Work Treats

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  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    SingRunTing wrote: »
    I also get weirded out by all the hands in the pot, so to speak. Just thinking about people who don't wash their hands regularly touching everything makes me not want to eat it.

    ^^^This plays a big part for me...

    Otherwise, we have donuts (from a nice bakery) every Friday in winter. If I have been meeting my goals all week, I will have one (ONE) for my breakfast - enjoy it slowly with a nice cup of coffee. It is a treat. Or if someone brings something I know is "worth it" - I will have a small piece and trade off on something else later. If we are having a group function, I tend to help set up, get people things, etc. so I am social and busy but not just filling my own plate or grazing. For lunch out - I go very rarely and I usually pick the place so I know I can get something that will fit and that I will enjoy.
  • kthompson601
    kthompson601 Posts: 174 Member
    This is something I really struggle with at my office. I started a new job in February, and my new office is very food-friendly, and we often have donuts, cakes, cookies, potlucks, etc. I'm especially worried about the upcoming holiday season--apparently from Halloween until New Year's it's non-stop eating, with baking contests and special holiday meals and so on.

    I'm so bad about being tempted about food. Whenever an email goes out announcing pastries or whatnot in the kitchen, my mind just zeroes in on the food. "Food available...eat it....food available...eat it..." Even if I'm not hungry, even if I just ate, knowing that food is available for anyone, it sets off this buzzer in my head that I need to eat, eat, eat.

    One thing I thought I'd try would be to bring in some sugar-less gum. If I'm chewing gum, I won't eat, because my mouth is already engaged, and the flavors won't mesh. Another strategy might be to allow myself one bit of treat (half a cookie or donut, one piece of fudge candy, etc.), logged as best I can (it's hard because with all that unlabeled food of dubious origin, you have no idea about the calories), so that I don't feel deprived. But I'm extremely nervous about the holiday season and I don't want to get off track!
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    This is probably way off course from others but it's what I do to avoid all the excess food in general.

    I think about where the food was prepared, I try to think that it's always in a dirty or messy kitchen or maybe the person who prepared it is a finger licker.

    I don't like to waste my tastebuds on things like packaged cookie dough so those perfect looking cookies I know I'll taste the packaging and skip them.

    The packages of donuts, my mind goes to once again, how many hands have touched those things?

    Birthday cakes, simple to skip for me because I don't care for chocolate cake and most cakes around here are chocolate or marble and if I'm going to have frosting it better give me a real good sugar rush, no "cream" frosting for me.

    Again it all goes back to not being willing to waste my tastebuds on food that won't satisfy me. Hopefully my words helped and didn't create germophobes out of anyone.

    I should mention that there are days are do enjoy a treat and sometimes it is that donut but if it doesn't hit the spot on that one bite I don't bother with another.
  • FenderK8
    FenderK8 Posts: 5 Member
    edited October 2015
    I am such a sucker for the snacks and where I work, the snack table literally touches my desk so I am always seeing the treats that people bring in. To prepare for this, I usually bring a few pounds of chopped veggies that I prepped/pre-bagged/labeled in grams the weekend before. Its so much easier to just grab them on the way out the door and since they are pretty voluminous they can keep you munching for hours without any damage done. Today with breakfast included, I have just over 2 pounds of veggies with me and I am still on track to log below 450 calories before I head home at 5 pm. I especially like to bring slightly sweet veggies like jicama and snap peas so its not all just fibrous blandness.

    Of course there are still times you might still give in, but if it is infrequent it shouldn't do much to hinder your loss if you do so in moderation and log honestly. Also, I keep a full gallon of water on my desk and try to get through at least one a day. With all that going on, your mouth might not even have time to munch on snacks :)
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    We get so many terrible things brought to our office. Starbucks 3 times a week, donuts, cupcakes, lunch once a week, chick fil a breakfast, cookies, etc. I just weigh out in my head weather it's worth it. Donuts are a no-go simply because for the next 4 hours I burp up a fried taste that I hate. Starbucks is always a no, we have a kuerig and I keep delicious creamer on hand. Cookies are usually not good enough to take away my precious calories, there are only a few that I KNOW are worth it. Same for cupcakes, there's only one place we'll get them from that I know are worth it. All others are too dried out. I always eat the free lunch, just small portions. The non donut breakfast items can really get me though. I love those little chicken biscuits from Chick Fil A. I usually let myself eat two, instead of my morning snack. And we get these little pigs in a blanket things (not sure why these are considered breakfast), and they're so good with mustard, so I'll usually eat one or two. For the most part I just say no to everything, except for the few things that I know I won't regret because NOM! It's all will power. If I have PMS and these things are brought in, then it's usually a free for all, lol.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    That sounds like my job too. I used to always eat it 'cause I felt like I had to.

    Then I realized, just because it's there doesn't mean I have to eat it. So I stopped.

    Actually, this was one of my first NSVs: Walking by the food desk at work every day for a week without eating any of it. Then it was two weeks. Then a month. Eventually I just realized that I didn't even want it anymore.

    At first, my colleagues would offer me chocolate or cookies or cake and would be really surprised when I turned it down ('cause I never did before). They'd say "no really, have some!" or "live a little!" or "just have one!" I just smiled and continued to say no thank you. Eventually they caught on and stopped encouraging me to eat it.

    Free food isn't "free". It doesn't cost money, but it costs calories. They're your calories; you have to decide whether you want to spend them on junk food at work or on other stuff. You just can't spend more of them than you have.

    Just say no. It's that simple.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    jeepinshawn wrote: »
    It happens a lot at my job as well. I almost always grab something. I will cut a donut in half or grab a single cookie, log it and fit it into your caloric goals. Is the cookie worth not having as much snack after dinner? Pre logging also helps, and lunch is my time I spend it at home with baby or walking and burning off the half donut I ate.

    This^

    Maintenance will be much the same. I can't go back to some of this, and some of that (mindless snacking) .....ever. I prioritize. Not every work snack will be worth it. Yesterday was quick bread (from Wal-Mart)......I certainly can do better. But, this morning was "pumpkin poke cake" from a guy in the office who is a superb cook. You guessed it. I had a small serving of cake.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    if i do not want cake i just say no thanks...i can go hang out and have some coffee and chat or whatever...i can be sociable and wish someone a happy birthday without cake. at my office, these things are typically in the morning so i usually just tell them the truth...i just ate breakfast and i'm not hungry.

    sometimes i will have cake...sometimes i won't. i've yet to see anyone get offended because i didn't eat cake on their birthday. i also tend to only attend these types of things if they are occurring within my immediate department...i don't attend all 95 employee's birthday celebrations at work.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    adamjb88 wrote: »
    Suppose the biggest difficulty is that I can't just not go in the room.. I'm in an open office.. And to make things worse they put it on the bench which is two seats away from me.

    So even if I'm getting up to get another cup of water or heading to a meeting il just pick at passing.

    Worse when they get pizza in - the smell!

    Tell your manager or the facility manager you have seen a mouse, cockroach, etc in the area. Could the food crumbs be attracting them? Maybe should move the stuff.

    Or just ignore.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    adamjb88 wrote: »
    Suppose the biggest difficulty is that I can't just not go in the room.. I'm in an open office.. And to make things worse they put it on the bench which is two seats away from me.

    So even if I'm getting up to get another cup of water or heading to a meeting il just pick at passing.

    Worse when they get pizza in - the smell!

    To me, this is the same as when people complain that they can't stand to have certain foods in their house while they're losing weight, because the temptation is too great.

    We have free will, though. We can choose to consume them or to not consume them. We're not helpless slaves to smells or temptation.

    You're changing your lifestyle, not temporarily dieting. There will always be tempting foods around. You have to be an adult about it and just say no to the things that don't fit in your plan. You don't have to deprive yourself of everything you like -- even while sticking to a 1325/day diet while losing weight, I made room for chocolate every day -- but you do have to have enough self-discipline not to indulge just because it's there.

    Look, if you're married, you don't go out and sleep with any attractive person you meet. If you work in a retail store, you don't embezzle from the cash register just because the money is there. Well, it's the same with food. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to eat it.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    Honestly, I just walk right past the food.

    Today one colleague brought in muffins and one brought in cookies as a "thank you" and I just don't eat them. My colleagues also respect me when I decline their offer. I'm very appreciative of the gesture, but I usually have a goal of something that I want at the end of the day and the treat at work is not nearly as delicious!
  • Devol82
    Devol82 Posts: 80 Member
    I am lucky that everyone in the office is on some sort of diet so for birthdays etc it's usually a fruit or veggie tray that is brought in. On the occasion that chocolate cake comes in, I can resist that all day because I am not a fan of chocolate cake. Sometimes a patient of the office will bring in homemade food, ugh just no, I won't eat that because you just dont know....As for going out to eat lunch, the dieters still go out almost daily, I will go maybe once a month or so, I am not a fan of wasting my money out to eat when I have brought my lunch and I just need a break from everyone for awhile lol. I do miss out on alot of office politics by not going but well I guess I have just gotten used to that.
  • BringingSherriBack
    BringingSherriBack Posts: 607 Member
    I right there with everyone else. Our office is a constant flow of food. If it's not a coworker bringing in dessert, then it's a vendor bringing pastries and doughnuts. We seem to have lunches for everything around here and it's never anything good for you. Generally pizza and cookies, subs with chips and cookies or bbq sandwiches with beans, potato salad and cobbler.
    I generally have no problem saying no to pastries and doughnuts, but the lunches are pretty hard to get out of when they are company wide "feeds". What I generally do is make the best of it and eat a couple slices of thin crust pizza and one cookie, get a plain ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sub and only put veggies on it and take either chips or cookies but not both. When they do bbq, I usually forego the bun and dessert.
    Generally it's just everything in moderation. I try not to make a complete pig of myself when I do partake and then try to be more mindful the rest of the day.
  • MarcyKirkton
    MarcyKirkton Posts: 507 Member
    I just don't. Donuts and kolaches here. Right now it's easy because I'm focused on losing. When I start maintaining, then I'll have a new challenge
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    I work in a school and there's ALWAYS something in the teachers lounge. I have a co-worker who bakes a lot while at work (after school care) and yeah, it's hard to stay away from. Especially as there's often so much stuff, because there's so many of us.

    I do eat some of it, I will admit it, but I try to limit myself and I always log it to the best of my ability (I do overestimate the food when it's home baked). It's hard though.

    But what I find even harder is lunch. I eat with the students, and even though my closest co-workers (who work in the same class as I, and eat lunch with me) knows that I bring my own lunch, I feel really self concious sitting in the lunch room without eating anything - so I eat salad and often chickpeas with onion and some kind of oil. These are calories I don't need (even though its not a lot) but I do it because I feel weird and judged if I didn't.
  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
    my job has a chef, I started here 2 years ago and gained 15 pounds. Between the delicious meals and the pastries, and the snack bar that is always stocked, it can be very hard to eat healthy.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Devol82 wrote: »
    I am lucky that everyone in the office is on some sort of diet so for birthdays etc it's usually a fruit or veggie tray that is brought in. On the occasion that chocolate cake comes in, I can resist that all day because I am not a fan of chocolate cake. Sometimes a patient of the office will bring in homemade food, ugh just no, I won't eat that because you just dont know....As for going out to eat lunch, the dieters still go out almost daily, I will go maybe once a month or so, I am not a fan of wasting my money out to eat when I have brought my lunch and I just need a break from everyone for awhile lol. I do miss out on alot of office politics by not going but well I guess I have just gotten used to that.

    I gladly miss out on our office politics, lol. Last time I went out with two of the girls for lunch, I had to listen to them dissecting the actions of 3 specific people from the hour leading up to lunch (there was a conflict, a very very meaningless conflict that was resolved within 5 minutes of being back at the office making the 45 minute speculations that I had to sit through even more meaningless).
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    You could miss out on the same office politics by not smoking and not going out for smoke breaks with the power players. But that's not a good reason to take up smoking!
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
    I try to tell myself: "my body is burning fat at the moment, if I eat this I'll be storing more instead". Doesn't always work though :-(
  • adamjb88
    adamjb88 Posts: 8 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I try to tell myself: "my body is burning fat at the moment, if I eat this I'll be storing more instead". Doesn't always work though :-(

    Yeah had that today.. Anytime I'm actually hungry i think.. My body has run out of energy I've just put in.. The longer I go the more it's going to use what i already have stored
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
    I keep a container of oats and some sugar at work, if things get really bad I'll mix half a cup with a teaspoon of sugar and some water and microwave it - it totally stabilizes my energy levels and is way better than what's in the dreaded vending machines - and of course I log it!
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