Resisting Free Food at Work

cnl91_W
cnl91_W Posts: 89 Member
in Motivation and Support
So one of my biggest challenges has always been turning down the free food that magically appears in our office kitchen after meetings. Yesterday it was giant sandwiches and potato chips, this morning already there are donuts!

I'm really trying to stay focused on my goals, but does anybody have any tips or similar experiences with staying on track? In the past I have always sabotaged myself, gone for it, and then been so embarrassed that I didn't even log the cheat.

Since office freebies seem to be getting more frequent, I could really use some tips and/or stories.
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Replies

  • Cracken99
    Cracken99 Posts: 39 Member
    My Biggest temptation is Free Food at work also!! LOL

    I have been able to resist because I just am not doing that right now. I also tell myself I can go to XYZ donut shop anytime and buy one (Or sandwich shop or whatever). Or if I do eat it, I just log it and figure out the rest of my calories for the day. BTW- There was cookies and pound cake left over from a meeting yesterday on the counter, it was from costco which is really nothing special.

    The other day my boss bough us all Pizza for a fundraiser. It was from a place I had never been and heard great things about. I ate my 2 pieces, logged them, and stayed within my calorie range for the day. YEA!!!
  • sprintto50
    sprintto50 Posts: 410 Member
    That happens at my office all the time too. I just try and remember that my calories are like money. I have only so many to spend and is that chocolate/donut/cake worth it? A run of the mill coffee shop donut is not to me. One from the little bakery that was scratch made this morning? Oh yeah!
  • supra_driven
    supra_driven Posts: 90 Member
    I would not resist the free food. Just simply log it and try to meet your daily macro goals. If you happen to go over, just make time for some exercise to bring you back to your daily goal.
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
    Sometimes when I need control, I log it/check it out first.
    Seeing the numbers before you eat can be a handy deterrent.
    This has actually worked on several occasions for me.
    But normally...
    I can't help but stop in and have a FREEBIE (if its free, its for me)
    So...
    Exercise and planning out the rest of your day accordingly is how I counter against my lapses.
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    i turn it down easily. unless i really want it and its worth my calories and if so i eat it.
  • keeptehpeace
    keeptehpeace Posts: 189 Member
    I was at a conference today and there was a platter of free biscuits, in particular ginger nuts and fruit shortcakes, my favourites. I had one of each, wrote down that I had them to log later, and moved on with my day.
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    I just think to myself "is it worth it?". Say I have 500 calories left over for my evening. I can have a healthy supper, and have some room to have a not-so-healthy snack. Do I want to waste 300 of those on a doughnut/piece of cake/whatever just because it's in front of me? Probably not.

    But if it's something I really want, I will take it to have as a snack later, and adjust my snacks accordingly.

    Going over once in a while isn't a big deal, if it's something you really enjoy. If I eat it just because it's there, I find I don't enjoy it and feel like I've "wasted" part of my calories for the day.
  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
    For me... I have to not go in the kitchen, breakroom, wherever the free food is... It always looks too yummy just sitting there... and free is even better!!! eat at your desk, or go home for lunch if you can so you don't have to sit there and look at the deliciousness!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    if I want it, I eat it, log it, and make room for the rest of the day ..

    if I don't want it, then I do not eat it...
  • wildrosegeo
    wildrosegeo Posts: 27 Member
    First, I ask, is it better than something I can make? If it's generic, store-bought stuff, I can be fairly confident it will taste cardboardy and processed. That makes it easier to say no.

    If it's food from a local bakery, or boutique shop, then I allow myself to have a small portion and I just log it. Life is too short to always deny myself treats! As long as it doesn't happen frequently, don't sweat it.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    Is the food in your line of sight from your work station?

    If it is not then really the best thing you can do is consciously decide that you you prefer not to eat what there is available and walk past it. Then if it's out of sight it's generally out of mind.

    If it's in your line of sight then a useable technique is to give yourself absolute permission to eat whatever it is..but just not yet. As time elapses you may find the craving goes away. If not eat the food in moderation and work it into your calories for the day.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Find someone to split it with...at least then you are only eating half a portion!
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    Log it, then eat it. Unless the act of logging it tells you it's not worth it for the day. There's always a delete button.

    You can also have a half. Then go back for the other half later because you were so good earlier and you deserve a reward :)
  • ruffnstuff
    ruffnstuff Posts: 400 Member
    I just try and remember that my calories are like money. I have only so many to spend and is that chocolate/donut/cake worth it? A run of the mill coffee shop donut is not to me. One from the little bakery that was scratch made this morning? Oh yeah!

    +1 You just have to be judicious in your "spending", then you can make all sorts of tastes fit. If not, then keep moving past the kitchen!! There are no real tips - either you can exercise your will power, or you're gonna decide not to and not log it and who are you really hurting then (hint: it ain't me!).
  • superfox12082
    superfox12082 Posts: 512 Member
    I rarely eat or accept free food at work because I don't know where it came from. If somebody made it at home I don't know how clean their house is or how clean they are as a person in general. I also don't know if they prepared the food safely or not. Also, I'm a bit of a germaphobe...........:ohwell:
  • Maddalen101
    Maddalen101 Posts: 307 Member
    I sit right outside my department's kitchen, so smells are assailing me all day long. I do keep healthy food in a file drawer at my desk, and endeavor to have healthy tasty things for lunches and snacks. However, it is rough, esp. when others at your workplace are determined to sabotage you. (One executive, who I have asked repeatedly to please not put sweets in the kitchen, now likes to come up and shove chocolates under my nose and ask if I want some. Quite rude.) How to combat? For me, "no thank you" helps, as does having clean, filling nutritious things to eat. However, I do have to eat them!
  • TMagical
    TMagical Posts: 37 Member
    I just think to myself "is it worth it?". Say I have 500 calories left over for my evening. I can have a healthy supper, and have some room to have a not-so-healthy snack. Do I want to waste 300 of those on a doughnut/piece of cake/whatever just because it's in front of me? Probably not.

    But if it's something I really want, I will take it to have as a snack later, and adjust my snacks accordingly.

    Going over once in a while isn't a big deal, if it's something you really enjoy. If I eat it just because it's there, I find I don't enjoy it and feel like I've "wasted" part of my calories for the day.

    +1 to this!
    I always ask myself "Will this taste that great or am I just THINKING it will taste good?"
    Most times, if I give in, I will realize that I expected it to taste better and it really didn't end up being worth the actual calories.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Well, it depends...if I decide that I want whatever it is that is out there, I have it...one doughnut on a Tuesday isn't going to kill me and is pretty damned irrelevant in the grand scheme of my life. If I don't want it, I don't have it...

    Really, it has to ultimately come down to your mindset...it seems to me that people are somehow tethered to these things or something...someone brings something in and they feel like they have to have it or something...I've never understood this. Most of the stuff people bring in tastes like a horses *kitten*...doughnuts from some crappy grocery store bakery or the cheapest and crappiest sandwiches the company would pay for after the meeting...or some nasty cardboard like pizza or something. I guess it's issues like these that people have with food that make me glad I'm a foodie...****ty food just generally isn't worth my time.
  • _hillary_
    _hillary_ Posts: 5 Member
    I have trouble with free food at work, too. I have a sweet tooth, but sometimes I find it helps to say to myself, "This is not going to be your last opportunity in life to eat a cookie (or whatever)." Sometimes if I'm tempted I'll come back to my desk first and look up the nutritional info to see what I'd be adding to my calorie count for the day (or check the package if it's a packaged food). Sometimes I have to avert my eyes from the food as I go past it to avoid being tempted, even. (Seriously, sugar addiction is very real...) That being said, I've noticed that the longer I go without eating sweets, the less I feel the urge to eat them if they are put out at work. But I agree with whoever said that if it's something really great, like a fresh donut from a local bakery, I will eat it and enjoy it! It's much easier to avoid eating something if I think about how it was made in a plant somewhere a thousand miles away and is full of preservatives.
  • littlelexical
    littlelexical Posts: 146 Member
    If something unexpected happens, like freebies at work - I think i'd be happy to have some... As im trying to lose weight, i allow myself to go up to maintenance calories without beating myself up on occassion (including special occassions like birthdays & family gatherings etc.) - Losing weight and being healthy for me is a life change, not a race - it just may mean i get there a few days later :)
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
    I just deny it. 95% of the time my foods already pre-planned and punched into MFP with minor changes that I can make via iPhone. I have planned cheats & treats so I don't lose my sanity even though one doughnut will not necessarily kill me I'd just rather have it on a day I want it rather than skipping it at a later date (i.e. going out on Fridays would suck if I could not enjoy chips & queso because I had a doughnut on Tuesday).
  • The_Angry_Fish_Guy
    The_Angry_Fish_Guy Posts: 40 Member
    Just depends on how F@cking badly you want your Goal. Thats it. If you don't have enough self control to stop eating the bad *kitten*, You don't want your goal bad enough. Simple.
  • bf43005
    bf43005 Posts: 287
    That happens at my office a lot too. I try to pick what I will indulge in. If there is a lunch then a lot of times they will have left over salad. So I feel like I got something but it was better for me than the sandwich. If I do have a sandwich then I skip my lunch (which helps to make up some of the calories), and try to get in some exercise.

    Also, I try to eat before I come to work so when those bagels/donuts are there first thing in the morning I'm already full and not tempted.

    Another thing you could try is avoiding the kitchen. I take an insulated bag with me to work for my lunch and try to stay out of the kitchen area where most of these treats are left out.
  • TomTomato
    TomTomato Posts: 223
    It takes a lot of willpower. I gave in yesterday on some chocolate covered pretzels someone brought in from Valentines Day. Last year, when my willpower was stronger, I was able to resist the donuts and other sweets people would leave in the galley about 12 feet from my desk! It seems as though my willpower and motivation at this time is not as strong :(
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
    Either eat a little and stay within your goals or suck it up and say no thanks.

    Seriously, I don't get these "how do I say no to free food?" question posts.
  • Lea_8D
    Lea_8D Posts: 106 Member
    Since following a lower carb diet, I've found it much easier to not even be tempted by the sweet stuff. Otherwise, you can try:
    wait a while and chances are it'll be gone next time you look (at least in my office!)
    pretend the item costs $5.00 and you actually have to pay that if you eat it (put in a jar for donating to charity)
    eat and log.
  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
    You are NOT alone.
  • whitneysaenz
    whitneysaenz Posts: 125 Member
    95% of the time I don't even go near it because I'd rather eat what I brought than eat the free food. Personally, I feel like crap after eating whatever has been brought (physically, not mentally.. ok, sometimes mentally, too). I'd much rather "leave myself out" and have what I planned.
  • Scarbo1964
    Scarbo1964 Posts: 28
    That's a tough one, I once lost 10lbs just by changing jobs. Now I am back, and I just don't even look at it. They bring loads of food up here nearly daily, vendors being the worst. Good luck with that!!!:smile:
  • lkw0311
    lkw0311 Posts: 43 Member
    Thanks for posting this. That is also one of my BIGGEST problems! Especially Pot Lucks, when there is such a variety of yummy stuff to try.. I need all the tips I can get to deal with this..

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