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If you're carrying a few extra pounds, it may not be after-dinner snacking that's to blame. The culprit could be your workplace.

Cookies at every meeting, too many birthday cakes, vending machines stocked with fatty snacks, even the office candy dish can all undermine your healthy eating efforts.

It's not only poor food choices - or sedentary jobs - that predispose us to gain weight at work. Research suggests the nature of your job also plays a role.

According to researchers from Laval University in Quebec City, mental activities such as reading, writing and computer work can trigger overeating. In the study, published this month in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, students performed three 45-minute tasks and were then served an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The researchers measured food consumption after each of the following tasks: 1) resting in a sitting position, 2) reading a document and writing a summary, and 3) performing a battery of computer tests.

Compared with food consumed after resting, intake increased by 200 calories after reading and writing, and by 250 calories after working on the computer. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol were also significantly higher following the more demanding mental tasks.

Other research has linked workplace stress to weight gain. In a study of 9,000 Finnish adults, work fatigue, job dissatisfaction and high job demands were strongly tied to gaining weight in the previous year.

There are several ways in which stress can pack on pounds. In the face of chronic stress, cortisol levels can remain high, keeping you in a perpetual state of hunger. Elevated cortisol causes your body to produce excess insulin, the hormone that clears sugar from the blood. Fluctuations in blood sugar can trigger cravings and increase appetite, factors that prompt overeating.

High stress levels are also linked with greater amounts of body fat, especially around the abdomen and hips.

For many people, excess stress leads to emotional eating. Under stress, you may be inclined to mindlessly munch on sweets at the office or order a high-fat lunch even though you're not hungry.

Work schedules can also boost the risk of weight gain. A recent study conducted among 7,254 steel company employees found that those who worked alternating shifts were significantly more likely to gain weight over a 14-year period than regular day workers. Shift workers often complain of weigh problems due to limited food choices and frequent snacking.

Diet blunders such as skipping breakfast, working through lunch and not packing nutritious snacks also contribute to office spread by depleting blood sugar. If you're tired and hungry - and don't have access to healthy food - you're more likely to grab that 400-calorie muffin or chocolate bar.

It's entirely possible to gain control of your diet. The following strategies will help you battle the bulge at work.

Eat breakfast

Eat a healthy meal before you leave home to prevent grabbing a breakfast sandwich or bagel with your coffee. Eating breakfast boosts metabolism and enhances mental tasks that require concentration and memory by providing brain cells with glucose.

Good breakfast choices include high-fibre cereal with milk, fruit and nuts; a smoothie made with milk (or soy milk), frozen berries and ground flax, and whole-grain toast with peanut butter and fruit salad.

If you're working a night shift, start your day with breakfast instead of a large dinner.

Make time for lunch

Eating a meal midday reenergizes your body and prevents midafternoon cravings. To take charge of your diet and control your calorie intake, pack your own lunch. If a sandwich doesn't cut it, bring leftovers from dinner. For those days when you don't have time to sit down to lunch, eat an energy bar and a piece of fruit.

Pack snacks

To prevent a midday energy slump, eat every three hours. Bring midday snacks to work so you're not temped to hit the vending machine or raid the candy jar. Try fruit and almonds, a decaf latte (or yogurt) and a piece of fruit, instant bean soup, whole-grain crackers and part skim cheese, vegetables and hummus or an energy bar.

If you're concerned about weight gain, keep snacks to 150 to 200 calories for women and 200 to 250 calories for men.

Pass on meeting sweets

To prevent reaching for a cookie (or two) during long, boring meetings, don't sit near the sweet tray. If possible, bring an energy bar or skim milk latte to meetings. Consider asking whoever is in charge of supplying the food to order a tray of fresh fruit or raw vegetables.

Plan for late work nights

If you know you will be working late, bring dinner from home such as microwaveable leftovers, a healthy frozen dinner, or instant bean soup. If you buy lunch in a food court, pick up a sandwich and salad for dinner.

Ban boredom eating

Just because food is nearby doesn't mean you need to eat it. Even a few Hershey's kisses add up day after day. Before you reach for office treats, ask yourself if you're hungry. If you are, grab a healthy snack.

Stay hydrated

Sip on water during the day to prevent fatigue and curb impulses to snack. Don't confuse thirst with hunger. When you feel like eating something sweet or salty, drink a glass of water before giving in to your craving.

Fit in exercise

Look for opportunities to move during the day - climb a few flights of stairs, deliver a message instead of sending an e-mail or take a 15-minute walk at lunch. Wear a pedometer to help you track at least 10,000 steps a day.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Her website is lesliebeck.com.