Any advice on eating during work
 

Hi people,

I need some tips.
This is my 6th day on Atkins.
I found that over the weekend eating wasn't a problem, if I was hungry I just went to the fridge for ham, chicken or some cheese. Together with a glass of water this would keep my hunger at bay until meal time.

The nightmare starts whilst I'm at work.
I've been bringing to work a huge salad, plenty of dressing and a huge amount of chicken. I thought that together with lots of water and black decaf coffee I'd make it until I get home.
Not true....by 2pm I'm hungry again....you can only drink so much water...

Does anyone have any tips on snacks that are easy to take into work?
btw...I don't eat red meat

Also, I'm finding this diet incredibly expensive....out of season salad and all this meat is not cheap !!!

Do you like tuna? Eggs? Celery?

You can make tuna, salmon or egg salads, stuff celery with cream cheese, few olives to munch on. By adding a bit more fat into the diet helps stave off hunger pains. You can't have any nuts yet so those are out. Once you can eat them beware of the salt and water retention.

During the winter months I normally buy the frozen veggies, since the others are out of season and normally don't look so hot.

How about packing up some pepperoni and provalone! It's very filling and very tasty.
asugar :wave:

Always have lc snacks available. Egg, tuna, salmon, crab salads, clam dip. All can be eaten with low carb vegetables or pork rinds. During the winter, I don't eat salads much (they taste funny to me), I eat cooked lc vegetables with butter/olive oil/cheese.

I don't find the diet too expensive. I shop on sale and considering all the snacks and ice cream I used to buy I actually save money.

Another mistake newbies often make is trying to go too low fat by eating the leaner meats. On this diet, fat is our friend! Many people lose well when fat is 60-75% of their diet. Too much protein is also not a good thing as excess protein converts to glucose in the body and stalls weight loss. The general guidelines are calories equal to 10X-12X body weight though I do well on a little less.

Try eeking out your protein servings by mixing it with mayonaise or making stir-fries. Add more fat via mayonaise, oils, butter, and cream cheese.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

I bring a hard boiled egg, an ounce of cheese, and sometimes some veggies, like celery and a couple of cherry tomatoes to munch on. After induction, you can have an ounce of nuts. I've started to make Atkins muffins, and sometimes take one to work with me as a snack in the late afternoon. I've found that I have to have something legal on hand in case I get hungry. That way, I am not tempted to grab something high-carb.

You could also cook a chicken breast the day before and cut it up into cubes to munch on during the day.

As for expense, I get the boneless chicken breasts on sale, usually for less than $2 a pound. I hardly ever pay full price for meat. I always get it on sale, or marked down in 'day late' sales, when the meat has to be cooked or frozen today before it spoils. If you have a freezer (I don't) you can really take advantage of sales. I buy butter for 1.99 or less per lb. on sale and freeze it. I also make liberal use of coupons.

Hope this helps. Good Luck! :wave:

Snacks/Expensive
 

Those are all wonderful suggestions for snack foods. I hadn't realized olives were okay. Black or green?

As far as expense goes, do you have a COSTCO nearby? I buy my frozen chicken breasts there and am able to defrost them one at a time if I choose to. I can also get frozen or fresh veggies there, cheese, pepperoni, tuna and many other items at a lower price than in the grocery store. Sam's Club, BJ's are the same types of places so if you don't have a COSTCO near you, you might try one of the others.

Other than that, look for sales at the grocery stores. I just got two top round london broils at my local grocery store for under $7.00 because they were on sale.

Good luck!

I do mix all my proteins with mayonnaise or cook with butter etc.
Been having scrambled eggs and turkey rashers cooked in butter for breakfast - oh was this a hard habit to get into after eating low-fat cereal for the last 15 years.
Unfortunately I don't like red meat so I can't get the fat that way. I love tuna, fish, chicken, cheese etc. so I'll take your advice and pack extras.
I bought some cream-cheese yesterday, first time in years, forgotten how tasty that stuff is...but it was such a struggle to eat it, basically because we have been brainwashed into thinking that we'd die of a heart attack if we did !!!!

I'm from England and believe me the price of fresh produce, like chicken and salad are expensive...whenever they are on offer I buy up quick !!!

Thanks for the tips so far....much appreciated.
Ali

BTW. What's provalone ?

BTW. What's provalone ?

Provolone is an Italian cheese; it is used a lot in subs and deli sandwiches.

Another option
 

I find that prepacking foods is wonderful! There's only so many quick-fix things that I enjoy that are convenient to take to work, so I've found that prepacking lunches that can be heated up at work are wonderful.

Shrimp scampi (shrimp sauteed in butter) is WONDERFUL!!

Mozzarella and cheddar cheese cubes are a good handy snack too. As for the water, it's strange at first, but now I feel strange when I don't get at least 80 oz. in per day.

Good luck!
Nikki :daizy:

I know you don't eat red meat, but the pepperoni/cheese combo has been a lifesaver for me. What you may like is the carb-free soy cheese, which I eat because I'm extremely lactose intolerant :nono: (and I'm still figuring out how to work around that on this plan).

I know that many people eschew this, but I still use an LC bar if I'm in dire straights. It hasn't stalled my weight loss (yet) and it's been a big help easing me into this WOL. Of course, it's only been two weeks, and I'd like to take myself off them soon. I just started preparing snacks to bring into work, and that's really helped me get through the day.

As far as snacking goes... you could do string cheese or turkey jerky too.

Regarding the expense of this diet... Stock up with the sales.

When tuna goes on sale 3 for $1.00 (or even 4) I hit the store. I buy meats in bulk and separate them out into meal size portions and freeze. Mayo, cheese, cream cheese, dip and dressings often go on sale buy on get one free or 2 for some set price. Eggs are a cheap alternative too.

Another $$$ saver idea.... make big batches of food and freeze. I don't know about England but here in the US you can get 100 peice plastic bowl set with lids for $10. You can make casseroles, beanless chili, veggie soup and crustless quiches in large quantities and freeze. They are perfect if you have a microwave at work or just need a quick easy lunch.

Never hungry at work
 

When I cook, it's in a large batch of whatever. I measure into meal sized portions in sandwich baggies and freeze.

Example of a days' food in my lunch bag - breakfast to late afternoon snack:
*Sausage/egg/cheese casserole [12 eggs, 1lb sausage, 3 cups cheese, tad of cream, sometimes mushrooms = 8 servings]*Baggie of some kind of roasted meat - about 3 - 4 oz.
*1 oz cream cheese
*egg salad - 1 egg w/mayo, tuna salad, or chicken salad made fresh
*a diet rite soda

If everything is prepped, I just lop baggies into my lunch bag. Everything thaws by lunch time. We have a microwave and fridge, so that helps. I don't like to transport lettuce salad - it's too big to lug on the bus and dressing is a hassle, so I save it for my dinner.

I also just discovered pork rind french toast - more like pancakes really. They freeze and reheat really well, so make a large batch. Freeze about 4 palm sized pancakes in each baggie. Use maple extract instead of vanilla - I swear to you it's just like real pancakes. Whoever thought of this recipe deseves some kind of medal.

At my job I never know if I'll get an actual lunch break or not, it just depends on how the day is going, so I try to pack a few things to keep me going untill I can get home or get a chance to eat a real meal. I also keep a few basics (mayonnaise, cheese, deli meat) in the break room fridge.
Try stuffing celery with cream cheese mixed with some worcestershire sauce and green onions. It's so yummy and the cream cheese helps to really fill you up. Keeping a little baggie of nuts in your purse helps too, for whenever you really can't sit down to eat at all.
Cream cheese on some deli ham is good, or swiss cheese on turkey. Just roll it up and eat :)
Hope that helps. :)