Binging on free food at work

Please take this seriously and do not respond with 'just say no' - thank you, I need ideas I haven't already thought of.

I can't help but binge on 'free' food at work. I work at a school and there's ALWAYS biscuits/cake/crap going for free and sometimes when my sugar levels are low I find them too tempting.

I already bring my own snacks to work, don't take my purse so I can't eat at the canteen, and have given myself the rule 'no eating free food' but sometimes I still mindlessly eat it.

Anyone got any tips for helping me with this.

I know it sounds like I have zero will power and I probably have but I'm not joking when I say they are literally everywhere. This week alone we have been offered a free bagel or bacon cob at breakfast, had a cake bake off for teachers to try and vote AND the year teams got students to walk around with cakes for the teachers. I seriously can't win!!!

Replies

sarainiowa

Drink plenty of water. Eat the snacks you've brought as planned. WHEN you eat the free food, make sure it's within portion and fit it into your daily calories. Good Luck!!

RockStarlaa

I know where you're coming from. I work at a Drs office and drug reps and home health agencies are always bringing us goodies. Everything from bagels to pastries to cookies/cakes to Starbucks. It is VERY hard to say no. I try to stay out of the staff room. When I do have to come face to face with it I try to remember all of the reasons why I should not indulge. If it's a particularly yummy treat that I just can't say no to I have a small piece knowing that I will have to sacrifice with a lighter lunch or dinner. If I want it bad enough I will make it work into my calorie goal for the day.

sseqwnp

Eat it, log it, skip meals if you have to.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

Yea, Im just gonna have to go ahead and still say "just say no" - I do it. You can do it too. You have the self-control - you just dont exercise it. Clearly you want the food more than you want to lose weight.

petefromguelph

just say no

lol but seriously, there are a lot of good suggestions in the responses here. Cant say it much better. Good luck and keep the long term goal in mind

michelleamhill

My suggestion, if you haven't done so already, is to spend some time looking up how many calories are in biscuits, bagels, cake, cookies, etc .... I find it easier to resist food when I think about how many calories are in it and what eating it will "cost" me.
Edit: I have the same problem -- it's not easy to pass up free yummy food! You're not the only one with this problem.

I agree with this. The more I read about unhealthy food, the more I think about how hard it is to work it off. The more I read about healthy food and look at the chart to see if I'm meeting my daily requirements of calcium or iron, the more I choose food that will add to my iron or calcium intake. Have you monitored your nutrition stats? That will show you what your calories are helping you attain.

dacspace

My suggestion, if you haven't done so already, is to spend some time looking up how many calories are in biscuits, bagels, cake, cookies, etc .... I find it easier to resist food when I think about how many calories are in it and what eating it will "cost" me.
Edit: I have the same problem -- it's not easy to pass up free yummy food! You're not the only one with this problem.

Along the same lines as this...

Make yourself log it before you eat the free food or search it before making the decision to eat it. That way you know how much it will "cost" you before it goes into your mouth. It may help to curb the mindless eating. You may not find the exact item but something close should be in the database and will let you see an estimate of the calories you could potentially eat. Then you can base your decision to eat it or not on that knowledge.

You are not alone! It is difficult at times when free food is everywhere! I find that pre-logging it or at least researching the calories gives me a chance to think about it before diving head first into the chip bowl. Then I can use that knowledge/moment to decide to say no, opt for a smaller piece, only take a taste serving or something altogether different.

suremeansyes

Log it, give it 15 minutes, look at your log. If you still want to eat it, eat it.

If you don't, remove it and marvel at your newly gained willpower.

_cdaley

This was mentioned by another commenter, but a health/fitness challenge in your workplace could be a cool way to try and switch up the environment. I'm sure it's different because you don't work for a big company, but I work for a gym and there are several companies who do this sort of thing. For example, they will pay for part or most of the employees gym membership if the employee checks in and works out x amount of times per month. You could suggest a modified version specific to your situation- if the other teachers start bringing healthy options to share instead of cookies, cake, etc, the school could award the person who chooses the healthy option over the sweets the most often an awesome reserved parking spot or something. I think most people actually do want to make good choices, but there is so much social pressure to eat junk when it is there and others are eating it. You could be the one to start a positive change! Good luck

lottiesommer

Hi I can feel you tho I am a student and not a teacher. There is always free food around us but maybe you shouldn't see having a treat as something really bad. What I do is that I have a treat once or twice a week and then don't feel guilty about it but I think about it as a treat for my soul. I mean who doesn't love chocolate for example? But when I have that treat I take a good one. I take lovechoc bars for example which are organic and 82% cocao. Make yourself see that one thing as something special to you. Think of it as something really good for you and make yourself think of all the free food as something really for yourself. Maybe watch a movie about what they put into those treats ( as long as they're not homemade) and you won't feel like eating them ever again! But if really can't stand having an unhealthy chocolate bar for example then don't feel guity! Feeling guilty makes it WORSE!

xWendyJonesx

I work in an office that always has sweet and savoury treats, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, I find it really hard to resist.
What works for me most of the time, I take my own lunch and treats into work each day which I pre log, I do give in sometimes, but if I do I log it and then do an extra workout or go for a walk to help burn it off.

My colleagues know I'm watching what I eat and I've asked them not to bring food in for me, they understand and respect me and try and keep the food away from me as much as possible.

It does get easier.

sunsetzen

Well, you could have ONE treat, right?

Also, try not to let your blood sugar get out of control. Eat frequently and healthily before you enter that panic eating mode (I do it too, then I eat all my toddler's raisins or something)

sphillips7143

I also work in education and there are bake sales literally every day! I was eating so much crap and was feeling really bad about. One day I decided I just needed to stop buying the baked goods. I started just donating money to the students and not taking the baked goods. Once I got in this habit, it was easy to stop eating the junk!

Aaron_K123

Eat it, log it, skip meals if you have to.

I'm not sure I would recommend the "eat biscuits, skip meals" suggestion.

This comes down to willpower as you already know. Getting fit is more about developing your willpower so you can remain fit rather than just forcing yourself to choke down broccoli or punishing yourself for eating a biscuit. How do you develop your willpower? Well that is a tough one and hard to answer.

You can give yourself little artificial goals and rewards. Think of your favorite snack and have that at home and tell yourself that you can have one of those snacks if you don't eat free food at work that day. Of course that will only work if you have the willpower to not eat that favorite snack regardless. The problem with developing willpower is it takes some willpower to develop it. Have to boot-strap it up, start with a little willpower and build on it.

TNM2014

chew gum or brush your teeth and put on your best and most expensive lipstick. Looking pretty and feeling elegant and expensive will stop you from selling yourself short

:flowerforyou:

chelljo12

I'm in the same boat. Today a patient brought in cupcakes and brownies(to die for), Reese's peanut butter eggs and Cadbury eggs. I was given one of each egg. I hid them and decided to eat my afternoon snack(pineapple chunks). Not saying I won't eat the eggs, just won't be right now. I'm full and still have my calories for dinner.

gelar93

Just think of it this way. They are giving some food, if you eat it, you'll gain weight and it'll leave your body in a few hours as poop. If you say no, you'll stay healthy and get closer to your goal. Which one would you go with?
I'd also try to stay away from the location where food is since they can be very tempting sometimes.

lavaughan69

I would normally suggest having your own snacks at hand but I see you already do that. Another little trick I do is chewing gum. I find the minty flavor makes you feel like you just brushed your teeth and it seems to curb the need to eat. Before you go wandering past all the goodies stick a piece of gum in your mouth and keep on walking!

LolBroScience

chew gum

SheridanLT

I just think about all the germs going around. And people sneezing ...and coughing...and doing god knows what to the food when they prepare it.

Nope. Not worth it.

albayin

I just think about all the germs going around. And people sneezing ...and coughing...and doing god knows what to the food when they prepare it.

Nope. Not worth it.

LOL....my husband never eats other's homemade food...we rarely go to restaurants either...he gets sick all the time. just saying..

kitlynnJ

Could you put in a suggestion of having the free food kept in one specific place? For example in our office free food is left in the lunch room. If I know there is food in there, I can avoid the room. For me if I don't see it, it is easier to say no.

Along the same lines perhaps make an attempt to change the culture. Bring healthy food of your own to share, or make a request for people to stop bringing junk food. I'm not sure what kind of school you work at (young kids, college type institution), but there may be parents of students who are also tired of the culture of "just say no".

You are already doing many of the things I would suggest. Good luck!

amethyst7986

Completely understand where you are coming from. I work at a dr's office where the drug reps, patients and employees are constantly bringing in lovely sweets and other foods. Our office buys us lunch for every staff meeting, the reps bring food everyday both breakfast & Lunch. And although we all think "oh I just had a little bit of that chocolate muffin" we have a little bit every single day and by the end of the week you have just eaten a whole box of muffins!

It's definitely tough...so this week I started taking other routes thru the office to get to my desk or eating my snacks before I go any where. Also make sure I have been drinking a lot of water before I step foot near the kitchen(s)---we have 3 here!

Grumpellina

Grab a piece, take a bite out of it, fling the rest into the garbage or let it soak in your coffee until it's completely soaked.
"Drop it" on the floor. Anything. Trick your brain into not wanting to finish the rest.
Eventually, you will train your brain to be annoyed at dropping that food so much, you won't want it.
Conditioning works, just takes a lot of time and in this case, wasted food.

DeadliftAddict

You could quit your job. Or, you could take responsibility for yourself. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's what needs to happen, regardless of your sensibilities.

Rigger

This. Nothing anyone on here is going to help you. It is up to you to develop the will power to not what you don't want to eat. You are an adult. Sorry.

DeadliftAddict

Could you put in a suggestion of having the free food kept in one specific place? For example in our office free food is left in the lunch room. If I know there is food in there, I can avoid the room. For me if I don't see it, it is easier to say no.

Along the same lines perhaps make an attempt to change the culture. Bring healthy food of your own to share, or make a request for people to stop bringing junk food. I'm not sure what kind of school you work at (young kids, college type institution), but there may be parents of students who are also tired of the culture of "just say no".

You are already doing many of the things I would suggest. Good luck!

So others that don't have the same lifestyle as her which is probably most of the office should not get to eat free food because she can't say no.

DeadliftAddict

I am sitting at my desk as I type this, eating a turkey and spinach sandwich brought from home while my colleagues eat a fully catered hot meal in the break room. I can tell myself over and over and over that I can be like them and use "portion control" and "moderation" and "splurge a little"..... in reality I will eat plate after plate of that *kitten* until there's nothing left on the serving platters but that weird lettuce-like garnish and crumbs.

I cannot eat food when its quantity isn't limited to a correct portion (by someone else, not me). When this sandwich is gone, it's gone. But if I go in that breakroom there will be enough goodies to snack on for the rest of the afternoon... and that's just what I would do.

Yes, it makes me hate life in this moment. But so would the result of bingeing on free food that I only gorged on because it was available and unlimited.

This

LolBroScience

Grab a piece, take a bite out of it, fling the rest into the garbage or let it soak in your coffee until it's completely soaked.
"Drop it" on the floor. Anything. Trick your brain into not wanting to finish the rest.
Eventually, you will train your brain to be annoyed at dropping that food so much, you won't want it.
Conditioning works, just takes a lot of time and in this case, wasted food.

Why in god's name would do you this to cake?

You evil monster.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I used to be the same way, but you know that just because it didn't cost you anything money-wise, it's costing you something calorie-wise. You need to remind yourself of this, and if you know there will be food, shoot, I'd save my money and allow for it in my diary, because free food! Also, what Lolbroscience said. That's wasteful, and the cake cow will cry!

chargraves

It helps me to pre-log my meals so that I know exactly how many calories I have left over for snacks. I can resist the office goodies 95% of the time but if there is something that I really want I log it and move on. Sometimes just taking half a serving is enough.