PUTTING ON WEIGHT AT WORK?

BT tells you how to make sure that you don't let your office be the source of your weight problems You're working 12 hours a day at a stressful job, barely eating four meals and haven't lost an ounce. In fact, the weighing scale pointer tips further to the right every week! A recent study says that a worker in a sedentary career may end up with a      Body Mass Index 3.3 units higher than someone in a highly active job. But apart from the fact that you don't have much activity in your daily routine, there are several reasons why you are piling on the pounds:  You skip breakfast:  You have to get to work on time and you didn't turn in early last night. All you can manage in the morning is taking a bath, dressing up and making a dash for work. But skipping breakfast isn't an option. It won't help you with your diet either because those who miss breakfast tend to overeat the rest of the day.Health tip: Opt for an easy-to-prepare breakfast like cornflakes and milk or a brown bread sandwich. Or order breakfast from the cafeteria at work.  You have a late lunch: With all those meetings, your lunch gets postponed. This causes weight gain because your body gets the message that you're starving it and so it creates reserves for you by storing the food you eat as fat.Health tip: Try to accommodate a half an hour lunch break into your schedule somewhere between 12 and 1 pm. Or arrange a working lunch with colleagues.  Your meal time is too short: You need at least 15 to 20 minutes to eat your meal after which your brain gives a signal that you're full. If your eating time is too short, your body will still be in hunger mode and you will binge later on.Health tip: Get to work a few minutes early so you can spare a little longer time for lunch.  Your meal is too heavy: If you're tired of the canteen food, it's not an excuse to try out every new restaurant in town. Restaurants will do anything to make      their food tastier and couldn't care less about your weight. Health tip: FIf you've been eating out, try a healthy tiffin service for a change.  You drink one too many cups of coffee: By 4 pm you've started to feel drowsy after a heavy lunch and make a dash for the coffee machine. The caffeine may keep you awake but the sugar will only keep you from losing weight. Health tip: Often, lethargy and tiredness is caused due to lack of water. Make sure you have a bottle of water on your desk the moment you switch on your computer. The more water you drink, the less coffee you will need.      TNN (Above) Eat a healthy breakfast so that you don't binge during lunch. (Right) Caffeine may keep you awake but the sugar will only keep you from losing weight