The Struggle

I love treats in the office. I can take a small portion, enjoy it with my morning coffee and "plan" to come back at 3 for more. Of course by then the containers have been licked clean if it was good. If it wasn't, nope I won't be coming back for more

Which leads to another strategy - try to indulge only when it's really good. Just any ol thing you could get from Walmart? Well you could get that anytime yourself if you really want!

Lastly, for home you could try either some hobbies or walks that keep you outside and may actually help you exercise more. I'm sure there will be lots of tips posted for getting just your portion that satisfies you and not much more - I'll be reading to learn some ideas, too! Good luck!

Motivation comes from within. Nobody else can motivate you.

I think a common mistake is expecting and/or waiting for that feeling of motivation before making changes. Motivation may have been what started you on your journey, but expecting it to always be there and to rely on it is not realistic.

I don't wait to feel motivated before I go to work, or clean the house, or do the laundry, etc. I do those things automatically because I need to. Same with eating healthy and exercising. Just do it! Don't WAIT to feel motivated first.

I think I would have to create a healthy stash of treats that I could enjoy in place of the naughty ones... Like instead of having cookies and brownies at work, maybe have a granola bar with your co-workers. When they see your resolve to stick to your plan, they may stop or at least lighten up on their constant temptation. Heck some of them may even join you in the process and start watching what they eat too, then you'd have a buddy to help you as well.

At home, do the same thing. Keep a stash of good foods around that you can enjoy instead of the bad stuff. But don't deny yourself good things altogether. A cookie or a brownie every now and then won't kill your progress. Just be mindful of every bite you eat and log it. You can make almost anything fit into your daily goals if you stick with it.

Heck, on days when I know I'm gonna be tempted with something really yummy, I'll save up calories through the day so I can enjoy a normal portion of the yummy stuff.

It all about finding a balance that works for you. Good luck!

Please try to think how you will be in six months IF you are still doing as you are -you will be not as you want.............. If you manage to get your head round the issue for today, then manage to hold it for another, again and again for the majority of six months .... you will be closer. If you are confronted by various temptations first thing you could say, "thank you, I had a very good breakfast and can't face anything more".

Trying to eat healthy in an office environment is hard, especially with the holidays. I know it is and will be a struggle for me. It's hard to pass by the donuts and homemade cookies. But I've been able to do it recently. I just say no and I feel good that I had the power to do it. Every time I say no, I feel little more powerful. Eat good whole food and the cravings for the bad stuff will not be so bad.

For home, I'd attempt separate food buying and meal preparing. This can be tough, I know. I share a kitchen with someone who is one of the decentest people I've ever known. Except getting very upset that I "dirty up the kitchen every time cook!" Whilst they eat more pizza in a week than I've eaten in my life time and makes loads and loads of pasta dishes (not good for the diabetes here).

I ignore it or joke it off and continue to cook *and* clean up after myself, I even offer to share something I've made if (and I usually do) have enough to share.

I was ordered to lose 50 pounds, I've no choice in the matter -- well okay, I could ignore the order and die before 51, I suppose -- this also helps keep the, er, comments to a minimum. "it's for health reasons" works every time.

Instead of looking for motivation or some back bone, why don't you just be honest with yourself, and admit that you are not important enough to you. It's always easy to make excuses. These forums are full of them. It's a little tougher to say that right now, you're not important enough to you. When you should work out, but don't feel like it. When you over eat. Whenever you know you're making a poor choice. Every single time you choose something else over your health and well being, you're not important. So what does it matter if you drag yourself down...

Can't help you with the problem at home, but I say no to work treats all the time. If everyone is gathered for something, I stand around with my mug of coffee and chit chat. I guess people assume I already had some, why else would I be there? And if someone tries to push something on me, I say no thanks I had a big breakfast/lunch and I'm still stuffed. For some reason people are fine with me saying I'm already stuffed, as opposed to I simply don't want something or worse, I'm watching what I'm eating...

I got derailed and am trying to get back on track. I know if I wait around for the mood to strike, motivation to come along, it will be a long wait. I am doing what I can. Taking baby steps. My main goal right now is to maintain and not backslide. You can do this. If it all seems overwhelming just look at one task at a time. Unless you are in a hurry it won't matter if you took a little longer to lose the weight.

Motivation is a tricky thing and it's different for all of us. There were a combination of things that initially motivated me to change my life, which I won't bore you with. However, staying strong for months, and even years, takes a mindset. You have to decide that your health is tantamount to any indulgence, office junk, whatever your weakness is. Until you know and believe that, you will not stick to your new life.

I know and believe that I want to be healthy. Losing weight and feeling better is a huge motivator for me. Besides just losing weight, lifting weights, and becoming more fit has really helped. Also, having worked so hard at it, I don't want to undo all that by going back to my old, unhealthy way of life.

Now that I'm approaching having lost 100 lbs., people in my family, or people who see me in the gym, tell me what an amazing thing I've accomplished or that they tell people about me because what I've done has inspired them. That's pretty freakin' cool, considering that I never in a million years thought I would inspire anyone to get healthy. It also makes me feel like a jerk, because I wouldn't be where I am today, had I not gained all that weight in the first place.

I struggle every day to keep to my plan. It's particularly not easy because I have my son, who's 14 and can eat nearly anything he wants, and my mother, who's trying to kill herself slowly with booze and food, who live in my house. I don't restrict the food that I buy for them because it empowers me and I have to live in the real world, where there are temptations everywhere. If I can resist them in my own house, I can resist them anywhere. They've both had donuts and McDonalds for lunch today. I had a delicious salad with grilled chicken that was under 300 calories and was proud that I had that instead the crap they were eating.

Whatever the reason(s) was that made you start your journey, remember it every time you're tempted to make a bad choice or blow off your exercise. Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels!!!

Best of luck to you!

At my work we have morning meetings that nearly always include pastries and bagels. I started bringing in a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit to eat in the meetings. I eat this while others are eating the junk. I was surprised how much it helped to be able to just eat while others were, even though it wasn't the same food. I think for me, it's feeling left out that creates the problem. Having to sit there and endure while others are sharing in the moment was hard.

The fact that you've lost weight and are trending in the right direction means that, while this is a new challenge, it's not a derailment. It's time for adjustments, not all out do or die changes, just adjustments. Remember, the solution is never to just endure a situation like this and hope that willpower alone with get you through it, that is difficult and becomes self defeating. Create an action plan such as having emergency healthy snack food available at work. Or eat healthy beforehand. If possible, leave the room and/or take a walk. I've used all of these. I have also been frank with others about my diet. Several people have started to bring in fruit with their birthday cakes, brownies, etc. so that I can participate. This really surprised me. I still get the whole "oh come on one bite won't hurt" stuff, but when they do I get on my soapbox and lecture them about junkies and just one shot of a drug. If nothing else they back off just to shut me up.

I always have a really hard time resisting snacks when working. At my last office there were biscuits and sweets out on display all the time! Plus the invites/birthdays like at your place.
Suggestions :
- Drink lots of water. Always have some on your desk. Take constant sips
- Bring your own snacks (I found bananas the best) . Always choose them first
- If you cant resist whats on offer, eat 1/2 of however much you *really* want

Finally :
- dont try to be perfect, but think about being good enough!