Goodies (cake) at work

Eat your lunch away from that area, if possible? I don't know if you buy your lunch on-site or bring it in, but personally I would just take my food elsewhere. Out of sight, out of mind.

I have this problem too. We often order sweets when visitors come in to our office and then there are always leftovers. What I am finding works for me is to occasionally let myself have some, but I will cut off a bite-sized chunk--for example, this morning someone brought in doughnuts and I cut a piece that was probably about 1/8 of the doughnut and had it with my coffee. If there are cookies, I might let myself have 1/4 of a cookie. Most of the time though, I just try really hard not to touch it by thinking about my goals when I see the sweets. When I think of it that way, I know I would rather reach my goals than eat cake!

You can do it!

It is always best to avoid those things when you have a goal in mind. However, I look at my approach to this as a marathon - not a sprint. It isn't realisitic for me (nor desirable, frankly) to think that I will NEVER have cake or sweets. That isn't the life I want. I LIKE CAKE! So - I have trained myself to realize two things when this issue comes up - (1) if I am going to have it, have a very small portion, (2) if I have it, I better put in the EXTRA exercise to burn it. If I can't commit to BOTH, then I avoid it completely. For me, that's a more realisitic approach to how I will handle those cravings and my reaction to them long term. Good luck to you - try to adjust your reactions. It helps!

I feel your pain.
I've found that mondays and fridays are worst.
I know i can't resist the food, so this is what i try:
1. have a small piece, but have it instead of my snack. (if its gone by the time i'm supposed to have my snack to bad).
2. Enjoy it.
(if i'm going to have that many calories i may as well like it. If i find i'm not really enjoying it dont pick that cake again.)

3. try and work off as many of the calories as you can.

Unfortunatly i failed today
I had half of a chocolate chip cookie after lunch (90 cals)
and a small slice of cheese cake (200 cals)
though i will say that cheesecake was amazing, I've never had it before, and I wont be buying it formyself.

so i guess I'll be going for a walk this eveing, to burn off all that sugar

Do you really want to have to log all that cake and see it in your diary? Thats just a question I ask myself on days like this. (Although I will admit that I splurged on cake at work but only because it was my birthday cake and I had been turning it down for the last couple of months.) Try it and see if it works for you. Treats are ok every now and then but not every single time. Good luck.

:drinker:

It is always best to avoid those things when you have a goal in mind. However, I look at my approach to this as a marathon - not a sprint. It isn't realisitic for me (nor desirable, frankly) to think that I will NEVER have cake or sweets. That isn't the life I want. I LIKE CAKE! So - I have trained myself to realize two things when this issue comes up - (1) if I am going to have it, have a very small portion, (2) if I have it, I better put in the EXTRA exercise to burn it. If I can't commit to BOTH, then I avoid it completely. For me, that's a more realisitic approach to how I will handle those cravings and my reaction to them long term. Good luck to you - try to adjust your reactions. It helps!

The most sensible, realistic way to approach this situation!! I applaud this answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm one of those who brings in the goodies to work. :embarassed: lol!

Just today I brought in some leftover Reese's Cheesecake Brownies...

But I'm the same way. I can stay away from my own treats that I bring in but if someone else brings something, I have to have at least a tiny taste.

I agree with those who suggest eating away from that area. It'll help with your willpower.

Step...away....from....the.....cake! :-)

Otherwise, have a small piece and feel good about it. Nothing wrong with treating yourself....just make sure you log it and keep it within your calories. Kind of silly to think that you're never going to eat it....that's just asking for a let down.

My office is notorious for this, too! (I think everyone's is.)

What I do is try for this, first: tell myself that, chances are, whatever it is...it probably won't taste good enough to combat the guilt I'll feel later. I've found that, the times when I *DO* indulge, this always holds true...it was never 'worth it'.

Secondly, and I recognize that this may make me seem b!tchy - I swear, I'm only b!tchy on occasion! - I allow myself to feel slightly superior for having avoided the temptation. Really. Everyone in offices complains about how many goodies are brought in, and then they stand around the water cooler, and complain about the sweets WHILE they're bringing that fork to their lips. I totally allow myself to slip into superior pat-myself-on-the-back mode, thinking to myself, "Why are all these people complaining about it WHILE they're eating it....? Sheesh. The best way to combat the whole scenario is just to NOT EAT ANY!!!" And then I feel good about myself and get a bit of mileage from my pat on the back. Makes me think, "See? I *can* make smart choices!' and sometimes that smart choice is just about NOT picking up the sweet.

And thirdly, sometimes, hey...let's face it: you break, you snag that sliver. I did that last week: had a very small sliver (so small, it essentially fell apart) of someone's celebration cake. It came out to exactly TWO bites - small ones - it satisfied the craving, and when I logged it, it was under 50 calories. WIN-WIN!

Good luck! Stay away from the cake, girl!

So feel your angst - it is like a freaking magnetic tractor beam drawing you towards the goodie! You know it is there even if you're trying not to think about it - weirdness... Evil cake Besides imagining nasty aliens dropping the goodies into your day just to send you into a flat spin, perhaps wouldn't be such a tempting indulgence if you imagine that you brought it. I dunno, I always think it is a treat if I didn't have to make it. "oh, it's just the cake that I brought for everyone to enjoy" not biggie... Or put your mind into food snob mode. You only eat high-end quality goodies. If it is a bought birthday cake with icing made from a petroleum by-product base -- stay far, far away. You only eat the good quality cake with the real butter icing, because you're worth it And it if is homemade - too dangerous, you don't know if their kitchen is food safe - a complete lie but we're trying to justify abstaining, right? :ohwell: Good luck! Know that we're (your MFP friends) are thinking about your immediate temptation hoping you make it through the day without cracking. You can do it!!

Make yourself some healthy alternatives to leave in the office! Some protein bars/cookies would be handy to have about in times like these

The cake is a lie! lol, had to. Anyway, what I do whenever this happens is I usually wait until lunch to have my little sliver and then only eat it after I ate my meal. Also if you've learned to interpret when you're full, then avoid the temptation by saying 'no, I'm full and don't need any more food.' This is my mantra as I know what the full feeling is like.

I normally convince my self that the baker spat on it because he didn't like the person who bought it. Or make up some scenario like that in my head. Do you really wanna eat the spit cake or the one with cockroach wings in it?

Good for you for writing it down. Seeing it in black and white will sometimes take the power out of it. And congrats for only having the one little slice.

Thank goodness no one really brings in goodies around here, although when it's holiday time that's a different story. I have a planned cheat/relax day which is Sunday, where I don't weight train, run, etc and I can eat what I feel like eating. I've found that that keeps me in check. I would rather relax with my treats while watching a movie in my own home instead of snacking on goodies in the office. Just think about somebody sneezing/coughing on that cake or the grossest person in your office running their finger across the frosting and licking their finger saying "yup that's some good cake right thereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" :noway: