Any bakers trying to lose weight?

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dessyjo
dessyjo Posts: 176 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Before I decided I wanted to lose weight I decided I wanted to be a baker when I grew up. However I'm a little worried my profession choice will interfere with my new lifestyle choice. How do you lose weight or at least maintain when you're surrounded by baked goods? Do you skip the test-tasting and just hope it tastes well enough for your customers? Or have others try it and hope they're honest?
I know baked goods wasn't what made me overweight, but i'm worried because I have little to no self control. (Yes, after 3 cookies I can say, No more, but there's nothing to stop me from eating those first 3. I'm working on it.)
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Replies

  • bonjovi27
    bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
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    Bump! I love to bake at home for fun, but haven't been doing it so much lately because I'm eating healthier, and I know I will eat most of what I bake! Anyone have some good recipes or tips maybe?
    All I can think of is to keep drinking water to stay fuller for longer!
  • jontay81
    jontay81 Posts: 39 Member
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    I work in the food industry also, and taste testing is a frequent part of the job. You have to just make a conscious choice and decide what's more important to you. I only taste calorically dense foods if absolutely necessary. You can also have just one bite or spit the food out when done tasting. I do this sometimes. It really hasn't hampered me too much.

    Make sure to allow room in your diet for your baked goods too. It helps to know that you can still enjoy them, just not every meal or day.

    Good luck.
  • dessyjo
    dessyjo Posts: 176 Member
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    Bump!
  • pastrychefoz
    pastrychefoz Posts: 22
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    Hi there I'm a pastry chef and have been one for 22 years, u have ur bad days where u misbehave but you also get desensitised to it as well and even get fussy with quality over quantity.

    Feel free to add me if u want some to chat with

    Mike
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Slightly off topic..... My son wants to be a pastry chef and as a supportive mom, I can't refuse when he makes scones or cupcakes.....LOL.
    Thankfully it's not daily, just a few times a month he makes goodies.
  • rebbylicious
    rebbylicious Posts: 621 Member
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    Not a professional but I consider myself a foodie and I go through phases where I watch food network and make every thing that I crave from the show. I will sit in front of the tv and chop veggies -

    It sucks because I make pasta , paczkis , periogi, cookies, and i love my cheese and wine. I have not had much of it since i started 36 days ago.
  • jdhoward_101
    jdhoward_101 Posts: 234 Member
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    I LOVE baking! When me and my boyfriend were together, i used to bake in the evenings and we would usually dmeolish whatever i had baked, but now we've split up i have no-one to help me eat it all! The other night i made, and scoffed myself, an entire batch of chocolate chip shortbread, I felt awful.

    Now my friends bare the brunt of my cooking lol. Gives me an excuse to bake and they love me for it :p
  • PhattiPhat
    PhattiPhat Posts: 349 Member
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    Not professional, but I love cooking and baking!!! The challenge now is to make everything healthier and taste fabulous at the same time!
  • ChrisRS87
    ChrisRS87 Posts: 781 Member
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    All the power to you. I have a soft spot for donuts, cannolis, pastry hearts... and all manner of baked goods really.
  • auntygill
    auntygill Posts: 108 Member
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    I have a small business baking celebration cakes for the public , one of my problems has been i would eat too many of the off cuts and i mean too many . something had to give . I DO NOT eat them now , i take them to work and let the others get fat !!
    I don't find it hard any more to say no , it does take time but its worth saying no in the end. Be strong.x
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I recently started my own cupcake business... It's not horrible with regards to sampling and what-not, but unfortunately as bakers (and chefs/cooks) we have to sample our creations. I tend to sample the batter and frosting with just a dab of the finger. I very rarely eat the cupcakes. My problem is certain candies/cookies that go into my cupcakes. I bought a package of Oreos for cupcakes, the market I am in was canceled due to rain that Saturday so I never baked. But I sure did devour those cookies. Did it with a 2nd bag too. Ugh. None of my cupcakes are healthy but fortunately I only bake like once a week.
  • Kyledrums
    Kyledrums Posts: 56 Member
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    I'm bake for fun so may not be any help. I enjoy the baking side of things so much and I make sure I don't eat much of what I bake. I also trust my friends and family to let me know when it's not up to scratch. I'm hoping you have employes/coworkers that can do the same.
  • summerstate
    summerstate Posts: 33 Member
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    I'm not a professional baker. But I love to bake. I do taste. But only a bite. I ask my bf (the unofficial taster) to finish.

    If I'm baking for a party I'll factor it into my cals so I can enjoy.

    My test batches usually get brought to work for my coworkers, or friends or family who want them. If I think it comes out bad it goes to garbage (I'm a perfectionist) I only want happy tummies eating my food.

    If for sale I taste the smallest or least pretty. The rest is for $. I'm not eating profit.
  • saraweise
    saraweise Posts: 2 Member
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    Just read this article a day or so ago and think maybe it is relevant.

    http://greatist.com/health/jesse-schenker-healthy-weight-loss

    I like how he tailors his approach to his personal motivations and preferences for eating (he is a "finisher" so he chooses foods he can finish) and he is cognizant of needing to 'taste' as a part of his profession.

    Personally I have enjoyed the challenging of seeking out and testing super tasty and satisfying recipes that might be more healthy (e.g. where sugar might be reduced and protein increased etc). I am enjoying the trial and error of it and getting my family's feedback. Like last week I heard, "Mom, these black bean brownies are the pits but those other brownies were AWESOME - can you bake them for my friends?"

    Anyway...hope you enjoy and happy baking!
  • Nerdybookgirl
    Nerdybookgirl Posts: 105 Member
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    I love baking! I take the baked goods to work, or my knitting group, or to my teenage daughter's friends. Giving things away and freezing is the wy to go.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    I love to bake, I do it when I am nervous or stressed out about something. Of course I sample some, but the rest goes to work, my family or my personal trainer (he is actually the one I like to give it to, he appreciates it the most)

    I have been trying to find some healthier options to bake...Pinterest has been good for that. The stuff isn't the same, but I bake, get to eat something to satisfy the sweet tooth and my trainer appreciates my attempts at healthy baked goods. I even found one that is actually really good, not low cal, but healthy ingredients.
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
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    I'm an extreme hobby baker. Luckily....summer is coming and I'll tone it down a bit, just because I don't want to pay for the a/c. But...the tasting thing....sometimes I bake just to try new things, but then I have to taste it. Even if I'm feeding it to other people. And if I bring it to my day job, I'll have more while I talk about it with my very honest reviewers so that I can understand what they are saying when they tell me what they think! I'm working on it.
  • runilious
    runilious Posts: 45 Member
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    I love cooking and baking but I try and be good and offer the end product to people in work, neighbours or my family and this way I get to make something nice, see the final result and make people happy by giving them a freebie :-)

    You could try books on healthier baking but in the end the smell of freshly baked goods is still going to require a lot of your own willpower to resist.

    I really enjoy making full fat baileys and chocolate cheesecake but the calories in it are a killer haha.
  • cacklingcat
    cacklingcat Posts: 150 Member
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    Im a cook at a non prophet so we don't do a lot of baking , but iv never had a problem with over eating at work. Maby its because i only get a break at my lunch time and then that's very little. But really your on your feet all day and moving, as long as your not taste testing by eating a whole serving of every thing you should be good. But if you cant stop maby have another person taste it for you, or take a sample to a customer and ask what they think that would probably love that. :drinker:
  • HermioneDanger118
    HermioneDanger118 Posts: 345 Member
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    Bump! I love to bake - it's my stress relief!

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