Work can make one fat...I have proof!

I'm very fortunate to have a portable profession that allows me to telecommute most of the time. However, there are some instances when I have a super consuming project (or 50) going on and extended face time in the office is required. This happened to be the circumstance a month or so ago when I was working on a big project that required a few weeks of constant office time.

I recall one particularly busy day when I waited too long to eat and ended up lunching on a giant Italian Sub (because I deserved it, right?), chips, and a cookie as big as my face; I chased it all down with 8 pieces of chocolate. That was one example, but here's the typical routine...

• grab a high-cal breakfast on the way to work (hot chocolate and donuts...sigh...) 
• work
• think about lunch
• talk to co-workers about lunch
• more work
• eat a ginormous lunch (ignoring everything I know about healthy eating) often while working
• work some more
• think about snacks while working
• go find a snack and visit the pop machine (for pop, of course, not a sensible water) 
• work some more
• start thinking about dinner (which I was usually still to full to eat) while finishing up the day's work
• eat several huge portions of something that I will have eaters remorse about later.

Can you guess what happened at the end of my project? That's right, I gained 13lbs (in about a 4wk time span). I know, I know, I'm pregnant, right? Is that what you're thinking? Expecting or not I really shouldn't have gained 13lbs in 4wks; My dramatic weight increase threw red flags all over the doctor's office - floor, ceiling, hallways, flags everywhere. I had a few tests all revealing there's nothing abnormal about my pregnancy except my eating habits for that month.

After that horrifying tale from the scale, I decided to re-focus to avoid depleting my health further and so the baby would remain unaffected. No more pop, no more binging on entire sleeves of cookies, no more baking (for myself alone) and no more donuts with hot chocolate for breakfast. I've been able to stick to my new plan for the most part. My biggest regret is that I didn't do it sooner - for the baby and I.

Is the day-to-day routine of your workplace making you gain? I know that it's hard to avoid convenience foods and fast food when there's work to be done, but just think of all of the extra weight loss work you (and I) will have to do if you take your eyes off the prize! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but calories count ALL THE TIME even when you're working...even on your birthday (dang it)...and even when someone else gifts those calories to you (e.g., your granny bakes you a cake as a special treat because you're doing sooooo well on your diet).

My advice to you: pre-plan, make healthier choices (grilled instead of fried...you know you can do it), don't binge eat/over eat/or make bad choices because you "deserve it," be mindful of your own plate and don't worry about what your co-workers are ordering; Remember, it's lunch and (God willing) not your last meal ever, so don't order that way.

Here are 10 tips for eating healthy at work!