Sneaky strategies
ceiswyn
Posts: 2,256 Member
I'm currently feeling a little bit proud of myself for coming up with a cunning workaround for an issue I've been having. My office serves free cake in the cafe every Wednesday afternoon; and every Wednesday afternoon I finish the helping of cake that fits into my calories, want more, and go down and hoover up any leftovers.
I've tried forbidding myself from going back down for cake (which results in my pretending I'm going down for extra watermelon, oops, how did that Victoria Sponge get onto my plate), I've tried having a salad instead (but salad AND cake is even better), I've despaired...
...today I scheduled myself into a one-hour meeting starting at the time I normally sneak down for second cake. I forgot all about the cake. Now I just need some more meetings
What creative workarounds have you come up with for challenging speedbumps in your weight loss journey?
I've tried forbidding myself from going back down for cake (which results in my pretending I'm going down for extra watermelon, oops, how did that Victoria Sponge get onto my plate), I've tried having a salad instead (but salad AND cake is even better), I've despaired...
...today I scheduled myself into a one-hour meeting starting at the time I normally sneak down for second cake. I forgot all about the cake. Now I just need some more meetings
What creative workarounds have you come up with for challenging speedbumps in your weight loss journey?
45
Replies
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Verrrry sneaky, sis! If it works for you, it's a good plan. Simple as that!
A real speedbump for me is alcohol. A couple glasses of wine out with friends, and I'm ordering allllll the carbs. But I don't want to be a teetotaler. So now, I plan to order a drink that I actually don't really enjoy, so I don't finish it, like a Moscow Mule or a G&T. Less tipsy = more in control of my carb cravings, but still having a fun night out.
Mind you: I haven't STARTED this plan yet. It occurred to me last weekend when I woke up feeling like *kitten* after a tipsy night out that devolved into all the carbs leaping right into my mouth magically.12 -
I schedule meetings with the person who always finishes the food I don't want to eat and then cancel it at the last second.
7 -
I fill out my food diary a few days in advance. If I want to eat something and it doesn’t fit into any excess calories I have left over, I don’t eat it.10
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I do it in the dark, when nobody’s watching. 🤣32
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When I want a frozen custard, I walk down to the custard stand to get it. (It's a lovely walk past a park with ponds and wildlife and lots of neat stuff to investigate for both my dogs and my child.) Small custard is 400(ish) calories. The round trip walk is 5 miles. Net calories for the trip and the treat is in the negatives.24
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Work food is big downfall of mine too. My co-workers feel, work place culture wise, it's important to feed people. I eventually had to make a rule that if I didn't bring the food, I didn't eat the food. Ever.
This was HORRIBILY hard around Halloween. We gave away all of our Halloween Candy the night of trick-or-treat and we don't have kids, so NO TEMPATION at home, right? Well, everyone after Halloween would bring in leftovers and pass it out, put it on peoples desk, put it on conference room tables. I couldn't escape it. I'm SO proud of myself that I didn't eat a single piece of candy over the holiday. Now, I realize I could have easily made it work, but I know 1 isn't enough and once I have one, I've eaten all of them.
I'm currently in my goal weight range, but I still want to get a few pounds off before our vacation in December. Any "imposed" rule I can make on my eating/fitness activities helps me avoid known pitfalls.8 -
kristen8000 wrote: »Work food is big downfall of mine too. My co-workers feel, work place culture wise, it's important to feed people. I eventually had to make a rule that if I didn't bring the food, I didn't eat the food. Ever.
I also have this rule, but where I work, there is a lot of experimental food, so... Chips made with cricket flour and meal worm protein and the like. Plus, there's usually a survey afterwards about texture and flavor, and if you thought just logging calories was too much effort, evaluating the texture of the crickets you just ate will be way too much.
O_O11 -
ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »kristen8000 wrote: »Work food is big downfall of mine too. My co-workers feel, work place culture wise, it's important to feed people. I eventually had to make a rule that if I didn't bring the food, I didn't eat the food. Ever.
I also have this rule, but where I work, there is a lot of experimental food, so... Chips made with cricket flour and meal worm protein and the like. Plus, there's usually a survey afterwards about texture and flavor, and if you thought just logging calories was too much effort, evaluating the texture of the crickets you just ate will be way too much.
O_O
Sneak me in. I want to try all the experimental insect based food.8 -
* Being out and about in the sun curbs my appetite
* Timing my workouts at the top and tail of my day gives me that I am too sore & tired to eat reprieve.
* Cooking prevents me from eating.
* Water.
* Talking to people who want me to stop my life and help them or their family drop fat weight like I did. They just make me lose my appetite.7 -
ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »kristen8000 wrote: »Work food is big downfall of mine too. My co-workers feel, work place culture wise, it's important to feed people. I eventually had to make a rule that if I didn't bring the food, I didn't eat the food. Ever.
I also have this rule, but where I work, there is a lot of experimental food, so... Chips made with cricket flour and meal worm protein and the like. Plus, there's usually a survey afterwards about texture and flavor, and if you thought just logging calories was too much effort, evaluating the texture of the crickets you just ate will be way too much.
O_O
Are you a researcher or scientist?
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ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »kristen8000 wrote: »Work food is big downfall of mine too. My co-workers feel, work place culture wise, it's important to feed people. I eventually had to make a rule that if I didn't bring the food, I didn't eat the food. Ever.
I also have this rule, but where I work, there is a lot of experimental food, so... Chips made with cricket flour and meal worm protein and the like. Plus, there's usually a survey afterwards about texture and flavor, and if you thought just logging calories was too much effort, evaluating the texture of the crickets you just ate will be way too much.
O_O
Sneak me in. I want to try all the experimental insect based food.
Me, too!3 -
Oh, my apologies. I was hoping it was open to weak zombies, too. 🧟♂️
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Are you a researcher or scientist?
I work with a lot of them, but I'm departmental IT. I maintain all the computers, networking and an increasing number of computer connected instruments. (Basically - not THAT KIND of scientist.)
@NovusDies The cricket flour chips were inoffensive, but that's probably the best thing I can say about them. The texture was that of a stale corn chip, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of. WAY more salt was needed for me to find them in the least bit tempting and probably like... lime or cheese powder or something. They were NOT ready for marketing, to be sure.
I just cannot with mealworm snax if the worms retain worm shape. *shudder*12 -
I'm trying to think of sneaky strategies, and I'm not sure my strategies are sneaky, per se.
My best stay-on-track strategies are:
Packing breakfast and lunch the night before to take to work
Laying out gym clothes and packing work clothes the night before
Pre-logging my entire day before breakfast
Walking on my morning, lunch and afternoon breaks
Allowing myself treats every day, in moderation
How about this one? I only buy the types of chips I don't like, for the family.8 -
ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »Are you a researcher or scientist?
I work with a lot of them, but I'm departmental IT. I maintain all the computers, networking and an increasing number of computer connected instruments. (Basically - not THAT KIND of scientist.)
@NovusDies The cricket flour chips were inoffensive, but that's probably the best thing I can say about them. The texture was that of a stale corn chip, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of. WAY more salt was needed for me to find them in the least bit tempting and probably like... lime or cheese powder or something. They were NOT ready for marketing, to be sure.
I just cannot with mealworm snax if the worms retain worm shape. *shudder*
I still want you to sneak me in. I will eat any worm that is not a gummy or toxic. If there is room you can sneak @quiksylver296 in too. If not, remember I called it first!7 -
I would crochet while watching TV. I mindlessly snack a lot and having something else to do with my hands helped me cut down on that habit quite a bit.
My parents have a strict "no food in the living room" rule. I'm not there quite enough to see if this theory holds up but to me knowing if you want to get up and have a snack you'll have to eat it in the kitchen rather than go back to the living room and get comfy would make me less eager to fix myself something too.7 -
ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »Are you a researcher or scientist?
I work with a lot of them, but I'm departmental IT. I maintain all the computers, networking and an increasing number of computer connected instruments. (Basically - not THAT KIND of scientist.)
@NovusDies The cricket flour chips were inoffensive, but that's probably the best thing I can say about them. The texture was that of a stale corn chip, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of. WAY more salt was needed for me to find them in the least bit tempting and probably like... lime or cheese powder or something. They were NOT ready for marketing, to be sure.
I just cannot with mealworm snax if the worms retain worm shape. *shudder*
I still want you to sneak me in. I will eat any worm that is not a gummy or toxic. If there is room you can sneak @quiksylver296 in too. If not, remember I called it first!
What is *wrong* with you???
#gummies4ever
Back on topic: On the rare occasion I eat cereal, I pour my weighed portion into a coffee mug instead of a bowl. Makes the ridiculously small serving size seem a tad more generous and I don't feel as deprived. 14 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »Are you a researcher or scientist?
I work with a lot of them, but I'm departmental IT. I maintain all the computers, networking and an increasing number of computer connected instruments. (Basically - not THAT KIND of scientist.)
@NovusDies The cricket flour chips were inoffensive, but that's probably the best thing I can say about them. The texture was that of a stale corn chip, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of. WAY more salt was needed for me to find them in the least bit tempting and probably like... lime or cheese powder or something. They were NOT ready for marketing, to be sure.
I just cannot with mealworm snax if the worms retain worm shape. *shudder*
I still want you to sneak me in. I will eat any worm that is not a gummy or toxic. If there is room you can sneak @quiksylver296 in too. If not, remember I called it first!
What is *wrong* with you???
#gummies4ever
Back on topic: On the rare occasion I eat cereal, I pour my weighed portion into a coffee mug instead of a bowl. Makes the ridiculously small serving size seem a tad more generous and I don't feel as deprived.
I am the last sane person on the planet. THAT is what is wrong with me.
I love your cereal coffee mug suggestion. I am surprised it came from a gummy eater.7 -
We have a large cubicle with workout equipment in it one floor up from mine. It's not much but a few weights, elliptical, stationary bike, and a few rollers. Just this past Monday I realized it was up there...duh. So now around 2 pm each day I disappear up there and do a light (no sweaty) workout for about 15 min. Oh, it's almost time to go now:) It's helped me stop looking for that afternoon office snack.13
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Hmm. I think a new trick I have discovered just this moment, is that if I am feeling snacky, I just come to this discussion and read about mealworm treats. 🤨🤢22
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I skip breakfast because I'm not hungry in the mornings, have a coffee at around 11ish which suppresses my hunger until lunch. Then I don't have lunch until around 1-1:30pm which leaves me full until dinner at 5:30ish. My lunch is always lower calorie (usually under 500) which allows me more calories to eat when I am prone to snacking or eating more, which is after dinner, or a bigger deficit for that day. I guess I'm kinda doing IF but I have a cream in my coffee.7
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Hmm, not food related, wine related.
I’ve kept a vat-o-wine in the fridge for decades and always found it soooo easy to drink an extra glass or two, especially during the summer in the garden.
Now, I’ve taken that vat-o-wine out of the fridge (no longer off the shelf cool), got myself a nice big wine glass, and a nice carafe.
I pour my wine for the evening into the carafe, slosh a good few ice cubes into the glass, then dribble a small portion of the wine at a time into the glass.
The ice cools the wine while diluting it a little, not enough to spoil the taste, makes it a slower drink, and I think I am drinking something posh.
(I got the idea from a cocktail served the same way at the top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris, Las Vegas)
Yeah, I’m easily fooled.
Cheers, h.11 -
I put a whole bag of salad in a medium sized bowl and then pile everything else on top. By the time I’m done it’s a huge heaping colorful bowl. It’s all air space and fluffy lettuce underneath but the top looks like a monster feast.
Same with my afternoon snack. Huge pile of strawberries and blueberries topped with cottage cheese in a cereal sized bowl. It’s only about 200 calories but I pretend it’s ice cream.
Seriously I’ve gotten to where I look forward to it. Had a big lunch with a friend today and am gnawing my knuckles trying to stay on target for the day. No snacky this afternoon but yummy instant pot pork carnitas are on the horizon for dinner. Don’t know whether to cry or happy dance or both.10 -
Oh and this sounds weird but it’s actually really good. Tablespoon of peach flavored balsamic vinegar with sparkling water poured on top tastes remarkably like peach Fanta. And it’s less than ten calories. Fake it til ya make it!6
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springlering62 wrote: »Oh and this sounds weird but it’s actually really good. Tablespoon of peach flavored balsamic vinegar with sparkling water poured on top tastes remarkably like peach Fanta. And it’s less than ten calories. Fake it til ya make it!
I drink that all the time. I also "sparkle" cold earl grey tea, which is surprisingly cola-esque, but without the sugar.
4 -
JenniferM1234 wrote: »Verrrry sneaky, sis! If it works for you, it's a good plan. Simple as that!
A real speedbump for me is alcohol. A couple glasses of wine out with friends, and I'm ordering allllll the carbs. But I don't want to be a teetotaler. So now, I plan to order a drink that I actually don't really enjoy, so I don't finish it, like a Moscow Mule or a G&T. Less tipsy = more in control of my carb cravings, but still having a fun night out.
Mind you: I haven't STARTED this plan yet. It occurred to me last weekend when I woke up feeling like *kitten* after a tipsy night out that devolved into all the carbs leaping right into my mouth magically.
I've kind of lost interest in drinking lately, but formerly if I wanted to drink slower, gin & tonic was what I ordered.1 -
Challenging myself to limit my added sugar to the WHO recommendations of 5% of daily calories has really helped with my snacking. Sometimes I'm just snacking less and sometimes it's a lower calorie snack (fruit.)
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10769530/30-day-logging-limiting-added-sugar-challenge/p14 -
Tea -- I have to have something to sip on at night and plain water just doesn't do it. I used to drink a glass of wine a night, but now most nights I drink this delicious cinnamon and blackberry tea from Bigelow and save the wine for the weekends.
Not surprisingly, the more hydrated I am the better choices I make, too. I think I must like doing things with my mouth, whether that's eating or drinking something, during the times of day when I'm least active. I have much more energy and my weigh ins are better overall.3
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