Wednesday, February 15, 2012

How I Avoid a 3pm Snack Attack


And I'm not talking about the, "Ooh, I'm hungry! I think I'll eat the healthy snack I brought to work." Fruit or nuts or yogurt or low fat popcorn would be too logical.

I'm talking about the, "Lay off my I'm starving!" or the "My stomach is eating itself!" and "Where's the nearest vending machine???" snack attack. Only Pop Tarts, peanut M&M's, or Junior Mints will do. 

You see, when I changed jobs, I also lost the convenience of having a Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Potbelly's (mmm...their cookies), Caribou Coffee, Argo Tea, two cupcake bakeries, and Walgreens a stone's throw away.

Now, my snack time options include: bring something from home, raid the vending machine, go to the cafe in the building before it closes, drive somewhere, or ask a co-worker for a snack.

Hmmm...not too many options now. To make matters worse, the vending machine only takes $1 bills or change.

In reality, I've made this work to my advantage.

To avoid the 3pm stress/snack binge, I try not to carry $1 bills in my wallet. It's like my stomach knows when the $1 bills are around and burning a hole in my wallet.

Not having the $1 bills makes me evaluate whether I'm actually hungry, thirsty, stressed, or bored. Instead of running for the Pop Tarts, I might take a walk away from my desk, make some tea, or eat the healthy snack I brought. Sure, I could borrow a $1, but then I'd have to break a larger bill and be left with more $1's.

Overall, it's a much better situation for my waistline, brain, and wallet.

What do you do when the 3pm "My stomach is eating itself!" feeling hits?
Pin It

2 comments:

  1. On the days when I work at the library it is easy because there is no food allowed in the reading room! On days when I'm at home it is harder but I try to just drink tea or eat something healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have an issue with feeling as though I always need to be snacking on something while I am sitting at my desk while at work. I do my best to space snacks out between every 2 hours. I pack healthy snacks such as fruit and veggies.

    Like you I have to make sure I dont have cash so I am not running around the corner to the newsstand to by something sweet or salty.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment! Keep in mind that Fiscally Chic is a spam-free zone. Please leave your snarky comments, blatent self-promotion, and processed meats at home.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...