Feeling weighed down by the heavy workload at your office? That's the
least of your worries, writes PANG WAI LING.

REMEMBER the time when you used to be more active in various activities and sports? How nimble you were as you passed the football around without batting an eyelid?

But look at how things have changed lately in your life. You now look in the mirror and what greets you is a reflection of a person struggling with the battle of the bulge.

A walk up two flights of stairs will turn you blue and send you gasping for air. Football now means sitting in front of the television watching other people doing the running around.

Realising how extra weight will put a dent on self esteem, performance and health, we should start taking responsibility to battle the bulge.

Avoid blaming factors like:

• Age is catching up on me;

• No time;

• Will start to exercise and be more active next month; and

• Looking for someone to exercise with.

Take a long hard look at yourself. Are you unwittingly falling into potential pitfalls that are turning you into a desk-potato at work?

MISTAKING THIRST FOR HUNGER

A lot of people tend to reach for a snack when they are bored or stressed. Instead of taking an extra bite which you don’t need, try to reach for a sip instead. Keep a bottle of water at your desk and set a target of finishing it by the time you go home. Drinking adequate water throughout the day will provide you with the hydration you need and also make you feel fuller.

EATING TOO MANY MEALS OUTSIDE

A lot of research points to associations between frequency of eating out and levels of body fat and body mass index. Food portions generally tend to be huge when eating out, but low in important fibre and contains a high levels of sodium and fat. You may not have the option but to eat out for lunch on your working days, but how about starting to have breakfast more often in your house? Breakfast need not be an elaborate affair. It can just be some toast with light spreading, some cereal with low fat milk or some beverage with cereals in it.

Once you have achieved the desired change, then target to change other meals of the day.

Making small steps assures that you do not feel too overwhelmed by too many changes that you need to cope with.

EATING IN FRONT OF THE TV OR COMPUTER

When you focus your attention on another activity, you will be missing out on the taste and texture of the food.

A simple solution is to allocate a proper time for your sit-down meal where there’s minimal distraction between you and your food —in other words, it means to pay attention to what you put into your mouth.

RUSHING THROUGH YOUR MEALS

Eating in a hurry may help you make that next meeting, but it can come with a number of negative effects. Apart from indigestion and heartburn, eating hastily also leads to overeating. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to recognise the signal from stomach that it is actually full. It is important that you know how much time you need to finish your meal.

GIVING IN TO OFFICE TEMPTATIONS

Office can be a place where eating is frequent and snacking prevalent throughout the office hours. These snacks can range from the pieces of kuih muih served during meetings or the keropok handed to you by your colleague. You may also inadvertently store some peanuts or emergency biscuits in the drawer of your desk.

All this unneeded snacks can add up calories without us realising it –a curry puff during the morning meeting will cost you about 120 calories, two pieces of keropok passed around by your colleague may be another 200 calories and a handful of peanuts that you reach out for may add another 160 calories.

If this trend continues, it will be enough to make you grow sideways by the end of the year.

A study by Cornell University found a correlation between office eating and proximity to the freebies.

It states that those who sit closer to an office candy dish tend to both eat more candy and underestimate their consumption.

If you are those who can’t resist the temptation of tidbits, just make sure to keep them out of your sight.

Pang Wai Ling, a dietitian at National Heart Institute, is also a member of Malaysian Dietitians’ Association. This article is courtesy of Malaysian Dietitians’ Association.