HELP! Work at Dairy Queen; tips to not eat?

I am a student, and I have the worst summer job: Dairy Queen. It was the only place I could get a job, so please don't tell me to just get a job somewhere else. And really, my problem is not eating ice cream; I never eat ice cream when I work there. My problem is EVERYTHING ELSE.

"Oh, yeah, I'll just eat this Reese..."
"Oh, well, a couple of these Rolos just fell on the counter..."
"There are only a couple of fries left..."

It's just a little snacking here and there, but it adds up a lot. Once I noticed I was doing it, I cut down a lot, but especially when it gets slow, and I get bored... well, I'm surrounded by FOOD. Any tips would be helpful, any strategies that might have worked for you?

Replies

  • prestigio
    prestigio Posts: 181 Member
    Bring your own food, drink enough water, eat enough fiber to keep you satisfied. Those things can contribute to less "snacking".
    But at the end, you will have to be able to resist yourself. Discipline is key when working in such a tempting environment.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
    can you tell yourself you have to log it BEFORE it goes in your mouth? seeing the calories might discourage you.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Bring healthy snacks and/or meals. Look at food as fuel and not something to pass time.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    can you tell yourself you have to log it BEFORE it goes in your mouth? seeing the calories might discourage you.

    QFT,
  • callas444
    callas444 Posts: 261 Member
    If you are allowed to chew gum, that can help. You have to remove the gum to eat a snack, so you can't snack mindlessly. It might not be great to chew gum for your whole shift, so perhaps choose times when you are likely to snack. (Maybe end of shift when you are more hungry and tired?)
  • x3Amy
    x3Amy Posts: 15 Member
    Maybe you could try picturing the food that you're snacking on as dirty or not very tasty (hard to do i know!!) but if it's fallen on the counter try and convince yourself that the counter is dirty? or put it to the side or in a bin straight away- maybe try throwing it from a distance to make it in to a game instead of eating the rolo.. chewing gum is a good idea which has already been said, along with lots of water! Good luck :smile:
  • hoping2Bhealthy
    hoping2Bhealthy Posts: 3 Member
    Maybe you could try picturing the food that you're snacking on as dirty or not very tasty (hard to do i know!!) but if it's fallen on the counter try and convince yourself that the counter is dirty? or put it to the side or in a bin straight away- maybe try throwing it from a distance to make it in to a game instead of eating the rolo.. chewing gum is a good idea which has already been said, along with lots of water! Good luck :smile:

    The gum idea never even occurred to me, and I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to chew gum there, but if I am that would definitely be a life-saver! And I do drink LOTS of water while I'm there, it just never seems to be enough to fill me up. Thank you so much for the tips :)
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Maintain a reasonable deficit and exercise!!
    It really is that simple.....

    Only you can sabotage your lifestyle change, where you work will not.

    Good luck!
  • brittaney0625
    brittaney0625 Posts: 268 Member
    I am a the breakfast cook at a local hotel. The food (most not all) could not work into my diet. I pack meals and take them every day.
    Once you deprive yourself of those wants to eat the food where you work and successfully eat your own food for a bit. You will feel so good.. and gain some great self control.

    I know that it is sometimes hard to get the breaks to get to eat your food. I try to make mine something i can just run off for like a moment and take some bites... You have to do what you got to do.
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
    DQ makes a BLT salad with grilled chicken that's delicious, high in protein and pretty filling. Just don't go nuts with the dressing and the cheese and you'll be OK.
  • If you're eating because you're bored, you could bring a book to read in your spare time, or play around on your phone, if they let you have a phone. Do you knit? I used to knit a lot in school, you could probably bring it to work. You could carry a sketchbook and draw things? Or, I don't know, you could plan something out in your head. When I worked at a pizza place I made up a whole back story for every customer who came in, and worked on math problems... I was really bored

    If you need to eat to keep yourself from dying of boredom certainly bring your own low-calorie food or gum like others have suggested.