Last week as I was driving to meet one of my early morning personal training clients and there was a report I heard on the radio about workplace weight gain. The reporter said that forty-four percent of U.S. workers said they have gained weight at their current jobs for various reasons. I don’t know how many workers were surveyed in this study, but that’s not important. What is important is the fact that eating practices in most work environments are very unhealthy. The amount of junk food and sugary beverages that are offered around most offices far outweigh healthy ones. A typical morning in an office starts with coffee and a bagel or maybe even  donuts. Let’s not forget about the late afternoon pick me up snack or the brownies, cake and candy that your coworker puts out for everyone to partake in. These poor eating practices combined with sitting for long hours at a desk can lead to unwanted weight gain and even obesity.

As a matter of fact just a few days ago a friend and I were having coffee and he was telling me about his struggles with avoiding sweets in the office. He said that when walking through his office, he could hardly take ten steps without being tempted by a sugary snack. According to him the junk food was arranged around the workplace at most of the workstations and even right next to the water cooler. It’s no wonder why many people are battling with weight gain, when they are constantly confronted by unhealthy food in a sedentary, highly stressful atmosphere.

After talking with my friend, I decided to put together some tips that can be used in the work environment to combat the overwhelming urge to participate in eating sugary snacks.

1. Bring ready-made healthy snacks such as assorted fruits to help curb a sweet tooth
2. Ask your co-workers to help you control your in-take of junk food by asking them to remind you of your goals when you are tempted by treats
3. Join up with a fellow co-worker to eat healthy together; this partnership can make it easier to successfully avoid workplace junk food.
4. Take a walk or workout at lunch to help avoid the afternoon energy drop

These small changes in your everyday work routine will help you avoid the unwanted workplace weight gain.