Avoiding free food at work?

Not easy..... We are getting pizza today... but I brought my salad and will stick to it. It helps me to look up how many calories are in the treat I want... then I realize it isnt worth it!

I just bring my own food and pre-log my entire day so I know ahead of time that I have no room to eat any of that junk people brought in. Unless I DO want it, and in that case I still pre-log and work the rest of my food around the junk.

I am a teacher and every time I walk into the teacher's lounge there is a different treat. Yesterday there was pumpkin cheesecake, donuts, a strawberry/vanilla cake, and a seven layer taco dip. People just bring their leftovers from home constantly, or parents bake stuff for us all the time. Then, when it is a student's birthday, they go from classroom to classroom offering the cupcakes to the other teachers. I used to take a small bite of the things I liked, and though I live a healthy lifestyle and it was seriously harming my weight, it just made me feel gross! This year, I made a new rule. I only eat the stuff that is my absolute favorite. So basically if it is a chocolate chip cookie cake or red velvet I eat it. Anything else, I ignore it! Sometimes it's hard, but I feel better in the long run.

I always eat free food.

I just bring my own food and pre-log my entire day so I know ahead of time that I have no room to eat any of that junk people brought in. Unless I DO want it, and in that case I still pre-log and work the rest of my food around the junk.

This is exactly what I do.

I can usually trust that if I have an early morning meeting and my boss says they'll be providing "breakfast," it actually means he'll be picking up a tray of donuts. Crap food is easy to bring to work. Bring your own.

I have this all the time at work. I find it helps to look up the calorie content of things. Today is a good example; it's someones birthday, so she's brought in home made cupcakes at just under 400 cals each. When I think what else I could eat for that, it just isn't worth it in my mind.

Bring something else for backup! If you know ahead of time that you will have free food, pack an alternative!

Everyone realizes that it takes conscious effort to insert food into the mouth, chew, and swallow it, correct?

So, depending upon which circumstance you find yourself in, your reaction will need to be different.

Code Green (food is in the same room with you): do not walk over to it.
Code Yellow (the food is on a table in front of you): do not reach out to pick up the food.
Code Orange (the food has been placed in your hand): do not activate your bicep to bring the food to your mouth.
Code Red (the food is being brought to your mouth): do not engage the muscles in your jaw, which will keep your mouth closed, thus preventing the food from entering it.

If it's something you don't actually want to eat, here are my strategies for it:

1. Stay physically away from it if you can.
2. Chew gum
3. Drink a lot of water
4. Think of all the germs that might be on it from coworkers handling it.

Even if you want some, but only want a little bit, take what you want, and then walk away from the supply. Good luck!

no food is free food
I think about my daily cals as a budget

Do I really want to waste calories on candy when i can have steak/ milk with cereal / ice cream at home?
the answer is usually no, so I don't eat it.

Just say no. :flowerforyou:

I chew gum, like the 5 calorie dessert gums to settle my sweet tooth, and it helps to avoid snacking.

I always plan out my meals and snack for work. When I go into the kitchen at work to put my stuff away, if I see things in there I know I shouldn't eat, I make sure to avoid the kitchen until 11:30 or so. By then, it's usually all gone. (we have a lot of men in our office, and they like to eat.)

If I know that we are having lunch as a team, then I account for that in my daily intake by only having a protein shake for breakfast and by taking SOME things fomr what is available...not EVERY thing.

It is not easy!! But it can be done. You just have to choose.

I just bring my own food and pre-log my entire day so I know ahead of time that I have no room to eat any of that junk people brought in. Unless I DO want it, and in that case I still pre-log and work the rest of my food around the junk.

This is exactly what I do.

I can usually trust that if I have an early morning meeting and my boss says they'll be providing "breakfast," it actually means he'll be picking up a tray of donuts. Crap food is easy to bring to work. Bring your own.

I pre-log too. it helps me to have an idea what I might eat the following day and it's always subject to change but I find if I pre-log it's easier for me to stick to making healthy decisions. Also you should try just saying No to some of these treats a few times here and there and then think about how awesome you feel at the end of the day. A girlfriend of mine brought cupcakes over that she made for her daughters birthday - everyone was grabbing them, but I said no thank you, and when the cupcakes were all gone I felt such relief that I stood my ground!! Giving into yummy treats can be instant gratification but the ensuing guilt can really be a drag. The more fattening junk that you avoid the better you will feel about yourself in the end. Buuuut, that all being said, it might be okay to have one little treat at the end of a good butt-kickin' week = )

If you just have a general rule for yourself that you don't eat stuff people bring in to work...then you don't have to make a new decision every time. The decision is already made....I don't eat that. If there is a special celebration (as in YOU are being honored for 25 years of service or YOU are being named employee of the month or whatever), you can decide to make an exception to your rule that one time. Having a rule for yourself makes it much easier to resist. You have to follow your rules, right?