If you bring your lunch question

[blackkitty]

How do you keep from eating it before lunch time?

I brought mine today... grilled chicken salad, plus 2 snacks (AM & PM)
Well it's 8:47 and I already ate both of my snacks because I totally spaced and forgot to eat breakfast. And now I am eyeing my salad. On Friday I had finished my salad by 10:30 and I had to go out and buy a granola bar in the afternoon.

Help me

ETA: I keep my food at my desk because the refrigerator is so stinky and gross.

[bullygirl979]

PUT THE SALAD DOWN.

Seriously though, are you hungry or just bored/anxious/etc?

[roselis]

Do you have a desk drawer you can put it in? I keep my food in a bottom drawer out of reach. Out of sight, out of mind. Works about half the time.

[stephbfan]

Drink a lot of water, that always seems to help.
Also, what did you bring for snacks? Maybe they are not filling enough?

[udscoobychick]

Drink lots! I do decaf tea in the morning and water or diet soda (bad! don't do it!) in the afternoon.

Also, I know I'm always MUCH hungrier in the morning than in the evening. I'd rather eat more earlier in the day and have a very light dinner, so I don't shy away from having a hearty breakfast and lunch!

[starburst604]

Make sure to eat breakfast, consisting of protein and carbs (whether the carb be fruit or veggies or a starch) i.e. don't eat just eggs or just an english muffin. Mid-morning snack/meal consisting of both protein and carb too. (apple w/nut butter, yogurt w/fruit, whole wheat crackers w/hummus, etc.) Also I find the busier I am the less I will obsess over my lunch.

[starburst604]

Aug 13, 2012 9:01:18 GMT -5 udscoobychick said:

Drink lots! I do decaf tea in the morning and water or diet soda (bad! don't do it!) in the afternoon.

Also, I know I'm always MUCH hungrier in the morning than in the evening. I'd rather eat more earlier in the day and have a very light dinner, so I don't shy away from having a hearty breakfast and lunch!

I'm the same, plus I mostly work out in the mornings so I'm ravenous. My first 3 meals are bigger and then scale it down for meals 4 and 5.

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 8:49:47 GMT -5 bullygirl979 said:

PUT THE SALAD DOWN.

Seriously though, are you hungry or just bored/anxious/etc?

Probably more anxious than hungry this morning. I also find that once I start eating I just keep going. So after I eat my morning snack I am the most vulnerable.

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 8:51:04 GMT -5 @roselis said:

Do you have a desk drawer you can put it in? I keep my food in a bottom drawer out of reach. Out of sight, out of mind. Works about half the time.

Yea, I was just thinking that too... I put it in my desk drawer and that seems to help

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 8:54:54 GMT -5 stephbfan said:

Also, what did you bring for snacks? Maybe they are not filling enough?

Well today was unusual because I forgot to eat breakfast and that hardly ever happens. And I also probably didn't bring filling enough snacks today either... AM - mixed berries PM- veggies w/ ff ranch dressing

[bullygirl979]

Aug 13, 2012 9:08:05 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

Aug 13, 2012 8:49:47 GMT -5 bullygirl979 said:

PUT THE SALAD DOWN.

Seriously though, are you hungry or just bored/anxious/etc?

Probably more anxious than hungry this morning. I also find that once I start eating I just keep going. So after I eat my morning snack I am the most vulnerable.

Okay, so then you need to deal with your anxiety. Do some deep breathing, journal, etc. Can you pinpoint what is causing it? (And no, you don't have to answer that on the board. I just want to see if you are aware).

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 9:01:42 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Make sure to eat breakfast, consisting of protein and carbs (whether the carb be fruit or veggies or a starch)

I'm trying to get away from bread so these days I am eating 2 eggs and 2 turkey sausage patties. It's about 300 calories and filling. Do you think that is enough? And then I usually have fruit as my mid morning snack

[bullygirl979]

Aug 13, 2012 9:10:49 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

Aug 13, 2012 9:01:42 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Make sure to eat breakfast, consisting of protein and carbs (whether the carb be fruit or veggies or a starch)

I'm trying to get away from bread so these days I am eating 2 eggs and 2 turkey sausage patties. It's about 300 calories and filling. Do you think that is enough? And then I usually have fruit as my mid morning snack

Yes, it is enough seeing as you are currently anxious and not hungry.

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 9:11:55 GMT -5 bullygirl979 said:

Aug 13, 2012 9:10:49 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

I'm trying to get away from bread so these days I am eating 2 eggs and 2 turkey sausage patties. It's about 300 calories and filling. Do you think that is enough? And then I usually have fruit as my mid morning snack

Yes, it is enough seeing as you are currently anxious and not hungry.

That's not what I ate today... I totally forgot to eat breakfast and ate my AM and PM snacks when I got to work. And I probably am a little hungry which is probably normal since all I had was fruit and veggies

[bullygirl979]

Aug 13, 2012 9:13:02 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

Aug 13, 2012 9:11:55 GMT -5 bullygirl979 said:

Yes, it is enough seeing as you are currently anxious and not hungry.

That's not what I ate today... I totally forgot to eat breakfast and ate my AM and PM snacks when I got to work. And I probably am a little hungry which is probably normal since all I had was fruit and veggies

Oh, right.

Why don't you have some water and do some relaxation work. Wait 20 min and see if you are still hungry. Or is it really just anxiety.

[starburst604]

If you were actually feeling hungry I would say try adding some fruit or veggies in with that, and then a snack or mini-meal later in the morning. But it sounds like you're more anxious than actually hungry.

[blackkitty]

Ya know I never really thought about it but I do get really anxious at work, especially early in the morning. And especially on Mondays. I just have so much work to do and I have trouble focusing and so I hardly ever get anything done because I am so overwhelmed.
I make lists and I prioritize them too but I have a hard time actually doing anything.

[stephbfan]

I usually work out in the mornings. If I didn't have breakfast before coming to work, you can be sure, I would have done the same thing you are doing now.

I would eat my lunch around 10:30-11am and then for my lunch break, I would go to and get something light to eat, like Greek yogurt and also buy something to eat in the PM.

I tend to keep whole grain crackers at work in case I need them.

[dakotadangerdog]

If all you ate for breakfast was some berries and veggies, of course you are still hungry!! If you are hungry you should EAT but just make sure you eat the right things.

[starburst604]

Aug 13, 2012 9:18:11 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

Ya know I never really thought about it but I do get really anxious at work, especially early in the morning. And especially on Mondays. I just have so much work to do and I have trouble focusing and so I hardly ever get anything done because I am so overwhelmed.
I make lists and I prioritize them too but I have a hard time actually doing anything.

I know what you mean. Sometimes I just want to avoid. There are days when I come in and don't allow myself to log onto anything entertaining (GBCN, FB etc.) even once until I've finished what I've laid out for myself. Once I start it's hard to stop.

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 9:31:16 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Aug 13, 2012 9:18:11 GMT -5 @blackkitty said:

Ya know I never really thought about it but I do get really anxious at work, especially early in the morning. And especially on Mondays. I just have so much work to do and I have trouble focusing and so I hardly ever get anything done because I am so overwhelmed.
I make lists and I prioritize them too but I have a hard time actually doing anything.

I know what you mean. Sometimes I just want to avoid. There are days when I come in and don't allow myself to log onto anything entertaining (GBCN, FB etc.) even once until I've finished what I've laid out for myself. Once I start it's hard to stop.

The bolded part is my life... except I suck at actually following up on it

[bostonterrier]

This is how I deal w/ eating vs. work anxiety. I set small goals for myself (few callbacks, get through appointments), then give myself permission to read something entertaining on the interwebz.

For the actual eating part, I plot out what I'm going to eat on myfooddiary.com the day before. My motto is "Eat Your Plan." If I have a set plan of what I'm eating and when, I'm less likely to scarf all of my food at once. Also, at the beginning of each week, I stock up on big bags of veggies I chop over the weekend and herbal teas. If I'm going to deviate from the plan, it'll be as guilt-free as possible:)

[blackkitty]

Guess who waited until noon to eat (most of) her salad?
Yup that's right! Woo hoo
Now it's 12:40 and I am comfortably full. I hope that I stay full until I get home though. Ugh. It's not until about 5:30 and I ate my afternoon snack for breakfast.

[starburst604]

I would never last till 5:30, then I would go home and raid my fridge like a werewolf.

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 12:55:48 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

I would never last till 5:30, then I would go home and raid my fridge like a werewolf.

I should probably stop and get a granola bar this afternoon. The gas station across the street has fiber one bars

[achase123]

What about the idea of about five small meals throughout the day? That way you're never ravenous. The meals would be about 300 calories each if you're shooting for 1,500/day.

[blackkitty]

Aug 13, 2012 16:33:25 GMT -5 achase123 said:

What about the idea of about five small meals throughout the day?

I've tried this before but honestly I like the "idea" of sitting down to a real meal 3 times a day. I do the 2-3 snack thing too, but they are usually more like 100-150 calories or so

[blackkitty]

Today is day 2 of "try not to eat my salad before lunch time!"

[starburst604]

Well did you eat breakfast this time?

[phoenixrising]

Even if you don't put your lunch in the fridge, can you put it in a lunchbag somewhere near the fridge? I have an insulated bag, so I don't worry about it touching grossness in our fridge at work, but some people just stick an ice pack in their lunchbag in the morning and set it on the table in our break room. I work in a NICU, so bringing the food into the unit is not an option, however.