Less than 10 feet from my desk is...

. . . and the dumping ground for the stuff they don't want at home.

Well, you could always take it and "dump" it somewhere else, including potentially someone else's area and/or the trash . . .

That would be difficult to look at all day long if there was a treat there you actually wanted. Some of it looks icky, but that's just my opinion.

I am lucky. I teach secondary school and my students are always sneaking food but it's gross, untempting food, like hot cheetos. >_< Yuck!

Someone suggested Dark Chocolate to satisify a sweet tooth. I'm 100% on board with that. I have 72% cacao chocolate squares from Ghirardelli (Twilight Delight), 230 calories for 4, so I count them at 58 calories each. One or two squares with a cup of tea is very satisifying.

For me, around treats, I cannot tell myself 'you can't have that!' I can have that, BUT I have to write it down and figure out how many calories I am consuming from that food item and adjust other meal calories and/or exercise to compensate.

The only way I was able to quit smoking was to tell myself, you can smoke if you want to, but you have to wait 2 weeks first. And my last cigarette, even after that 2 week wait period, was at a bar in the summer of 2001. But I can still have one if I want to! It's just the smell makes me sick now and I did not really enjoy the last one; it was just the final vestige of a drink/smoke habit that I have since lost.

Cakes, treats, donuts, whatever, you can have some if you want to. You're not bad and you didn't fail. They're not 'junk' or 'garbage', (not super nutritious) but they're just calorie dense food choices. Just write it down faithfully and adjust accordingly.

'I can't', 'I shouldn't', 'it's bad', or calling it names 'junk', 'garbage' etc. is a mindset that might only make you want it more.

I laughed at the suggestion to write down the amount of exercise it would take to burn the calories in those items, but yes, it would only stigmatize you at the office. If you really want something, pick something out, and record it in your food diary, that's my opinion.

Otherwise leave it alone. Or, bring something to work everyday that you enjoy and eat that instead.

Muse mentions "stay away from, can't have" whereas it is psychologically helpful to turn it around and think about what you *can* have.

She also talks about how long something would have to be exercised off. Last time when buying groceries I chose mini bars of chocolate, then today compared the kcal amount to the feeling I had when running C25K. I thought "I'm good. The amount I'm burning now makes it okay to have the bars once in a while".

I agree with the brushing teeth idea. I hate just about everything after that. I keep a bottle of mouthwash in my desk for that very reason. Plus, no stinky breath after lunch! :happy:

We have a 'goodies' table at work too. It's a mix of Asian treats and your basic carb filled munchies. The Asian treats are usually the hardest for me to resist with their delicate sweetness or savoury awesomeness.

I joined a new gym which is also a beauty salon/spa and right on the front desk is a HUGE bowl of candy/nuts/dried fruit ugh....

Everytime I sign in I make a comment and they all laugh. I just remind myself how gross it is that LOTS of people dig in with there bare hands...

We all have will power down deep inside or we wouldn't be on this site

Stay strong everyone and don't give in to treats or the germs that come with them LOL

Oh how I feel your pain my workplace is the same. I remind myself how much I would have to burn to work it off. I also pre log every morning before work so that it's not in my diary and therefore can not have it.

Khandeefan wrote: »

Treadmillmom1st wrote: »

...this



every single goddam day in varying quantities and types. It's driving me insane.

Can you cover the items with a tablecloth so you don't have to look at it?

More than 18 months later, I think it's likely gone anyhow.

snowflakesav wrote: »

Seriously? Is your desk in there kitchen or break room? These items should be moved. I have asked co workers to stop bringing goodies in. I have thrown items out if they continue.

Cool, so you get to dictate what others can bring to work? I bet you're really popular.


/sarcasm

I work with a person who insists on bringing that kind of garbage into the office. Everyone here is trying to eat clean, and she gets offended if anyone resists. She and I have both had gastric bypass. I lost and am maintaining with healthy lifestyle changes and working out. She has gained back a good amount of her weight and is back on meds for diabetes and high blood pressure. I have no desire to partake in her pile of garbage. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

@Treadmillmom1st - Sorry for the nearby temptations! That stuff is easy to resist when you're feeling good and strong, but hard on bad work days. I have used three solutions in my office. First ! asked my assistant, who loves that stuff, to keep it in her desk so I can't see it; second, when I used to fall off my own wagon, I would ask her for a specific number of pieces and then insist she not give me any more. We made a joke of it. And now, I make sure we never have anything dark chocolate in the office. Period. I can resist anything else.

Maybe you could ask the person with the strongest willpower/dislike of sweets to keep it hidden in their desk/office so people don't see it all the time? Out of sight, out of mind. That way, you're not denying those who do like that stuff, but you're also helping yourself and others who would like to have your willpower to not be so tempted?

I don't see the problem here....

What I *hate* about office parties is not the cake & donuts (which I don't eat) but the fact that everyone assumes that you'll give up your break to go to the party, or that the party counts as your break. I go for a walk on my breaks. Sure, I like Susie, and I want to attend the party, but I get sad when I have to miss my walks for cake I don't eat.

I ignore most food unless it something unusual and worth the calories for me. Yesterday, there were free lamb sandwiches. I love lamb and only normally eat it two or three times a year. I got a sandwich, threw out the bun, and ate the meat. Protein and fats for the win! But for most other stuff that is left out, I just don't think it is worth the calories the vast majority of the time. Sometimes I will take a bite of something just to try because it looked like it could be good and have instant regrats because it was NASTY. Right in the trash with that. Even if it is good, I'll still only take a bite or two and throw in the trash. For regular candy that I can get anytime, I just straight up ignore that. I have that every night for dessert anyway.

That would make me nuts!