What would you do?
greekygirl
Posts: 448 Member
So tomorrow here at work we are having a pot luck lunch...I guess for Cinco de Mayo. I love pot lucks and hate them at the same time because usually for me they are an all-afternoon bingefest, as they leave the food out for hours. I was excited and going to participate but now I am re-thinking it...I may actually take the day off to avoid overeating but I'm not sure - is that just avoidance? Maybe I should just try to control myself as much as possible...but I'm afraid I can't. I've "gained" four to five pounds overnight after potlucks in the past (mostly water and undigested food, probably, that's why I put gained in quotes). But I'm not sure I want to spend Saturday feeling bloated and gross.
What do you think? What would you do?
What do you think? What would you do?
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Replies
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maybe take the day off and have a health day for you. do something healthy, make it a day for you to remember why you're doing this... or if you enjoy other parts of the potluck like socializing, maybe take a half day and just leave when it starts... or if you think you want to see if you control the eating, just try it and see how it turns out... lots of options.
maybe the best thing to do is see how you're feeling tomorrow. if you think you're going to be vulnerable to a binge, call in or something... if you feel like you can handle it, go ahead and go... usually my moods vary day to day on whether it will result in a binge so i just go with how i'm feeling at the moment.0 -
A topic near and dear to me - at my job they do potlucks all the time! It is ridiculous, they have them for everything.
Luckily the room they keep the food in is far enough away from my desk that I cannot smell it. I swear I can smell sugar through closed doors and if I can smell it, I want it. If your coworkers are like mine, there ends up being just as many sweet treats as real food (I use that term real food loosely, as I don't really consider fried potato chips "real food").
And for me, the sweets are the problem. I don't care about chips or dips or fried foods or pasta salads- so unless it is something I really want and can't get elsewhere, or is healthy IMO (cheese, fruit, veggies) I just say no because to me it wouldn't be worth it. I'm not going to eat something I don't enjoy just because it is there and free. I'd rather just bring a few things to supplement what is put out.
As for the sweets, I have come a long way on this. I see piles and piles of free food I will enjoy and something happens to my brain to make me think I need it all, I need it all today, and I won't be happy unless I have it - and then I can't stop thinking about it either. Well that mentality can easily lead to a binge, actually it always leaded me to a binge. I tried avoiding it all together but then I just felt deprived and isolated.
So now instead of saying no to it all and feeling deprived, or taking a few things and eating them right then that afternoon, I now have a few plastic baggies in my desk so that I can have what I really really want, but don't feel obligated to eat the items right then and there. I know I'm allowing myself to have them - but at a better time.
I giggled when you mentioned calling in to work to avoid it - I thought the same thing when they announced Brownie Wars a few months ago. Why couldn't we have low-fat, high fiber granola bar wars or something like that? A new tradition is in order I say!0 -
Thanks for your replies! I like your ideas!
Thankfully, we don't have too many potlucks but my other department is having one next Friday too! (it's strange, I have multiple departments but whatever) It's weird though since we usually don't have that many.
Unfortunately, they put the food in the hallway around the corner from my office and I can smell it. And my big problem is sweets too - I usually bring some kind of dessert (I don't cook, LOL). I really don't care a whole lot about the other stuff but since it's there I usually have at least some of it. I have always ended up overeating just because it is there. And I too always feel like I have to have as much as I can because we don't have these every day...and I don't buy this kind of food, etc....and always stuff myself.
I don't want to feel isolated and deprived - I did that for many years and it sucked, lol...and I'm afraid I will feel deprived and isolated if I don't participate (unless I stay home, lol). I like the idea of taking baggies to have it later but the problem with me is if I have it, I will eat it. I pretty much can't keep food in my desk because generally I will eat it because it is there.
I guess I will see how I feel in the morning...right now I am planning on going but I'm at least thinking about how I can not eat like crazy. Friday afternoons are always tough for me anyway so I think it will be difficult to refrain. I could always call in sick if I decide I don't want to deal with it....but I don't think that will help me get any better, it will help me avoid situations I don't want to be in.
LOL at the Brownie Wars - they do that kind of stuff here...like giving out brownie ice cream desserts or something else that's equally unhealthy to the entire house for doing a good job on one thing or another. I WORK IN A HOSPITAL!!! It's unbelieveable how much unhealthy food there is here. It's really difficult to find healthy food in the cafe...but that's another story.
Thanks again!!0 -
Me too! Or I should say I work for a hospital. I don't actually work on site anymore. Now they have my dept shipped off to an office park in another city (which I love!!!). In case you're wondering, I coordinate outpatient Radiology exams. What about you? What do you do?0
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Oh how cool! I'm an administrative assistant for Clinical Education, mainly for RNs. I assist RN Educators and Senior Managers. I like the job for the most part but it truly is unbelieveable how unhealthy the food is that they have here.
Everyone who starts working here puts on weight. Well, maybe not EVERYONE, but seriously, most people do. It's crazy. I did. I eventually lost it but I put on like 30 lbs my first year. This place conditions people to comply by using food - I call candy "nurse bait". If someone has to attend a class or something, it's a good idea to have food because if you do they will attend. Soooo, on some level work equals food to me. They used to have catering at EVERYTHING..but now since we're broke they don't, which is pretty much the only good thing about working for a company that has no money. LOL.0 -
:laugh: Nurse bait - great bribe!
Good luck tomorrow!0 -
So I decided that I will participate in the pot luck today. I didn't want to feel like I was depriving myself. I did bring some food in, nothing very healthy to tell the truth. But, my plan is to: only eat what I really want, eat MINDFULLY and really enjoy what I'm eating and try to not eat everything all at once. We'll see how it goes!
Happy Friday everyone! 0 -
Thanks for the update, GREAT plan! 0
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We're having a Cinco De Mayo potluck today! I brought in some 'Mexican' cupcakes to contribute but I opted to bring my own lunch instead. It's not too odd because a lot of people bring food but still enjoy the treats. For me, right now, it's best if I just avoid it completely and look forward to my afternoon snack.
I'm still in that good food/bad food mindset and don't know how to indulge just a little! I hate the all or nothing approach but right now I'm full from my lunch so I'm not even thinking about the 300 cookies next door (well, I wasn't thinking about them until I read this forum haha).
Good for you for planning to be involved in a healthy and satisfying way, it's the only way to make a healthy lifestyle stick! There MUST be some wiggle room without going overboard. You got this
Preachin to the choir, eh?0
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