Food is Everywhere! How Can I Deal With This?

When I went to work today and went into the break room there was a container of homemade chocolate chip cookies with a hand-printed sign: "Help yourself! Enjoy!" I didn't.

Then I went to the grocery store and the milk I needed was in a case right next to the bakery. There was a woman walking around with a tray of cheesecake samples and she offered me one. I declined.

I went to the gym next and what did I find? A table with one of those sheet cakes with thick frosting and a punch bowl with sugar soda/ice cream someone had brought to celebrate a birthday! Twice I was offered a slice of cake and a cup of punch. Twice, I smiled and said "no thank you".

But really, this is hard! I love baked goods and to be offered it so many times in one day is too much!

I am diabetic and keep my blood sugar numbers in check with diet and exercise, not to mention I'm trying to lose weight. For me, sugary treats are poison. So that's what I told myself each time. These "goodies" are poisoned--keep away! I know if I start eating "bad" carbs--high sugar, high white flour--I'll crave more and more. It's a vicious cycle.

What do you do in these kinds of situations?

Replies

  • thingeringer
    thingeringer Posts: 241 Member
    You've already done so well - losing over 50 lbs is amazing! Food is always out there. Sometimes I eat some of it, sometimes I'm strong. Either way, I write down what I eat and try to keep my daily total right. Good luck!
  • SweetMe1
    SweetMe1 Posts: 73 Member
    Ummm... nope. I've lost 9 pounds. I have ove5r 0 more to go. :-(
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    I do what you do! I keep reminding myself that for my body these foods are poison....I even sorta shake my head and feel sorry for those who eat them. :glasses: It seems to work, I'm never tempted any more.
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
    Well, it's just a matter of knowing what you want and ignoring the rest. You can go through a shopping mall without spending thousands of dollars even though it's full of stuff, plenty of deals and no lack of sales people trying to sell to you. I guess food is just the same. Know what you want, get it, and the rest is just background noise like every other product everyone tries to sell you all day long. No different :p

    You seem to be doing fine, and if you stick with it long enough, you'll actually find that when you do indulge in those things again, you probably won't even enjoy it as much anymore. We were just trained to ignore unpleasant body signals when eating like the average American 7 days a week.

    Good luck!
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    I understand - today at work we celebrated a coworker winning a company-wide competition with a huge sheet cake and buttercream icing. I won a motion-activated candy machine two months ago which my coworkers keep stocked with m&Ms and Reese's Pieces at all times. And in honor of Halloween, pumpkin baskets full of candy have been placed all around the office. I could easily be over my calorie goal by 10 am every day.

    I don't eat it. Not any of it (ok, I've had a few M&Ms maybe 3 times since winning that evil candy machine LOL). Food is always all around or less than 5 minutes away if I wanted to go get something in particular. There's a grocery store less than a mile from my house; there's probably 50 restaurants within a 5 minute drive of my office.

    I choose to look at all this temptation as a great way to practice my new-found self-discipline :wink: No one is going to shove it down my throat LOL so I can eat it or not eat it. I'm choosing not to.
  • Try reading "Mindless Eating". It's a very helpful book and parts are very funny. It explains why, what, where, how much, etc. we ate where, ............. I found it to be very motivating! I hope it helps! This can really be a struggle some days. Good luck!!
  • pt85
    pt85 Posts: 28 Member
    Say - No thank you!
  • GypsysBloodRose26
    GypsysBloodRose26 Posts: 341 Member
    Honestly, if I went to a gym that had cake, I'd end up going completely insane and bathe in the frosting and then turn into the hulk and smash all the equipment. There should be no excuse to have that crap in a place designed to enhance a healthy body.
  • Nice perspective!
  • Heyyleigh
    Heyyleigh Posts: 268 Member
    You have to want it !! more than the fatty food. I have no trouble now. I did in the beginning, but once i started seeing results, it motivates me for more!!!! If I feel like I cant handle a situation I stay away. Like lunches out. Or we have work FEASTS, or pot luck day. I just ignore it or take a day off. Remember how u feel after u give in and eat it... and if its really a bad day it will take several days to get rid of it all ;)
  • F1953
    F1953 Posts: 21 Member
    Drink lots of water. Take (relatively) healthy snacks with you. It isn't easy. I go out alot, and often eat a salad or baked potato when others are not. You can make this work. You can also eat some things in moderation, but need to think about what foods trigger a major meltdown.

    I've lost in the neighborhood of 20 pounds since February using this application. It fluctuates some (up to around 5 pounds). I lost 40 pounds in 2005-2006 (using Curves), which I've kept off. :wink: