My retail job hinders my healthy habits.

deeislegend
deeislegend Posts: 5 Member
edited November 21 in Introduce Yourself
I'm sure I cannot be the only person on earth working in retail who has gained weight over the years. Whether it's the pretzel stands, the Chinese food (no, I don't want a sample...I work here. We've been over this.) or the over priced coffee options we all so desperately need to keep smiling and selling, its really hard to keep from stress eating sometimes!

I try not to by avoiding the food court, packing a simple balanced lunch, drinking bottle after bottle of water.

Then you have those days... Late shifts, angry customers, folding the same stack of shirts for the 1299th time ( the shirt looks the same in every size. Trust me. The graphic is the same, the shirt itself is slightly larger. Go home.) You get home, and after curling into a ball... (screw it, extra gym time tomorrow.) HOW DID I JUST PREPARE AND DEVOUR AN ENTIRE BOX OF MAC AND CHEESE FROM THE POT I COOKED IT IN!?

If I don't work, I'm fine. I eat great all day. Workouts fine.
Life is awesome.

What helps you?
Motivation friend requests gladly accepted.
I need all I can get. :|

<3

Replies

  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    You just have to stop. I know it's hard, but you just have to force yourself.

    I work in a hospital and put weight on over the course of a few years for similar reasons. Long shifts without a chance to eat, so I'd graze on the chocolates and junk food that is always in the nurses station, there always cupcakes and donuts everywhere which are very hard to resist when you're exhausted, the coffee, the incredible amount of stress, the hours and hours of overtime which prevent me from getting to gym (exactly what happened tonight - missed the only WOD on tonight), the wine at the end of shifts so I could relax and sleep. So...I get it.

    I now have a strict rule of no work food. I cannot be trusted with portion control. One chocolate turns into three cupcakes. I allow two coffees a day, the rest are green tea. If I miss gym then I do a home work out which I don't enjoy as much but no excuses! Gym helps with the stress so I don't feel the need for wine as much. I take all my lunches and snacks. I carry a water bottle so I stay hydrated. I pack snacks that I can eat in seconds (eg hard boiled eggs, home made protein ball, bananas). I still have times where I've gone for waaaay too long without eating or drinking (or peeing or sitting) and then want to eat ALL THE THINGS. Then I just focus on my long term goals, eat the food I had prepared and try not to fall face first into take out. I don't always succeed but 80-90% of the time it works.
  • labohn91
    labohn91 Posts: 113 Member
    What do you want out of fitness, different goals will lead to different plans of action? If you have food that trigger you to eat them in bundle stay away from them. Otherwise moderation will lead to the most happiness. Best of luck.
  • deeislegend
    deeislegend Posts: 5 Member
    edited July 2015
    oh_happy_day wrote: »
    You just have to stop. I know it's hard, but you just have to force yourself.

    I work in a hospital and put weight on over the course of a few years for similar reasons. Long shifts without a chance to eat, so I'd graze on the chocolates and junk food that is always in the nurses station, there always cupcakes and donuts everywhere which are very hard to resist when you're exhausted, the coffee, the incredible amount of stress, the hours and hours of overtime which prevent me from getting to gym (exactly what happened tonight - missed the only WOD on tonight), the wine at the end of shifts so I could relax and sleep. So...I get it.

    I now have a strict rule of no work food. I cannot be trusted with portion control. One chocolate turns into three cupcakes. I allow two coffees a day, the rest are green tea. If I miss gym then I do a home work out which I don't enjoy as much but no excuses! Gym helps with the stress so I don't feel the need for wine as much. I take all my lunches and snacks. I carry a water bottle so I stay hydrated. I pack snacks that I can eat in seconds (eg hard boiled eggs, home made protein ball, bananas). I still have times where I've gone for waaaay too long without eating or drinking (or peeing or sitting) and then want to eat ALL THE THINGS. Then I just focus on my long term goals, eat the food I had prepared and try not to fall face first into take out. I don't always succeed but 80-90% of the time it works.

    Oh I remember all that quite well from my time at the assisted living facility. Its true, its really all about self control. I guess I just have to find it again.

    I used to hate the gym. Then I started lifting and all of a sudden I was not as stressed out as I used to be... But like you said it's hard after all that overtime! :) thanks fort the response!
  • VodkaLegacy
    VodkaLegacy Posts: 4 Member
    Well, this story reminds me of my own experience in retail. I can remember joining up and from an average weight individual becoming larger than normal and plus not eating healthy at all, if you think about it, packaged meals or ready made meals from supermarkets are just bad as having a Mcdonalds meal... I think you should change your whole approach in your eating habits such as maybe preparing your own meals and sticking to it. First week would be hard but once you pass that barrier you shall be fine and record everything 100%.
  • deeislegend
    deeislegend Posts: 5 Member
    labohn91 wrote: »
    What do you want out of fitness, different goals will lead to different plans of action? If you have food that trigger you to eat them in bundle stay away from them. Otherwise moderation will lead to the most happiness. Best of luck.

    My ultimate goal really is to have the resistance or find it within me to stop eating terrible and being stressed. I just wanted some insight on how others deal with it. I've never been good at dealing with stress ( I have chronic high anxiety) and food had always been an issue. The difference now it's that I'm not in high school on the track and cross country team! :p

    And living in Amish country doesn't help either... Boy, do people ever love butter and sweets around here! :s
  • deeislegend
    deeislegend Posts: 5 Member
    VodkaLegacy wrote: »
    Well, this story reminds me of my own experience in retail. I can remember joining up and from an average weight individual becoming larger than normal and plus not eating healthy at all, if you think about it, packaged meals or ready made meals from supermarkets are just bad as having a Mcdonalds meal... I think you should change your whole approach in your eating habits such as maybe preparing your own meals and sticking to it. First week would be hard but once you pass that barrier you shall be fine and record everything 100%.

    I hear yah... The stupid pretzel stand is right outside my store... I do bring my own lunch, usually yogurt, kale salad with veggies and an olive oil based dressing, jello, mixed nuts... It varies but that's the usual. But it's days like yesterday when I get a string of crazy in the store and all I can smell is those flipping pretzels! :p:D

    I do also bring light snacks so I don't eat my arm off... String cheese and apples normally. Or a banana.

    Bottom line is I'm a work in progress... It's so much easier knowing there are people out there who understand and are willing to give their own advice and experiences!! ;)
  • ajnb88
    ajnb88 Posts: 339 Member
    I work in retail, luckily there are no food options on the retail park other than McDonalds or Kebabs, so I have to take my own lunch, which I make (and log) the night before. I don't find it too hard, although of course there's the occasional slip up if I've forgotten lunch or something.
  • SweeDecadence92
    SweeDecadence92 Posts: 218 Member
    Just self control and meal prep. Like, I always have a cereal bar with me because I *know* at the end of the shift, I'll pop into the shop and get sweets.

    I'll usually have some dinner with me if I have a long shift and I'll buy a big 2L bottle of water on my way into to keep me hydrated and cut down on snacking.

    Very rarely now will I buy anything while I'm at work.
  • Terri6627
    Terri6627 Posts: 39 Member
    I work at a Walmart and I see people all around me in the lunch room going to the in store McDonald's (that we even get a discount at) for lunch all the time. And almost all of them are bigger. When I don't feel like making a lunch I walk the five minutes from the punch clock to Subway and get a 330 calorie sub. You can still sometimes eat in the food court, you just need to make the right choices. Get a veggie wrap instead of a burger, etc.
  • aubreyjordan
    aubreyjordan Posts: 276 Member
    I work in a candy store at a big theme park that has a caseline with candy apples, fudges, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc. I pack a high protein lunch and a chocolately quest bar in case I have a craving. They have a team member grill in the back, with a bunch of unhealthy options (pizza, burgers, fries, etc). It is pretty easy not to buy anything, but it takes A LOT of willpower to turn down the broken cookie/cupcake/brownie etc (if it breaks or expires, we can eat it in the back room or when the store closes). You've just got to work on the willpower, one thing at a time. Packing a high protein lunch really helps me, as the protein keeps me full. For caffeine, I drink diet soda.
  • Neversettle78
    Neversettle78 Posts: 206 Member
    1. Do you use your food diary? If so, do you use it properly?
    2. You seem to be breaking foods down into "good" and "bad"....when all that matters at the end of the day is calories. Set a calorie goal and don't exceed it most of the time.
    3. Get some exercise.
    3. Don't make excuses about why it's hard for you....it's hard for everyone. We all have temptation in different forms.
    Sorry if I am blunt, but I am trying to eat my chicken pad thai (that fits my daily calorie allowance).
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