Have you ever asked yourself, “How do I stop snacking when I’m bored at work?” If you are trying to ditch the boredom eating at work, this post is for you.
First it’s the AM woes. You get to work and think I’m hungry! You find a bagel, a smoothie, or a donut from somewhere and scarf that down.
Mid-morning after making your brain work, a snack sounds good, so yet again you go scrounging. Since you can’t make it to a nearby cafe you head to the vending machines… okay a granola bar it is.
Then lunch comes and you finally have time to head out for a bite. You make it a salad because you are slightly repulsed by your morning decisions.
It’s 2PM, you’re stressed out, you’re energy is fading quickly. What’s the first thing you think of? COFFEE! SNACKS! Anything with sugar and caffeine sounds amazing.
We’ve all been there. We’ve all been sitting at our desk, not so much hungry as bored, over the day, ready to go home. When work stops being engaging or you just need a break, distractions come so often in the form of food.
In this post I’ll break down how to beat boredom eating at work so you can get back to the important stuff without adding to your waistline.
Pre-plan a high-protein breakfast and eat it daily.
Make breakfast a daily priority. Create a daily habit that includes preparing or having a meal-prepped, high-protein breakfast option. Don’t fuss with a fancy breakfast when you have limited time. Do make the same breakfast (or close variation) every day that is quick, easy, and macro-nutrient friendly. More on macronutrients below.
Eat protein and fiber together.
Protein is a super filling macro-nutrient. In fact, protein is the most filling over a longer period of time. Studies on the effect of food intake and macronutrient ingestion show when protein and fiber are eaten in conjunction with one another, it increases the time food takes to digest, decreases fat digestion, leading to a full feeling for a longer period of time. The result of this means less food intake is needed to sustain energy throughout the day. People who eat protein and fiber together for each meal are more likely to weigh less.
What I’ve found for me personally is, eating this way helps me feel full throughout the day and reduces my overall food intake. I love the #F-Factor way of stating this…
“Protein and fiber at every meal makes losing weight no big deal.”
-Tanya Zuckerbrot
Some fast, simple, easy to put together examples to beat boredom eating are:
Egg whites + 1 egg with spinach and GG crackers (I eat this every day)
Power bowl – chicken, cauliflower, arugula, cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes
Chicken, peppers, and rice
Lentil chicken soup (meal prep batch cook in the Instant Pot)
Chicken, Banza pasta, and veggies
If you’re going to snack, make it whole, real food.
Eating real food as snacks makes all the difference in your success at beating boredom eating at work. Real food with whole nutrients makes you feel fuller, reduces craving behavior, and gives you sustained energy throughout the day. When we eat processed, packaged foods, they are loaded with additives, sugar, sodium, and often designed to make you crave more, thereby never feeling satiated.
Plan real food snacks in advanced.
Now hear me out. Don’t start running for the hills just because I said “plan” it won’t take a ton of time, I promise. In fact, by figuring out what you need to eat ahead of time, you’ll end up saving time during the week when you need it most. Meal and snack planning is a sure way to set yourself up for success when boredom eating at work hits.
I’ll round up some ideas for you below. The general rule is to eat whole, real foods that aren’t processed, whenever possible. However, I understand and can completely relate to the moments at work when you are so busy, but so hungry, and just need something fast. I’ve included my go-to processed foods when you’re in a time constraint.
Light:
Celery and baby carrots
Cucumber and cherry tomatoes
Any veggie of choice
Medium:
Rolled oatmeal with cinnamon
Banana with peanut or almond butter
Apple with peanut or almond butter
Pistachios
Protein shake (processed)
RX Bar (processed)
Large:
Triscuits and canned tuna (super high-protein, can sub for a meal when needed)
Rolled oats, banana, and almond butter bowl
Protein shake + banana
Don’t over-complicate your snacks.
Do buy a few shelf stable items for those times you are in a bind and can’t eat real fresh food.
No time to cook? No problem, meal prep services are here for you.
One of, if not the best service created in the last 5-ish years has been the readily available meal prep services popping up all over the country. Finally there are food services that allow us busy professionals to have fresh, healthy, macro-friendly meals prepared in advance and delivered to our doors.
Meal prepping is time consuming on Sundays when all I really want to do is relax and enjoy my little time off of work. You can usually find a service that will cost around $9-13 a meal. While that might sound pricey at first… When you factor in how much you spend eating random snacks on the fly, local cafe stops throughout the week, and eating out for lunch every day, the cost of a meal prep service justifies itself. On top of that, it’s HEALTHY food delivered to you that helps you feel satiated and gives you energy throughout the day.
To beat boredom eating at work, stay away from the snacks brought into the office.
You know they’re there. Reduce temptation by avoiding the general vicinity of any snacks or treats the office might have. My favorite way to curb a craving is to take a walk. Just 10-15 minutes will distract you enough to usually let that craving pass. You’ll get your heart rate up, get your steps in, and more than likely come to the conclusion the bagel isn’t a good idea. When you have your snacks on hand (see above), you know where your next meal is coming from (meal prep), you’ll be more confident in making the choice to skip the readily available, sugary, carb-y, processed foods the office provides.
Eat every 3 hours
Boredom eating at work is common when you don’t have any idea where your next meal is coming from. Primitively speaking, we are conditioned to eat as much as we can at once because we don’t know when our next meal will come. Our modern day society has turned that upside-down. Food is so easy to obtain now and that’s where part of the problem comes from.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
– Alan Lakein
To combat this, plan a regular eating schedule. Aim to eat every 3 hours throughout the day. Once you eat breakfast, your metabolism is revving. Keep it humming along throughout the day by eating at regular intervals.
My day looks like this:
8AM breakfast – egg whites, 1 egg, spinach, and gg crackers
11AM light snack – celery, baby carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, a tsp of almond butter
1PM lunch – I use a meal prep service for this 5 days a week
4PM snack – Vega protein shake + banana and tbsp of almond butter (if I’m super hungry)
7PM dinner – Protein power bowl loaded with veggies and lean protein
Beating boredom eating at work is a completely solvable problem. With a little preparation and planning, you’ll be eating whole foods at regular intervals, feeling great with sustained energy, and trimming down your waistline to boot.
