One thing I hear from readers with great frequency is that they do just fine for breakfast and dinner, but lunches at work are real diet-killers. What with lunch meetings, rush deadlines and the dreaded office potluck lunches, sometimes it seems like the deck is stacked against dieters. This week, we'll go over a few tips to help you survive the workday.

Find Allies

In any office environment, there are bound to be a few people trying to lose weight. It shouldn't be too hard to find them. Look for the woman heating up Lean Cuisine in the break room microwave, or the man putting fat-free dressing on his bagged salad at lunch. I've even heard from readers who posted notes on the break room fridge or the office bulletin board in search of fellow weight-loss adventurers.

Once you've gathered your allies, you're ready to face the dreaded potluck. Get together a few days ahead of time and plan what each person will make so you have a variety of healthy choices available. Try to make sure you have a dessert, too, as that's most often where people fall into the pit of calorific doom.

Stock Up

Ideally, you would have home-cooked food to eat for lunch every day, be it leftovers from dinner the night before or something you whip up specifically for lunches. Of course, ideally you'd also never have to eat on the run, shorten or skip your lunch break or leave the office for lunch. We all know there's no such thing as "ideal" on any regular basis. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, though! Just make sure anything you bring to work with you from home can live for a day or two in the office fridge just in case you don't get to it that day.

Provided you don't have an office moocher, or one of those "ghosts" who makes things disappear from the freezer, keep a box of Lean Pockets or a couple of frozen entrees on hand for days when you're short on time. Even cubicle dwellers who may not have fridge privileges can squirrel away cans of soup or other shelf-stable lean chow.

Go For Variety

One of the biggest downfalls for dieters is boredom, and it's one of the ones I have the least patience with. There is a huge world of food out there that doesn't get its flavor solely from its fat content, if you'll just take a look. Your biggest help here will be your spice cabinet, where you can find all manner of exotic and aromatic items to make even the most humble and low-fat meal smell and taste like it's just off the boat from Mumbai or Paris.

Here's a recipe I whipped up for lunch this week, in fact. It can be assembled at home, then heated for 1 to 2 minutes in the office microwave (depending on its power level), filling the break room with marvelous aromas.

Break Room Quesadilla

2 reduced-fat flour tortillas
3 tbsp. fat-free refried beans
1 can tuna, packed in water, well drained (or 1 pouch)
½ c. shredded low-fat cheese
Seasonings of your choice (I like Cowboy Trail Dust from TexMexToGo.com a LOT on this.)

Spread the beans on one tortilla. Top with the tuna, then the cheese and your choice of spices. Don't be afraid to experiment! Just because the presentation puts you in mind of Tex-Mex food, that doesn't mean you have to confine yourself to those spices. I can see making this with curry, herbes de Provence or any number of other blends. Penzey's spices sells at least a dozen blends that would be tasty.

Place the other tortilla on top, wrap tightly or put in a plastic container and off to work you go.

To cook, heat 1 to 2 minutes in microwave. Eat. Fend off co-workers looking for bites.

Got a question? Comment? Topic you'd like to see covered? Drop me a line, anytime!