I have a new job at a company where people seem to do nothing but eat and where there is an outright hostile attitude toward dieting. Let’s call it Gluttony, Inc.
I’m on Weight Watchers, although I would never admit it at Gluttony. I don’t want my colleagues to think that I’m standoffish, but I don’t want to gain back the weight I have lost, either. This is a challenge, especially at our frequent potluck lunches.
I’m looking for low-calorie recipes (preferably easy ones) to bring to the potlucks so that I can at least eat my own contribution without ruining my week. I can’t keep bringing fruit salad every time – it’s beginning to look conspicuous (and lazy). But I don’t know what else to bring. It would have to be something that could be prepared the night before or in less than 30 minutes on the morning of the potluck.
A nice salad. You can even buy salad packages pre-cut with topping and dressing packets all in one bag in the refrigerated section of the produce area. When we travel to see family that’s usually what we contribute to family gatherings.
How about some sort of soup. Cooking light has some good ones. If you google cooking light soups they are online (there are probably some other cooking light recipes that would fit the bill
I also suggest soup. A butternut squash soup for example only has 40-60 calories per serving depending on the serving size. Here’s a recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252159/baja-butternut-squash-soup/ I like it with curry too. You can have sour cream to dollop on it on the side if they want it richer.
You could make the Barefoot Contessa’s Chinese Chicken Salad and lighten up on the dressing (or put on side). I use rotisserie chicken, also has julienne peppers ( I use different colors, red, green, orange) and asparagus.
What about a platter of marinated vegetables? Grilling them first makes them particularly yummy.
Or anything mainly veggie based.
Things that can be done the night before and served cold or room temperature that I make:
Thai Cucumber Salad
A classic cucumber and tomato salad
Chopped Greek salad
Moroccan Carrot Salad
Chickpea or Black Bean Salad loaded with veggies
Quinoa Salad
Zucchini Ribbon Salad
Cold Asian Style Asparagus
Shrimp cocktail has hardly any calories, super easy, and most people are usually thrilled with it.
I was going to suggest a Mediterranean Salad or a spinach salad with dried cherries, or pomegranate.
Another option could be a vegetarian pasta salad with lots of different vegetables. (you could use zucchini noodles)
Another idea would be to make individual sized egg quiches with different toppings in a cupcake tray that you just bake in the oven.
The bagged salads are super easy and decent. You can bring a couple extra ingredients to throw on top. Buy a bagged salad, a back/pack of already grilled chicken strips, some fresh cheese like feta and dried fruit and it will be a win.
I also vote for soup. You can put it in a crockpot, plug it in when you get to work and it will be toasty warm at lunch.
Bowls are in right now. How about a yogurt bowl as a substitute dessert?? Get a quart of vanilla yogurt, smooth out in a bowl, top with things like fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, honey, granola- pretty and healthy!
I had thought of a few of these things but you’ve given me lots of additional practical ideas.
The options that involve crock pots won’t work, unfortunately, because I work in a cubicle with no extra outlets. All the outlets are taken up by my computer and related equipment. I guess this is true for all of us because the only people who’ve shown up at potlucks with food in crockpots are managers, who have private offices and extra outlets.
But the salad ideas are great, and the yogurt bowl sounds attractive and delicious.
Government contractor with a relatively young staff, including lots of people who don’t have families and seem to want to socialize with their colleagues.
Potlucks at least once a month. People endlessly getting takeout at places that sell high-calorie foods, asking you whether you want them to get you something, and being offended when you say no. Bagel breakfasts to welcome every new hire, with everyone in the group expected to attend (and new hires are also taken out to lunch by their groups on the same day – even though everybody’s still stuffed full of bagels). Bake sales to support various charities, and a lot of social pressure to buy something at each of them. Free happy hours with lots of snacks as well as drinks. There was even a tray of snacks and drinks at my job interview!
On my first day, someone mentioned that it has to be tough for dieters on a new hire’s first day because of the bagel breakfast followed by the restaurant lunch, and the vice president in charge said (in a highly offended voice), “Nobody diets in THIS company.” Everything I’ve seen since then leads me to believe that she was stating a fact as well as expressing her own opinion.
The challenge for me is to stay on the weight loss program that has worked well for me without ever letting it show because clearly, I must not let it show in this environment if I don’t want to be a social pariah. It doesn’t help that both my boss and her boss are noticeably overweight (more so than I am at this point) and have chosen not to do anything about it. So I would expect a lot of hostility from them in particular if I admitted that I work at controlling my weight.
I’ve gained five pounds since I started this job. Another five and my clothes won’t fit. I am NOT going to let that happen, but I don’t want to be ostracized, either. I’m annoyed that my 40-pound weight loss is now a 35-pound weight loss. I need to get back in control NOW, but it’s extremely difficult to do this in a food-drenched environment.
I don’t like to bring it up, but this does not sound like the job for you if you want to keep your weight off. You’re constantly going to be barraged with temptations. As is well known, the best (and pretty much the only successful or most people) way to resist temptation is not to present yourself with temptation.
For your potluck, I suggest a delicious salad with vegetables and beans, with a bit of cheese. Dressing on the side so people can add it to their liking.
I don’t go to many events requiring a dish to share, but when I do, my go-to is a fruit salad (sorry!).
I cut up red grapefruit and seedless oranges into bite-sized chunks, and fold in some dried cranberries. The dish is colorful and eye-catching. It’s also delicious and refreshing.
It does take time to slice the rind off the fruit, pick out seeds, and cut it all up. It can be messy with all the juice being released. But once you get your system down, that helps.
I usually put a very large cutting on a towel next to the sink. Bowl goes in the sink. Cut the ends off the grapefruit (or orange). Then use a sharp serated knife to cut off the rind, north pole to south pole if you will. Then cut the fruit into chunks. As I cut, I use a scraper to push the fruit and juice into the bowl. The towel helps absorb any stray juice headed for your counter or floor.
The team seems to like to celebrate - do you have any type of wellness program/coach/staff at your employer? Sounds like you need someone to come get the team excited about BALANCING nutrition. Maybe set up a challenge at work.
You can’t be the only one feeling this way. Probably with the pressure no one wants to speak up.
Those young ones…all those bagels are going to catch up with them one day!!! (why are people so into bagels?!! I mean, a 1/2 bagel every once in a while but …)
I wouldn’t rock the boat in trying to get anyone else involved with wellness activities. I feel for you, as I have a hard time resisting goodies at work, too.