How Do You Deal With Junk Food At Work?

How Do You Deal With Junk Food At Work?

Photo by Thomas Kelley via Visual Hunt

We asked, and you delivered — how do you work near junk food without pigging out? From bringing a sensible lunch to developing weird habits, here are the strategies that worked for you.

Pack Your Lunch

Planning ahead was probably the most popular answer. If you pack your own lunch, you won’t feel as tempted by the steady stream of cakes and cookies:

Obviously, if your lunch is a sad sandwich it might not be a huge help to your willpower. So Carrie Matheson suggests treating yourself to something healthy you love — she’s partial to veggies and dip. “If you get in the habit of eating healthy food you enjoy, junk food starts to come across as plain-old junk and unappealing.”

Teach Yourself a New Phobia

A few of you have unconventional approaches. Celiac disease and lactose intolerance make it easier to say no; so can convincing yourself that there’s something wrong with your co-worker.

Slam a Protein Shake First

Hey, if it works for you! Gawdmode has a shake before checking out the available treats. (Other healthy snacks could do the job, too.) Some Guy on the Internet chugs water all day long to stave off that empty tummy feeling.

Hide the Candy Jar

Several of you resent the friendly office candy jar and the social customs around it (including the loud “Oh, I shouldn’t” followed by having some anyway.) Maybe it’s time to campaign for the jar to move to the back corner of the break room or some other less tempting space?

Lie and Say You Ate It

For many of you, the presence of the food isn’t nearly as bad as the social pressure that goes along with it. If somebody brings in homemade baked goods, or hands you a slice of birthday cake, you can always save it for later, and then trash it when nobody’s looking. Also effective: claiming you already had a slice and it was great.

Track What You Eat

If you track your calories or macros (or even keep a text-only food diary), you can still stick to the plan even for workday treats. Tinwhistle looks up the treat’s calories before deciding whether to partake, while IndianaJoan uses the app itself as a slight deterrent:

Get Sick on It to Teach Yourself a Lesson

This one could backfire, but it worked for at least one of you:

Bring Healthy Stuff to Share

If the junk food is employee-provided, you could always be the person who sets a good example:


Thanks for all the great tips! If you have any more to add, feel free to share them in the comments.


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