Help; the guy on the next desk is always eating crisps, choc

bombus
bombus Posts: 44 Member
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
Have been doing this for a while now and (although the scales aren't showing as much of a decrease in weight as I'd like) I'm feeling fitter, lighter and determined to reach my goals. The main thing I'm struggling with at the moment are the temptations in my work environment. The guy on the desk next to me (we work in an open plan office) is always eating crisps, chocolate, sandwiches, sweets. When it's lunchtime I go out for a walk to avoid the situation (and up my calorie expenditure) but the rest of the time I sit there feeling very tempted. It's really quite hard, particularly lately. Any suggestions gratefully recieved.

Replies

  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    Is there somewhere else you can eat besides your desk, a break room maybe, if what he's doing bothers you?

    Whenever I see a friend or a co-worker eating something I shouldn't be I just remind myself that if I ate that for lunch I would have to eat salad for dinner. Salad sucks. :laugh: Not eating it is usually my motivation for eating better throughout the day.
  • KiriKiriKiri
    KiriKiriKiri Posts: 227 Member
    Clocking him over the head with a stapler is OUT of the question :) WOW...that is a tough one....good luck!!! Sounds like you are doing the right thing by getting out at lunch time. :)
  • jdsouthernbelle
    jdsouthernbelle Posts: 274
    At my office my boss buys candy for the 3 candy jars....I just stock my desk drawer with trail mix, granola bars & 100 calorie popcorn so I am not tempted to eat the candy.
  • Avandel
    Avandel Posts: 283 Member
    Do you have the Quaker Mini Crisps over there, they are like mini rice cakes in different flavours. I eat them sometimes instead of potato chips (crisps). Also 100 calorie packs are good to curb the cravings, just don't get carried away with them. Have one on hand when this guy starts munching. And if you try to eliminate sugary items from your diet, you'll find the cravings will start to diminish.


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  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    That sucks about your co-worker. Just try to keep in mind what your goals are. You're stronger than food! You can fight the temptations!
    I personally like the wacking with a stapler idea. I might have to use that on my cube neighbor who is a loud chewer!
  • fehrdad
    fehrdad Posts: 3
    Try 100 calorie snack packs (by Nabisco). Only bring one or two with you for snacks throughout the day. When you feel really tempted, have one but . . . keep it to one. I've found that it is a sweet treat that can fit into my calorie goal. If I feel deprived its harder. These "treats" help me to not feel deprived.

    Also write your goal down (in code if you don't want others to know - like "vacation" - to remind you of fitting into your favorite vacation clothes) and keep it by your desk as motivation. Change it occationally. Its a good use for a post it note.
  • pelelovesme1011
    pelelovesme1011 Posts: 33
    Every time you see him snacking away on junk you could remind yourself how much healthier your are being by resisting temptation :) He'll be jealous when you lose weight and he's still snacking away and adding pounds.
  • msjnjames
    msjnjames Posts: 3
    Bring pre-portioned snacks of your own. I LOVE the chocolate mini bite size rice cakes!! There are only 60 calories in 8! You can satisfy your craving with a healthy snack (that certainly feels like its not!!) A “guilty pleasure” if you will, WITHOUT the guilt!!

    I understand what you are going through. I have an office FULL of temptation. We have a pot luck every first Tuesday of the month. Not to mention all the endless FATTY snacks that we have lying around.

    I just bring my own pre-portion snacks and I don’t feel left out or like I am missing anything at all.

    Good luck and God bless.
  • ydavyd
    ydavyd Posts: 15 Member
    if it was dog food would it bother you??? think of him as his food.......
  • waguchan
    waguchan Posts: 450 Member
    In my office, they have a desk dedicated to junk food. We call it the junk food table, but it's more like an alter to junk food. There are treats from every part of the world. Bags and bags and BAGS of candy, tons of cookies, chips, crackers, and sometimes nuts and bananas. A lot of the candies are purchased in bulk. On top of that, people bring in baked goods from local bakeries and their own kitchens. And the employees hunt for goodies that are rare or nostalgic.

    The rare ones are the ones that get me. I'll see some candy that I haven't had since I was 7 and I just have to try it. Or someone will come back from a trip to India, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, or wherever and I just have to try the sweets that they bring back.

    I usually just try to stay completely away from that table. But I have a meeting nearby everyday at 2pm, and that's when the munchies start to hit. I really have to struggle to avoid that table. I'm usually successful, but not always.
  • mapnerd2005
    mapnerd2005 Posts: 363
    My office seems to be turning into a follow-the-leader kind place. When I started trying to eat healthier I began bringing my own lunch and snacks. Fast forward two months and there are five more people doing the same thing. Think of yourself as a trend-setter, it just takes a little while for it to catch on. I take a snack of crispy fresh fruit (usually 1 cup of grapes/blueberries/raspberries/etc and half an apple with a non-fat vanilla yogurt for dip). I just keep it out on my desk and munch on it. It gives me the willpower to stay away from the junk because I'm not hungry, but it also satisfies both my cravings for sweet and crunchy (soggy apples are gross). Bonus, the fiber from the fruit and the protein from the yogurt help stymie hunger, so by the time lunch comes around, I eat much much less than I used to! Good luck ignoring the bloke in the next desk, but you've stuck with it this long, so I am sure you will continue to have the willpower to avoid the temptation.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
    Have been doing this for a while now and (although the scales aren't showing as much of a decrease in weight as I'd like) I'm feeling fitter, lighter and determined to reach my goals. The main thing I'm struggling with at the moment are the temptations in my work environment. The guy on the desk next to me (we work in an open plan office) is always eating crisps, chocolate, sandwiches, sweets. When it's lunchtime I go out for a walk to avoid the situation (and up my calorie expenditure) but the rest of the time I sit there feeling very tempted. It's really quite hard, particularly lately. Any suggestions gratefully recieved.


    Just think of the willpower you have and the determination that you want to achieve. I am in an office where I am the only one who really eats healthy. There are tons of junk food in here. I choose not to eat it. I realized that I am much happier without it. We have carry in days where its junk food. Every now and then I will allow myself to eat something here but not every day. I always think how much better I feel if I didn't eat that.
  • VJ150
    VJ150 Posts: 453
    I personally agree with the stapler over the head idea because I'm sure this person is aware that you are watching what you are eating. Entertain the thought ;-)

    Aside from that, stay focus. Remember what are your goals... remember how you want to be healthy.... and remember that you are stronger than the temptations. When you are slim and trim - your coworker will be asking how did you do it.
  • rosemary10
    rosemary10 Posts: 253
    I know how you feel. Work is the worst time for me. We have a snack box that we can buy snacks from. Dayshift leaves candy and chips for us nightshift people, we have a several kitchens that people leave all sorts of breakfast food, desserts, chips and dip to share with everyone, there is a McDonald's downstairs that is open 24/7 and then there are the vending machines. Couple all of this to a high stress environment which makes you want to comfort eat and it's 12 hours of frustration every shift I work. I'm glad you posted this because I'm picking up more pointers from your respondants. Nowadays I'm trying to follow my rule of not eating other food until the good stuff I bring is gone (by then I don't want theirs).

    Best to ya :flowerforyou:
  • 365healthchallenge
    365healthchallenge Posts: 32
    Keep healthy snacks around :)

    But I know its still tempting, so do something that I was recently inspired to do by a magazine article:

    They showed a picture of a large oreo blizzard (mmm tasty summer ice cream treats) and informed us that it clocked in at over 1000 calories! And they went on to say that if I wanted to eat it I would have to do an activity to balance it out...the one they suggested was swimming for 110 minutes. I would look up the nutritional value of these treats and put them on a sticky note with a note saying if you want it you have to do X amount of additional exercise to negate it and see if you still want it :)
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