Work Treats

adamjb88

Never posted anything before but thought I'd put this out there as I'm terrible for this particular subject.

Every Birthday at work or praise for something good, or an attempt to get people to try work better at something involves the steady stream of cakes, biscuits, crisps, sausage rolls and every thing we really shouldn't be having excess of.

The company i work for us pretty big so this literally means like at least once a week something is happening.
Add in the work colleague lunch meal at the pub and it's just a constant disaster.

What techniques to people use to continually stay on track and keep away. I know this is all motivation.. And when i do get on it I'll just say no.. However I've dropped off and getting back on its damn difficult.

Thanks for any tips and tricks

nordlead2005

If you think you have it bad, the current group I work with at work have a table dedicated to delicious food that people bring in every day. At our peak busy period we had a fresh dozen donuts every day, a new bag of chocolate candy every day, and anything else someone threw at the table. I gained a ton of weight back then.

Now, I eat it, log it, and move on. Instead of eating 2 donuts and a couple dozen candies, I eat one donut and that is it, or I eat a couple candies, but not both. Today I had 4 Riesen candies and that was it, but there was a bucket of other candies to choose from along with pretzel sticks (I wanted those too).

malibu927

Prelog your day so you can know whether or not the treat will fit in

cityruss

adamjb88 wrote: »

Never posted anything before but thought I'd put this out there as I'm terrible for this particular subject.

Every Birthday at work or praise for something good, or an attempt to get people to try work better at something involves the steady stream of cakes, biscuits, crisps, sausage rolls and every thing we really shouldn't be having excess of.

The company i work for us pretty big so this literally means like at least once a week something is happening.
Add in the work colleague lunch meal at the pub and it's just a constant disaster.

What techniques to people use to continually stay on track and keep away. I know this is all motivation.. And when i do get on it I'll just say no.. However I've dropped off and getting back on its damn difficult.

Thanks for any tips and tricks

You've answered your own question.

Don't consume in excess.

Consume within the limits of your calorie and macronutritional goals.

adamjb88

That sounds like hell.. Not sure ive got it that bad.. We used to have 'Fat Fridays'.. Was just known because every one bought so much rubbish stuff in.

My error is having one and having another and i just think.. It'll be alright

40andFindingFitness

My job has food out ALL THE TIME. I used to think it was awesome. Now I just ignore it for the most part. I try to look at the treats as if they were plants or knick knacks (unless it's brownies then all bets are off). I like to bring in fruit, almonds, or popcorn for my snack to ward of temptations; however, if you REALLY want something, eat it and fit it into your calories for the day.

adamjb88

cityruss wrote: »

adamjb88 wrote: »

Never posted anything before but thought I'd put this out there as I'm terrible for this particular subject.

Every Birthday at work or praise for something good, or an attempt to get people to try work better at something involves the steady stream of cakes, biscuits, crisps, sausage rolls and every thing we really shouldn't be having excess of.

You've answered your own question.

Don't consume in excess.

Consume within the limits of your calorie and macronutritional goals.

Unfortunately i haven't been able to plan lately and so i never am sure what evening rates will be although obviously i could just leave a number remaining and stop any further.

Kimegatron

I bring my own food to work every time. I think the last time I ate "out", as in ordered delivery, which was just a sandwich, was like 3 months ago.

OhMsDiva

This happens at my job at least once a week. There are donuts, bagels, cake, cupcakes or something. What I do I just totally ignore it. I am not the type to say I can have just one donut or a half a cupcake, so I do not have any. I understand it is harder if you really want it, but I no longer want any of it. When I think about the calories and how much other food I can have for the same amount I keep walking. As I posted on another board, if I miss out on one cookie or donut its not big deal because I have had enough to last a lifetime.

Sarah4fitness

Fail to plan, plan to fail. Bring your own food, or have a big glass of water when faced with treats, instead. Willpower.

jemhh

At my work, these gatherings are usually held across the hall in an empty conference room. Sometimes I just don't go. Other times I go, walk past the food line to the person being celebrated, congratulate him/her, stand there chatting for 5 minutes, and then leave. Once in a great while if somebody is being really pushy about food (doesn't happen very often) I take a plate back to my office and throw it in the trash can.

adamjb88

Sarah4fitness wrote: »

Fail to plan, plan to fail. Bring your own food, or have a big glass of water when faced with treats, instead. Willpower.

I do bring my own.. I then feel guilty that i also need to eat what i bought so i don't waste it

AntonVan74

This happens all the time at my office and to make matters worse the table the put it is right behind my desk. I just simply ignore it, and I brought up I don't participate in potlucks so I wouldn't have that pressure. As for your lunches at the pub my breaks and lunches are my time and I use them to do things to stay active since I work on a cubical all day. I I walk up and down the stairs twice a day, and on lunch I will walk around downtown and can get in 1.5-2 miles on my 30 minutes lunch. Basically it's self control, and saying it's ok to pass it up.

kshama2001

jemhh wrote: »

At my work, these gatherings are usually held across the hall in an empty conference room. Sometimes I just don't go. Other times I go, walk past the food line to the person being celebrated, congratulate him/her, stand there chatting for 5 minutes, and then leave. Once in a great while if somebody is being really pushy about food (doesn't happen very often) I take a plate back to my office and throw it in the trash can.

I like this plan. You are sociable, but not sabotaging yourself.

jesikalovesyou

OhMsDiva wrote: »

This happens at my job at least once a week. There are donuts, bagels, cake, cupcakes or something. What I do I just totally ignore it. I am not the type to say I can have just one donut or a half a cupcake, so I do not have any. I understand it is harder if you really want it, but I no longer want any of it. When I think about the calories and how much other food I can have for the same amount I keep walking. As I posted on another board, if I miss out on one cookie or donut its not big deal because I have had enough to last a lifetime.

"I have had enough to last a lifetime"

Great words. I need to keep these in mind the next time I feel like "treating myself". Or the next time I feel like I've not treated myself enough.

sarab920

I usually bring my own food...and eat what my supervisor brings in as well hahaha not even gonna lie. I do it in moderation, though. I also try to burn atleast 500 calories a day
That's meal for me. I'm at a place where I know what I can and cannot do. Resisting yummy food is doable, I just don't want to lol

jeepinshawn

It happens a lot at my job as well. I almost always grab something. I will cut a donut in half or grab a single cookie, log it and fit it into your caloric goals. Is the cookie worth not having as much snack after dinner? Pre logging also helps, and lunch is my time I spend it at home with baby or walking and burning of f the half donut I ate.

VykkDraygoVPR

People bring in donuts and breakfast tacos all the time. I don't like either (donuts are too sweet, and I don't like eggs), so I always skip it. Events are different though. I usually try to skip them (I do not enjoy them), but sometimes we are required to go. I just kinda go light on the food, or have none, if I can get away with it. I don't mind going to lunch with coworkers, though. Easy enough to pick foods that fit in my goals easily at a restaurant.

A week or two ago we acquired a bunch of cookies leftover from a meeting. I did grab a few of those. Too sweet, so I won't next time (from a local bakery).

I have also thrown away food when it was forced on me. Just take it, say thanks, and toss it later.

Liftng4Lis

Pre-log your day and stick to it.

KateTii

I am in the same boat but survive by allowing "treats" only at night after all meals are eaten. It's so much easier to say no to the office lolly jar when I know that if I eat the lollies, I don't get icecream in bed!!

People now don't bother offering me lollies/cake/slices etc. as I always say no. It's gotten to the point where it has silently influenced my coworkers into bringing [slightly] healthier snacks too!

SherryTeach

I'm a teacher and the faculty lounge often loaded with grocery store bakery items. Most of these I can pass up because, well. . . grocery store bakery items aren't that good. Occasionally, someone's birthday cake looks good to me and I will take a modest piece and log it. Often I just walk out of the room if I think I will be tempted and don't choose to eat anything. The most important factor is that I always have other snacks stashed away that do fit my calories: animal crackers, dry roasted peanuts, a banana, a bit of dark chocolate.

gilliebee63

Indulge in moderation. Log what you eat, and try to make it fit (drop that extra slice of bacon or bread from dinner) and if you can't make it fit in a single day, see if you can make it fit over the course of a week.

Since I've been logging, it's easier for me to resist, because I understand the tradeoffs. But when I don't resist, I am usually able to make it fit.

Machka9

Most of our "teas" take place right outside my office.

So I get up, listen to the little speech that the manager makes regarding the birthday or whatever the situation is, smile and nod for a few minutes, maybe congratulate the person being celebrated, and then go sit down.

So far, I have eaten nothing at these things.

However, when I hit maintenance, I will probably have one small thing rather than my morning snack or whatever.

adamjb88

Suppose the biggest difficulty is that I can't just not go in the room.. I'm in an open office.. And to make things worse they put it on the bench which is two seats away from me.

So even if I'm getting up to get another cup of water or heading to a meeting il just pick at passing.

Worse when they get pizza in - the smell!

scyian

Lunches out are fairly easy to manage if you go for something fairly light on the menu.

I'm afraid willpower is your friend for office food. I'm a big planner. I plan my meals for the week and buy only what I need at the supermarket. I pre log my food most days so I know where I can fit anything extra in, or not.

Are you an emotional eater? I found the work environment awful when I was stressed or bored and I would eat biscuits and all sorts. I ended up changing jobs because it was an unhappy work environment. Now I'm much happier even when cakes are available. I don't feel the need to reach out for them.

Monklady123

adamjb88 wrote: »

Suppose the biggest difficulty is that I can't just not go in the room.. I'm in an open office.. And to make things worse they put it on the bench which is two seats away from me.

So even if I'm getting up to get another cup of water or heading to a meeting il just pick at passing.

Worse when they get pizza in - the smell!

Yes! omg... I can pass up cookies, especially store-bought ones because they're not really good. But bring in anything with a smell, especially pizza and all bets are off. Fortunately that doesn't happen often where I work, or it's pizza that other people ordered for their team or office so it isn't offered to me anyway. Sure does smell good though.

RodaRose

adamjb88 wrote: »

Sarah4fitness wrote: »

Fail to plan, plan to fail. Bring your own food, or have a big glass of water when faced with treats, instead. Willpower.

I do bring my own.. I then feel guilty that i also need to eat what i bought so i don't waste it

Eat one meal. Throw away the meal you brought from home. Once you have made the decision to lose weight, you have also chosen the path that allows you to let go of guilt.

BoxerBrawler

I think it's like this at most companies. There is always food and snacks placed on my desk since I am sort of the hub of QA and communications in my office. My department alone has over 70 people so... yeah, I hear you! It all comes down to discipline. Nothing more nothing less. Learn how to say no and stick with it. By now the running joke is "Oh you can leave it on her desk, she doesn't eat that garbage anyway!" There's ownership LOL... so I have to stick to my plan

LivingtheLeanDream

Work treats being so readily available would be a nightmare! Thankfully I don't have that issue, its usually me that supplies the treats on a Friday and only because I bake every Thursday (its my bake off and unwind day ) - I don't eat the treats but I enjoy the pleasure others get from my baking

SingRunTing

I'll eat something every once in a while. I prelog it and decide if it's worth the calories. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. I feel better when I make an informed decision.

Most of the time, the treats are not as yummy as I thought they would be (especially store bought stuff) and I'm disappointed that I wasted the calories on it. I try to think about that the next time I see anything. Seriously though, most store bought cakes and donuts are just not worth the calories (to me).

I also get weirded out by all the hands in the pot, so to speak. Just thinking about people who don't wash their hands regularly touching everything makes me not want to eat it.

If there's a candy jar, I'll usually grab one or two pieces and log them.

LooseyGoosey12

adamjb88 wrote: »

Suppose the biggest difficulty is that I can't just not go in the room.. I'm in an open office.. And to make things worse they put it on the bench which is two seats away from me.

So even if I'm getting up to get another cup of water or heading to a meeting il just pick at passing.

Worse when they get pizza in - the smell!

Then maybe you just aren't ready. And that's okay too. If you aren't ready to stand up for your own health/weightloss/personal goal then you are going to fail no matter the circumstances. If it really is as simple as walking on by and you can't do that, you just may not be ready. Sit down and evaluate yourself. Find your "why". Why do you you want to lose weight? I know that sounds cheesy but you have to have that in your mind to refer to, it makes the willpower a bit stronger. You can use that time to learn when and where you can fit in the treats, if you choose to, and make it work in your favor. Eventually it will be habit.