaf without blinking).

Does anyone have some tips/ideas for:
1. Nutritious packed lunches
2. Combatting boredom/stress eating while at work when you can't get away frmo your desk?

Many thanks all

Well, I don't know much about nutrition yet... But here's some things I like to eat for lunch.

Tuna salad (yes I know something other than salad.. aha) I grate carrots, chop celery, and onion. If you want the healthier option, you can put italian zest dressing in it (otherwise just use mayo). When I make it with the italian zest, I chop up baby dill pickles. Instead of having it on bread, have it with lettuce.

Egg salad I pretty much chop up the same stuff, a little bit of mayo, and some lemon juice (tangy and moist). I usually have this on whole grain trisquits.

When I go to school, I just take left over dinner, which is healthy around here.

I'm big on using dinner leftovers for lunch. You get a really satisfying midday meal with almost zero extra effort if you're already making a healthy dinner. It is one of my favorite strategies.

As for not eating when you don't intend to during work hours, I'm a big fan of using tea and gum to get me through. Hard to eat when you've got tea and/or gum (particularly gum).

Rearrange things at your desk so that you can stand up while working. (Put the keyboard up on something; put the mouse up on something; tilt the monitor up.) I do this, and it helps me focus on the often-boring tasks I must do at my computer. Plus, it burns some extra calories. Also helps me with back and body aches I used to get at the end of the day.

Listen to music on headphones (through the computer or an MP3 player) while standing and working. Move your body to the music a little for extra calorie-burn. Music really helps me with the boredom. Yes, your coworkers may think you're a little insane what with the standing and listening to music, but I'd rather be thought insane than continue to be fat and unhealthy and unhappy.

Drink unsweetened green tea for something to do with your mouth.

Chew sugarless gum for another something to do with your mouth.

Schedule healthy snacks for yourself so that you don't get tempted to eat the wrong things.

Instead of emailing coworkers, go find them at their desks. It's a little more exercise and it helps break up that stuck-at-desk routine.

For lunch I usually eat leftovers from the night before, which is a lean meat and veggies, typically. Start making time in the mornings to pack your lunch, and you'll be more successful with your plan. It usually takes me about 10 minutes to pack my lunch and snacks, and it is time WELL-spent.

I take lunch and snacks to work every day.

Here are some examples of what I pack
Lowfat plain yogurt with sugar free jelly added
Cottage cheese and applesauce - looks nasty, tastes great
Wrap made with whole wheat low carb tortilla, smoked turkey, lettuce, a slice of lowfat mozzarella and mustard.
Apple
Orange
Banana
Frozen meals like Lean Cuisine - I used to have these every day...they are great for portion control. My only rules are - is it on sale? Is it less than 300 calories?
String cheese
Laughing cow cheese wedge
Zero point soup - progresso or campbells
PB & J sandwich with lite bread

I am another "Dinner for Lunch" Loser.

I'll either pack it as I am dishing out servings or after dinner as I am putting everything away.

It's quick, convenient, tastey and perfectly portioned. I forever find myself looking forward to lunch.

Glad to see you're setting yourself up for success. A word of advice, though- I've spent a lot of my life planning to diet, but only recently got off my bum and actually started doing it (without any planning, ironically). Everyone's different, and it might work for you, but if you end up having a hard time, don't feel bad about it. Lots of planning can lead you to expect a level of perfection that's not possible.

Good luck! And I like oatmeal as a snack for when I'm especially hungry.

Hi there! I also have a desk job as a school secretary. Can't say that I get bored too often, but I know exactly what you mean about salads everyday for lunch and the bread-trigger thing - I LOVE bread but unfortunately, it doesn't love me.

A good friend of mine gave me the idea to make a sandwich for lunch but instead of using bread, use romaine lettuce leaves to make a sort of wrap. I just use a regular sandwich container and toss in a few things to roll up at lunch time. I can honestly say those sandwiches are some of the best. I normally use just a small squirt of hot mustard, and lots of bean sprouts no matter what the main ingredient is. You can use almost anything - thin sliced meat, all veggies or whatever.

My problem now is trying to force myself to drink more water.. I'm a caffeine addict and while I can leave sweetened drinks with no problem, ditching coffee or even tea may be a problem.

Wow there are some really great ideas here - I'm SO glad I found this place, I have a feeling it's going to be a lifeline!

Kelly you hit a nail on the head with planning - I DO tend to spend a LOT of time planning. I write down lists, plans etc. This is fine, but there has to be a balance between plan and do - thank you for the warning!

I do very much like the idea of leftovers, I have this brain block that I can't eat say a home made vege bolognese cos that's an "evening" meal. just another example of where i can knock back some of those "can't"'s

thank you all and if anyone has anymore, keep em coming