@ the office Archives

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Recently, one of my clients became very frustrated because he was cutting back on his food portions, but the pounds kept piling on and he was steadily gaining weight. After a little exploration into his daily diet, we found that it wasn't the calories from food, but from the

beverages he was consuming.

 

Do you mindlessly drink soda or other sugary drinks throughout the day? Or hit the coffee shop for a frothy, whip-creamed top beverage? Do you know how many calories are in each cup, let alone the sugar and fat content?

Drinkers beware. Here's a look at the calorie and fat content for popular beverages consumed in the office. Keep your eye on the sugar content too and remember every gram equals 4 teaspoons.

Sip wisely!

SPECIALTY DRINKS

Starbucks:

Vivanno™ Nourishing Blends/Banana Chocolate Blend

Size: Grande, 2% milk

Calories: 270 (45 calories from fat)

Sugar: 28 grams

Fat: 6 grams

Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee with whip cream

Size: Grande, 2% milk

Calories: 380 (130 calories from fat)

Sugar: 47 grams (almost 12 teaspoons)

Fat: 15 grams

Carmel Macchiato

Size: Grande, 2% milk

Calories: 240 (60 calories from fat)

Sugar: 31 grams of sugar (almost 8 teaspoons)

Fat: 7 grams

Café Latte

Size: Grande, 2% milk

Calories: 190 calories (60 calories from fat)

Sugar: 17 grams of sugar (4 teaspoons)

Fat: 7 grams

 

Caribou Coffee

Caribou Coffee Cooler with whip cream 

Size: Medium

Calories: 420

Sugar: 56 grams (14 teaspoons)

Fat: 17 grams

Strawberry Banana Smoothie with whip cream

Size: Medium

Calories: 450

Sugar: 80 (20 teaspoons)

Fat: 11 grams

Panera Bread

Hot Chocolate

Size: Medium

Calories: 390

Sugar: 42 grams

Fat: 17 grams

Mocha Largo

Size: Large

Calories: 670

Sugar: 79 grams

Fat: 28 grams

Jamba Juice

Peach Pleasure

Size: 24 ounces

Calories: 420

Sugar: 81 grams

Fat: 1.5 grams

Pomegranate Heart Happy

Size: 24 ounces

Calories: 450

Sugar: 95 grams

Fat: 1 gram

REGULAR BEVERAGES

Coffee:

Size: 8 ounces

Calories: 2

Sugar: 0

Fat: 0

Decaf:

Size: 8 ounces

Calories: 0

Sugar: 0

Fat: 0

Tea

Size: 8 ounces

Calories: 2

Sugar: 0

Fat: 0

Decaf Tea

Size: 8 ounces

Calories: 2

Sugar: 0

Fat: 0

Can of Cola

Size: 12 ounces

Calories: 136

Sugar: 33 grams

Fat: 0

Take back control over the clock: time management strategies for the workplace.

By Kristi Daniels

Work-Life Balance Examiner

Ever peer at the clock striking 5 pm, only to wonder where your day went and recognize you still have a half dozen tasks on your "to-do" list? Do competing demands of your boss, colleagues, clients, urgent phone calls and e-mails and impromptu staff meetings throw your schedule off and you just can't accomplish what you planned for the day?

Take stock of some proven time management strategies from leaders in the field:

• Eat that frog! Professional management and leadership guru Brian Tracy suggests you start your day by eating that frog. That means take the most important item on your to-do list - no matter how big or how small - and put a dent in it. That's the one project that is "very important" and "very urgent." As soon as you get into work in the morning - determine how much time you have before your first meeting or conference call - and block off time to make progress on that task. If it's a huge task, such as completing a 20-page report, then decide what steps you can take to make a dent in the task - draft an outline, collect your data or just begin to write. If it's an important, perhaps difficult conversation you need to have - then make it. By taking action first thing in the morning on a priority task, you'll achieve a sense of accomplishment right away, even if the rest of your day escapes you.

 

• Get your to-dos out of your head.  Best-selling author David Allen suggests you find a time management system to organize all of your tasks. An organizer, a calendar or even a notebook - get all of the tasks in your head onto paper, and then figure out how to organize it. Do you ever remember your grocery list in the shower, but draw blanks when you're in the grocery store? Create "buckets" for your to-dos: work assignments, phone calls or emails to make, errands to run, your grocery list, etc. Allen says that "every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head," so you can create more space for productivity and getting things done. He also recommends having as few collection buckets as you can get by with, and emptying them regularly.

 

The morning cup of coffee is such an addiction, but do we really NEED it? Some days the answer is an astounding yes, but other days I find that I can begin the day without it. If your morning coffee has becomes such a routine habit, ask yourself are you even really enjoying it? Are you savoring every sip -- or just downing it completely oblivious to the taste in anticipation of the caffeine buzz? And how many times have you found yourself at the bottom of a cup that was just plain awful, but you drank it anyway?

Is this really how you want to start your day?

Here are some tips to begin to wean yourself off of that morning cup of coffee, or at least cut back during the workday:

Commit to cutting back. If you absolutely NEED your daily dose of java and have no interest in cutting back, then keep drinking...and enjoy it. However, if you notice that the caffeine is making you jittery or irritable during the day, and your one cup of coffee has evolved into 3 or 4 and you want to cut back, then keep reading.

Week One: Take it slow. If you're a daily coffee drink and quit cold turkey, you'll get caffeine withdrawals -- i.e., a major headache and irritability that could last 1-2 days. No one needs that during a workweek, it will just add more stress and a terrible mood to your schedule. Start small, switch to 1/2 caff. one or two days out of the week -- same cup of coffee, 50% decaf.

Here's a glimpse of the caffeine content in tea and coffee.

Week Two: Keep taking it slow and work in tea. After a week of half-caff, switch to tea one or two days out of the week. Savor the tea, and start experimenting with different flavors. If you still need the jolt of caffeine, you can opt for green or black teas. There's such a wide variety of tea selections -- work in a visit to a tea shop and open your senses to the flavors.

Week Three: Work in decaf teas and herbal teas. Keep experimenting with herbal, caffeine free teas and cut back your coffee to 1 or 2 days a week. Notice how it feels, have you broke the equation that coffee=energy?

Here are some of my favorite tea brands and shops:

Teavana   
Republic of Tea  
Revolution Tea 
Organic Stash
Teaism (Washington, DC)
Radiance Tea (New York City) 

These snacks require no prep time, just remember to pick them up during your next grocery store run.

• Go nuts.
  The protein in nuts keeps you satiated. Take a handful, not a bowlful. Walnuts provide heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids to keep brain cells healthy. A quarter cup of walnuts or cashews provides 5 grams of protein; the same serving of soy nuts, 11 grams. Combine with raisins or other dried fruit for a quick trail mix.
  
• Power up with protein bars.
  Keep your office draw stocked with high-protein bars, such as Slimfast® High Protein Meal bar or Shaklee Multi Munch® bar. One package packs 15 grams of protein and stops the light-headedness within minutes.
  
• Bag the bean after lunch.
  Substitute your afternoon cup of coffee for green or black tea to help you remain calm during a hectic day. A study from University College of London shows that antioxidants in black tea, called catechins, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Keep a few tea bags handy.

Grab and Go Healthy Snacking Solutions
Keep these staples in the office fridge and your silverware handy:

Lift the Lid and Dig In.
Keep a week's supply of yogurt for a quick snack. Just watch the sugar content. Plain and vanilla flavors tend to have much less added sugar. Add fresh fruit, blueberries, strawberries, or other seasonal berries that offer non-refined sugars and vitamin C.

Fuel up on Fiber. 
Spread hummus on a whole wheat pita. Garbanzo beans (the main ingredient for hummus) are high in fiber, protein, iron and vitamin C. Two tablespoons of hummus provide 3 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein, while whole wheat pitas offer 5 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of protein. According to the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board, women should consume 21 grams a day and men, 30 grams. Snacks with fiber:

Food	Grams of Fiber
Banana (medium)	3.1 grams
Carrots (cooked and sliced, ½ cup)	2.3 grams
Orange (medium)	3.1 grams
Black beans (1/2 cup)	7.5 grams
Sunflower seeds (1 oz.)	2.6 grams
Peach (medium, with skin)	1.5 grams
Rye bread (1 slice)	1.9 grams
Almonds (6, whole)	.8 grams

Can the Soda for a Lemon-Water.
High sugar drinks give you a spike, but in the long run may make you sleepier, according to research published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental. Drop lemon and lime slices in your water bottle. Sliced cucumber also provides a unique and refreshing taste.

Desperately Seeking a Healthy Snack?
What if your desk drawer is empty and you left the healthy snacks on the counter at home? Grab your wallet and take a brisk walk, outside - force yourself to avoid the route to the vending machine. Find the nearest bag of nuts or fresh fruit at the local eatery, grocery or convenience store. You'll return to your desk with a satisfied belly, clear head and a smile on your face.

Here are some of my favorite "off the shelf" snacks:

SlimFast Peanut Granola Protein Bars
200 calories
15 grams of protein
2 grams of fiber
Packs a protein punch that will satisfy the mid-afternoon cravings and leave you feeling satisfied.

Shaklee Cinch Bars
130 calories
10 grams of protein
No artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors and no trans fats. Low on the glycemic index, too.

Bear Naked Granola
140 calories for ¼ cup
5 grams of protein
3 grams of fiber
Mix-in with Dannon's All Natural non fat plain yogurt.

Dannon's Coffee Yogurt
A great alternative to that café latte.

Republic of Tea - Ginger Peach
Ban the bean for an afternoon tea. Green tea packs an antioxidant punch.