Eating At Work A Major Problem Please Help
 

Hello again :-)

Still battling with trying to lose weight. Feeling even more stressed about it though now as my work situation has changed and I now have to work from 1 pm till 5.30 pm. We are not allowed to eat at work as we are on a reception. To get to work I have to leave at about 11.40 am and I don't get home till nearly 6 pm. I have tried having soup and a wholemeal bread roll at about 11.00 am and then trying to sneak a snack mid afternoon when the bosses aren't around but yesterday I was so hungry I could have committed murder. Whatever they say, I intend to find a way to eat something but I don't think sugary cereal bars or chocolate are a good idea because I still feel hungry a short time later, but I don't think bits of fruit will fill the gap either! I am wondering about protein bars but am not sure. Anything that is quick and easy to eat, that wont smell strong and give the game away, and that will feel me up and not be fattening is what I need but I am struggling here :-(

Please can anyone help as I need to lose weight but I also need to find something I can eat quickly mid afternoon that will help me feel full and will help me last until I get home. This is really getting me down. Please can anyone give some good suggestions?

thanks
EleanorR

Almonds are good. They are a great snack and very easy to conceal. It is great for keeping you full between meals.

What happens if you need to go to the bathroom? Surely you get one break during that period?

I like the South Beach Living High Protein bars. Easy to carry. Nuts are a good idea--or a measured amount of trail mix in a baggie.

Jay

I second the idea of almonds! You could throw a few in your pocket to get you through. Can you drink water at work? That would help keep you full and hydrated.

I also like almonds or other nuts, if you can keep the quantity reasonable - I have to measure them out and only bring what I plan to eat, otherwise I just keep going until the bag is empty.

Protein bars or meal replacement bars/shakes all make me feel really ill, but if you aren't sensitive to soy like I am, they are a possibility if you are really stuck.

A lot of people snack on baby carrots, grape tomatoes and such, but they just seem to make me hungrier.

Soup and a roll for lunch is not very filling. It's maybe 300 calories?

Try something with a lot of protein and some fat for lunch before you leave for work. Like a turkey sandwich with avocado, and a glass of milk or yogurt. Then some nuts or something on the way home to tide you over until dinner. Or some cheese and crackers.

And be sure you've eaten enough for breakfast, too.

Isn't there some labor laws that require them to give you some breaks during a long shift like that?

As others have suggested, I would take a handful of nuts or even a protein bar that you can eat quickly without people really noticing.

Nuts, fruit or celery w/peanut butter works for me. Also I like the cereal bars too.

I'm assuming you take public transportation since it takes an hour and 20 minutes to get to work but only 30 minutes to get home. Can you have your lunch later on the bus/train? Pack a sandwich and/or hard boiled eggs /veggies/fruit and eat it around 12:30 on the bus/train and then a baggie of raisins/almonds (or something) to eat on the way home?

It's only a 4 1/2 hour shift, so there's probably no labor law attached. In Indiana, there's no requirements for breaks if you're over 18, I would guess most states are that way.

I'd go almonds, or grapes, or a wheel of babybel cheese. All those things are easy to smuggle into pockets or purses.

I have to agree, you need a better meal than soup and a roll for lunch! I would make sure you're eating a good breakfast, have a better lunch as suggested with plenty of protein and some fat. Definitely a quick snack that you can eat on a bathroom break...my job requires at least one 15 min break for every 4 hours worked.

You need to make sure you are eating protein during your snack time. I'm a vegetarian, and these are some things I bring with me.
String cheese
Nuts (almonds and walnuts are very healthy)
Protein bars (I like the South Beach Living High Protein bars too)
Yogurt
Babybel and Laughing Cow cheese with crackers/raw veggies
Thomas Light Multi-grain or WW English Muffin with a grilled Gardenburger/Boga Burger/MSF Burger (these are actually good cold after being grilled)
Hard-boiled egg and a banana
Cottage cheese (LF) and fruit
Flatout Bread with nut butter or cheese
Kashi bars
Clif bars

Thanks for some great advice everyone :-)

I am thinking it would be a good idea to eat on the bus on the way to work. My journey to work takes longer as I have to get the bus and it goes miles out of the way before it finally gets me into work and then I have to allow time for any shopping, which is why I have to leave home when I do. When I leave work at night I get a lift straight home, which is much quicker.

I will definitely eat something better than soup from now on before I leave home and will have a look at some protein bars for the afternoon, and also grab some almonds, as I love nuts.

My main problem is literally finding things I can quickly eat from under the desk which wont grab the attention of the bosses, should they suddenly come into the room, in otherwords, something I can quickly eat or hide the fact I am eating. I guess as my bodyclock gets used to this routine things should improve. We don't get specific bathroom breaks but just leave reception whenever we want to to go to the bathroom but as each of us is on our own during either the morning or afternoon shift (job share situation), we have to be as fast as we can, in case anyone comes into reception. Not easy but at least we have work, which in the current climate is the main thing.

EleanorR

Eat when you go to the bathroom--take a bathroom break for a snack--don't get caught munching at the desk.

Jay

If it makes you feel any better, I work a fifteen hour shift plus it takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to and from work. I also don't have scheduled breaks, although I can find time to eat catch as catch can.

My favorite at work snack is a cracker barrel reduced fat cheese stick. It has ninety calories and it cuts my hunger better than a lot of other things.

I have packed almonds before, but I count them out and pack only that number as you can really add up on calories if you eat to many.

I also pre-portion almonds in snack-size bags. Total waste of plastic baggies, but it works! :)

Me again :)

I've tried eating on the bus but I am just not comfortable with that at all.

I also tried eating about 11.00-11.30 am but that's too early for me, partly cos I am not hungry then and also cos it's too long to last until 6.00 pm.

So at the moment I am going into a local coffee house for a drink and taking my food with me. Still not that relaxing as I know they don't like people consuming their own food rather than that bought in the coffee house so I am on edge when I am eating. Plus I have to get there before 12 each day or else the place is too busy so I leave home even earlier now each day. So I am eating between 12 and 12.30 each day.

It's great to have the extra hour's work each day from 1.00 (previously started at 2.00) but it has really messed up my eating habits :(

I can really relate and sympathize. This is a crappy situation to have to deal with, to try to sneak a snack under the desk, and it has to be portable, nutritious, quick to eat, and not messy or fragrant! and I myself wouldn't chose to eat in the bathroom. There are many uncaring employers who don't care if you have a law-alloted break, and one can feel subtly intimidated if you ask for what's due to you. Best wishes to you :hug:

My 'go-to' breakfast, if it has to last me, is Eggbeaters (or store brand substitute) with some extra protein, like leftover cooked chicken; and as many veggies as I can get in the pan.

Thanks so much VermontMom for your supportive reply and the hug :)

It's been really getting me down and I think I've driven my family mad going on about it, but I feel very resentful that to attempt to eat at a decent time I have to either try and eat food sneakily in a coffee house or eat in secret at work, feeling like I could be told off at any moment, like I am a naughty child.
And what you say is so right, if I eat at work the food has to be all of those things you mention, which doesn't make it easy either.

ER :)

Put me in the group that says to eat more for lunch, especially protein. Have some nuts or something else with you that you can eat right before (then use a toothbrush) or after you get off shift. But beware of endangering your job by breaking the rules. It is reasonable for an employer to expect someone in reception to not eat while dealing with the public, and that amount of time doesn't seem like an excessive shift or period to go without eating. Times are hard, and they may decide that they'd rather find someone who won't eat on the job.