Over the past 18 months I’ve attracted a new female client. These women are successful and generally in high pressure positions within corporations or they are female entrepreneurs. The reason for their initial call or email to me is quite simple. They feel that their weight is out of control and they want to tackle it! Sounds familiar, nothing special about this is there? Well I made a disturbing discovery that I want to share with you.
So initially asked if I can help with an issue around weight and using food to cope with life and emotions, the answer is yes and it’s wonderful to discuss life beyond this behaviour. Disturbingly I noticed something of a pattern immerge with these women, many experienced NO food rules in the workplace! Yes, it seems in Offices and work places up and down the country breakfast, lunch and snacks are being eaten at the desk. There is no designated break and secret and binge eating isn’t the only cause for the increase in weight. The office space is providing an unhealthy environment for business owners and staff!
The auto-pilot eating at a desk has become the norm and I am also told that food is often centrally available in offices. It’s cake Wednesday or a Birthday or a Reward! Food is within a few steps or arms reach all day long. So you can literally eat your way through your day and this of course means that food as a coping mechanism has become deeply engrained at work. Clients discover they reach for food to create a break, a distraction or to deal with a difficult moment in their day.
I’ve asked clients how many of their staff are dieting, I am told it’s usually well over half. Something surely is ready to change?
My suggestions…
- Make food rules, discuss with your staff a way to reward and celebrate other than food
- Keep food in a kitchen space or designated area that you have to make an effort to go to
- Encourage other positive reward systems!
- Ask staff to have a break, a few minutes in a space away from their desks
- Set a good example if you are a business owner or a team leader!
It’s a simple way to improve our health and wellbeing around the country, let’s bring in some Food Rules OK?
What do you think?
Jayne x
Great idea Jayne. I found at every office I worked in that there were no food rules – and sure enough, at least half the office was on diets! When I started working for myself, I thought this would change. In fact, it had become a total auto-pilot and I often find myself eating at my desk – and often at the strangest times.
One of the most powerful things I did when I got my weight under control, was to set the “never eat alone” networking principle up, to protect myself from over-eating. However, this is being broken as I work alone and often cram lunch into a gap between client calls.
Thank you for this idea- I am going to create some simple Food Rules for my own office, starting with not eating at my desk!
Dinah x
Brilliant Dinah! Yes rules at home in our own office are important too. It’s such a simple way to increase wellbeing, lose some unwanted calories and improve our feelings about ourselves. I have several clients now following this and it’s working! Making food rules, make sense to me. Thanks Dinah and let me know how it goes! Jayne x
Sound advice Jayne – It’s so easy to get in to a rut with that – in fact I think much of it is down to not giving food the ‘ceremony’ it deserves. We should take more heed from the French and Italians who honour food in its own time and space. Plus of course the pressures of work and having to perform and deliver NOW! The good things in life become secondary and we eat purely for fuel and comfort.
I have discovered a great simple idea called the Lunchbox Diet – so eat normal portions of good healthy breakfast and dinner + graze throughout the day from your lunchbox which takes you 5 minutes to fill with beautiful fresh ingredients, with balance of proteins and vegetables and tasty dressing. eat small amounts when you feel peckish – takes you through the day and in fact I eat less at night – mostly though it kept my sugar levels balanced, stopped me form snacking on the bad stuff and my energy levels were great. Worth a look for all your readers.
Ruthie
x