Help! I work in a candy store... :/
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Alphreia
Posts: 85 Member
I haven't come back to MFP in a while, because of life getting in the way, but I'm currently seeing pretty terrible side-effects to one of the best things that's happened to me lately.
Four months ago, I got the best retail job ever: I hold a shop alone on evenings, selling candy to overwhelmingly happy customers.
Only problem is... Steep discounts on everything in the store, and I can eat anything from the bulk bins on my shifts.
It's the biggest temptation ever, and I'm seeing the consequences in my waistline.
I haven't kept candy in my apartment since, well, my last attempt at weight loss (at least some good habit came out of it), but I can't exactly follow the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality while at work, and I don't know what to do.
So far I've set myself a rule to never buy anything at work, and that holds up pretty well.
The bulk candy, though, I don't have the strength to resist.
Any ideas?
Four months ago, I got the best retail job ever: I hold a shop alone on evenings, selling candy to overwhelmingly happy customers.
Only problem is... Steep discounts on everything in the store, and I can eat anything from the bulk bins on my shifts.
It's the biggest temptation ever, and I'm seeing the consequences in my waistline.
I haven't kept candy in my apartment since, well, my last attempt at weight loss (at least some good habit came out of it), but I can't exactly follow the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality while at work, and I don't know what to do.
So far I've set myself a rule to never buy anything at work, and that holds up pretty well.
The bulk candy, though, I don't have the strength to resist.
Any ideas?
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Replies
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Would it work to determine how many calories in candy you would like to eat and stick to that? I find "some" to be much easier to implement than "none."0
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I would suggest trying to make sure you eat/bring enough food to not get hungry at work to reduce the temptation to eat a bunch of candy. Then try to create some space in your calories each day for one measured indulgence from the bulk bins. That way eating the candy isn't forbidden but restrained.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »Would it work to determine how many calories in candy you would like to eat and stick to that? I find "some" to be much easier to implement than "none."
Yes, maybe you can budget a certain amount of candy calories each shift. Then each night you go to work you make your choice for the night - maybe you wait until the end of the shift to actually eat it?0 -
Every time you want a candy you could take a drink of water (don't get sick from too much too fast) or eat a carrot maybe. You can also make yourself little goals, like "can I get to my break with no candy?" or "no candy until an old lady customer with huge purse comes in".
Good luck! Stay strong!0 -
I made a rule about food that's not mine. If I didn't pay for it, its not a temptation. Might not work if you can't manage not to purchase it at some point, but when I worked retail we weren't allowed to ring ourselves up so if you're working alone... Perhaps this trick could work for you. You can't browse the bulk bins because you didn't pay for it.
I am always welcome to food in the house at work, I'm a nanny and they tell me all the time to help myself to banana bread baked fresh that morning, or cookies from a party, or whatever. I'm with it all day but I don't indulge. It's a lot easier to just say no.0 -
I hear you. I had a very similar sounding job about 10 years ago. Worked in a small locally owned candy shop in the evenings, mostly just me and maybe one other person. Friendly customers. We were encouraged to eat as much of the bulk chocolates as we wanted, that way we could answer customer questions intelligently, or something.
It was a great job and I only left because I moved to a different state. I worked there for one year and gained 20 pounds. As you can see I have no good advice to offer beyond what everyone else has, as I never did figure out how to not eat all the candy. Good luck!0 -
Hopefully it will lose its novelty soon enough.0
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I made a rule about food that's not mine. If I didn't pay for it, its not a temptation. Might not work if you can't manage not to purchase it at some point, but when I worked retail we weren't allowed to ring ourselves up so if you're working alone... Perhaps this trick could work for you. You can't browse the bulk bins because you didn't pay for it.
I am always welcome to food in the house at work, I'm a nanny and they tell me all the time to help myself to banana bread baked fresh that morning, or cookies from a party, or whatever. I'm with it all day but I don't indulge. It's a lot easier to just say no.
I think this is good advice. If you struggle to limit yourself not having that first piece might be the best way to handle the situation for now.
Mind you it's easy to identify the right course of action but harder to follow it through. As a Brit who has never visited the US (where I assume you live), I was only very recently introduced to Reese's and those peppermint patty things. Oh my God they are amazing.
Not as good as our Cadbury's, but a strong effort all the same
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I think this is good advice. If you struggle to limit yourself not having that first piece might be the best way to handle the situation for now.
Mind you it's easy to identify the right course of action but harder to follow it through. As a Brit who has never visited the US (where I assume you live), I was only very recently introduced to Reese's and those peppermint patty things. Oh my God they are amazing.
Not as good as our Cadbury's, but a strong effort all the same
Is Cadbury's in the UK the same recipe as in NZ? Because I was never a fan. Whittaker's on the other hand. Oh god. I shudder to think how much weight I gained just because of that alone.
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I can relate. I used to work at a bakery as a cake decorator. We are allowed to eat cake scraps, doughnuts, cookies...it was awful. Cake is already a weakness of mine, and free cake? Oh my gosh! But, I also noticed some days I was not as inclined to reach for it, especially the longer I worked there, because I was starting to get tired of it. Maybe that will happen to you too. In fact, since I quit that bakery, I haven't eaten there since, and it was 7 years ago.0
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I gained a lot of weight when I first started working in a cafe. We were allowed as much free coffee or tea as we wanted. So, naturally, I would make myself the most disgustingly sugar laden coffee first thing every morning. And also all of our cabinet food that didn't sell during the day was up for grabs for us to take home.
Eventually it became easier to resist when I got sick of all of the offerings. I am not sure I would be able to resist unlimited candy though. Maybe you could bring a healthy snack with you to work and eat a bit every time the temptation becomes too great?0 -
Honestly for me, seeing children and adults stick their dirty hands in the bin would deter me.0
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Four months ago, I got the best retail job ever: I hold a shop alone on evenings, selling candy to overwhelmingly happy customers.
Only problem is... Steep discounts on everything in the store, and I can eat anything from the bulk bins on my shifts.
?
OMG I'm so jealous, sorry I have no words of wisdom. You truly do have the best job0 -
So, knowing you have major trouble moderating candy consumption you got a job at a candy store and 4 months later see the problem? Sigh.
Assuming you are not going to change jobs, flat out decide on how much you can consume each day in advance and still stick to your calorie goal. Put it aside in a bag or box. Eat out of that container only. Do not eat out of bins. View the rest of the candy as for you to sell not for you to eat. Don't bring extra money with you.0 -
Change jobs??0
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DaisyHamilton wrote: »Honestly for me, seeing children and adults stick their dirty hands in the bin would deter me.
LOL! That's what I was thinking. "Bulk bins? Where people are always putting their hands?" That would not be a problem for me.0 -
I think this is good advice. If you struggle to limit yourself not having that first piece might be the best way to handle the situation for now.
Mind you it's easy to identify the right course of action but harder to follow it through. As a Brit who has never visited the US (where I assume you live), I was only very recently introduced to Reese's and those peppermint patty things. Oh my God they are amazing.
Not as good as our Cadbury's, but a strong effort all the same
Is Cadbury's in the UK the same recipe as in NZ? Because I was never a fan. Whittaker's on the other hand. Oh god. I shudder to think how much weight I gained just because of that alone.
Not a clue - I know the recipe changed recently and there were a few complaints over here. I think I will always love Cadbury's the most because it reminds me of my childhood.
I'm going to have to find out what Whittaker's chocolate is now, and if it leads to weight gain I'm afraid I will hold you responsible.0 -
JeepHair77 wrote: »DaisyHamilton wrote: »Honestly for me, seeing children and adults stick their dirty hands in the bin would deter me.
LOL! That's what I was thinking. "Bulk bins? Where people are always putting their hands?" That would not be a problem for me.
See, that should put me off but I can't honestly say it would.
I'm like the opposite of a germaphobe.0 -
I worked for Cinnabon for a summer way back in the day. People asked me how I managed to not eat myself to 2000lbs on Cinnabons. Truth is I never tried one and never really wanted to and to this day, have never had one. I think my first or second day there, there I saw the nutritional information on the wall. The pecan caramel Cinnabon was about 1200 calories. OK, even back then before I was seriously dieting and calorie counting, I knew that was absolutely ridiculous. They were just so over the top, they weren't tempting to me at all. I didn't even see them as food, I think, just a thing I needed to avoid putting in my mouth like the plague.0
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