Tips for eating healthy at work?

[_Daisy_]

I didn't fully realize until a few months ago that I basically never learned how to take care of my body by eating properly. I thought I was healthy in high school because I was thin, but in reality I was living off of microwavable foods and probably only eating around 700-800 calories a day because I was too lazy to make breakfast or pack a lunch. Like many people, I gained some weight in college from having constant access to dining hall food and shedding it has spurred me to actually learn how to eat a balanced diet. I've done a great job this summer of avoiding packaged foods and sticking to vegetables and protein, but I'm nervous about falling off the wagon when I go back to work in August. I wake up around 5 and get to work a bit after 6, so I don't have a lot of time to prepare anything in the morning. I've thought about meal prepping but don't really know what to bring. I'm kind of picky and will starve before eating apples or trail mix or any of that other typical low-maintenance fare. My building is freezing and the thought of eating anything cold makes me queasy. I know that sounds so weird, but I just can't. Any good ideas for getting ~1200 calories in?

[Chanel_no5]

This is like a blind leading a blind, because my diet is a horror narrative for health crazies, but how about some soup for breakfast? You can make it the day before (or make a batch once a week and freeze the rest in portions), warm it up and eat it for breakfast. Or in a mug and take it along as you go, if you're in a hurry. I don't have any low-calorie recipes for soups, but I think there must be plenty out there of all kinds, I'm sure our friend Mr Google can find you some.  

Good luck!

 

[SleepingPhlox]

Okay, as a former couch potato and queen of junk food turned health enthusiast here's some stuff that worked for me!

The absolute best tip I can think of is to make changes gradually.  It's really easy to get SUPER psyched about something in the first stages and try to do lots at once and then get overwhelmed by the demands they're putting on themselves.  Start by figuring out an easy healthy breakfast you'd like to bring in.  Or if you're not a breakfast person, an afternoon snack.  See how much energy you have in the evenings after you've been working there for a while.   See how much energy you have to prepare dinner.  See if you can stretch to preparing the next day's lunch at the same time you prepare dinner.  If work leaves you wrecked by the time you get home, see how maybe preparing lunches and dinners for the week ahead on Sunday evening works out for you.  Just try different ways out, see what works with your energy levels and your schedule.

Browse recipe websites.  I've found so many recipes I wouldn't even have thought of.  If there are prepackaged foods you like, look them up and find recipes for homemade and healthy versions of them.  I love doing this because even if the prepackaged version is so much more convenient, I am a major cheapskate and love seeing how much more cost effective it is to make it!

If you're able to, if your energy levels and schedule permit it, adding movement to your day is actually great.  And this advice is coming from someone who had a lifelong hatred of exercise!  I started out not denying myself any type of food at all, and quickly began to realise "yes, I could eat this chocolate cake, but I'll feel super sick when I'm running later" and the choices just came naturally after that.   Plus exercising burns calories, which means you get more calories to work with during the day, which makes for less restrictions on food.

I find tracking my intake very helpful.  I use MyFitnessPal but there are other ones as well.  You can just track what you eat in the beginning and look back and go "Okay, here's where I can make changes" and tweak things here and there until you settle into a way of doing things that works for you.

But overall, work with yourself and what works for you.  Don't feel like you have to do everything all at once or you have to eat a certain way because someone else said so or you have to cook dinner from scratch every night even if you're dog tired and don't feel like it.  Treat it as an ongoing learning process until you figure out what works for you and how you want to do it, and then it will be a breeze!

[_Daisy_]

Haha, thank you! These are great ideas. It never crossed my mind to have soup early in the morning, but I think that would actually be really soothing, especially in the winter months! I've been using MyFitnessPal too and love it. 

[Esstrosa]

Eat healthy 

[Shylurker68]

There are tons of good meal prep videos on YouTube! Invest in a couple good microwaveable containers.

Here's one basic low maintenance meal prep plan:

Make a batch of some kind of protein, some kind of vegetable, and some kind of grain over the weekend. You can do this with one pot on the stove and one sheet pan in the oven if you figure it right. Example: brown rice on the stove; broccoli, sweet potato, and red onion roasted together in the oven,  some chicken on the sheet pan alongside the veg. Also make a batch of one or two different flavor boosters: really flavorful hummus, or use salad dressing, or teriyaki, or tzaziki (whatever floats your boat that week). For the above I might make like a sesame ginger sauce. Put some grains in each container, top with your vegetable, your protein, and your sauce/flavor. This is great because it's nutrient-dense, incredibly flexible, and lets you have a little variety without requiring too much complicated nonsense. It's also very easy to adapt for various diets; for keto or Paleo make a cauliflower rice instead of a grain and for vegetarian or vegan use beans or soy for your protein. 😋

[Scandinavius]

Might be a bit late but I'll post this anyway. I use Huel (a soylent like powder) that I blend a batch of and freeze in portion sized bottles (actually a little larger to accommodate expansion in freezer). I think most people drink it cold but you can heat it if you like.  It works pretty much like the soup suggestion by Chanel. Not everyone likes the taste but it can be flavoured in many ways, their forum is pretty good for asking questions and getting tips. You can change the water/powder ratio to get very different consistencies as well or use some sort of milk instead of water.