Millions of office workers work such long hours they eat three meals a day at their desks, it was revealed today.
Researchers found the mad dash to get to work in the morning means millions of us grab something from the fridge and take it to work to eat on arrival.
While lunchtime sees many pop out to buy lunch before hurrying back to work to stay on top of the to-do list.
Incredibly the study also found many work such long hours they find themselves struck by hunger at 5pm and seek fuel to keep them going into the evening with a third meal at work.
This eating habit, combined with increased levels of snacking, means the average person puts on almost a stone in the first year of office work, with 11lbs the average weight gain.
The research, which was commissioned by Wonderful Pistachios ahead of World Pistachio Day on February 26 2013, found half of respondents ate both breakfast and lunch at their desks, while one in ten even eat all three meals in front of their computer.
A sorry seven in ten admit to going to work with good intentions, only to succumb to the office vending machine or temptations provided by co-workers.
In fact, the average British worker doesn’t even make it an hour before tucking into their first snack with 9.58am the time most cave in.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Wonderful Pistachios said: “Many people struggle to manage a demanding work life with a good nutritional diet and inevitably the latter ends up suffering.
“Workplace conversation about food, boredom and a constant flow of treats brought in by colleagues all combine to easily knock people off the healthy eating path.
“Being prepared for the 10.00 am craving with healthy snacks brought in from home will help keep those unwelcome pounds away.”
One in seven said their co-workers seem to talk about food all the time, while the average person experiences 23 minutes of food-related chatter each and every day and only 10 per cent never talk about food at work.
Despite an abundance of good intentions, 45 per cent lack control and eat far more than they feel they should at work.
More than half of office workers like to bring in snacks from home, but other colleagues handing out the goods proves too tempting for one in three.
While one in five regularly succumbs to the temptations of the vending machines at work.
One in seven workers describes snacking as the absolute highlight of their day and a fifth admit they buy snacks at work to gain popularity within the workplace.
Four in ten people indulge in at least two unhealthy snacking sessions each day at their desk.
And a snacking boost proves essential to six in ten workers who claim it helps their productivity.
Half the study relies on snacks for an energy boost day to day, while a fifth say it’s essential in lifting the spirits.
And keeping morale proves crucial in enduring long spells at the desk – workers were found to spend at least 5 hours and 40 minutes of every day completely desk-bound.
The biggest excuses for such devotion to the desk were a lack of time, huge workloads and simply working extraordinarily long days.
A disillusioned 45 per cent think they’ve no choice but to put on weight because of the sedentary nature of their job.
The Wonderful Pistachios spokesman added: “Snacking will always be a part of office life and the results reinforce just how much we use it to keep us going and even look forward to it in our day.
“For people looking for a tasty snack, Wonderful Pistachios are a great option. A 30-gram serving contains 160 calories and provides a variety of different vitamins and minerals.
“What’s more, the empty shells act as a reminder of how many we have already eaten acting as a visual cue to stop overeating.”
