Resisting Free Food at Work

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.

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

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.

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.

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..

I am all about free stuff, too. It's hard. Here are a couple of suggestions, and things I would do if I had to deal with this:

1. Help yourself to small portions and log it (half a donut, etc)

2. Avoid the office kitchen if you cannot control your portions - Find lunch options that don't need to be kept in there (insulated lunch bag with an ice pack for items that should be cold) For example, hummus & veggies, cheese sticks, soup in an insulated thermos (if you preheat a soup thermos with near boiling water from a tea kettle, then dump it, then put in really hot soup it'll stay hot until lunch, a sandwich, and so on.)

3. Are you eating breakfast? Is it something that will keep you feeling full throughout the morning? High protein options can do that for you.

4. Keep healthy snacks, like almonds, at your desk. Eat a few before you head into the kitchen if you must go in there.

There is tons of free food at my office. If I ate it every day, I would never lose weight.

I used to eat a lot at the office. I'd just swing by the table where the food is lying and pick up a cookie or a donut, or a piece of candy, or a piece of cake and go back to my desk. Later, I'd swing by again and pick up something else. ARRGHH. This was a terrible habit and I knew when I decided to lose weight I would have to get it under control.

This type of eating was never planned, and I usually was not even hungry, I was just eating because the food was THERE.

Now I bring snacks to work and when I am hungry I eat one. I hardly ever eat the food people bring in because I am much more conscious of why I am eating and whether I am really hungry or just eating because food is there. If I see food at work, I ask myself, "DO I really want this and am I really HUNGRY?"

Usually the answer is no and I pass the food by. If I really wanted it, I would eat it and LOG IT.

The fact that I log everything I eat stops me from eating things that I should not because I planned out my food day and they don't really work in the plan. I also focus on food that will keep me satisfied, higher protein, healthier, and the food that people bring to work is just sugar/carbs and will give me a sugar rush and then I'll be hungry again.

Also I feel a lot better now that I rarely eat this kind of food. Once you start feeling better from not eating that type of food, it's easier to say no.

If I know there's something in there I shouldn't have, I just don't go in there.

I wish that was an option but usually it's out in my office, not the break room. While stressing about a difficult client or something it's in eyeshot and nose shot!

Oscar Wilde once said, "I can resist anything except temptation." All of us have our weaknesses and will cave in from time to time. However, at least from my perspective, developing mental self discipline is just as important as being disciplined in our work out routine as well. For me, the battle has been more about the mental challenge than the physical so I try to work on that just as much as I do making sure I keep my commitment to work out 3-4 days a week. And sometimes I blow it, other times, I don't. But I'm getting better and stronger at it. In other words, I purposely focus on my self-control every day rather than, "what do I do in this situation or that situation." Hope that makes sense.

There is tons of free food at my office. If I ate it every day, I would never lose weight.

I used to eat a lot at the office. I'd just swing by the table where the food is lying and pick up a cookie or a donut, or a piece of candy, or a piece of cake and go back to my desk. Later, I'd swing by again and pick up something else. ARRGHH. This was a terrible habit and I knew when I decided to lose weight I would have to get it under control.

This type of eating was never planned, and I usually was not even hungry, I was just eating because the food was THERE.

Now I bring snacks to work and when I am hungry I eat one. I hardly ever eat the food people bring in because I am much more conscious of why I am eating and whether I am really hungry or just eating because food is there. If I see food at work, I ask myself, "DO I really want this and am I really HUNGRY?"

Usually the answer is no and I pass the food by. If I really wanted it, I would eat it and LOG IT.

The fact that I log everything I eat stops me from eating things that I should not because I planned out my food day and they don't really work in the plan. I also focus on food that will keep me satisfied, higher protein, healthier, and the food that people bring to work is just sugar/carbs and will give me a sugar rush and then I'll be hungry again.

Also I feel a lot better now that I rarely eat this kind of food. Once you start feeling better from not eating that type of food, it's easier to say no.

This! I went through almost the exact same thing at my office. I actually put on a few pounds after starting my job because I too would simply take food when I saw it most times. Candy, doughnuts, cake, cookies and other random treats, not to mention the constant potlucks...

I had to seriously evaluate my situation and make a change. I started bringing my own snacks, ones that were healthy or at least ones that would fit into my calorie goals. It's not easy obviously, but I resist the temptations of work food on a very regular basis (there is something floating around almost every single day). Maybe once a month, I'll enjoy some office goodies, but I will make sure it fits into my day and I log it. You really just have to make yourself resist. Life is tough and that's the way it goes.

My advice is to bring snacks from home or to look up the calories in whatever office food is tempting you because the shock may just help you to resist. There were Krispy Kreme doughnuts at my office Monday morning and I looked up the calorie content. When I saw how high the count actually was, I was floored and easily held myself back from taking one.