London - The modern office is an increasingly bountiful source of unhealthy foods from the sweets bowl at reception to the platters of sandwiches brought out to get us through boring meetings. Not to mention the seemingly endless supply of birthday cakes and just-back-from-holiday treats.
If you re trying to watch your weight, you’ve got no chance.
We are biologically programmed to eat what’s put in front of us, says Professor Peter Rogers, head of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol. Humans evolved to exist in an environment where food was scarce, so we are wired, he says, to exploit opportunities for palatable, energy-dense food. Our physiology encourages us to consume, he adds, and, the truth is, some of us are better at saying no than others.
Adding to our woes is the fact that if you have a sedentary job you’re statistically twice as likely to be over-weight as someone who moves around at work. This has dire consequences for health. Research shows type 2 diabetes is on the rise among office workers. Another major study found that workers who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.
Here, we identify your worst enemies in the fight to eat healthily at work:
The office feeder
Do you work with someone who arrives in the morning with croissants for everyone? Or who leaves some delicious, highly calorific treat on the corner of your desk? She is the office feeder: the dietary scourge of modern working life.
This pattern of behaviour often stems from feelings of insecurity, explains Dr Michael Sinclair, consultant psychologist with London s City Psychology Group.
Handing out food helps the giver feel needed and allows them an element of control over their work environment.
However, the office feeder may have a more selfish motive. These people could be trying to absolve themselves of the guilt brought about by their inability to manage their weight, says Dr Sinclair. By encouraging others to eat treats, they feel less guilty as they’re not the only ones indulging.
THE SOLUTION:
It can be hard to say no when you don’t want to upset or offend, says Dr Sinclair. He suggests you acknowledge the kind gesture, asking questions about the food (curiosity implies empathy), but firmly decline, if necessary telling them you are on a rigid diet.
Boost your resolve by scattering empty chocolate wrappers or crisp packets on your desk. According to Professor Brian Wansink, an eating behaviourist at Cornell University, studies have shown that evidence of past indulgences often provides an effective deterrent.
Eating at your desk
Do you often eat lunch at your desk, efficiently multi-tasking as you catch up on emails, finish a report and make a few essential personal phone calls?
One report (by a company that makes computer cleaning products) suggested that 87 percent of British office workers eat lunch at their desk. The problem is that you are unlikely to be paying attention to your food, so it s harder for your body to realise that it’s full. This makes you more likely to eat more.
A study last year by the University of Bristol found a group that had been distracted while eating their meal ate twice as many biscuits half an hour later than those who had not been distracted.
THE SOLUTION:
Dietitian Dr Sarah Schenker recommends moving away from your desk to eat go outside in the fresh air.
Even if you only move a few metres from your desk for five minutes, you have a better chance of being able to focus on and enjoy your food, so you should feel more satisfied and less likely to make poor food choices later.
Professor Rogers has more draconian advice. Make a pact never to eat at your desk, he says. Once you associate an environment with eating, your brain will make the link with food so eating will come to mind whenever you are there.
The 3pm energy slump
The mid-afternoon slump leads to an urge for quick-hit energy, usually in the form of high-calorie treats. It occurs partly because blood has been diverted from the brain to the gut to help process food.
Also our body clock is programmed for a nap at around this time. This dates back to prehistoric times. It may not have been conducive to our survival to pass out for hours at a time, so during the day we rested in short phases, explains sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan.
A recent survey carried out for the low-carb Atkins Diet found that 3.23pm was the most dangerous time for slimmers, with 62 percent of those surveyed admitting this is when they are most likely to be tempted to break their diet. Equally, it is common to reach for unhealthy foods when under pressure. Stress raises levels of the hormone cortisol, which increases cravings for unhealthy foods as the body acts to stock up on energy.
THE SOLUTION:
Beat your cravings with a brisk ten-minute walk. This will divert blood from the digestive tract back to the muscles and brain, keeping you alert. Research at the University of Georgia found that a quick stroll can decrease fatigue by as much as 65 percent.
Another option is a cup of coffee or strong tea for a caffeine boost without too much sugar.
Sitting down all day
A sedentary desk job makes dieting tough. You use only one or two calories per minute when sitting, but double that (four calories) for every minute you stand and treble it (five or six calories per minute) if you walk around.
Studies show that enzymes responsible for breaking down fat are suppressed when you sit. Researchers found that men who sit at their desks for more than six hours a day are nearly twice as likely to be overweight than those who sit for less than 45 minutes.
ThE SOLUTION:
Stand whenever possible - get up from your desk every hour and walk around.
Celebration food
When you want to be healthy you dread the Happy Birthday! cries that herald the huge slab cake.
THE SOLUTION:
Professor Wansink says we are more likely to indulge if we can easily reach tempting foods.
One of his studies found that female workers ate 5.6 times more chocolates if they were placed on a nearby desk than if they had to stand up and walk two metres to get them - so move the food away from your desk.
And when the birthday cake arrives, ensure you re in charge of distribution and discreetly count yourself out or, at least, ensure that yours is a suitably abstemious wafer-thin slice.
Escape the herd mentality
When all around you are snacking from your banned list, it can be really difficult to stick to your diet guns.
Professor Wansink says, typically, we eat 30 percent more calories in company than we do alone and women are more likely to be influenced by the habits of co-workers than men.
THE SOLUTION:
Find someone in the office who thinks like you (and enjoys eating healthy foods) and creat e a healthy-eating alliance.
Keep non-perishable snacks such as small bags of unsalted nuts and seeds in your desk drawer to eat when hunger strikes. - Daily Mail