How to Avoid Overeating When You Work at Home | FlexJobs

No doubt, working from home can be great! But it also comes with unique challenges. One of the most consistent problems remote workers face is maintaining balanced, healthy eating when they’re not in an office setting. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, overeating—and lack of exercise—can go hand in hand when you have a remote job. It’s all too easy. After all, no one is glancing into your cubicle to notice that you’re eating your third or fourth snack for the day. If you’re struggling to maintain healthy habits from home, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite tips to help combat the health challenges many first-year remote workers face.

Developing Healthier Nutrition Habits Working From Home

Most of us don’t even realize how much we’re overeating. For your physical and mental health, it’s essential to be aware of the dangers and take steps to create healthier habits. Consider some of the following ways remote workers have conquered nutrition challenges while working from home.

— Ditch the Snack Drawer

You’ve got staples, other office supplies, and a lot of salted caramels in your side drawer. But keeping tempting delights right next to you is an easy way to overindulge. Relocate the goodies to another hard-to-reach part of your home so that you have to put some effort into getting one. That way, you’ll have time to consider if you want to choose to indulge consciously.

— Preportion Your Meals

Sure, one of the ways that working from home may save you money is by eliminating pricey lunches. On the other hand, one of the advantages of working in an office is that you prepared leftovers in advance, rather than having the entire fridge at your disposal. Get the best of both worlds by avoiding overserving yourself during lunchtime. Instead, divide several meals into neatly sized lunch containers so your portions are set and ready to go.

— Meal Prep on the Weekends

It can be easy to spend your days snacking on convenient but unhealthy foods. But by incorporating some nutritious meal prep sessions on the weekends, you can create a daily routine that makes eating healthier much more effortless. Consider stocking up on plenty of productivity-boosting foods that are quick and easy to prepare, such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Portioning them out can help ensure they’re a quick go-to snack when you’re pressed for time.

— Mind Your Movement

It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re deeply engrossed in a project. But hours can pass by without getting up from your desk once, which can be dangerous to your health. Try to get up and move around every half hour or so. Just choose a destination other than the kitchen. Stand up and stretch, walk, or even turn on some tunes and dance a little. Any physical activity can be beneficial to your overall health. Often, snacking is a result of boredom from your tasks. So, get ahead of the temptation by incorporating regular movement and breaks.

— Choose Non-Food Rewards

When you meet a deadline, it’s good to give yourself a little reward. But look for other ways to celebrate beyond food. The best reward? Time away from your desk. Set some self-imposed deadlines and then head for a stroll around the block. You’ll get more energy too.

— Work Away From the Kitchen

If your home office is right next to your kitchen—or worse, it is your kitchen—you’ll need tremendous willpower to prevent yourself from nonstop noshing. Look around your home to see what other spaces you can potentially turn into a home office. Ideally, it would be best to look for an area far away from your kitchen to prevent mindless eating and help you have a healthier work-from-home experience. For best results, set open hours for your kitchen. Turn off the light and make a mental note to not head back in there until a set time.

— Set a Routine

When you worked in an office, there were probably expectations around when you needed to report to work. One of the most beneficial aspects of many at-home jobs is schedule flexibility. However, that can also lead to developing unhealthy habits quickly. Incorporate planned breaks and meal times into your schedule. Then, if you’re considering snacking outside of one of those periods, stop and ask yourself if you’re possibly just trying to avoid work for a bit.

— Focus On Hydration

The easiest and most frequently overlooked aspect of healthy nutrition is your water intake. Make it a habit to load up a glass or water bottle first and keep it at your desk. Consider setting reminders on your daily calendar to drink a glass every hour. You might find that you’re no longer feeling hungry once your body is adequately hydrated. As a bonus, you’ll frequently get extra steps running to the restroom.

— Choose Not to Stress-Eat

It’s in your best interest to find other outlets for your stress than grabbing a cookie or bag of chips. Going for a walk around the block or doing a yoga session are fantastic options that help you burn stress through movement.

— Eat Away From Your Desk

Help yourself tune into your hunger cues by not multitasking while eating. Taking breaks might feel wasteful at first when you’re at home by yourself, but you owe it to yourself to let your mind and body reenergize. Giving your brain a mental break can help you focus on your hunger cues and stop eating when you’re full. So, do yourself a favor and move away from your desk whenever you’re eating.

Developing Healthy Remote Eating Habits

It’s easy to get caught up in the work-from-home lifestyle and let unhealthy habits take over. It happens gradually as we relax in our home office environment. By creating better boundaries around your eating habits, you can help ensure that you avoid the remote work nutrition challenges that so many of us fight.