Life without pizza? Participants in At Work Challenge say maybe so
Many teams participating in the Fittest Loser At Work Challenge have changed their dietary habits since the beginning of the 12-week competition. They've learned to try new foods and some are even starting to believe that there's life without pizza.
The Hardware Divas from Addison Building Materials in Arlington Heights have changed their eating habits in many ways. They've focused on counting calories, avoiding late-night snacks and cutting junk food out of their diets.
"There are times that we will have a snack here or there, but it is not a part of our daily habits as they once used to be," says Meghan Wudtke.
In addition, team members have also focused on eating at least three meals a day - with healthy snacks in between. Since convenience often overshadows healthy choices, they plan ahead and pack snacks.
"Planning ahead is a great habit for our team," says Wudtke. "Packing snacks helps eliminate that feeling of having to go out of your way to pick up something healthy."
They've also found themselves trying new foods and recipes. Some recipes include chicken stroganoff, turkey tacos, lettuce wraps with ground chicken, and black bean brownies. Many have added mushrooms, fish and tofu into their diet as well.
"Some of our teammates aren't changing recipes, but simply adding new foods to their diet that they never liked or wanted to try," Wudtke says.
Pizza has been a difficult food to give up. But this team gets creative. Some have tried making pizza with a cauliflower crust while others used regular crust but topped it with an assortment of healthy vegetables.
The Elmhurst Shrinking Waistliners, from the city of Elmhurst, has made similar diet changes. While they have entirely eliminated pizza, they are avoiding late-night snacking as well - no eating after 6 p.m.
In addition, team members have cut a lot of high-carb foods from their diet.
"We have almost entirely removed rice, pasta, breads and potatoes from our diet," says Valerie Johnson, human resources director at the city of Elmhurst.
To curb their hunger, they've introduced lots of fruits and vegetables into their diets and taken to making smoothies. Members report making "crazy" smoothies that include mixing bananas, blueberries, super greens, kale, almond milk and vanilla protein.
"If it's green, we are eating more of it, especially spinach and kale," says Johnson. "An abundance of greens helps satisfy hunger and take off the weight."
Another team, BIK CPA's Chippin' Pounds Away also reports adding much more green into its diet. The team, from BIK & Co, LLP in Palatine, reports adding more veggies into its diet, limiting portion sizes, cutting down on "bad" carbs and planning ahead with meals.
"I'm eating spinach salads with light dressing and I'm cutting down on carbs," says Dave Friedman. "For breakfast, especially when it's a busy morning, two protein bars totaling under 450 calories and a bottle of water have been great."
Sarah Schmidt, who used to "eat on the fly," says that she now brings her own lunch and snacks to work. She's been trying to avoid baked goods, deserts and candy which hasn't been easy, "but possible." Though she hasn't entirely cut junk food from her diet, she limits the intake.
"There's life without pizza, sort of, just eat one slice versus the whole pizza," she says.
Team members also report trying new foods. Friedman recently tried a salad with spinach, fiddlehead ferns and a variety of beets topped with cheese crumbles and a light dressing.
Connie DuBois has added fennel, leeks and bok choy into her diet and often enjoys kale in her salad or baked as a snack. She's even tried eating an orchid.