Free food at work not letting me lose weight
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work the free work food into your eating plan, e.g. have it as a planned snack, and either eat less at some other time of the day, or do more exercise so you can use your exercise calories to eat the extra food at work
also, recalculate your calories, because sometimes excessive hunger is due to not eating enough generally, and people can get into a cycle between eating too little and uncontrolled overeating. Eating more, i.e. making your goal a bit higher, can help with this, i.e. you eat more, feel more satisfied, and are less likely to be tempted to snack. Personally, when my diet is perfect, i.e. enough calories, hitting my macros, including lots of veggies etc for micronutrients, I'm not tempted at all by snack foods. On the other hand, if I'm not getting enough of something, then I want to eat all the snack foods and then some.0 -
Just say no.
I work at a food testing facility and my entire day revolves around food, I photograph it, I write about it, I cook it & at times I have to eat it as although I'm not a full time food taster, I am trained to test & on occasions when a full time taster if off work I will have to fill in for them and I have to eat whatever it is they are testing that day. I gained a stone in 9months working here as there is constantly snacks & leftovers literally everywhere and we can eat as much as we like all for free.
One day I decided to just stop eating it & now I plan my meals and snacks the day before & bring all my own food in from home, all weighed out accurately. No matter what is on offer here I just don't eat it..I have just sat and watched 2 colleagues tucking into full cooked breakfasts whcih I love and didn't feel the need to join in and didn't feel like I was missing out because I no longer feel the need to eat food just because it is there and its free. Nowdays, I will take the free food we get home which we are allowed to do so then if I want to eat it I can weigh it out at home and factor it into my planned meals.
I think you need to decide which is more important, eating because its free and its tempting or exercising your self control and sticking to your calorie goals. The food very well may be there to eat if you want it but the only person stopping you from losing weight is yourself, nobody is forcing you to eat it.0 -
You have to realize something big that nobody has mentioned.
Food is fuel.
Food is fuel for your body, look at food as fuel.
From the title of your post, it appears that food is very psychological to you, you are giving it human qualities (it's not letting you lose weight). Unless you're hunting for your food, it's an inanimate object. You are a person, complex and intelligent. Food is an inanimate object.
I'm a work in progress, I still have issues with sweets sometimes, but I know I'm responsible for what I fuel my body with. I'm working hard to break the psychological side of my weight/food problem. I used to eat when I was bored, happy, sad, mad, stressed, content, celebrating, and the list goes on.
I'm learning that food is fuel. Eat what you need and leave the rest. There will be more food tomorrow. A bite sized portion tastes exactly the same as an entire cake .0 -
This is the central problem for everyone who is trying to eat less, or quit smoking or quit... whatever. The way I fought temptation was to fight temptation. I know of no magic bullet.The problem is I am not losing weight anymore. Eventhough I don't eat as much as I want to, still the food is so tempting that sometimes I can't avoid.0 -
I get free food at work as well, you just need some self control and avoid all the unhealthy food/snacks and you're good
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1. Log accurately and stick to your goals.
2. Stop making excuses.
3. Exercise more if you require more calories allowed in your day.
4. Stop making excuses.
This! Excellent advise. 0 -
some suggestions that have worked for me -
first, just learning to PAUSE and be aware of my whole body before taking and eating free food (or any food). Just enough to think. This is way harder than one would think. But it works.
second, if there's, say a round of brie and crackers sitting there, I remind myself -okay, I know what that tastes like, I don't need to find out. The crackers are actually boring crackers, and it's not like I'm never going to get brie in my life again. I'll just have it on purpose when I do and fully enjoy it.
third, if there's something really unusual and delicious, just pick the one incredible thing and have some and love it. Add some exercise to your day to compensate, but know the calories you're working with.
I guess it's simply to accept that there's all this food there, and be choose to be deliberate about it rather than impulsive.
You can do it; you make the choices!0 -
I found that keeping a water bottle with me helps to bolster my low will power. If I walk by the box of donuts I take a sip or gulp of water. It satisfies the immediate sense of the hand to mouth reaction and puts something in my stomach. A friend of mine who was stopping smoking told me to try this and used the same exact method and worked well for him. He didn't gain a single pound and reduced his cravings. Monitor this as well since too much water is not healthy.0
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I know how you feel.. I work at a school and the teacher lounge is filled with muffins, sweets, breads, etc. It's like walking into a bakery on steroids. I just avoid the room at all causes. What's even worse is you have random teachers asking "Hey, did you get a piece of the cake, it's so goooood!" I just hear Peter Griffin's voice saying "Ah crap".0
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Think about why you want to eat. Are you truly hungry or are you afraid you're going to miss out on something you'll like if you don't eat it? I used to do that. If there were treats at home or work, I had to eat 2-3 of them because if I didn't the next time I walked by they might be all gone. It was a mental / emotional thing I had to break. I had to realize that even if I did miss a treat, or didn't get another one before they were all gone, it didn't matter. I had to make my weight loss a bigger priority than eating the treats.
Your subject line says 'free food at work NOT LETTING ME lose weight.' That is a false statement. The food can't make you or let you do anything. YOU are the only one not letting you lose weight. Make good choices and get back to your calorie budget and stick to it. Either bring your own food and stay away from the food that's provided altogether or make good choices about the food. Either way it's YOUR choice.0 -
There was no need to start this thread there is already a thread titled "Post your excuse here" yours looks as silly as those, the food is doing nothing, YOU are not letting you lose weight!0
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My rule for work related eating is this: if I didn't bring it to work, I do not eat it. Simple as that. That way I know exactly what I'm eating every day0
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that has to be one of the dumbest things I have read........free food........not letting me lose weight..........your refusal to stop eating is that is doing that.0
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1. Log accurately and stick to your goals.
2. Stop making excuses.
3. Exercise more if you require more calories allowed in your day.
4. Stop making excuses.
This! Excellent advise.
Awww shucks :blushing: it was nothing really.......ok, ok, I am a genius. :laugh:0 -
thank youThe food isn't "making" you do anything, it's your choice. Personally, I do eat the food on social occasions, then if I eat too much, I eat less than usual or exercise more than usual to make up for it the next day. Free food just sitting in the break room when it's not a social occasion, I skip. If you feel like you have to eat it when you look at it, don't look at it. Don't go in there.0 -
I had a hard time resisting food at work also, the ultimate test came last holiday season when we started getting gift baskets from vendors full of yummy goodies. To make things for difficult for me all of the food was located right next to my cube, though I couldn't see it, I could hear people all day long make visits and complain how they shouldn't be eating it. I made it through only eating the fruit. Now when there is food at work I barely blink, I do treat myself to the really good stuff, like the chocolates one of the VPs brought back from Paris.0
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1. Log accurately and stick to your goals.
2. Stop making excuses.
3. Exercise more if you require more calories allowed in your day.
4. Stop making excuses.
This! Excellent advise.
Awww shucks :blushing: it was nothing really.......ok, ok, I am a genius. :laugh:
So simple, so profound and so true! You are a genius for figuring that one out 0 -
We have free food at work too, we have vending machines with crap in it....
I am still losing weight.....
Why because I choose when I eat, what I eat and how much I eat the food doesn't.
If you say you can't fight temptation that's on you not the food, unless it's jumping off the plate into your mouth and forcing your jaw to chew and then forcing you to swallow it....:noway:
Blunt I know but really....you have choices...you are not a child who's parent is not letting you leave the table until you have cleaned your plate....
So again with my blunt statement...
You either want to lose weight or you don't....you might not want it bad enough....0 -
The free food comes with enforcers. Armed soldiers of fortune accompany the free food. The first one grabs your hand, forces it forward to grab the most calorie-filled sugary donut. He clamps your fingers around the donut, while two others use leverage on your elbow to move that donut towards your mouth. A fourth pries your mouth open, and once the donut is inserted inside the mouth, the fourth and a fifth enforcer proceed to keep your mouth closed until said donut is swallowed. This process is repeated until all donuts are gone.
I saw three different videos of this phenomenon on You Toob, and it has been verified by Snipes!0 -
What I sometimes do is plan all my meals for the day and complete my diary for the whole day in the morning. That way you know exactly what you can eat to stay under the calorie limit and how many calories you have spare (if any) in case you are tempted to eat something.
And if you cannot resist temptation (which used to be a problem for me, but hasn't been for a while since I started filling my exercise diary early) you know that you will have to do a little bit more exercise to balance out that fruit and nut snack bar you just ate.
Good luck!
EDITED:
Have just had a read through other answers and I do agree with everyone else that will power is key. It is not going to be easy, but I have been there and I know how difficult it can be and how demoralised you feel about not being able to fight temptation successfully. But keep at it, and one day you wont be tempted anymore.
I used to crave chocolate every day. If I didn't have any chocolate one day I'd feel miserable. I tried to fight temptation by not buying any chocolate one day and ended up eating some God-awful chocolate cake toppings that I found in the cupboard to satisfy my cravings. (I know, Pig!) And as of today I haven't had any chocolate for more than 2 weeks and the last time I did have chocolate was only because I was offered some by a friend and was not to satisfy any craving.
The important thing is to not give up just because you keep slipping up. Good luck!! 0 -
I have people eat pizza, and fried food in my face, at the same table as me every day during lunch. I work in a job where my body is craving carbs all the time. But I dont give in.
Dieting and nutrition isnt for the feint of heart.
You more then likely have the will power to see it through, and make sure you stay on track, but apparently you don't want it bad enough.0 -
I will never again allow myself to feel pressured to eat something just to make someone else feel good. If someone feels bad, or wants to make me feel guilty because I'm deciding against calories that aren't worth it to me...they are the rude ones. If someone can't understand that I'm making choices for my own physical and mental health, and it has nothing to do with them...well, then I don't so much care what they think, it's not like they have my best interest in mind.If someone brings in cakes to work, I make sure I have a piece (rude not to
) I will then go to the gym and hit the treadmill.
QFT. PLUS this: One never knows what the baker's cleanliness habits are....is their kitchen clean? Do they drop a utensil on the floor but get a clean one or do they say, "2-second rule" and use it again? Do they have pets? Do they lick the spoon & then stick it back in the batter/icing? I have seen homes where the cats climb on the counters above the stove (gross!), the litterbox is in the kitchen, the dogs sticks the nose up high to the table where the treat is, double-dipping, kids with runny noses....you get the idea....:noway: :noway: 0 -
Allaboutthecake has it. I learned never to eat anything my kids brought back from cooking at school - threadworms!0
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Allaboutthecake has it. I learned never to eat anything my kids brought back from cooking at school - threadworms!
:sick: :sick:0 -
that doesn't work.
are you sure you came here for the right reason?
Hell ya,my methods to loose weight is the "whole experience" when you say "no" you are facing your demons.Might as well eat it till you regret it then you can start the weight loss again.
Life is up and down,its never at a constant unless you find pure happiness. If you fall you get back up to which you "will" fall again and again until you learn to balance,which slowed down is falling and regaining balance
Its fun very good fun lol. ppl who fear state your claims and believe once failed is a failure.Ppl like me knows nothing of failure 0 -
that has to be one of the dumbest things I have read........free food........not letting me lose weight..........your refusal to stop eating is that is doing that.
Exactly my point but how is this helping her? Abrupt and unnecessary lol Im sure she is well aware of this.0 -
thank youThe food isn't "making" you do anything, it's your choice. Personally, I do eat the food on social occasions, then if I eat too much, I eat less than usual or exercise more than usual to make up for it the next day. Free food just sitting in the break room when it's not a social occasion, I skip. If you feel like you have to eat it when you look at it, don't look at it. Don't go in there.
LMAO again,do you ppl get "Gold stars" for pointing the obvious out?0 -
thank youThe food isn't "making" you do anything, it's your choice. Personally, I do eat the food on social occasions, then if I eat too much, I eat less than usual or exercise more than usual to make up for it the next day. Free food just sitting in the break room when it's not a social occasion, I skip. If you feel like you have to eat it when you look at it, don't look at it. Don't go in there.
LMAO again,do you ppl get "Gold stars" for pointing the obvious out?
Obviously we don't...but obviously it is NOT obvious!
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