Comments on: Dieting at work

By: Ellie

Ellie — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:00:53 +0000

I really like the honesty of this post – as well as the helpful tips.

As an ardent follower of the eat-every-3-hours-or-thou-shalt-shrink approach, I used to bring all my food with me and dash to the restroom to down it during break. And you know what – that’s not a way to live! It only suggests that you have something to hide, while you should actually feel proud of yourself for taking care of your body.

Some people will never get it, others might take heed, still others will smirk behind your back. The thing is not to try and change people but just learn to live with it and do what you feel is the right thing.

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:48:43 +0000

I’m afraid I don’t go along with that. There’s more to it than overall calories in and out.

Your body needs to spend as much time as possible in a rebuilding or anabolic state. Much of this is hormonal. When you don’t eat regularly, the following things happen:
- testosterone production goes down
- thyroid down-regulates (it is stimulated by eating)
- insulin is not stimulated, which is needed for muscle building because it pushes nutrients into cells

All of the above contributes to a catabolic or breakdown state.

Our friend who can’t eat during the day is spending hours and hours in a catabolic state, which most people can’t get away with when trying to build muscle. It’s also not that good for losing fat either, if you don’t have much muscle mass to start off with.

Certain mesomorphic indiviudals might be able to get away with it, but then there are always genetic freaks who can get away with anything.

There’s also the issue of how much protein we can properly absorb and utilise in one sitting. If you spread out your protein intake over many smaller meals, you can absorb more (depending on the efficacy of your digestive system).

So to conclude, overall calories play a role but the hormonal cascade we get from eating (and what we eat is important too) makes a big difference in body composition and energy partitioning.

By: shaz

shaz — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:54:43 +0000

This is a possible solution for someone trying to lose fat (it’s a version of intermittent fasting), although not so good for those wanting to put on muscle. However, it is a pity that it comes to this at all.

This comment is wrong! as long as this person gets his required nutrients over these 2 meals i does not matter if they are building or losing weight, Gone are the days of eating 6 meals a day as its a myth!

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:32:17 +0000

I have to admit to doing the fasting at work option, far from ideal, but at the time I couldn’t deal with all the criticism.

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:47:08 +0000

Hello Eddie,
You are lucky you are able to have those conversations – it can be difficult when you know what point you want to make but don’t necessarily have all the facts off the top of your head!
I think people need to pick their moments: not everyone wants to hear what is good for them!
I have someone close to me who doesn’t want to hear me go on with my ‘helpful’ diet suggestions; but over time she has made small changes and the information has sunk in. I believe that eventually she will ‘get there’ but without me nagging!
Many of my clients have similar stories, often involving family members who won’t listen! Generally it is best to back off, set an example, and support them if they do want to make changes.

By: eddie

eddie — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:53:18 +0000

not commented for a long time, but i do follow the website and have done so for a long time.
personally because i have read a lot on the subject of nutrition online and via books for about 6 years now i actually open discussions on the subject.
i genuinely do have an issue with wheat, as do all of my maternal family at the very least.
however when “why don’t you eat sugar?” gets brought up i talk about NAFLD, insulin and leptin effects, weight loss, propensity to form cancerous growths etc etc
it helps that i remember things well and clearly and can describe things in layman terms.
you can get into some interesting discussions, but i genuinely enjoy discussions like this.
plus so many people are struggling with obesity and general ill health, if i only help a handful it’ll be worth it.
a friend who was pre-diabetic lost 5 inches off her hips in 3 weeks from going to a simple low carb diet combined with strength training

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:26:44 +0000

Hi Fi,
Yes, I’ve definitely had my patience tested to the limit – and often have let myself get into stupid reductionist arguments on the topic.
On the plus side, for everyone who was negative/defensive about it, there was someone who was interested and intrigued to find out more. So it wasn’t all bad!

By: Fi

Fi — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:36:05 +0000

Good post. It still bothers me when I get comments on my food, despite the fact that my colleagues should know the way I eat by now. I try not to react aggressively but it definitely tests my patience sometimes. It’s sad to hear about that guy who resorted to not eating at work.

In some ways I think it’s worse for women, especially strong ones. It seems to be more acceptable for guys who lift to drink shakes etc. during work, but less so for a muscly woman (who probably already threatens the delicate male egos in the office!).

I think you’re right about the jealousy thing too, especially from other women. Although I guess it must be annoying to watch as I put cream in my coffee, have cheese with lunch, dark chocolate in the afternoon and still stay lean! Most people struggle so much with their weight and still place so much trust in conventional wisdom that they can’t get their head around such different approaches to nutrition.

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 14:03:27 +0000

Excellent tip! I’ve noticed the lure of strawberries, now that you mention it.

By: Rhiarti

Rhiarti — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 13:52:07 +0000

Fab post! I used to work in the games industry, which is an absolute dietary nightmare zone.

I tried bringing assorted healthier option treats in alongside the obligatory cakes. By far the most popular option seemed to be when set out a bowl of cherries or strawberries. Somehow those seemed to register as a treat for people instead of setting off the “healthy” alarms!