Ever wondered why haven't been able to fit into your favorite old jeans since you left school and started the 9-5 grind? Aside from blaming age (your metabolism slows down the minute you hit 28) the other culprit is your work environment itself where you are exposed to breakfast meetings, working lunches and dinner dates, all of which do nothing for your once fantastic figure. But all is not lost. You can stay on your diet (and reduce the chances of gaining weight) and not jeopardize your status as a promising corporate executive.
Eat your breakfast
To avoid those unplanned morning snacks, come to work with a full stomach. It has been proven that people who have a hearty breakfast tend to perform better, have more energy during the day, and feel less hungry before lunch. Have a healthy breakfast and, if you're not particularly hungry before you leave for work (or woke up a tad bit too late and will be late if you eat), grab a fruit, a cereal bar or a cup of yogurt. You can munch on a fruit en route to work, and eat the rest as soon when you get to the office.
Have a sensible lunch
The midday meal should ideally be away from your desk. Having lunch while you're busy is not something you should be doing. By not focusing on your food, you are less likely to notice that you are already full and may continue to munch and munch until there's nothing left to munch. Make use of your lunch hour, grab a few friends and order healthy food at your cafeteria. And instead of wolfing down your food in one sitting, cut your portions in half. Eat that sandwich for lunch and save the fruit for your late afternoon snack.
Don't keep junk close by
If you are prone to afternoon hunger pangs, nibble on carrot or celery sticks, crackers or fruit and save all your candy for children during Halloween. Don't keep sweets or chips in your drawer. You'll be tempted to munch on these when you're bored or stressed out. If you need to have a candy dish on your desk (for your clients, for example if you work in a bank), fill it up with low-calorie or sugar-free goodies.
Limit your intake
Parties are inevitable. The boss turns a year older and he celebrates his day with his employees by bringing in some cake and pastries. You don't have to torture yourself by shunning the goodies totally, set a limit for yourself (a slice of cake, or one brownie bar) and stick to it. If you feel the urge to get another serving, douse your hunger by drinking lots of water.
Be active! Move around
You don't have to limit your physical activity to the workouts you do at the gym. You can burn calories even when you're at work! Instead of taking the lift or the escalator to go up two or three floors, take the stairs. If you need to talk to a co-worker, why not walk over to her table and chat, instead of lifting the phone or typing an email? If you feel that these aren't enough, you can go the extra distance by doing basic leg or calf exercises while you're sending a fax or photocopying documents. Don't be a sloth. Find ways (and reasons) to move around.
It may be difficult but with patience and much willpower, following these simple "rules" can be done. Once you've gotten used to the lifestyle change, you'll see that you can actually maintain that awesome college figure and still have enough energy and smarts to climb the corporate ladder.
